Search - Razorlight :: Razorlight

Shiny Yet Hollow As Glass

Nathan Knapp_Voronwë | Seattle | 12/23/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Two years ago, when Razorlight's critically acclaimed debut album Up All Night hit music stores across the UK and Europe, the band seemed poised for almost inevitable international success. The album rose to No. 3 on the official UK chart, and the band had the opportunity to play in front of Buckingham Palace, before a TV audience of millions at the Olympic Torch Parade in London, and at the Glastonbury festival. Now nearly six months after their self-titled release, with their relentless self-marketing, they haven't quite stormed across the Atlantic yet.



The album starts off quite nicely with "In the Morning," a rocker that seems cut straight out of 1979, with its crystalline hooks and thundering drums. The sprawling riffs and angsty lyrics of "Los Angeles Waltz," and the hopping bass lines of "Pop Song 2006" will end up ensnaring some listeners. Frontman Johnny Borrell's vocals seem heavily influenced by Bob Dylan -- he often doesn't nail the right key -- but there's enough swagger in his voice to carry the band through in a way that some might like.



The lyrics are frustratingly shallow at times, and at others it just feels like Borrell was just plain lazy--roughly half of the lyrics on "Kirby's House" are repeated from "In the Morning." On "America," Borrell doesn't seem to know exactly what he wants to sing about--nostalgia, insomnia, or the meaninglessness of pop culture:



Yesterday was easy

Happiness came and went

I got the movie script but I don't know what it meant

I light a cigarette because I can't get no sleep

There's nothin' on the TV, nothin' on the radio

That means that much to me



Razorlight never tries to be too original, but they offer a fun album to play "Name That Influence" with as they're easier to spot than that coffee you just spilt on your shirt, whether it's The Talking Heads, Bob Dylan, or The Rolling Stones. There's little here to attract younger fans in the way of offering something even relatively new. However, fans of Jet or The Elms might find this self-titled release of throwback rock at least marginally

"

Good, not great.

fluffy, the human being. | forest lake, mn | 03/09/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Q magazine selected this as the 3rd best album of 2006! 3rd! what's going on there? this is a good album, a catchy selection of songs at the crossroads of power pop and rock and roll, but no way is this a great album! 3rd best of the year! who is doing what to whom over at that publication? i don't mean to rip this thing, like i said: it's a good enough album, just way over-rated in some circles."

...another batch of supposed indie straight from the micro w

OMNIGOSS | UK | 03/14/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"...the fact that some people call this indie is enough to generate projectile vomitting...what you have here is another band to soil the name of England...with this! Pfft...what to say besides...



...if you're even aware of this bands existence then you have failed to keep your ears pure of the metaphorical wax this creates...you've obviously heard the singles "In the morning", or "america" (I'm so sorry that you had to hear such cyanide) you will hear the voice of a man who sounds like he's trying to be Mark E. Smith at times and also trying to sing like a normal person (in a bad way) and then they make a stab at an anthemic chorus with nothing at all...nothing? NOTHING!!!



...what bothers me more is that they blame their lack of success in America on the fact that they don't have a guitarist that plays distorted notes...now liveing in England I can say that the reason they're success in America is bad is because there are so many people in England who claim they know what indie is and because they can strut across the street with this on they will class it as indie (while simultaneously burning the smiths) and people in America have slightly more sense (in that particular part anyway) because they know some english guy rambling on and with basic instrumental accompanyment ISN'T ENTHRALLING MUSIC!!! Now I could go on about how awful this is but I'll just say this...if you buy this...buy the Kaiser Chiefs...because I'm sure they'd go great to together..."