Jeremy Aaron
03/17/09, 05:31 PM
Razorlight - Slipway Fires
Record Label: Island/Mercury Records
Release Date: March 10, 2009
Who?
Razorlight are regular visitors to the upper reaches of the UK charts, but have attained only modest popularity on this side of the Atlantic. Slipway Fires is the London indie-rockers' third album and first since their 2006 self-titled release.
How is it?
I was hoping for a lot better. Though they never totally put it together on their first two releases, Razorlight showed that they have what it takes to produce a fine album. Their debut, Up All Night, was full of post-punk and garage rock exuberance, a lot like Hot Hot Heat's Elevator, but somewhat lacking in hooks. Razorlight had more songs with immediate melodies and greater hit potential, but it was a more slickly produced Britpop record and not quite as interesting musically as its predecessor. Unfortunately, aside from a few highlights, Slipway Fires draws the worst of both of these records together, forming one supreme disappointment.
The album actually starts out rather strong with the first single, the gutsy choral chant "Wire to Wire" and the memorable (and reportedly, the second single) "Hostage of Love," with its acoustic dominated verses and jangly chorus. Sadly, there isn't much else to get excited about. Frontman Johnny Borrell delivers what amounts to a phoned-in performance, which makes many of these songs fall flat, considering that, thematically, they're dripping with sentimentality and, thus, begging for a spirited vocal effort.
Well, they're not all dripping with sentimentality. "Tabloid Lover" and "North London Trash" are pretty poor attempts at social commentary, though they are perhaps the album's catchiest moments. There's a little redemption to be found later in the album, in the form of "Burberry Blue Eyes," but the moment in the sun doesn't last long. The back end of the album is weighed down by the bloated soft-rock of "Monster Boots" and "The House."
Had Razorlight combined the pure energy and fun of Up All Night with the knack for melody they displayed on the self-titled album, they could have created the completely satisfying effort that they've failed to do thus far. Mystifyingly, they have released an album that's even more bland the last two, leaving me shaking my head and with little hope for the future. Comparable to Snow Patrol's A Hundred Million Suns, except in reverse, Slipway Fires has its moments, but gets them out of the way early, making way for the mostly filler that follows.
Air Traffic's Fractured Life
Hot Hot Heat's Happiness Ltd
Weezer's Make Believe
The Kooks' Inside In/Inside Out
Supergrass' Supergrass
Check out Razorlight on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/razorlight).
Record Label: Island/Mercury Records
Release Date: March 10, 2009
Who?
Razorlight are regular visitors to the upper reaches of the UK charts, but have attained only modest popularity on this side of the Atlantic. Slipway Fires is the London indie-rockers' third album and first since their 2006 self-titled release.
How is it?
I was hoping for a lot better. Though they never totally put it together on their first two releases, Razorlight showed that they have what it takes to produce a fine album. Their debut, Up All Night, was full of post-punk and garage rock exuberance, a lot like Hot Hot Heat's Elevator, but somewhat lacking in hooks. Razorlight had more songs with immediate melodies and greater hit potential, but it was a more slickly produced Britpop record and not quite as interesting musically as its predecessor. Unfortunately, aside from a few highlights, Slipway Fires draws the worst of both of these records together, forming one supreme disappointment.
The album actually starts out rather strong with the first single, the gutsy choral chant "Wire to Wire" and the memorable (and reportedly, the second single) "Hostage of Love," with its acoustic dominated verses and jangly chorus. Sadly, there isn't much else to get excited about. Frontman Johnny Borrell delivers what amounts to a phoned-in performance, which makes many of these songs fall flat, considering that, thematically, they're dripping with sentimentality and, thus, begging for a spirited vocal effort.
Well, they're not all dripping with sentimentality. "Tabloid Lover" and "North London Trash" are pretty poor attempts at social commentary, though they are perhaps the album's catchiest moments. There's a little redemption to be found later in the album, in the form of "Burberry Blue Eyes," but the moment in the sun doesn't last long. The back end of the album is weighed down by the bloated soft-rock of "Monster Boots" and "The House."
Had Razorlight combined the pure energy and fun of Up All Night with the knack for melody they displayed on the self-titled album, they could have created the completely satisfying effort that they've failed to do thus far. Mystifyingly, they have released an album that's even more bland the last two, leaving me shaking my head and with little hope for the future. Comparable to Snow Patrol's A Hundred Million Suns, except in reverse, Slipway Fires has its moments, but gets them out of the way early, making way for the mostly filler that follows.
Air Traffic's Fractured Life
Hot Hot Heat's Happiness Ltd
Weezer's Make Believe
The Kooks' Inside In/Inside Out
Supergrass' Supergrass
Check out Razorlight on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/razorlight).