Album: Kasabian – The West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

ALBUM REVIEW: Kasabian – The West Ryder…
words: Jamie Milton

We all know how the old saying goes, but what on Earth are you expected to think when looking at that cover? What should your first thought be? “Get me out of here…”? Do you projectile vomit or do you hold it in? My guess is it was meant to be provocative but this thing nearly acts as some form of propaganda, hinting to the trusted listener that this might be more interesting than one would expect. Entailing the psychedelic “charm”, you could say, of the debut album (let’s ignore ‘Empire’ for as long as we can), ‘West Ryder…’ is far more striking and deep than any bands they’re lazily lumped together with. It excavates down under electronic territory, hinting at more classic influences (The Beatles and The Clash in ‘Where Did All The Love Go?’ is just one example), but despite what the title and album cover would suggest, it’s not exactly Fucking Mental. No – it’s actually dangerously safe.

It didn’t exactly slap you in the face at the time but Kasabian’s debut took on board an almost cult status before being handed one. It flirted with themes of totalitarianism in promo videos, made itself out to be pretty clever. This might be the first time that Kasabian actually set out to sound smart and inventive instead of turning another simple riff into a football-game soundtrack, but what they’ve lost is a coherent theme. They drift in between a surprisingly scarce supply of upbeat pop (exemplified in opener ‘The Underdog’ more so than at any time), whilst also serving up a slice of more down-tempo numbers that dominate the second half of the record. Many of these are timid: although they hire Serge Pizzorno’s vocal duties more so than previously, they lack a cutting edge or a driving force. ‘Take Aim’, directed by thick acoustic tongue, is a rare success that manages to build into more than just a mid-tempo slab of filler. ‘West Ryder Silver Bullet’, although impressive in an everchanging structure, comes across as a more tame effort, something you’d find at the tail of a Muse record, but with less build and therefore less to be intrigued about – regardless of the dubious inclusion of Rosario Dawson (a Sin City star, in case that names’ bugging you…).

It’s when the band stick to their guns that they become a more formidable prospect. It feels almost wrong falling for the psycho-trip, odd-ball ‘Vlad The Impaler’, but the refrain of “get loose, get loose” and Pizzorno’s interruptive, spontaneous cry of “yeah!” perfectly balances crafted experimentation with that programmed ability to write a catchy song. Tom Meighan’s proverbial step back on ‘West Ryder’ is welcomed. Ignoring him for his less appealing traits of constantly chanting “Hello Sandhurst/Bognor/Kiddleminster! Fuckin’ Empire!” is no easy battle. But he delivers on ‘Fire’, a chant-able but likable song that carries a Spaghetti Western swagger in its verse but goes gung-ho with the sing-along with its monosyllabic chorus.

These moments aside – ‘West Ryder…’ is a record riddled with the filler factor. Although each song has at least one latching hook, some go unnoticed. Meighan and Pizzorno’s apparent craft for exploring unique ideas through the artwork, the identity of the band, is not replicated whatsoever at the very heart of the record. At no point, not even during the instrumental ‘Swarfiga’, which sole purpose must have been to mess with your head, do you begin to believe that Kasabian are anything more than a hit-factory. They’d be better off siding with the verse-chorus formula, turning a blind eye to the lazy “lad rock” criticisms and producing a full-on collection of potentially annoying but dreadfully catchy rock songs.

6.9

mp3: Kasabian – Vlad the Impaler [alt]

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