Kasabian has a lot to live up to — mainly, its own hype. Three months prior to the release of its fourth album, Kasabian's front man Tom Meighan told NME Magazine that "Velociraptor!" would "change people's lives." When the band leapt into fame back in 2004, it declared itself the best British band of the time.
Those are hefty words from five English lads who think they're the answer to the gap left in the British music scene since Oasis disintegrated. Fortunately, in spite of their ever-increasing hubris, Kasabian always manages to do something right.
After their sudden explosion onto the music scene in 2004 with their self-titled album, the two following albums — "Empire" (2006) and "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum" (2009) — and countless sold-out stadium shows, it is hard to believe that Kasabian could pull off yet another success.
"Let's Roll Just like We Used To," the opening track on Kasabian's latest, starts with a banging gong and melts smoothly into distant trumpets, indistinct mutters and a tantalizing medley of oddities. The song is more akin to the sound of "The West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum," on which the boys started experimenting with different instruments and varying styles.
The first single off "Velociraptor!" is "Days are Forgotten," a thumping, raucous anthem of absolute psychedelic nonsense. When the song first played on national radio, listeners reacted as they might to Marmite: polarized, they either loved it or hated it. The babbling superimposed over the end of the song signifies a little cheekiness on the band's part: They don't take themselves too seriously, and neither should their listeners.
That levity might just be their secret to success, especially considering the name of the album and the somewhat intriguing inclusion of an exclamation mark. Guitarist Sergio Pizzorno — otherwise known as that one who looks like a pirate — told NME magazine the album name stemmed from how "velociraptors used to hunt in packs of four; they were the rock 'n' roll band of the dinosaurs."
"Goodbye Kiss" is a wonderfully nostalgic tune. It offers the level of emotional depth that Alex Turner, singer-songwriter of the Arctic Monkeys, manages to pack into each of his songs.
There's an absurd juxtaposition between the showiness of "La FéeVerte" and the punchy, bizarre title track, "Velociraptor!" Slow, soothing violins clash with the lyrics of the latter: "So you don't fall in with the/ Velociraptor!/ He's gonna find ya!/ He's gonna kill ya!" There, the exclamation mark is definitely audible.
The album is sufficiently strong until "I Hear Voices," a weak, electronic attempt at modernizing their sound. The pace doesn't pick up again until three tracks later with "Switchblade Smiles," another oddly enjoyable noisy jumble. The rest of the album is a rollercoaster ride, mixing and matching paces until "Neon Noon," the last song on the album, slows the tempo down to a dreamy finale. The second half of the album lacks the sense of humor that makes Kasabian so original and great.
Kasabian managed something special with its debut album by finding an unfilled musical niche. While the band's ambition has not waned, it peaked on its first album. While listening to any songs off Kasabian's latest, it's hard to remember why you're not just listening to earlier hits like "Club Foot" or "Cutt Off." Evoking fond memories of previous albums is not the mark of a successful new one, but at least Kasabian will always have their 2004 effort — an album that rocketed into listeners' brains with the force of a small nuclear explosion.
