Before I fall to pieces

Razorlight - Razorlight (2006) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Back to the Start.

This was Razorlight's second album, mostly known for the big hit America at the time. When this came out it fell between a few stools for my kids. Keegan was 22 and had left home some years ago, Adam was starting University and playing in a Heavy Metal band, but Jade (15) and Samantha (18) were teenagers and this was a band on their radar. So I heard it via them.

Like a lot of British bands, you can tell a lot about the band and their sound from their clothes and haircuts. Check out these four jack the lads - stretch black skinny pants, trendy loafer style shoes, black jackets (yes, I'm aware it's a black and white photo but I bet their clothes are black), T-shirt under the jacket. Haircuts - rock star models apart from one.

What do I take from all this? An attempt to stylise them as indie rock gods with shortish, sharp, snappy songs. That prediction holds true as they sound like a lot of other indie guitar bands of the late 1990s to early 2000s like Hard Fi, Embrace, Kaiser Chiefs and The Kooks. I bought albums by all of those bands, but, back in the day, Razorlight remained my daughters' band (like Franz Ferdinand, and The Libertines).

There was that, plus they tended to sing about things other than life in England (which I prefer). America's lyrics are telling - it seems Johnny Borrell grew up dreaming of other places, like America. Hence the name check for Kings of Leon (Pop Song 2006 betrays their Kings of Leon influence - I had to check Spotify to see if I'd strayed into one of their albums). Los Angeles Waltz is another paean to the home of the free. I get it, but I'm not that fussed with bands like U2 and Razorlight immersing themselves in American culture. There's something off about Bono wearing a cowboy hat.  

All of which makes me wonder about the appeal for GK. Unless he came to them much later, I'm pretty sure he would also have come across them thanks to his own teenage children. This doesn't sound like his kind of thing somehow.

All of the above is preamble - there is a lot to like about the band's approach. I'm a big fan of guitar based indie bands, These guys sound committed to the task and they certainly are a cut above other indie guitar bands of the time. Even though GK suggested avoiding the three live tracks I actually enjoyed them more than the studio versions - they sound tougher, more granular, more a band.

Highlights for me were (the genuinely thrilling) Back to the Start and America is such an ear worm. It doesn't exactly dominate the album, but it's deffo the catchiest song on offer.