I can’t get enough of Kasabian’s latest offering. Lead single ‘Eez-Eh’ had me hooked from its first play, giving me high hopes for the album, which definitely doesn’t disappoint. The 13 tracks are carefully crafted by the band in order to avoid monotony – this means that 48:13 is completely different to Kasabian’s previous four albums. 48:13 brings a fresh perspective of the band, though it brings Kasabian’s attitude to the table along with it. Seeing this album at a festival would just be mind-blowing – their immanent headline set at Glastonbury is guaranteed to be full of energy and laddishness and I resent anyone who is a lucky owner of a ticket!
Tracks such as ‘Stevie’ and ‘Doomsday’ on the album show a more ‘pop-ish’ side to the band which I’m sure would be crazy live. ‘Doomsday’ makes me think of mischief and cheek which is impressive as to me it resembles the band’s ethos and the energy which gives Kasabian’s live shows their reputation.
Other tracks such as ‘Treat’ bring more synths than usual to the album – the electronic sound of this mixed with Kasabian guitar riffs means that this track is a gem in the middle of the album. At a bold 6:53 minutes long, this track is perfectly placed to allow 48:13 to develop into more different sounds. The album is like an exploration of Kasabian as there are so many different types of tracks incorporated so it’s almost impossible to get bored listening to 48:13.
Following this is ‘Glass’ – a slower offering from the band in which lyrics are warbled through melodic guitar, synths and harmonic backing vocals. Some rapping is then introduced into this song which really confused me – the track is brilliant up until this point, though I’d say the rapping is my least favourite part of the album.
If I’m being really critical I’d say that tracks such as ‘Explodes’ go slightly too far on the synths, though perhaps that’s simply because I’m personally not big on electronic music. ‘Eez-Eh’ brings the album back to a good place for me, however, with it’s incredible catchy lyrics and melody – the incredible laddish video just sums up the track for me; it’s just FUN!
As a whole, this album is an impressive statement from Kasabian. 6 months in the making, the album went straight into the album charts at number one and it really isn’t surprising. Kasabian are as great a band as ever and their headline sets at Glastonbury and their homecoming shows in Leicester are set to be very impressive. I’ll be watching!
~ Ceri-Ann Hughes