The Strokes Are Fired Up

The Strokes have finished recording their third album, which they are mixing with studio whiz Andy Wallace. The album is due out in January.

"I don't wanna go overboard," says singer Julian Casablancas, sitting on a stoop on Fourteenth Street in Manhattan, "but I'm pretty excited. It's like a seedless watermelon -- I like it."

With no deadlines hanging over them in the studio, the Strokes had plenty of time to perfect the tunes, which feature Casablancas' voice front and center for the first time. Highlights of the fourteen songs include Casablancas venting on "Razor Blade" with the cutting line "My feelings are more important than yours"; guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. ripping into a solo on "Vision of Division" sounding like Dick Dale on crack; and the starkly beautiful "Ask Me Anything" (which came to the singer in a dream), featuring only Casablancas' vocals, and Mellotron courtesy of guitarist Nick Valensi.

Casablancas is racking his brain for the album's title and artwork. But he feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. "I'm relaxed now," he says. "Almost done."

The band is revving up for a larger tour than the one following the previous album. "We were a little road-weary after [2003's] Room On Fire, so it was light," says Casablancas. "Now I think we're ready for fatal touring again -- to go all out. We got our energy back."