Kasabian' Debut

If you are board someday and go to the local used music store, do yourself a favor and look for Kasabian's eponymous debut album.  You won't regret it.  I picked up the album because I was aware of the band and had heard good things.  I decided to take a chance and was rewarded with my mind being blown away.  The whole of the album is a consistent feel to it, another worldly feel.  It has a modern psychedelic sound combining old and new.  The beats are modern and familiar as is the synth.  However, the combination is new and fascinating.  Thew first half of the album is especially great.  Except for the short instrumentals, every song is memorable.  You won't mind carrying one of these tunes in your head for the day.

The first track, "Club Foot," is upbeat and sets you up for everything you are about to hear.  "Processed Beats" is just that.  It possesses the most complex rhythm on the album and offers a different dimension into what Kasabian are try to accomplish.  "Reason is Treason" is the most straight forward rocker of this collection.  It only moves forward until the end.  I'm not sure I enjoy the whiny background vocal though.  "I.D." is essentially the same musical statement made by "Club Foot," only at a slower pace.  It shows that Kasabian can deliver their message in more than a single way.  "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)" is the most accessible song on the album.  It also might be the only song you can really sing along with as well.  "Running Battle" is another slower number.  This one has a good beat that is forward in the mix.  The guitar and synth are in the back except for the synth runs between verses.  It is very tasteful in its use of the instrument.  "Test Tansmission" quickens the pace back up.  Except for the vocals and beat, everything is swirling.  It sounds absolutely fantastic with head phones.  "Cutt Off" is almost a return to "Processed Beats" with a more complex vocal delivery.  "Butcher Blues" is a slower number that is a sweet running bass line that drives the entire song with the vocals.  The instrumental, "Ovary Stripe" leads into the album closer, "U Boat."  "U Boat" is unlike any other song on the album.  The first half of the song is the vocals up front accompanied with a slow repeating synth line.  The song eventually picks up a beat and a complicated synth.  It ends with a swirling synth line with a string accompaniment.

I was so moved by this album that as soon as I finished listening to its magic I gave to my roommate to listen to.  I am not sure if he fully appreciated the gift I put into his hands.  I am telling right now this album is worth your time.