Razorlight's debut is somewhat interesting on the first listen. While it has an undoubtedly British feel to it, it's often hard to remove the question from your mind; "who is this? Razorlight or The Strokes"? The album does have a slightly more unique feel than is revealed on first listen. The most unique part of Razorlight is the vocal aspect of the band. While the vocals do sound oddly similar to those of The Strokes, they are enjoyable in some songs where there are some slightly unique flavours added to the mix.
The album's first single, "Stumble and Fall" is probably the album's strongest moment. It's one of those oddly addictive songs that will keep you reaching for the repeat button. While there are a few other standout tracks, "Stumble and Fall" is miles ahead of the rest of the album. While the vocals are an enjoyable part of the album, it often sounds like the band are just trying a little too hard to be cool or fashionable especially when the vocalist will say words rather than singing them in the same way The Strokes did in "New York City Cops" with the line "it was f*cking strange".
The biggest problem with Razorlight's debut is that it just goes on for too long. At least that's the way it seems after listening to it. It seems as though the listener has sat through 2 hours of the band. In actual fact, the album doesn't even hit the 50 minute mark. After listening to 5 or 6 of the 12 tracks on offer, it's likely that the listener will not want to stick around for more. While more patient listeners will be rewarded with "Stumble and Fall", it doesn't make up for the sameness of the rest of the album. It's often hard to distinguish between tracks because there is just not enough diversity between songs to actually tell the difference between them.
So is "Up All Night" a bad record? Not really, it's not that it's bad at all, it's just that it's not very good. At times, this album is a decent piece of garage rock, but for a more consistent debut album in this style, there is no contest between this album and The Strokes' "Is This It?". If you are hungry for some good garage rock, buy The Strokes album instead. However, it's definitely worth picking up the "Stumble and Fall" single.
Pros
- Fun music
- Vocals are slightly unique, especially when British accents are revealed
- Guitars sound good and have the occasional cool lead
- Nice basslines
Cons
- Boring
- Dragged out
- Sounds more like a rehash of a Strokes album than something original
Reccomended Tracks
Stumble and Fall
Rock N' Roll Lies
Up All Night
FINAL RATING: 2.5/5
