AMERICA - RAZORLIGHT
Still largely unknown in the United States, London-based alt-rock quartet Razorlight scored a huge radio hit in Europe with this playful but serious anthem, which peaked at No. 2 on the U.K. singles chart and helped earn the band two Brit Award nominations this year. Musically, “America” — the diary entry of someone glued to late-night TV, unable to sleep — has a carefree party-rock vibe, but the lyric shows a deeper concern: “All my life, watching America/All my life, there’s panic in America,” singer/guitarist Johnny Borrell offers in the sing-along chorus atop jangly guitars and sunny harmonies. Less starry-eyed than Snow Patrol and sharper than Keane, Razorlight’s simple, highly melodic, no-frills pop-rock hews closer to Crowded House and is most likely to succeed on adult top 40 or adult alternative album radio. Reuters/Billboard
