Kasabianby Kasabian

Kasabian...one of the few truly innovative bands of the last few years, IMO. I would say that British rock has come along way, but that's not quite right. That genre started strong back with the Beatles in the 1960s and has kept morphing and modernizing in a way that keeps it always classic, but always fresh. Sergio Pizzorno is the chief songwriter of Kasabian and Tom Meighan fronts the band (both Brits of course). I've seen Kasabian classed as an indie rock band but Sergio has voiced objections to that: Kasabian's music is more appropriately classed as "future / space rock". This album, "Kasabian", is their self-titled debut, but I'm not sure I recommend starting here unless you're already familiar with some of their later tunes. I tried to listen to it here and there and wasn't really getting into the group until "West Ryder" (their third album); so by all means download the "Kasabian" album, but maybe get acquainted with the band's later stuff before diving in.

Opening track is "Club Foot"; I have no idea what the title means, but it's a techno-club-dance type song. Nice beginning, didn't take much notice of it until diving further into the album. Onwards with "Processed Beats": "I drop beats, from this processed meat". Fairly heavy on the electronica (but not quite as much as you might think from the title), built around lyrics with an almost hip-hop rhyming quality. Another solid track that gets better with acquaintance.

Things start coming together with the catchy hook of "Reason Is Treason". The dance/club vibe's still going too. Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah...it's playing on my headphones now. I think it's about a soldier leaving his home and family to go to war, searching for the sense in the killing and dying, but he can't turn around and stay because "the reason is treason."

"I.D." is probably my fave on the album. Although it still beats me if Tom is singing out at the top of his lungs, "Music is my...my world" or "...my whore"! I think it's world on the album, whore at live gigs lol. Anyway, it's a beautiful song; the vocals don't actually start until almost 2:00 minutes into the song, but give the electronica-intro a listen. It's good.

Truimphantly transition into "L.S.F." from the interlude "Orange", another electronic-heavy song that'll have you singing and dancing to the beat. "Running Battle" has a slower more profound vibe, love the lyric "I'm tired of walking on another plain, another plain 'cause I feel insane". I've listened to it several times but I can't get much more from "Test Transmission" than its presence as a filler track. Still, Kasabian filler is worth loads of any other bands biggest hits :)

If you're not totally sold on Kasabian's debut album yet, check out "Cutt Off". "Chew the backbone, a solar system, these clever convicts" (what?? lol). More brilliant blend of hip-hop/techno/electronica/rock. "Butcher Blues": I am absolutely in love with way this song opens, "Coco believe me, I'm a lonesome man." Kind of a laid-back chill song about obsession, like so many of Kasabian's. "Ovary Stripe" is a solid instrumental. I don't think I've truly given "U Boat" a fair chance yet. It hasn't reached out and grabbed me and I can't think of much to say about it, but I'm not ready to knock it yet either; I'll keep listening. Also in this one is a hidden track, a remix of "Reason Is Treason". I'm not usually a fan of remixes but this one is actually a different recording with different lyrics.

So. Five stars, you can't really go wrong here with "Kasabian" by Kasabian. Love these guys.