I think "Up all night" is a very good album.
The band is a seriously good band.
The music is genuinely top drawer.
Johnny's vocal is distinctive and he has stories to tell.
And the songs are good. It is a 14 track album of good songs.
But rather than being "IT", what we have here is a perfectly executed debut from a promising new band.
It ain't The Strokes' "Is This It".
Neither is it "Youth and Young Manhood" by The Kings of Leon.
"Is This It" started a revolution in a way. It was the first of a new retro sound.
It was immediately exciting and electric. Although boring as hell to watch them perform,
they evoked a wonderful New York, Lou Velvet sound.
Yes, The kings of Leon followed with their spin on it (ie the strange and appealing vocal)
and maybe not so commercial,
and it could be said Razorlight are doing the kind of UK version of that sound.
Is that negative?
No, not really because it is a good collection of songs, that do stand up alone,
but it isn't as exciting as The strokes' debut.
It doesn't blow you away like that did.
It's not offering anything really new or edgey.
All that's new is what comes out of Johnny Borrells mind and therefore vocal and lyric,
And what comes from Bjorn the guitarist.
Both incidentally very fine things if you listen to the album properly.
But then, my point is, The Strokes entered with an enormous bang and you have to wonder how to follow it up and how long it will all last.
I have Razorlight pinned as what I call a career band.
I think they have legs which translates into longevity.
They may be around longer than The Strokes and The kings...
If they nurture their instincts and their relationships within the band and hone their skills,
I think they will progress to create better work each time which hopefully will be brave enough to change and not follow the same formula.
They have the intelligence and the talent to reinvent themselves each time and stay on top of trends and changes.
They definitely have the musical pedigree.

"Up All Night" deserves to be heard as a credible piece of work.
I thoroughly recommend it as a purchase for any music fan.
It has the clever quality of being just long enough to leave you wanting more
and the stories are intriguing which entices you to listen deeper.
Bjorn the guitarist speaks through his playing and has a definite style.
The two main players compliment each other well.

Watch this band Razorlight,
We'll be hearing a lot more from them and I already can't wait.