Kasabian - Empire Review
Posted by James Munson on 01.06.2007
One of NME’s many poster boys of the year release second album of post-grunge British electronica. The results are mixed, but there are a few decent highlights.
Who are Kasabian? Some might call them the new evolution of British pop music, though they sound nothing like their Britpop contemporaries (except maybe for lead singer Tom Meighan’s Liam Gallagher-esque vocals). Heck, they have more in common with XTRMNTR-era Primal Scream or some of the heavier Verve songs than Blur or Pulp. They also hate emo. Meighan told mtvnews.com a few months back, “I keep hearing how emo music is bringing kids together and that it’s got these positive messages and all that, but if it’s damaging teenagers and if it’s making them depressed, how can that be a good thing? All it causes is moaning teenagers. There’s nothing positive from it.” Criticisms and musical comparisons aside, their fusion of electronica, keyboards, processors, and straight up rock-n-roll have garnered them applause from fans like Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, who asked the band to support them on the North American stint of their Don’t Believe the Truth tour.
Empire, their second album, was released a few months back to little acclaim. It’s far from an improvement over their self-titled 2005 debut, but there are a few solid songs here. “Empire”, the first track and first single, starts the ball rolling on a high point. Serving as the slow-burning turn chaotic opener that “Club Foot” was for their self-titled album, the song has a pulsating beat that shuffles into a groovy stride for the chorus. Second track “Shoot the Runner” keeps up the driving momentum, but loses points for cheesy growling effects and uber-lame lyrics (“I’m her king and she’s my queen, bitch!”). Elsewhere, “Stuntman” comes off like a facsimile of Primal Scream’s “Swastika Eyes”, except not in an appalling way. “Me Plus One” will probably be the choice for next single as it sticks out as the most accessible tune on the record. Think “Test Transmission” (from Kasabian) part two with just as much of a sing-a-long chorus (“You come to take me away / Like a little white rabbit from yesterday”).
This album is also not without pitfalls. Many of the tracks fail to leave a lasting impression the way that Kasabian’s “L.S.F” or “Reason Is Treason” did upon first listen. Hovering around the 40-minute mark, some of this album drags. “Last Trip (In Flight)” is pretty anticlimactic for one of the first songs on the record. “British Legion” is a fair attempt at The Verve circa Urban Hymns, but proves the point that Kasabian are more successful at rocking. It might be too early to predict, but Kasabian could either expand their sound that might produce a more remarkable record next time around, or fall into the trap of self-parody that’s consumed other bands like The Vines and The Datsuns.
The 411: I want to like Kasabian, and for the most part I do. Consequently, I can’t help but feeling that they won’t last much longer in the climate of other, equally lauded British bands (i.e. Arctic Monkeys) that make better records. While I will argue that this effort is loads better than most garbage one might hear on modern-rock radio, I think Kasabian needs to find what works best for them and expand on that. Then, and only then, will people start believing the hype.
