After crash landing on the scene in 2004 with their self-titled debut album, where lead single Club Foot became one of the most popular songs of that year, Kasabian were met with universal acclaim.
However, when their third album, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, hit the shelves two years ago, it made the two previous albums seem quite ordinary.
The sound is loud and the group are proud. They weren’t afraid of promoting their sound either. First releasing a teaser EP in 2007, they then swarmed their website with album tracks, and even sought about charming you on the box with the soundtracks for the BRAVIA TV and FIFA 2009 ads.
Not only that, but every time I hear a promotional advert for a boxing match come on the TV, I just expect one of the songs from this album to be accompanying it. The only worthy description of these songs is blockbuster. If there was any chance of another Rocky film in the offing, then this must surely be the readymade score for it?
Of course, I think we must all congratulate Kasabian for being so brave and risky with this album. I mean, just look at the album title. It feels more like a tongue-twisting riddle than a hit album of the decade. The artwork, the song names, the music; just everything seems so unorthodox, presenting the group with real danger of disappearing into the wilderness forever.
Kasabian though, seemed sure of themselves, confident in their wacky persona but by heck have they pulled it off. That’s exactly why this album has worked a treat. It was daring. It wasn’t afraid to push boundaries. Most of all though Kasabian weren’t afraid of evolving into something brilliant, producing tunes of epic proportions. They employed so many different musical techniques on this disc, with the eastern guitar of Where Did All The Love Go?, the unfinished electronic feel of Fast Fuse and not mentioning the raw jagged riff that first hits you on Underdog.
In a time when if a band evolves far beyond its fan base it sinks like the Titanic, Kasabian have done exactly that but couldn’t care less about the repercussions. For that on its own they should be commended. While some fans were left behind, many many others had been picked up. I hope you were one of those.
Highlight tracks: Fire, West Ryder Silver Bullet, Where Did All The Love Go?
Did you know? Each song is meant to represent an inmate at the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum, a group of mental institutions built in West Yorkshire in the 1880s.
2010: Two Door Cinema Club- Tourist History
If albums were like the sun, then a recommendation for the strongest sunblock you could lay your hands on would have come with Tourist History. Two Door Cinema Club seem to be playing with a permanent ‘glass half full’ mindset, staying constantly on the sunny side of pop, turning it up to full brightness. It’s almost as if this album is on a personal mission to make what are known as emos extinct, by branding happiness as the new sad.
I remember being in Dublin last year when Two Door Cinema Club performed at Oxegen festival, and it was clear to see that during their set they wanted to promote their songs as ones that you could endlessly dance to at a furious pace. This dance-orientated electro-pop translates beautifully onto both the live stage and onto a CD. Just make sure you have your curtains closed whenever you play this album, as I can assure you it will have you shaking those hips and moving those feet in no time.
Tourist History has ended up being somewhat of a slow burner, as 2010 was dominated by Ellie Goulding and Marina & The Diamonds, but since then it has become one of the sounds of 2011. This has ended up becoming a blessing for the Northern Irish group, who have become way more celebrated and recognised than if they had just petered away at the end of 2010.
However I am glad they have got the recognition they deserve, as this is a stonker of an album. Their happy-go-lucky nature is reflected in their music, and while plenty of cheer is great, they’ve realised that it can be too much of a good thing, with none of the tracks breaking the four minute barrier.
I Can Talk is the masterpiece of the album. Seeing as it’s the middle track it’s almost as if the rest of the record is built around it, but it just epitomises what the album is all about; punchy, sunny and direct.
Two Door Cinema Club have become one of the major sounds of the present day, proving to everyone that happy music is the best music. If you’ve not dabbled in their stuff then prove to the world that you’re not stubborn. Trust me, eat that album up, it’s good for you.
Highlight tracks: I Can Talk, Come Back Home, What You Know.
Did you know? Two Door Cinema Club’s name came around after they mispronounced the name of their local theatre, Tudor Cinema.
2011: Foo Fighters- Wasting Light
Now, usually when a band is on their seventh album, the status quo is that it is only listened to by the most loyal of fans, with the record churning out similar but satisfactory music to please the regular punters. Except for a few anomalies, you wouldn’t expect a band to come up trumps with some of it’s best work to date, yet that is exactly what Foo Fighters have done.
Immediately there aren’t any tracks that jump out at you like previous Foos albums, however what’s different is that straightaway this record comes seamlessly together like your grandma’s knitting. Yes, it means none of the songs will be making great waves amongst the singles chart, but who cares about that, especially when it reached the summit of the album charts.
The fact that Foo Fighters can still hit number one with their seventh effort is a credit to themselves for tweaking their sound so it still sounds traditionally like Foos, yet feeling like a completely new chapter in a thriller novel. The extended hiatus that the band took after Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace must also have played a part in the group’s new refreshed and reinvigorated sound.
On Wasting Light it feels like their appetite is back, their desire fuelled by the challenge to reclaim their crown as the world’s hottest rock band. The brash guitar and crashing drums are a staple part of the whole album, punishing anyone who ever doubted their ability to come back at the top of their game. It majestically matches fist-pumping, adrenaline-fuelled songs with ones of a more subtle, melodic quality in such a way that it would be inconceivable for them to be imagined apart.
The production of the album is also an incredible stroke of genius, with the idea of recording it on analog tape in Dave Grohl’s garage really complimenting the sound that the Foos have produced. I mean, why not return to familiar surroundings and comfort by recording in your own back yard?
Foo Fighters are playing like they’ve just started out as a new band, like they’re playing with a purpose and sense of direction, just like they did at the beginning. Is it coincidence that Foo Fighters’ best work is their first two albums and Wasting Light? I think not. Don’t get me wrong, their other stuff isn’t to be sniffed at, but doesn’t quite reach the technical mark these three beauties have now set.
So, Foo Fighters have begun writing again with a new lease of life, with sublime results. I just hope it stays for good this time. Mission to return to the peak of rock music accomplished. Welcome back Foo Fighters.
Highlight tracks: Arlandria, These Days, Walk.
Did you know? Wasting Light is the first album to feature Pat Smear as an official band member since The Colour and The Shape, Foo Fighters' second album.
So that’s it, the final part of my series of reviews about my favourite albums over the past decade. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them, and thanks for checking them out in the first place! Be sure to look back regularly as I’ve got some great pieces lined up for 2012.
Last but not least, have a very Merry Christmas and a great new year!
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