The White Yeezus: A Review of Borrell 1

At the beginning of 'Cyrano Masochiste', the sixth track on his solo debut Borrell 1, Johnny Borrell wails "I am a masochist, you are a narcissist, ain't you glad I exist". He's absolutely right, of course, as the Razorlight frontman has crafted one of the most fascinating albums of the year. These 11 tracks, filled with the pomp and arrogance of a defiant loser, reveal a man struggling desperately to reclaim artistic and personal credibility. Much of the music is deeply flawed, and some of it is outright terrible, but the album's surprising ambition forms a revealing portrait of a brand of self-righteous angst unique to the male artist. The singer rails against the world, convinced that they are somehow overlooking his genius, and by the end of the album, you almost feel compelled to back him up.

Railing against the world: Johnny Borrell

That Borrell 1 makes for such a bizarrely invigorating listen is odd, given that Borrell himself has been exiled to France in the wake of a critical and commercial backlash. Razorlight, having started out as a passable indie-pop fourpiece, eventually morphed into an anaemic stadium-rock farce, right down to Borrell's own white catsuit. The sub-U2 dirge of 'America' became the band's shorthand, the critics' knives came out and Kirsten Dunst quickly abandoned the man who had once shepherded her to SXSW via motorbike. Worse still, Mercury Records took the entirely justifiable step of refusing to release the preposterously-titled Vertical Women LP, and two of Borrell's bandmates decided the time was right to flee the sinking ship.

Borrell himself fled to the south of France, where he took up with Zazou, a group of local musicians who style themselves similarly to Peep Show's Super Hans, right down to their purple zoot-suits. Their sax-heavy melodies, however, provide many of Borrell 1's more distinguished moments. 'Joshua Amrit', in particular, is an energetic number about leaving a lover to another man, with more than a hint of Graceland-era Paul Simon about it. 'Each and Every Road', meanwhile, is a ska-intoned romp which could be construed as an anti-drug anthem, were it not so gloriously stoned-sounding.

Borrell's dickhead charisma looms large over proceedings, however, and is both the best and worst thing about his solo debut. On 'Pan-European Supermodel Song', Borrell claims his own music is "genius", while the bafflingly enjoyable 'Wild Today' reveals that "my ex-girlfriend's in all the magazines, and the by-lines tell me she's still in love with me". 'Erotic Letter', meanwhile, concludes the album in a car crash of self-indulgence. But as with Kanye West on Yeezus, it is the artist's vanity and bombast which makes the album fascinating. You will listen intently for the next big affirmation of the singer's own profundity, sometimes failing to pay attention to the music surrounding the statements.

It should be stressed that Borrell 1 is not a good album. Songs which see Borrell trying to play it safe, such as 'Ladder To Your Bed', are particularly grating. However, there is a surprising absence of cynicism here: Borrell only sees the future, his rockstardom reinstated. When British music's hapless antihero comes out swinging, there is a charm to his fumbling grasp for greatness.

TWO STARS, BUT ESSENTIAL LISTENING         

Gomez's Goals Can Shatter Fiorentina's Glass Ceiling

Despite a campaign which saw La Viola finish just two points behind third place, and achieve their highest standing in Serie A since 2009-10, many fans of Fiorentina will have felt heartbroken on the final day of last season. With fifteen minutes of their home fixture against Pescara remaining, Fiorentina were 2-0 in front and headed for the Champions League, and only a two-goal comeback for Milan away to Siena could deny them. Inevitably, the Rossoneri were able to conjure their unlikely comeback via a dubious penalty from that famous final-day specialist Maro Balotelli, and Phillipe Mexes' close-range winner in the 87th minute.

Astute: Vincenzo Montella has overseen a renaissance in Florence

It was a harsh conclusion to the season for Vincenzo Montella's Fiorentina, who had lit up Serie A with a free-flowing brand of attacking football. Indeed, only eventual runners-up Napoli managed to score more frequently in the league. Montella, who was harshly dismissed by Roma's American owners after shepherding the Giallorossi to a sixth place finish in 2011-12, has built his brand of possession play around the midfield trio of Borja Valero, David Pizarro and Alberto Aquilani. While this collection of playmakers, operating without a typical enforcer, may seem lightweight, Fiorentina have largely managed to outfox and outmaneuver their domestic opponents in the middle of the park. Valero in particular proved a shrewd purchase at less than five million pounds, as the former West Brom midfielder has added surprising pace and bite to his already refined passing.
                             
Outside of this flamboyant threesome, Montella has added both grit and glamour to other areas of the team. Stefan Savic, who struggled to cope with the physicality of the English Premier League while at Manchester City, has shown his class and composure at centre half. The XXL-sized goalkeeping gloves of club icon Sebastien Frey, meanwhile, were finally filled by Emiliano Viviano, who arrived on loan from Palermo. Up front, meanwhile, Montenegrin trequartista Stevan Jovetic has top-scored, and attracted advances from Arsenal and Juventus. Praise too, should go to Serbian schemer Adem Ljajic, once almost of Manchester United, who has added mercurial flair from the wing.

Flamboyant: Adem Ljajic has been a threat on the wing

However, perhaps Fiorentina's most important addition in their hunt for Champion's League qualification came this week, with the £13.7 million purchase of Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez. The signing of the well-coiffed centre forward is a genuine coup for a club playing outside of Europe's top continental competition, and the German's goals may even be enough to fire La Viola into title contention. Goals are one thing that Gomez practically guarantees, having struck 138 times in just 236 senior appearances. However, with Bayern finding Mario Mandzukic's manic work-rate a better compliment to their Teutonic take on total football, Gomez was left surplus to requirements at the Allianz Arena.

Prolific: But Bayern chose to offload Gomez

Fiorentina, despite playing an up-tempo possession game similar to the European champions, can take heart in the fact that their new striker still managed to plunder 12 goals in 11 starts last season as the Bavarians romped to the treble. More encouragingly, while Gomez's approach play can occasionally lack polish, his personal trophy cabinet suggests that he makes up for this in sheer weight of goals. Indeed, the 28-year-old forward can point out that he contributed goals in double figures for each of his three Bundesliga winners' medals, including the 2006-07 title with an unfancied Stuttgart side. These goals come in a range of finishes, from precise headers to startling solo efforts.

This steady supply of goals means Fiorentina can still be considered serious challengers for the Champions League, and even dark horses for the Scudetto, despite Jovetic's seeming set to leave the Artemio Franchi in favour of Juventus. The midfield remains potent, while Montella will hope to partner Gomez with a fit-again Giuseppe Rossi in a chalk-and-cheese duo in attack. Montella's charges will also be encouraged by the prospect of 29-goal Napoli forward Edinson Cavani joining former team-mates such as Ezequiel Lavezzi at Paris Saint-Germain, thus depriving Gomez of his most convincing challenger for Serie A's golden boot. Napoli's vulnerability seems more genuine when considering new manager Rafael Benitez's previous failures at Inter. With this in mind, La Viola's supporters will be confident of a happier final day next season.