Soon-to-be Glastonbury headliners Kasabian have hyped their fifth album to an almost irritating extent, with Serge Pizzorno and Tom Meighan even redecorating an east London shopfront in bright pink with a stencilled, ‘cryptic’ ‘48:13’ emblazoned across it in black. As it turned out, the installation actually unveiled an uninspiring album cover and title. ‘48:13’, you see, is the record's running time.
Pizzorno has described the artwork as a result of the band’s confidence in being more direct and honest, which is a puzzling claim given that they have rarely appeared short of the stuff in the past. Hype aside, though, there’s a lot to like about ‘48:13’ if you ignore the odd woeful lyric.
The ridiculously titled Eez-eh, the album’s lead single, is not one of its finest moments, though. Based around a dance beat and its “gonna keep you up all night” refrain, it’ll get the 35,000 fans attending Kasabian’s homecoming gig in June dancing but long term it’s going to grate. Bumblebeee fares better, even if its chorus sounds a little like Suede’s Filmstar.
Bow, sung by Pizzorno, is a big hitter. The loud-quiet-loud structure pioneered by Pixies forms the basis of an excellent synth-backed track, while Stevie, another stop-start effort in the vein of Fire from ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’, is a fist-pumping anthem driven by thunderous percussion and dramatic strings.
The equally impressive Clouds soars with a thrilling guitar riff that serves as a chorus, teetering on the edge before exploding in a manner that has come to define the best Kasabian songs.
Doomsday, another dance extravaganza with a synth line guaranteed to please pissed-up revellers, and Treat, which approaches seven minutes in length and comprises a fuzzy guitar riff and repetitive chant of “everybody knows I work it, work it like a treat”, are hit and miss, although the latter does possess an interesting synth instrumental conclusion.
Glass, with its Suli Breaks verse, and the Ultravox-indebted Explodes are largely tedious, but album closer S.P.S. represents the biggest surprise here. A twanging guitar and Pizzorno’s softly sung vocals combine to provide a moment of reflection, and a possible future set closer: “Didn’t we have the greatest night?”
While you certainly shouldn’t believe the hype, ‘48:13’ is a far better listen than many critics will have you believe, and hardcore fans will adore it. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the band’s debut will remain their defining moment, but there’s plenty here to suggest that ‘48:13’ will outlive its three predecessors by some distance.
Kasabian Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue June 17 2014 - PLYMOUTH Plymouth Pavilions
Wed June 18 2014 - LONDON Shepherd's Bush Empire
Sat June 21 2014 - LEICESTER Victoria Park, Leicester
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