Kasabian 48:13 Album Review
Kasabian return with their fifth album 48:13 and have come back with a bang. Ever since their electro infused debut album there has been a flock of British bands all doing the same thing and not appealing to the inner dancer in people. Kasabians new release has done just that. It's an eclectic mix of grooves, heavy riffs coupled with electronic touches here and there. The album also shows a bands progression from shouty Liam Gallagher-esque vocal performances with an almost "baggy" beat reminsicent of that from the late 80's and early 90's to perhaps Britain's "good time" party band.
There was a lot of talk about this album from promoters and the band themselves about how direct and massive it was going to be. And it is clear that the band have been delving in to such bands as the Chemical Brothers and even Daft Punk to create this unique electronic based 5th album. There are many synth lines, bass drops and build ups throughout the album which means you don't want to stop listening to it in fear of missing out on something massive. All of the effective features add to Kasabian's big guitar riffs, most notably these features appear on "Bumblebeee" all the while Tom (frontman) shout's "We're in ecstasy" and the as the chrus comes crashing Serge shouts "Everybody Go" commanding the listener to completely freak out and upon hearing the riff in the chorus most people would probably do just that.
There is a seven minute dance epic on the album which "treat" the song extremely dance orientated especially with the ever-present synth hook which is constant, there is also a fantastic bass line played high up on the bass very similar to Peter Hook from New Order (and Joy Division). Serge said himself that the song is an epic and it even has a little house beat hidden in the song which wouldn't go amiss on a clubland album! Eez-Eh is another dance infused track in Ksabian say we are being watched by Google! The disco drums make the song hard to dislodge from your brain and as Tom says "I'm gonna keep you up all night" Elsewhere on the album, there are signs that Kasabian have a degree of emotion about them. "Explodes" talks about dying on your feet rather than living a life on your knees. Although, the lyrics might be about playing or hearing music at a festival, Kasabian want your head to explode!
All in all the direction Kasabian have tried to go in with this album deserves some credit, they are trying to appeal to a wider audience with new influences but sometimes they seem to forget what makes them such a good band, this album at points lacks their anthemic prowess which we know and love, songs like Empire and LSF do not appear on this album but every band has to evolve and ultimately some will like it and some may hate it.
7/10
There was a lot of talk about this album from promoters and the band themselves about how direct and massive it was going to be. And it is clear that the band have been delving in to such bands as the Chemical Brothers and even Daft Punk to create this unique electronic based 5th album. There are many synth lines, bass drops and build ups throughout the album which means you don't want to stop listening to it in fear of missing out on something massive. All of the effective features add to Kasabian's big guitar riffs, most notably these features appear on "Bumblebeee" all the while Tom (frontman) shout's "We're in ecstasy" and the as the chrus comes crashing Serge shouts "Everybody Go" commanding the listener to completely freak out and upon hearing the riff in the chorus most people would probably do just that.
There is a seven minute dance epic on the album which "treat" the song extremely dance orientated especially with the ever-present synth hook which is constant, there is also a fantastic bass line played high up on the bass very similar to Peter Hook from New Order (and Joy Division). Serge said himself that the song is an epic and it even has a little house beat hidden in the song which wouldn't go amiss on a clubland album! Eez-Eh is another dance infused track in Ksabian say we are being watched by Google! The disco drums make the song hard to dislodge from your brain and as Tom says "I'm gonna keep you up all night" Elsewhere on the album, there are signs that Kasabian have a degree of emotion about them. "Explodes" talks about dying on your feet rather than living a life on your knees. Although, the lyrics might be about playing or hearing music at a festival, Kasabian want your head to explode!
All in all the direction Kasabian have tried to go in with this album deserves some credit, they are trying to appeal to a wider audience with new influences but sometimes they seem to forget what makes them such a good band, this album at points lacks their anthemic prowess which we know and love, songs like Empire and LSF do not appear on this album but every band has to evolve and ultimately some will like it and some may hate it.
7/10
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