Most successful rock bands reach a point in their career where they face the pressure to “return to their roots”. That's right, no matter how hard they might have worked to progress beyond their meager origins there are people who wish they had never evolved in the first place. These back-to-basics efforts tend to have mixed results. In the case of Kasabian and their 'right back where we started' new album 48:13 things are slightly different. You see, these guys didn't start out as some humble pub band who got all weird on us when they became famous. No – they started out strange on their 2004 debut and have just become more stadium-friendly in the meantime. For them finding themselves back at the start means that they have rekindled their interest in electro-freakiness and Madchester hedonism. The end result is an album that is endlessly charming in spite of its flaws.
What is apparent from the very start is
that 48:13 is a record designed to make you dance. The rousing
choruses of 'Stevie' and 'Bow' seem tailor-made for the sweaty mayhem
of a Glastonbury festival moshpit. In spite of this 48:13 is
not a particularly single-oriented album. In fact, you will get a lot
more out of your listening experience if you can find the time to
just sit down (or jump around) and take it all in. It's not that
Kasabian have forgotten how to rock out or anything – perish the
thought. It's just that they are being much more selective about when
they choose to do said rocking out. The disco aftermath of 'Explodes'
conceals the churning guitar grind at the end, a sound that is
conspicuously low in attendance. Considering that the song comes hot
on the heels of 'Glass', which features a few inspirational bars from
MC Suli Breaks, and you have some idea what a jarring collection of
ideas 48:13 can be. This unevenness has become Kasabian's
calling card of sorts.
The song here that best exemplifies the
style of this album might just be 'eez-eh', the batshit crazy lead
single that borrows liberally from the likes of Underworld and
Chemical Brothers. It is kinetic, ecstatic, and bound to be a
favourite at their concerts. So what's the catch? All of the
trappings that Kasabian have built into these tracks to give them
that stadium appeal unfortunately have a habit of knocking them down
a few pegs in the smarts department. I'm aware that this isn't Coheed
and Cambria; these guys aren't trying to conduct a convoluted sci-fi
opera here, but does that excuse the cliches that makes it all sound
a little dumb? A pounding hook like “And if you want to, I'll take
you out / Cause I got the feeling that I'm gonna keep you up all
night” is catchy, but so is VD. Four on the floor, hands in the
air, party-time has never felt so conflicted. I guess the trick is to
have such a good time you forget to look deeper for any sort of
meaning.
After all of this mayhem, album closer
'S.P.S' remains the most surprising moment of the record. Here the
bleeping synths and shivering rave-ups are traded in for softly
strummed guitars and singer Tom Meighan's dead-on Neil Finn
impression. It is the best song Crowded House never released. In
somewhat of a departure from their previous two records, 48:13was produced by the band themselves. By ditching outsider celebrity
producers they have allowed themselves to fall back on old habits
without interference, both good and bad. When you are a successful,
world-famous rock band who do you listen to: the fair-weather fans
who want you to retread your previous paths, or the loyalists who
wait in eager anticipation of your next move? If you are Kasabian
perhaps you say “to hell” with both of them and just go off doing
your own thing. Perhaps you make an album like this and name it after
it's run time just because you can.
Rating: B
Recommended tracks: Explodes, eez-eh
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