There are many, many reasons to hate Razorlight. Having reached their plateau of mediocrity with first album Up All Night, this second single from their self-titled follow-up effort presents a significant decline into a strange MOR abyss for these supposed young upstarts. It’s as though lead singer Johnny Borrell has been charting the career curve of Phil Collins, or listening devotedly to Blandest Songs of the 80s! Ever!.
In other words, Razorlight have not just spread themselves thin with a song trying to appeal to everyone and anyone. No, 'America' manages to spread a teaspoonful’s worth of talent over an Olympic-size swimming pool. Or, in other words, they have wholeheartedly embraced the ethic of ‘making music for people who aren’t really into music’. This is a finely mushed paste of a song; it may taste a bit gross, but then again the infantile and often incapable palate of Joe Public will compliantly digest what is spoon-fed from the radio. It’s like settling for dog food because it’s there, rather than going into the forest to find a truffle.
Anyway, as I was saying: the radio. You see, it seems myself and Mr Borrell have something in common. His distaste for the contraption was evident on the previous, marginally less offensive single 'In the Morning', as he sang: “The songs on the radio sound the same”. For 'America', he cuts and pastes this trite sentiment to comment, “There’s nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio that means that much to me”.
Could this plagiarism of the self be a sign of fledgling greatness, perhaps? Johnny Borrell, all gargantuan ego and errant mouth, could surely claim so. However, there is a contradiction sticking out as far as the nu-crooner’s teeth:
i) Mr Borrell has famously proclaimed that “If [Bob] Dylan’s making the chips, then I’m drinking the champagne.” Yes, he truly believes himself to be a wiser, classier lyricist than the incomparable Dylan. Which is funny because…
ii) The same Mr Borrell recently conceded in an interview that he often wrote lyrics in a rush, less than a day before they’re due to be recorded. Not really timeless poetry, then.
Of course, a cocky loudmouth rock star is certainly not a novel or shocking phenomenon. Liam Gallagher has been peddling his gorilla swagger and boorish persona for over a decade and he still makes me smile. Ian Brown, Mick Jagger, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Kings of Leon... if something has substance then style is warmly welcomed. However, the only style Razorlight proffer is that of a certain emperor proudly showing off his new wardrobe to the townspeople in chilly weather.
'America' really is a terrible piece of faux-sentiment. Lazy rhymes and thoughtless commentary pervade the song ("Yes I got the news / When you get it straight / But stand up you just can't lose"). And, worst of all, I found out today that they have scored their first UK number one with this very song. Surely this provides some evidence of redemption or distinction, a fan may argue? Unfortunately not. To them I say: look at Mr Blobby, James Blunt, Nazi Germany... Just because something is popular does not make it right or justified. And this is worse than at least two of those three.
Borrell
always makes me think of Shakespeare...
specifically
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
wow
that was pretty cool.
It's Not That Bad?
On their debut album I half-heartedly said it wasn't as bad as my DiS friends were saying. In my defense, I'll say that I only listened to the album once.
Because after these two new singles - which are truly awful - I see the error of my ways. Razorlight is shite. *shrugs*
i hate this song
i also hate razorlight.
"The brains I had went to my head"
- oasis, don't look back in anger
this quote holds, so, so true to johnny borrell and this egotistical, loudmouthed felony of a band.
This song
is the definition of this non-descript, uninteresting, blunt-esque indie-rock 'revolution'. Absolute pants, and surely the worst track on the new album.
Ignoring my anger at how poor this song is, it seems that Borrell's arogance on Razorlight's first album has been numbed down so much, that the listener feels like he's been numbed by a general anaesthetic listening to this. At least during parts of Up All Night, you got the feeling there was some angst and grit to the album. This song is the opposite, and sums up how Razorlight have become.
Yes
Stumble and Fall, for instance, was a good single.
But I bought the new record (quite liked In The Morning) ... and it was atrocious.
I was with you
until you said Liam Gallagher still makes you smile.
I always thought
Mr Blobby was class, then i was about 5 when he was at his peak.
Huh?
What does this song do right for it to garner 2 out of 10?
was thinking the same thing myself.
Urgghhh and I really hate the way this is always on the radio and fucking dickhead DJ's are like "oh man is that a good record or what?"
No you fucking pleb....No....No its not !!!
Edith Bowman
Seems to have some sort of problem where any generic indie pap that is playlisted by Radio 1 should be described just like that.
Razorlight are fucking terrible.
agreed
2 outta 10 is far too high. you could invent minus scores for this pile a shite.
Nazi Germany
And the fucker still gets a 2...?
JB woz cuter wen he straytend his hair
This is a pile. 2 = pile. It sounds just J U SS Tt like Tracy Chapman.
yeah
he's really gone downhill fast hasn't he?
Why hasn't the following happened yet?
We usually get five or so new people sign up with user IDs like 'razorlight4eva' going 'omg jonny borell iz lk the gr8est sngwrtr eva nd wel fit u all suck nd r gay'.
Come on, illiterate masses! Don't let us down! Hasn't someone told the Razorlight message board about this review yet?
Good point.
Always up for a slgging match when this lot are concerned.
"slagging"
(home time)
There haven't been any Razorlight fans here because...
...every website has given the song a strongly negative score. Dotmusic did one better than you guys and gave it 1 out of 10.
There
must be someone, disturbed usually get slaughtered in this country and you still had a load of people setting up accounts so they could slag everyone and everything about this site off.
Borrell is entirely
necessary.
2?
Generous.
would it be too obvious
(if any comment on razorlite Could be anything but) to say the title is actually a very well-known band related joke? anyone?
Money
Kind of blown away (in a bad way) by the saturation advertising this band and album have had...I don't know how it could make ANY money after the amount spent. Wish I didn't have to look at JB's gormless muppet face while I'm eating my tea in the front room. At least that other bastion of unshakeable belief in the face of all available evidence, John Bon Jovi, smiles a lot and is generally pleasing to the eye.
So...
how many of you have seen them live then? Not fucking me? A lot of people slag shit like this off and then forget it was them that helped bands like this through its infancy.
This will always be the case with the so-called "new rock revolution". Second albums pretty much are total shit. As if the first ones are not.
Here's an idea, why doesn't DiS just not even bother reviewing the stuff? Out of sight, out of mind.
Preach the good word brother
I've always found that ignoring dire music is the best policy as oppossed to moaning about it incessantly. However in Razorlight's case I really did have to make a rare exception.
What's the point?
In writing about music if you don't cover acts you don't like?
If a website only posted positive reviews it would boring and seem a bit to pandering.
Pap
When lots of people slag of Razorlight,
it fills me with hope.
f
"f"
Your mum. No wait, my mum.
I told my mum I had written a piece on the #1 song at the moment. Her reply: "Is it that America song? I really like that, it's so catchy!"
Mum, I love ya but you've proved my point in 12 words...
live
When you get someone with that almost eery hunger for attention that Johnny Borrell has, when they first burst on the scene everyoine will crow 'what a STAR!!' in unison and let off fireworks and hurrahs. If the songs were equally demanding of your attention, then everyone would still be worshipping at the feet of their latest idol.. but basically they are not. In the face of pretty mediocre safe songwriting that aren't particularly angry or poignant or deep, JB standing there like he's up there with Mick Jones or whatever...well he just looks a bit of a lemon. I saw them on Leeds main stage two years ago, I think, and it made little impression bar the above.
oops
I meant safe 'songs', not songwriting.
I don't understand how the same band
who wrote average dirty indie club tracks like Rip It Up, or Spirit, or, Yeah You Should Know wrote this piece of SHIT.
Do you think Johnny cares?
He's banking a fortune and getting blown 3 times a day.
So he has to walk round looking like a dickhead and sing some trite rubbish now and then but it's still a good gig.
I bet that's what Toploader thought
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I think Borrell confessing to writing lyrics the day before the song is due to be recorded is probably a reference to Dylan himself - one that he is probably fully aware of. On the early albums there were not only lyrics but even whole songs (Talkin' World War III Blues being an example) that were written in the studio. Blowin' in the Wind was written in 10 minutes. You don't neccesarily have to spend weeks writing lyrics to come up with "timeless poetry".
Borrell doing it, though, is a horrible display of his over-inflated ego and plain arrogance. He's not good enough to do it. It just exposes him for the talentless waste of space that he is. The way in which he's seen someone else make songwriting look easy and been inspired to go on to write lots of shit songs is like Oasis' relationship with the Beatles. Bob Dylan was an immense talent. Because he was able to do things quickly it doesn't mean everyone can. Some people just work like that.
Dylan's lyrics were witty and poetic. Borrell's are just shit. The lyrics in America are terrible. God I hate Johnny Borrell. Just fuck off now. Thanks. Bye.
Is this the one where the chorus goes a little like this?
"Razorlight/ sing some shit about America/ load of shite/ panic in America?"
Yup. It' just so bland.
I wish someone
flew a couple of 747's into that freakishh Borrell and his gaggle of fucknut bandmates.
that's the one
I got the album sent to me free and I listened to it while in the queue at the leeds festival.
IT GAVE ME THE URGE TO DIE
razorbore
i remember first seeing this band at the joiners in southampton over a couple of years ago, and it was a really good show. i was a fan for a while until they released golden touch (which was shit)but this band simply have not progressed since that gig - their albums are poor anbd how they want to capture the radio 2 audience is just sad. they did some good early singles for indie clubs, but have been shit since then. they bore me to death, and why does xfm play this so much!
can i also add
on my girlfriends behalf, that it rips off a song by Jewel? also called America?
added.
watching america
all my life ooooh! whats he on about? watching saved by the bell
Razorsh1te
This is pure shite; I am sick of seeing JB on his stool, fcuking his way round the neck as he kicks off 'america', just when you think it can't get any worse, the lyrics hit you. Twisting the blade, JB chucks in 'oh oh oh' for good measure. I would love Zed from Pulp Fiction to come in at that point and give JB something to say 'Oh Oh Oh' about' The curly haired toss pot. Its enough to make you want to turn over to the chuckle brothers.
In the..
Morning you know we won't remember a thing!!