Alongside Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian
were part of the post-punk revival of a few years back. The British
fivesome’s self-titled debut, which came out over here in early 2005,
was a hit, proffering a slew of singles and making Kasabian an “it”
band for a week or so. But attention spans being what they are, the
band’s second record, Empire, was largely ignored, and Kasabian
failed to stay afloat. So the question is, do we care that the band has
written a third record when we didn’t care about the second?
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum veers in new sonic
directions, embracing a more meditative, psychedelic aesthetic, rather
than a synth-driven, dancey one. “Fire” is designed as the album’s
hooky, dance-floor number, but its chugging guitars and staccato beat
are not quite as compelling as the band thinks they are. “Vlad the
Impaler” is more engaging, with a surging beat and yelps from singer
Tom Meighan. But the album focuses more on slower songs like
Beatles-knockoff “Thick as Thieves” and the Keane-ish “Ladies and
Gentlemen, Roll the Dice.” It’s unfair to expect Kasabian to release an
album as good as their debut, but it’s OK to wish they would. —
Zemler
This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2009.
