Album Review – Kasabian: For Crying Out Loud

Inspired by ‘Les-tah’s surprising Premier League title victory in 2016 as well as a return to the band’s typical dulcet tones after the experiment that was 48:13, Pizzorno and co. have created twelve joy-filled, easy to like anthems fit to grace your ears and any festival stages this summer.

48:13, the 2014 record named after the album’s total run-time, was an unexpected deviation from the usual Kasabian style with mixtures of heavy foot-stompers like ‘bumblebee’ with psychedelic echoey beats and vocals in ‘eez-eh’ and ‘treat’.

That was an undoubtedly fantastic album, but one which indicated a deviation from their ususal identity for the East Midlands group. For Crying Out Loud sees a return to their electronic-indie roots  which saw them create such charismatic well-known stadium anthems so characteristic of the band like ‘Club Foot’ ‘Empire’ and ‘Fire’, also complete with a fast-paced energy with tracks like ‘Ill Ray’ and ‘Are you looking for action?’.

That aforementioned first song on the record ‘Ill Ray’ you can tell is going to get the crowd pumping at any festival this summer. A heavy anthemic toe-tapper which gets the record off to a flyer. It’s quickly followed by the smash-hit ‘You’re in love with a psycho’ which is representative of the bands return to more comfortable territory with the catchy indie beat and random similes such as“I’m like the taste of macaroni on a seafood stick”.

‘Twentyfourseven’ and ‘Good fight’ retain the upbeat feel of the album. They have something of the ‘Velociraptor!’ feel about them and will probably be the typical Kasabian songs which make an appearance on the EA Sports FIFA 18 soundtrack. Meanwhile, ‘Wasted’ and ‘Comeback Kid’ you can just tell are going to be massive sing-a-long anthems at festivals this summer.

While ‘Underdog’ and ‘Fire’ from the 3rd studio album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum seem to be the anthems which really do the Foxes’ championship-winning season justice, ‘Comeback Kid’ is the latest track which really seem to typify Leicester City’s success in 2016, the trumpets at the start and the purposeful beat indicate a grand introduction while the chorus preaches themes of unity and togetherness.

‘The Party Never Ends’ definitely has an element of the lunatic asylums about it, a ploddy psychedelic aura surrounds the tune which appears in a different way in the next track ‘Are you looking for action?’ – probably my favourite song on the album for its originality and its distinctiveness when compared to the other tracks.

The chorus cements it as a real party-starter, ‘Give up get down get your flashlight, Everybody down into the basement, Give up get down, until the sunlight, They’ll be sweeping you up off the pavement.’ I wouldn’t be surprised if some mainstream house DJs remixed and covered the tune because it’s not only a banger, it’s genius how Serge and Tom have infused indie-psychedelic rock with electronica in this track, and by extension the whole album.

The earey ‘All Through the Night’ incorporates smooth vocals and contrasts heavily with the previous tracks taking the album to more sombre territory. ‘Sixteen Blocks’ and ‘Bless this Acid House’ give the 6th studio album some corniness and bring a smile to your face while you can picture arms swaying at festivals from side to side when ‘Put your life on it’ comes on, drawing ‘For Crying out Loud’ to a heartfelt conclusion.

If you missed our set live from @BBCR1 #BigWeekend yesterday, you can catch the whole thing here: https://t.co/GEqdAFaODj pic.twitter.com/8eqrJitNvl

— KasabianHQ (@KasabianHQ) May 28, 2017

While a plethora of reviews have deemed album number 6 as ‘predictable’ and ‘dull’ I think those statements couldn’t be further from the truth. Lead guitarist and vocalist Sergio Pizzorno claims the record was going to ‘save guitar music from the abyss’.

With Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines representing the dwindling presence of British rock ‘n’ roll in the twenty first century, their amalgamation of styles with a return to their roots, a wide variety of songs and brilliantly random lyrics make this one of the best albums of 2017 sofar from the biggest British rock band of the moment. Their ability to constantly experiment and reinvent themselves as a band deserves huge admiration. Only a fool would deny that this is a sick album for crying out loud!

As a five-time Glastonbury goer I’ve seen my fair share of bands perform on the prestigious Pyramid stage each year. I can honestly say Kasabian’s Sunday set in 2014 was the best live performance I have ever witnessed. From the ultra-charged atmosphere, Serge’s unbelievable ability to Tom’s showmanship you get the whole package. I am insanely jealous of anyone who’s able to see them at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Bennicasim and Reading this summer.

Joe Tanner

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