Kasabian
Velociraptor!
Kasabian have been knocking around for quite a while now – the last album I got by them was their debut (14th back in 2004). Since then they’ve obviously became a huge stadium-filling behemoth, and I’ve largely ignored them. After enjoying a few of the singles from 2009’s West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and seeing the strong reviews for Velociraptor!, though, I decided to pick up a copy and see where they were at now. I’m really glad I did, because Velociraptor! is an excellent record, full of invention and quality. While I don’t think the album quite merits the extent of critical and commercial adulation that Kasabian seem to be getting right now, it’s a very good sign if this is what draws in the punters rather than the usual boy-band toss. There’s a real mixture on show here, evidencing that Kasabian have matured into a band capable of turning their hand to all kinds of things (in 2004 they had one sound and that was it). ‘Let's Roll Just Like We Used To’ is very The Kinks, ‘Switchblade Smiles’ sounds like the Chemical Brothers, and ‘La Fée Verte’ is so The Beatles that they don’t even try to hide it: the lyrics explicitly reference ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. Best of all is the frantic title track and album highlight ‘Velociraptor!’, which equates to a short sharp slap to the head. Overall, much, much better than expected: Kasabian, you have my attention.
Velociraptor!
Kasabian have been knocking around for quite a while now – the last album I got by them was their debut (14th back in 2004). Since then they’ve obviously became a huge stadium-filling behemoth, and I’ve largely ignored them. After enjoying a few of the singles from 2009’s West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and seeing the strong reviews for Velociraptor!, though, I decided to pick up a copy and see where they were at now. I’m really glad I did, because Velociraptor! is an excellent record, full of invention and quality. While I don’t think the album quite merits the extent of critical and commercial adulation that Kasabian seem to be getting right now, it’s a very good sign if this is what draws in the punters rather than the usual boy-band toss. There’s a real mixture on show here, evidencing that Kasabian have matured into a band capable of turning their hand to all kinds of things (in 2004 they had one sound and that was it). ‘Let's Roll Just Like We Used To’ is very The Kinks, ‘Switchblade Smiles’ sounds like the Chemical Brothers, and ‘La Fée Verte’ is so The Beatles that they don’t even try to hide it: the lyrics explicitly reference ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. Best of all is the frantic title track and album highlight ‘Velociraptor!’, which equates to a short sharp slap to the head. Overall, much, much better than expected: Kasabian, you have my attention.
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