Kasabian
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
From THAT album cover alone, it is safe to assume that Kasabian's third album was never going to be a normal affair. Whilst the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight and The Kaiser Chiefs were resolutely sticking to their same old, same old routines, Sergio Pizzorno had locked himself away in a room in Leicester, dismantling instruments with The Pretty Things 'S.F Sorrow' running laps around his head.
It wasn't just instruments that Pizzorno wanted to dismantle either, it was the perception certain members of the media had of his band. "Primal Scream rip offs", "lad rock louts" and "Gallagher brother wannabe's" are just some of the labels that have been unwillingly tagged to Kasabian over the past five years. The swagger and cocksure self belief they exude from every pore in interviews has obviously failed to impress the more timid music journalists, who comfortably dismissed Kasabian as a hooligan's band without a second thought.
However, from the moment opener 'Underdog' rifles through the speakers in a swathe of Krautrock technicolour, it's obvious we're now dealing with a different animal. The opening track shows us a more mature Kasabian. It allows us to hear what 'Empire' could have sounded like had it's recording not been rushed and overshadowed by Chris Karloff's departure.
'West Ryder...' refuses to simply continue on in the same vain though. It evolves with each track. There's Eastern strings on 'Where did all the love go?' followed by Neu! inspired instrumental 'Swarfiga' and then the groovy punk rock of 'Fast Fuse'. All of which arrives within the first four songs. Indie rock third album 101 this ain't.
Pizzorno's decision to seek a second opinion on the album in the form of DJ Shadow and Gorillaz producer Dan 'The Automator' Nakamura has also proved to be an inspired one. Not so much for what he brought to the table, but rather what he took away from it. Layers have been stripped away, and in their place, Tom Meighan. Whereas 'Kasabian' and 'Empire' tended to rely on their crunching riffs and thundering basslines, 'West Ryder...' sees perhaps it's most maniacal inmate let loose for the first time.
The mesmerising instrumentals are still present, but are now refined so Meighan can flex his vocality to devastating effects. One minute he's ranting about being "Lucifer's child" on 'Fast Fuse', the next he's serenading Rosario Dawson with the line "Your beauty plays me just like a guitar string" on the magnificent 'West Ryder/Silver Bullet' before finally channeling his inner Jim Morrison on lead single 'Fire'.
This "soundtrack to an imaginary film" as Pizzorno has dubbed it, reaches it's pivotal scene just past the halfway point with the aforementioned 'West Ryder/Silver Bullet'. Tom is joined by Sin City actress Rosario Dawson as they morph into a 21st century Bonnie and Clyde, performing a star crossed duet against the backdrop of a Sergio Leone Western landscape. Ennio Morricone would be proud.
The final scene is brought to a heart warming crescendo with the Serge sung 'Happiness'. Written as a fresh faced 20 year old, it's an ode to better times ahead complemented by a gospel choir reminiscent of Elvis' Sun recordings. It's a fittingly happy ending to a modern day rock and roll blockbuster.
Rating: 5/5
By Joe Baiamonte
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Napoleon on lead vocals, a butcher priest on lead guitar and a lightbulb eating heretic slapping the bass. Sound like a lad rock band to you? No, I didn't think so either.
From THAT album cover alone, it is safe to assume that Kasabian's third album was never going to be a normal affair. Whilst the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight and The Kaiser Chiefs were resolutely sticking to their same old, same old routines, Sergio Pizzorno had locked himself away in a room in Leicester, dismantling instruments with The Pretty Things 'S.F Sorrow' running laps around his head.
It wasn't just instruments that Pizzorno wanted to dismantle either, it was the perception certain members of the media had of his band. "Primal Scream rip offs", "lad rock louts" and "Gallagher brother wannabe's" are just some of the labels that have been unwillingly tagged to Kasabian over the past five years. The swagger and cocksure self belief they exude from every pore in interviews has obviously failed to impress the more timid music journalists, who comfortably dismissed Kasabian as a hooligan's band without a second thought.
However, from the moment opener 'Underdog' rifles through the speakers in a swathe of Krautrock technicolour, it's obvious we're now dealing with a different animal. The opening track shows us a more mature Kasabian. It allows us to hear what 'Empire' could have sounded like had it's recording not been rushed and overshadowed by Chris Karloff's departure.
'West Ryder...' refuses to simply continue on in the same vain though. It evolves with each track. There's Eastern strings on 'Where did all the love go?' followed by Neu! inspired instrumental 'Swarfiga' and then the groovy punk rock of 'Fast Fuse'. All of which arrives within the first four songs. Indie rock third album 101 this ain't.
Pizzorno's decision to seek a second opinion on the album in the form of DJ Shadow and Gorillaz producer Dan 'The Automator' Nakamura has also proved to be an inspired one. Not so much for what he brought to the table, but rather what he took away from it. Layers have been stripped away, and in their place, Tom Meighan. Whereas 'Kasabian' and 'Empire' tended to rely on their crunching riffs and thundering basslines, 'West Ryder...' sees perhaps it's most maniacal inmate let loose for the first time.
The mesmerising instrumentals are still present, but are now refined so Meighan can flex his vocality to devastating effects. One minute he's ranting about being "Lucifer's child" on 'Fast Fuse', the next he's serenading Rosario Dawson with the line "Your beauty plays me just like a guitar string" on the magnificent 'West Ryder/Silver Bullet' before finally channeling his inner Jim Morrison on lead single 'Fire'.
This "soundtrack to an imaginary film" as Pizzorno has dubbed it, reaches it's pivotal scene just past the halfway point with the aforementioned 'West Ryder/Silver Bullet'. Tom is joined by Sin City actress Rosario Dawson as they morph into a 21st century Bonnie and Clyde, performing a star crossed duet against the backdrop of a Sergio Leone Western landscape. Ennio Morricone would be proud.
The final scene is brought to a heart warming crescendo with the Serge sung 'Happiness'. Written as a fresh faced 20 year old, it's an ode to better times ahead complemented by a gospel choir reminiscent of Elvis' Sun recordings. It's a fittingly happy ending to a modern day rock and roll blockbuster.
Rating: 5/5
By Joe Baiamonte
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