Artist: Bon Iver

Album: Bon Iver

Track: Calgary

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Artist: U2

Album: Rattle And Hum

Track: Van Diemen's Land

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Velociraptor! (Kasbian)

I haven’t written a single review for the last 4 to 5 months so it’s a bit had for me to be facing this blank terrifying white page. I have been listening a lot to Kasabian’s Velociraptor! for the last couple of days and I felt that it was definitely a record that was worth a “come-back” review.
Kasabian has kind of entered the very tight sphere of bands that don’t necessarily need an introduction. Which Indie or Alternative music fan in his own right can say that he doesn’t know or haven’t heard of them ?

Anyhow, Kasabian’s music has been evolving and with Velociraptor! we can definitely see a more concrete and mature version of their Electronic and Psychedelic Rock influence that kind of started with their previous record West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. But in addition to that fresh approach to their newly found musical influence, we definitely see an interesting Baroque-Pop sound in this record.

It starts with “Let’s Roll Just Like We Used To” which intro is a very weird 47-second sound of a man moaning with horns in the background. The rest of the song is a very classy track, kind of a film soundtrack only more artistically genuine. The song grows really smoothly and everything seems so familiar in it, that amazing 60s pop sound that you can’t really catch but you can’t help but notice it’s there. The highest moment of the record is probably “La Fée Verte” (Which is French for “The Green Fairy”), a really strong track with a Baroque-Popish sound and a very disturbing but quite pleasing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band feel in it, that’s emphasised with the lyrics “I see Lucy in the Sky …”, and for one moment there, you think it might have been intentional. It’s simply a 6-minute long, soul-driving and mind-blowing piece of art. And that subtle but quite strong Beatles feeling in it makes it only better.

This album’s main strength is probably the band’s boldness. Arabic strings, heavy electronic music influences, classic rock riffs, baroque-pop rhythms all mixed up together is simply amazing. Take for example “I Hear Voices”, it’s gloomy lyrics “My soul you can have it ‘cause it means shit, I said it to the devil ...” along and it’s music, hard to describe … let’s say … it’s like if the Editors were trying to do some Depeche Mode songs their own way. That dark (?) version of synthpop that matches the lyrics so perfectly. Well that song shows how bold but quite efficient Kasabian’s last effort is. But it’s definitely not the only one. “Man Of Simple Pleasures” sounds like if The Kinks wanted to do some Post-Rock while trying to sound like The Rascals. And even if this image is not really appealing to many, the result is simply beautiful, which only makes it more interesting.

Velociraptor! is definitely a record worth a listen and a love at the very first note. Kasabian are offering us their finest effort in an absolutely amazing 50-minute long musical journey. Be people of simple pleasures and enjoy lovely music like this one.


9.5/10 

Artist: Kasabian

Album: Velociraptor!

Track: Man Of Simple Pleasures

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