Search - Kasabian :: Kasabian

Madchester: The Next Generation

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 05/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, it's about time Manchester got a revival -- it's been around fifteen years since bands like the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses erupted onto the music scene. Now with late-70s and mid-80s music being revived in newer, trendier bands, it's about time we got to England in the late-80s and mid-90s.



Enter Kasabian, a Leicester band who put out catchy, synthy, and extremely entertaining rock'n'roll. What does their self-titled album sound like? Well, it has some echoes of those Manchester greats, except that it has a synth edge over those heavy riffs. Add in some very radio-friendly melodies, which are almost guaranteed to get these guys noticed by the media.



Not that that's a bad thing -- they resemble fellow electro-Manchester band South, which happens to be among my favorite Britpop bands. Kasabian is just lighter. They kick things off on a strong note with the expansive "Clubb Foot," which pairs gritty rock with sweeping synth, over Tom Meighan's languid vocals.



Fortunately this is not one of those albums that has one good single, and then gets lazy. Things stay catchy and gritty, all throughout the album, with heavy riffs and steady rhythms, and Kasabian keep their style varied enough that listeners won't be left thinking, "Oh man, are they playing that riff AGAIN?"



Not to mention the singing: Meighan has a very strong, melodious voice. In almost every song, he sings slow and lazily. He sounds either stoned or inattentive, except for a few wonderful songs where he sounds completely into what he sings. "John was a scientist, he was hooked on LSD/Interested in mind control and how the monkey held the key/Said that all life is experiments somebody's planning for the heir/It's for the unexpected citizens who hallucinate in fear," he purrs happily.



Yeah, it can get pretty heavy. but the music is also tempered with an ethereal edge -- there's a brief interlude which is all muffled riffs, deep synth and angelic vocals. At the very least, all that synth serves to lighten up what could have been a dark album, and adds an epic edge to what could have been terribly ordinary music.



The flaw? It gets a bit fragmented, with two peppy electronic "interludes" sitting between harder rock'n'roll. They're pretty, but they feel out of place.



Things climax with hints of another possible direction for them to go in: "U Boat," a rich soundscape that fades away into silence... before fading back into a different mix of "Reason is Treason." It's all hard angles and explosions, and if anything, this mix is even better than the radio-friendly original. (Talk about having your cake and eating it too)



One of the few albums that is catchy and musically rich, Kasabian's debut is one of the best releases this year. It's reminiscent of Britpop greats, but somehow that doesn't matter -- they're original enough to have their own fun sound."