May 12 2008 11:53 am,
Captain Phoenix
‘Life.Temper.Riot.’
(
Forming the same year lead singer Ben Burrow’s brother Andy became Razorlight’s drummer, Captain Phoenix herald, almost by birthright, the second wave of the 00’s indie guitar bands. Between then and now, their classic influences have been explored and exploited to different lengths, but rarely different results. Arriving either twenty years too early to be congratulated for the comparison, or three years too late, Captain Phoenix’s debut is the record Razorlight might have made without J-Bo; their modern take on Ray Davies vocals with Patti Smith guitar pulses make for a light pop-punk forty-four minutes of cheerful complaining. Whether it’s enough to fully compensate for the horrendous timing is unlikely.
Vicky McNaught-Davis
