Album Review: Razorlight – Planet Nowhere
3 min read
Razorlight took the UK by storm in the early 2000s with their debut album Up All Night, heralded as a lighter, more intellectual Oasis. However, singer Johnny Borrell had that self-proclaimed swagger that the Gallagher brothers possessed, as he claimed to be the songwriter of a generation and compared himself to Dickens and Bukowski. This falsehood is further exemplified by Razorlight’s new album Planet Nowhere, which, unfortunately for him, still makes the band completely irrelevant.
There are some saving graces; the album opener Zombie Love has a catchy, jangly guitar, and the thematic concept of a dead love walking is quite compelling. F.O.B.F. also sparks some interest; the constant change in rhythm is combined with the chromaticism and dissonance in the melody and harmony, making a welcome change from the rest of the album, which is just one impersonation of artists you would rather listen to, such as their contemporaries, like The Strokes and TV.
What gets me most about this album is Borrell’s attempt at being controversial, and this record is just one great yawn from the pretensions of a middle-aged man. You Can Call Me lacks creativity and feels severely dated. Taylor Swift = US Soft Propaganda has nothing of interest to it but the title. The lyrics tend to suggest his inner insecurity that he is not very memorable amongst the UK population compared to his muse for the title.
The production of the album is very minimal and stripped back, which is always a nice change from the stuff being released these days, as this year has been very decadent in all genres. However, if you are going to be minimal, you have to have some kind of originality, which Planet Nowhere does not possess. Dirty Luck, although giving the musicians a chance to showcase their ability with a tight intersection between the bass and drums, lyrically sounds like they typed ‘Lou Reed track with millennial slang’ into an AI generator.
There are also some bizarre moments on this album. Borrell’s voice is severely unconvincing on Scared of Nothing. The only thing he is not scared of is creating mindless apathy for the listener. It’s stiff with monotone dynamics and half-hearted shouts. Cool People, later on the album, is almost a carbon copy of this song as well. The most bizarre of songs is Empire Service, which is a vivid description of a train journey up the Hudson River. However, it is a more cringeworthy geographical version of Lehrer’s Elements but for geographical fanatics.
Planet Nowhere attempts to revive the Razorlight early days, but it mostly lands with a thud. While there are a couple of moments that shine, like catchy riffs and clever rhythms, Johnny Borrell’s efforts to provoke thought come off as hollow. The minimalist production offers a nice change of pace, but it can’t mask the overall lack of originality. Ultimately, this album feels like a missed opportunity, serving as a bittersweet reminder of how far the band has strayed from the relevance they once enjoyed.
