CD Review

"Hey Razorlight, Oasis and the Libertines called, and they want their rock and roll gimmick back.”

This British four-piece delivers so much run of the mill garage rock that even lead singer Johnny Borrel - despite his fervor - comes off as a second hand front man. Singing of blaze adventures such as “rock and roll lies,” in the city” and “ stumble and fall” their debut Up All Night might have been a welcome sound four years ago. And who came up with the forced album title anyways.. Interpol or even worse... Slaughter?

Already signed to Universal after barely even starting out says enough of this style over substance outing. Their official debut album combines all the elements you’d expect from a British shaggy hair post-punk bunch. Despite the unoriginality, guitarist Bjorn Agrens lends some promising riffs that are shiny and decadent, most noticeable in the title song. “Don’t Go Back To Dalston,” featuring an interesting conclusion of ramshackle percussion vocals that conclude into a heavy chorus of shouts. And yeah, these guys aren’t horrible musicians and they do deserve to be on a stage, but a little songwriting and playing with flavor and heart never hurt nobody. Hopefully Razorlight will find their true sound next time around.