SIAN WATSON
Associated Press
Kasabian, “48.13” (Harvest Records)
“48.13” is precisely the amount of time it takes to listen to Kasabian’s fifth studio album.
Storming around the world with gusto after triumphantly closing the Glastonbury festival, “48:13” is hitting the shelves in the United States after entering the U.K. charts at No. 1 in June.
Like previous tracks “Fire,” ”Shoot the Runner” and “L.S.F.,” the singles on “48.13” translate to stadiums and fields with fans chanting the lyrics back at the four boys from Northern England. The song “bumblebeee” opens with repeated chanting of “yeah, yeah, yeah” with a smashing drumbeat and screaming chorus that could open one of Kasabian’s sets.
It then morphs into “stevie,” which couples ominous sounding strings with a similar drumbeat heard in “L.S.F.” However, in this instance, the lyrics seem a tad clumsy, rhyming “stevie” with TV.
The song “doomsday” sounds like it could have dropped from a record by The Specials — the band uses a ska-esque rhythm — but with Tom Meighan’s Leicester tones on top, singing, “What you see is what you get.”
The moment of perfection, however, is “eez-eh,” which guitarist Sergio Pizzorno described in an interview at Glastonbury as “cheating,” with its 120 beats per minute, as the audience can’t help but groove along to its insatiable rhythm.
“48:13” doesn’t top their debut, but it does provide some moments of pure joy.
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