Slipway Fires

Razorlight | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 10, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mercury
• ASIN: B001G93Z5Q
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,990 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Sometimes you need to get away from it all, even when your life succeeds beyond your wildest dreams. Just ask Razorlight songwriter, lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell, who secreted away on an island off Scotland to write the British band's third CD, the melodic, musically adventurous "Slipway Fires."

"I wanted to process my feelings about a few things because a lot had happened in the last four or five years," Borrell says.

That's a major understatement.

Since Razorlight released its major label debut, "Up All Night," in 2004, the quartet has become one of the biggest bands in the U.K., selling more than three million copies of its first two CDs. The group--comprised of Borrell, guitarist/vocalist Bjorn Agren, bassist Carl Dalemo and drummer Andy Burrows-- has filled British airwaves with such hits as "In the Morning," "Before I Fall to Pieces" and "America." They've headlined the main stage at the Reading Festival and toured with the likes of U2, the Who and the Rolling Stones, standing toe-to-toe with their musical heroes.

At the same time, Borrell simultaneously became a U.K. cover boy and whipping post. Magazines clamored to feature Borrell in their pages since he was always quick with a memorable, sometimes regrettable, but always clever quote until the fame threatened to eclipse the music.

No wonder he needed some time away. Lest anyone think Borrell repaired to a pampered retreat, think again. He lived in a home with no central heating, "so I had to keep lugging coal and chopping wood for about three hours a day to keep the house running," he says. "I knew I was going to read a lot. I didn't really go up to there to write, I just went away. But then, the album started to make itself known."

Plus, he got a nudge when drummer Burrows sent the scorched-earth, slow burner "Stinger" to Borrell. "I was communing with the wind and the grey skies and Andy sent me the song. I thought, that's really a good song, I better start writing some good songs."

Armed with a tasty assortment of tunes, the band entered the studio with producer Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, the Kooks). "We like to try out different producers, try a few days with them and see how it goes," Borrell says. "We thought we'd already found our man, but then Mike came in. He had so much energy. It was the first time we'd worked with someone our own age. We'd always worked with a father figure." Crossey's enthusiasm was infectious. For the first time, the band recorded much of the album live-- "the vocals, live everything, all in one go," Borrell recounts.

"Slipway Fires," the band's first on Mercury in the U.S., broadly displays two very different sides of Razorlight. There's the detached, pointed observer of today's social scene, who trenchantly comments on the ruling upper class (Or "the horse and hound girls, the family line that has been ruined by syphilis and heroin," Borrell sneers) in such delectable power pop rock as the Who-like "Burberry Blue Eyes," the driving, irresistible "Tabloid Lover" and the scathing "North London Trash."

But then the band changes gears with the epic, emotional swells of such songs as the Nick Drake-like "Hostage of Love," the poignant, haunting "The House" and first single, the delicate "Wire to Wire." The song, already a top 5 hit in the U.K., is a modern-day love story of a couple trying to find themselves through the charred ruins of their past. "It's two people with the same scar," Borrell says. "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."

All the songs on "Slipway Fire" "exist for a reason," says Borrell and are detailed communiqués sent out in the hope of igniting some deeper connection. "With the first album, I felt like I was leaving voice mails for people," he says. "These songs are letters, they're slightly more considered."

Fans will immediately hear the arc of the band's metamorphosis. Borrell describes it best: "When you come out with your first album, you're sort of this hormonal, confused, screaming machine, but you're not entirely sure what you want to be saying," he laughs. "The second one, we wanted to broaden our range a little bit. Me and Andy were trying to prove ourselves as songwriters. There's nothing wrong with that. For this one, I just wanted to do something that could own its own space."

And that space is spreading. With their superstar status in the U.K. secure, Razorlight's popularity continues to build in the United States, and much to Borrell and the band's delight, the story is based on the music, not any tabloid mythology.

"This is where rock `n roll comes from, it's hugely important that we break here," Borrell says. "I like the fact that in America, we're the underdog because it cuts out a lot of the bullshit. I'm not jumping up and down, saying `Here! Look at me!' I'm going `Here's the music.' I'm letting the music do the talking."

And now, Borrell and Co. are ready to let the music do the talking on the road. He can't wait can't wait to play the new songs live on the band's North American tour. "My dream is my manager saying `here's the tour,' and I can see all the dates and they run for two years consecutively. I don't care if it's 10,000 or 1,000 or 100, I'd just go play. I'm making music with people who are great at what they do."

Product Description

After releasing two of the most popular indie albums of the 00s, Razorlight return for their third in the shape of Slipway Fires. Typically dramatic and epic in its expressions, this release is slightly more bombastic than before, and incorporates a rawer, edgier rock dynamic. Recorded after a period of isolation and creative rest, lead singer Johnny Borrell took his band to the Inner Hebrides to fuel the renewed creative process, resulting in this anthemic collection. Features the single 'Wire To Wire'. Mercury. 2008.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Billy Joel like, September 24, 2009

By 

JujubeMBA (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slipway Fires (Audio CD)

(What's this?)

This is very much an updated Billy Joel sound, to me. Though that's not my taste at all, if you like Billy Joel, I think you'll like this.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "You're likable enough"--3.5 stars, July 13, 2009

By 

korova (Varosha) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Slipway Fires (Audio CD)

(What's this?)

Have a quick look at the cover of Slipway Fires. The band pix, intentionally or not, pretty much give away what this album is about: glossy 70's style pop, influenced by the Stones, Abba, Smashing Pumpkins, and the Beatles.

Even though there isn't anything terribly challenging or innovative about any of the songs, the disc is a well-produced effort with a pleasant commercial sound. It's the sort of thing one often hears in the background at a [insert name of your favorite yuppie retailer or coffee chain here] or sees mentioned in the cursory "Music and Movies" section of women's fashion magazines. As a matter of fact, the band does a fair bit of fashionista name-dropping in the liner notes.

Bottom line: Slipway Fires is neither outstanding nor terrible. Razorlight has made a record that is nice enough to listen to but doesn't leave any sort of lasting impression. Listen to the samples before taking the plunge, unless you're the sort of person who lets fashion models and designer muses tell you what to buy--then feel free to jump on the bandwagon until the next flavor-of-the-month comes along. 3.5 stars.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Razorlight's Slipway Fires - Well Put Together, But Better For Newbies Than For Fans, July 10, 2009

By 

Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Slipway Fires (Audio CD)

(What's this?)

Razorlight's third release, Slipway Fires, has a strong traditional rock flavor to the album. I can only guess this was intended to broaden their appeal and make them accessible to those who traditionally don't listen to alternative rock. In fact, most of this album is what I would call just plain old rock until you reach the sixth track, "60 Thompson." There is nothing wrong with that, but Razorlight fans, such as myself, who were looking forward to the raw energy of their other albums may be left scratching their heads with this one. This album has some good songs on it, but it feels more like a collection of songs than a coherent album. Even though it has grown on me, I prefer songs on their other albums to this one. I even prefer the second album, which has been put down a lot. Even though this album has a much higher quality production to it, it feels like something was lost in the process of cleaning them up for this release.

There are a lot of songs on this album that sound like other bands. "You & The Rest" has a Violent Femmes sort of feel to it. The first part of "Tabloid Lover" is reminiscent of early Talking Heads, but the Chorus sounds more like the early Beatles. "Stinger" sounds more like the Moody Blues, and "Burberry Blue Eyes" could have easily been an Elvis Costello cover. "Blood For Wild Blood" sounds like a hybrid between INXS & U2 sung over a church organ. In fact the last track sounds so much like a Billy Joel song I had to check the writing credits. I didn't like all these songs the first time around but a few of them grew on me.

Track 10, "Monster Boots," sounded most like what I expected to hear from Razorlight, and it's probably my favorite track on this album. I also like "60 Thompson" though I did feel like it was almost too short. Even "Hostage of Love" grew on me, and that song proves that not everything on this album is mellow. Even though I enjoy a lot of those classic sounding tracks, only a few of them will make it onto my personal playlists.

I will definitely buy Razorlight's next album, but I hope they get back some of the raw energy they seem to have relinquished with this release. You can use various sites to preview these songs before buying this album, and this might be a case where you will be better served to download the tracks you like instead of buying the whole album. As somebody who usually buys a lot of albums, that's a painful recommendation for me to make about a band I like. I do think that those who like mainstream rock more than alternative may find this album to be a palatable cross-over introduction.

Enjoy.