CD Review of...
Kasabian
Kasabian (RCA)
By Alyssa Rashbaum
Much has been made of the fact that Kasabian borrows its moniker from the surname of Charles Manson’s getaway driver, and with good reason. The British dance-rock band combines sinister and spacey synths, dark melodies, heavy beats, and a cocksure swagger.
Kasabian, the band’s debut follows a schizophrenic trajectory from driving, aggressive rock to melancholic melodic ambience, and then, after a long pause, it’s back to full-fledged aggression for the album closer. There’s nothing particularly innovative about Kasabian’s album, as the band borrows heavily from Primal Scream and DJ Shadow, and seems to know the formula for creating an album that is sure to create a deafening buzz in the U.S.
Though there’s no denying that Kasabian gives a grand nod to its predecessors, the band’s combination of highly danceable, pop-infused rock and electronic ambient grooves makes the album a decent debut. The first stateside single is “Club Foot,” a call to the dance floor that opens Kasabian with swelling synths that launch into driving basslines and muffled background vocals. “Processed Beats,” “Reason is Treason,” and “L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)” are all radio-friendly, hook-laden tracks.
As the album meanders to a close, the tempo slows for tracks like “Butcher Blues,” which would work well as the soundtrack to a movie scene where the drug-addled character wanders down a rainy street.
It’s true, the four members of Kasabian aren’t rock’s saviors and they certainly aren’t revolutionaries, but they do accomplish what they set out to do – get people talking, and get them moving.