Razorlight - Slipway Fires Review

Posted by Vanessa Willoughby on 03.23.2009

After dazzling UK fans for more than four years, Razorlight hopes to capture a loyal American fan base. But does their third album, Slipway Fires, contain the elements to win American hearts?



Track Listing:
1. Wire to Wire
2. Hostage of Love
3. You And The Rest
4. Tabloid Lover
5. North London Trash
6. 60 Thompson
7. Stinger
8. Burberry Blue Eyes
9. Blood for Wild Blood
10. Monster Boots
11. The House

With Razorlight’s third effort, Slipway Fires, the band hopes to finally capture the hearts and ears of the US. “Wire to Wire,” the first single and opening track of the newest album, is already a Top Five hit in the UK. Fronted by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell, Razorlight briefly gained notoriety in America with their debut album, Up All Night, which spawned the single “Golden Touch.” However, unlike Up All Night, Slipway Fires is all about the mastery of control vs. chaos, the attempt to create an album that is all about incorporating the sounds of crunchy, garage rock with humble, soft melodies.

This is apparent in the first song, “Wire to Wire.” Evoking the haunting weight of Nick Cave, Borrell’s voice croons over the tinkering of a piano, the percussion instruments slowly easing into the musical arrangement. The lyrics paint a rather somber, pensive mood that colors the entire album, as Borrell sings:

”What is love but the strangest of feelings?
A sin you swallow for the rest of your life?
You've been looking for someone to believe in
To love you, until your eyes run dry

She lives on disillusion road
We go where the wild blood flows
On our bodies we share the same scar
Love me, wherever you are”

Of the content of the song, Borrell says, “It’s two people with the same scar. I wasn't really thinking it would be a single or anything and we started getting phone calls from people who were saying that songs a smash.”

In fact, it seems that the main theme of the album revolves around the illusion and the disillusion of love, the blossoming and disintegration of love, and above all, the simultaneous fear and excitement of falling in love. The second song, “Hostage of Love,” evokes the similar atmosphere of “Wire to Wire,” playing with the metaphor of love as a captor. Anxiety and frustration build, Borrell’s voice complimenting the steady strumming of the guitars.

“You say you have been born again
Since you slept there in that liar's den,
You cannot be saved
You gave your innocence away

I've turned my cheek
And I've suffered the blow
The truth of my story
Is widely unknown
Words of derision I have
Swallowed with a smile
For telling my story
I have been crucified”

For some artists, using this sort of figurative language could come across as trite, recycled and cheesy. Fortunately, due to the combination of Borrell’s gritty vocals and the unmistakable imprint of UK giants such as Oasis and popular newcomers like the Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight maintain the snarl in song dominated by the vulnerability of betrayal. As a vocalist, Borrell is willing to take risks, alternating between tough, steely anger and the wailing of a scorned lover.

The fourth track, “Tabloid Lover,” bursts with the opening guitar riff reminiscent of U2. However, once the song fully kicks off, it’s shed the more polished sound of U2 for the swagger of a band like The Kinks. Bassist Carl Dalemo and drummer Andy Burrows achieve a harmonious unity, the drums feeding off of the bass and vice versa. Guitarist and vocalist Björn Argen provides background vocals and supporting guitar chords that fully bring the song to life.

“Stinger” is another example of the album’s fascination with the balance between power and subdued reservation, as Borrell moans about a particularly ruthless relationship. Shamelessly, he sings:

“No one likes to
Be lied to
Now you lie to me to protect yourself
Please remember the words we exchanged
How the truth changes shape under strain
And I'm stung every time”

“Blood for Wild Blood” starts off with a rush of piano chords and tight percussion, which serves as the driving element of the entire song. In line with the previous tracks, “Blood for Wild Blood” captures the entire album’s youthful animation, while depending much more on a pop sound, rather than the fever of a rock-based melody.

Airy piano chords are the backbone of the final track, “The House.” Akin to the confessional gravity of a Smith’s song, Borrell laments about the death of a father and the ghosts of the pasts. Like a eulogy, the lyrics are heavy on imagery and figurative language:

“There's a full moon over this ancient town
A clock faced the color of the sky
And every street that we walk down
Belongs to the house where my father died

Where prisoners march in luck step with each other
Reavers test the limit of their reign
Dragging their dead weight from the other
While I claim my place, center stage”

It’s an interesting choice for the closing track, as it doesn’t necessarily reflect the diverse spectrum of moods and atmospheres that the entire album has generated. In a way, it’s a coherent choice that secures the flow of the album, but it might have been more effective to end on a high note, in terms of energy level, swapping it with the ninth track, “Monster Boots.” On the other hand, the simple piano-driven melody and Borrell’s wounded voice reflect the growth of Razorlight and the evolution of the band’s first album to its most recent, Slipway Fires.

The 411: Razorlight may not appeal to everyone, but Slipway Fires is an honest album that captures the tenacious confidence of some of the UK's best and brightest pop-rock/alternative bands. With tight lyrics and diverse musical arrangements, Slipway Fires is an unexpected addition to the band's growing discography.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]