10 2000s Rock Albums You Constantly Have To Defend Loving

Razorlight's titular sophomore LP seems rather dated at this point. However, dated does not equal disastrous, a label the album has been unfairly slapped with over the years.

Coming two years after their 2004 debut, the London outfit's post-punk revivalist style got an injection of noughties indie, adding a little more nuance and color to their sound. Singles such as 'America', a politically-charged crack at soft rock, took the band to new heights of mainstream success. While the sales reflected a sizeable level of audience interest, the critical reaction appeared to be gunning for the opposite, frequently burying the group for trying too many ill-fitting new things at once.

Despite the tireless effort to musically mature, the group don't completely shy away from the boozy nights out lyrical focus of 'Up All Night'. The callback to prior storytelling tropes ensures this album is still friendly to fans of the group's earlier sound whilst introducing them to something new.

Overall, 'Razorlight' is a fun, if slightly too grandiose effort that certainly did not deserve the Worst Album nomination it got from NME at the time. With both punk and indie having changed so much since this energetic showcase, it almost functions as a noughties time capsule and is compellingly nostalgic in this regard. Its success with listeners at the time makes it easy to shield from the numerous criticisms and polarized reputation attached to it.