[seanraff07]

My review of 48:13:

(shiva):
Nice calm build up to the explosion of Bumblebeee.

Bumblebeee:
Well, what a beast of a song. A classic Kasabian song that will be absolutely huge live. Serge's screams of "nanaaa nananana" and Tom repeatedly shouting "yeah yeah yeah" becomes very catchy. Before they break into the chorus, then again comes the uproar of guitars/drums. You can't listen to this at a low volume, it needs to be blaring. Great opener for their set and will have folk moshpitting for fun.

Stevie:
Sounds of trumpets at the start then a nice drum beat comes in and you know it's building up to another strong tune. The song is about a psychotic friend who they are trying to keep under control. Lyrics like "where you goin' with thaaat gun, who you trynaaa kill?". Same chorus verses till later in the song where Serge starts singing over the top of Tom, sounds top. The song ending in a mass eruption with the trumpets, drums, guitars altogether and Tom repeating the same lines over again. A very strong start to the album so far.

(mortis):
Another interesting short tune. Sounds creepy almost, like you entering a rock and roll dungeon.

Doomsday:
Following up from "(mortis)", this song starts in similar fashion. With a spooky-ish rhythm to it. Tom fully on the vocals on this one, repeatedly shouting "what you see is what you get with me, oh oh". It is very comparable to Fast Fuse, with a pacey beat and frantic singing. It is a very strong tune and another one you should wear your dancing shoes to.

Treat:
This starts off with a real swagger about it. "everybody knows, I work it, work it like a treat" as Serge appears in the song first. Tom singing the verses inbetween the chorus. With the song having very electro-rock sounds throughout it, comparable to the style of their debut album. The song almost has two parts to it, once the first bit finishes it again moves into a calm electronic sound, then the drum beat kicks in and you know it is leading into something else. Another swagger-ish guitar/drum combination kicks in and eventually the lines from the chorus come back in, being repeated over and over. It sounds absolutely superb and the song last almost 7 minutes, my favourite song off the album at the moment.

Glass:
This starts of with waves of sound. Then again Serge doing vocals, repeated drum beat over and over. This turns into more of a calm song, unlike the previous ones, the chorus turns it into a more laid back song rather than a big anthem. "Save meee, oh come on and save me, from thiiis world" Serge sings in a calm voice. Then a surprising rap comes in from a guest on the album, at first I thought the rap was odd but I've warmed to it a bit, very odd for Kasabian. The song is OK but below average for Kasabian's standard, the song doesn't really go anywhere for me.

Explodes:
This has a very early Kasabian sound to it. With a synthetic, electronic sound all the way through it. "On and on it goes, till my head explodes" repeated a lot. The drums have a big part in this song, standing out a lot. The song is on the same kind of level for the majority of it until until it suddenly bursts into a louder, more aggressive beat. There is no singing in this part, just a tune you want to bop your head along to, until it goes calm again during the outro and the trumpets make an appearance again. Again, I felt this song could've been better, but it didn't come to much till the last minute.

(Levitation):
The last of three short songs on the album. This one has an interesting sound to it, it sounds like you should be scurrying around a rain forest listening to it. Serge also signs a couple of lines in it but I can't actually make out what they are.

Clouds:
Again, there is a electronic build-up at the start of this song and it sounds exciting. The electro sound continues as Serge comes into it first. Then all of a sudden, it bursts into an enjoyable sing-a-long and Tom takes over vocals. The chorus is catchy as anything and makes you happy. Near the end of the song it goes all instrumental with a quick drumbeat and then the mass sound of guitars comes into play again, a decent tune.

Eez-eh:
This is a really fun tune. With a funky beat all the way through it, with Tom and Serge singing at the same time. "Tired of taking orders, coping with disorders, the wrong men have the power, it's turning my milk sour" one of the main lines through it. If this doesn't make you dance then nothing will. There is glimpses of Serge doing a screaming howl which is different. "Gonna keep you up all night" Tom keeps shouting over and over, this song would keep you up all night grooving that's for sure, a real grower.

Bow:
This song has a really powerful, inspiring beat to it. Serge doing most of the vocals in this, with a catchy synthy-tune lingering in the background. "It's all over now" Serge shouts. This is different from the usual Kasabian song, although it stays at the same sort of tempo the whole way you can't help but get dragged in by it. One of my favourite songs off the album, fits perfectly for the England World Cup exit song too

SPS:
The final song on the album, and it is what has become almost tradition in the closing songs of their albums; a calm, melodic song. Tom humming a tune at the start. This song is all about Serge vocal wise, singing in a calm, relaxing voice. The song was written by Serge and is about Tom, and no matter what, even if he can be a pain in the backside sometimes, that he'll always be part of Serge's life. It is quite emotional to listen to, and proves the bond that these two guys have. "Didn't we all have, the greatest life" rings out then the humming comes back in. A really nice end to a strong album.

My Rating: 9/10

I would say Velociraptor had been their worst album to date so I was slightly worried about this but the lads have came back strong again. Some really big tunes on it in the likes of Bumblebeee, Treat and Bow. You can definitely feel the same sort of vibe that was on their debut album on this one, they have went back to their roots in a way but as always have stayed experimental and shaked things up a bit. This will be a great album to play live in my opinion, and that has always been their strongest point. Only bit that stops me from giving it full marks is that I feel it takes a wee dip midway through the album where you may not get into it as much as you do the rest of the album, that was the case for me anyway. Overall though, another very good album from the Leicester lads, I'd rank it 2nd in their albums behind West Ryder.

Can't wait to see them down in Leicester a week today, bring it on.