CD Reviews

Kasabian | Velociraptor!

RCA/Columbia (2011)

By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | September 20, 2011

3.5 Stars

Four records in and Kasabian are still dodging that lazy comparison to Oasis, which is based mainly on their healthy egos and partly on how singer Tom Meighan sometimes pulls off the best Liam Gallagher sneer since Be Here Now — look no further than the way he stretches syllables on the cocksure, bass-driven "Re-Wired." But not since another act, Manchester's forgotten sons Space Monkeys, has an outfit blended the sounds of classic Britpop, dance, and indie well enough to recall the golden days of Mad when Primal Scream and the Stone Roses could've ruled the world. The funky, thumping anthems are accounted for; "Days Are Forgotten" and "Re-Wired" brim with the most bluster. "Switchblade Smiles" is the younger brother of the band's best known song in the States, "Club Foot" — mixing the two is going to be a DJ's dream. There's the Kraftwerk-inspired electronica of "I Hear Voices," and even a bittersweet break-up ballad, one of the band's best songs to date, "Goodbye Kiss." A few moments of drab creep in — "Le Fee Verte" tries too hard to push its late-period Beatles psychedelic influences. But for the most part, Velociraptor! is a stellar representation of K-sabes magnificence and dexterity.

Related: The Sounds | Something To Die For, CSS | La Liberacion, Machinedrum | Room(s), More

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Topics: CD Reviews , Music, Dance, Kasabian, More

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