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Kasabian
Kasabian
(RCA/BMG)
First Appeared in The Music Box, March 2005, Volume 12, #3
Written by T.J. Simon
Linda Kasabian was the star witness for the U.S. Government at Charles
Manson’s murder trial. As Manson’s getaway driver, her 18 days of testimony for
the prosecution is largely responsible for the fact that the deranged cult
leader remains, to this day, behind bars. Fortunately, the Britpop band adopting
Kasabian as its moniker is not a tribute to Manson or his turncoat chauffeur.
Instead, the quartet from Leicester, England presents a different kind of walk
down memory lane on its enjoyable, but derivative, self-titled debut.
Kasabian’s synth-heavy "rock music for dancing" sound recalls 15-year-old
British exports such as Happy Mondays and Primal Scream, and when the band finds
its groove, it’s hard not to feel transported back to the sounds of the
Lightening Seeds (Reason Is Treason) and The Soup Dragons (Running
Battle). Nevertheless, Kasabian’s brand of old-fashioned new wave also draws
upon a plethora of modern hip-hop elements, including the cool drum loops that
underscore its homage to Lo Fidelity All Stars (Processed Beats) and the
rapped vocals of Butcher Blues. Elsewhere, Radiohead-like electronic
noises adorn the eponymous collection’s stand-out track I.D. as well as
the album’s opener Club Foot. Unfortunately, the effort falls apart
during its latter half. Test Transmission continues with the cool beats,
but its dumb lyrics and simplistic rhymes quickly wear thin. In addition, the
chaotic opening of Pinch Roller lasts far too long, and by the time its
melody is revealed, it’s difficult to get excited about it. Even more annoying
is the fact that Kasabian buried a "hidden track" after a good bit of silence on
the final cut, which is without a doubt the worst manner in which to hide a song
and conclude an outing.  ½
Kasabian is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005
The Music Box
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