Razorlight’s debut album, 2004’s Up All Night, made them famous in England, and their follow-up album, the self-titled Razorlight, boosted the band into worldwide fame. But now, with their third album, Razorlight has hit rock bottom.
Razorlight’s lead singer Johnny Borrell’s haughtiness was clearly visible a few years ago, but now he thinks he’s the God of pop music, and unfortunately you can hear that on the record. To make matters worse, the whole disc sounded like it was written to just make a lot of money instead of good music.
The first song, “Wire To Wire,” is perhaps one of the best songs on the album. This doesn’t make it a good song, though. It’s a pathetic attempt at writing a rock anthem. The first part is alright, but it turns out to be dull and repetitive. After listening to a few more tracks, I started to realize why “Wire To Wire” is the album opener -- it’s the only song I can actually remember after listening to the entire album. Sometimes I didn’t even notice when a song finished and another one started. It all sounds pretty much the same.
“You And The Rest” could have been bearable. The first minute is pretty decent, but it turns out to be very repetitive again. Worst of all, the song doesn’t even have a proper ending. It just fades out at some sort of horrible bridge. And then there’s “Tabloid Lover,” which combines all possible clichés into a hideous cut that is not worth spending three minutes of your life listening to.
Razorlight never seems to finish their songs. Another unfinished track is “60 Thompson.” Right from the start it suggests a magnificent climax, but when the moment is finally there, the music just stops.
I’m pretty sure there are a lot of people who’ll absolutely love this album. It has some classic rock influences and it is certainly easy on the ear. It has a few decent songs but as a whole it didn’t impress me at all. Let’s put it this way: if Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Doors, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones had never existed, Razorlight would’ve been damn original. If Razorlight would’ve combined Bob Dylan and The Doors it would at least have been interesting, but they have not. They just did what a thousand other bands did before them.
I wish I could’ve said something really good about this album but I’m afraid there isn’t anything. Don’t buy it unless you’re a huge Razorlight fan.