Empire

by

Kasabian

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Kasabian's self titled first release is one that I found very enjoyable. Some of the tracks I rarely listened to but cuts like "Reason Is Treason," "Cutt Off," and "L.S.F." has this disc continually in moderate to heavy rotation in my car CD collection. The reasons I liked it so much was the use of electronica/keyboards along with great melodies and a real swagger.

This album is very different than their first one. Gone is their lead guitarist and keyboardist, who was fired due to creative differences with the rest of the band, so a major portion of what made the first album good has been replaced. I still enjoy "Empire," but there are very few semblances to "Kasabian." The first single, "Empire" is similar and very good, got a catchy chorus. "Apnoea" is very close to their first batch of songs, but it's less than two minutes long??! Why, guys, why make a track that sounds half-finished? The best track on the album though, I'd have to say is "Stuntman." You can hear in its entirety on their myspace page. It's extremely catchy and sounds similar to the first album. "By My Side" stands out too, as it has a minor tone which reminds me of some of their earlier material.

I wonder what this album would have sounded like had the band stayed intact? I sure would have loved to hear that, but overall this album still is worth a listen.