KASABIAN - "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD" ALBUM REVIEW
The Underdogs are back
KASABIAN - "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD" - RELEASED MAY 5TH 2017
★★★★☆
Kasabian have returned with new album, For Crying out Loud. The long awaited album follows 2014’s 48:13, a more experimental album which contained a great deal more production and electronics than their previous work . It seems as though the new album has once again taken a different direction to what has gone before, with a clean cut sound which still benefits from typical Kasabian beats and the unmistakable song writing and vocals of Sergio Pizzorno and Tom Meighan. The Deluxe edition of the album also contains a recording of the massive gig from The King Power Stadium in 2016 to celebrate Leicester City’s historic Premiership victory, with the recording suitably titled ‘Underdogs’. The album is really sense of getting back to the basicsand delivering a classic Kasabian record.
In a recent interview with NME, Pizzorno claims that the new album is about ‘saving guitar music from the abyss’. This is a bold claim from a band that are constantly evolving their sound album by album. The entire album was also reportedly written in six weeks, to give a sense of urgency. For Crying Out Loud, certainly features a great deal more guitars than 48:13, which is evident from the outset, with First track, Ill Ray (The King). The triumphant chorus of ‘King For a day’ highlights from the outset that the band has moved back towards a more guitar based sound. It is evident that this track has the capability to fill arenas and send the vast crowds that will amass at Reading and Leeds in August into a frenzy. You’re in Love with a Psycho follows, released as a single prior to the album release. One of the most immediately catchy songs that the band have released in recent years, the track is one of the highlights of the new record, with an irrespirable rhythm and feel good factor which are always intrinsically linked to Kasabian’s best tunes. It is impossible to not sing along with the chorus, with the lyrics probably resonating with many listeners and with any good song, it sounds brilliant at full volume. Twentyfourseven is next, also catchy whilst living up to Sergio’s promises of guitar music, with the soaring harmonies perfectly fitting the vocals of Tom Meighan.
Good Fight gives the chance for some rest bite from the pace of the first three tracks, with the slower track having more acoustic potential than the firstthree songs with the stripped back theme continuing, however it is likely the song will just go as far as being a decent album track without becoming a firm live favourite. The same can not be said for Wasted, which could easily find it’s way into the band’s live set. ‘Summer is here once again’ leads the way to a sprawling romantic number, featuring another catchy hook adding to the already apparent immediacy of the album. More understated than other songs on the album, it is an ode to love and reflects the beautiful simplicity of Sergio’s song writing. In contrast Comeback Kid is bold, brash and unforgiving. The opening trumpets immediately signal the beginning of a signature Kasabian which has everything from the unrelenting drum beat that drives the verses towards yet another massive hook. 3 minutes in shows an obvious place for mass crowd participation with momentum building towards the final chorus where mosh pits will be plentiful in the coming live shows. The song as an expression of how Kasabian can so perfectly vary from one song to another whilst maintaining the characteristics that have become their trademarks.
The Party Never Ends brings down the pace again, with little to remark on aside from it being a barrier between two upbeat songs, the second of which being Are you looking for action. Over 8 minutes in length it is by far the longest track on the record, with limited vocals to spoil a meandering instrumental section which closes out the second half of the song. It gives the chance to show the more experimental side of the band and harks back to more of a 48:13 sound as opposed to the simpler formula being followed in the majority of the songs on For Crying Out loud. Some would say that such an extended instrumental section is self-indulgent and unnecessary however it does give a much needed chance for the band to push the boundaries of what should be expected on a modern rock and roll record.
All through the night follows and gives the album another reduction in tempo and is based on vocals with an acoustic guitar. The ending of the song features some extremely elegant production with a haunting sound that justifies the tracks inclusion on the album. Sixteen Blocks follows, which admittedly does feel like a low point on the record with little progression from start to finish and I can’t help but feel as if it slows down the momentum of the album too much. Luckily, Bless this Acid House brings back that classic Kasabian swagger with another huge sing a long opportunity. Sergio believes it is the best song he has ever written, and it is hard to argue with him in a purely musical sense as it is a perfectly put together song, however only time will tell to show if it reaches the status of older songs such as Fast Fuse, L.S.F or Fire. Put Your Life On it is left to bring the album to a fitting close, with the simplistic and immediate theme continuing. It is not one of the hell for leather classics that the band are most famous for, however it is a chance to reflect on the new sound that the band is producing. Paralells can be drawn from other albums such as West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and Velociraptor, which conclude with Happiness and Neon Noon respectively, both similarly reflectively slow and simplistic tracks.
Kasabian’s new album is certainly a step away from the heavily electronic influenced 48:13, going back to their old preference of a more classic rock album. The urgency Sergio wanted to create is present and songs such as Comeback Kid, You’re In Love with a Psycho and Wasted are brilliant songs, however it is a couple of album tracks which prevent me from giving the album a 5 star rating. Kasabian are certainly still one of the most relevant bands in the county, and with this album likely to go to Number 1 in the album charts and headline slots at Reading and Leeds, their momentum is not likely to diminish any time soon.