Strokes Music Group

JULIAN CASABLANCAS is getting tired of people asking him where he's going. And he doesn't mean Madrid, his destination this day as he navigates the Milan airport, in the middle of a hectic European jaunt of press sessions and club shows to advance Tuesday's release of the Strokes' third album, "First Impressions of Earth." Rather, the singer-songwriter is frustrated with questions about his band's larger direction, its ambition and goals. Its mission.

There were times Saturday during the Strokes' show at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim when you wished the New York quintet might have channeled some of the go-for-broke abandon of the evening's opening act, the Eagles of Death Metal. At the same time, EODM's riff-heavy set would have benefited greatly from a jolt of melody and forward thrust of the Strokes' best songs.

"Last time we played here was at the Dragonfly, and it was empty," said the Strokes' singer Julian Casablancas last week, addressing the fans at an anything-but-empty Troubadour. As the New York band played its melodic rock with a confident swagger, guys in the audience jumped up and down and women jostled for a view of the young, slightly scruffy musicians.

JULIAN CASABLANCAS is getting tired of people asking him where he's going. And he doesn't mean Madrid, his destination this day as he navigates the Milan airport, in the middle of a hectic European jaunt of press sessions and club shows to advance Tuesday's release of the Strokes' third album, "First Impressions of Earth." Rather, the singer-songwriter is frustrated with questions about his band's larger direction, its ambition and goals. Its mission.

There were times Saturday during the Strokes' show at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim when you wished the New York quintet might have channeled some of the go-for-broke abandon of the evening's opening act, the Eagles of Death Metal. At the same time, EODM's riff-heavy set would have benefited greatly from a jolt of melody and forward thrust of the Strokes' best songs.

"Last time we played here was at the Dragonfly, and it was empty," said the Strokes' singer Julian Casablancas last week, addressing the fans at an anything-but-empty Troubadour. As the New York band played its melodic rock with a confident swagger, guys in the audience jumped up and down and women jostled for a view of the young, slightly scruffy musicians.