Why am I posting about the new Kasabian record instead of the debut or Empire? I'm not sure. I guess I'm trying to process everything that has happened with the band over the past few years. I've been a huge fan of Kasabian since I first heard "Clubfoot" from their self-titled debut in 2004. A couple years ago, Kasabian went through a seismic upheaval when lead singer Tom Meighan was involved in a domestic violence incident with his then girlfriend and current wife, which lead to his dismissal from the band. The Alchemist's Euphoria is the first Kasabian album since the incident and features songwriter Sergio Pizzorno on vocals. Pizzorno had always been important to the sound of Kasabian, but not as the front man. The new album is pretty much a Sergio production and is a departure from their previous catalog. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The last couple albums were alright, but not at the level of their first three releases.
As they began releasing singles from The Alchemist's Euphoria, I was concerned about the direction of the band. Sergio is an okay singer, but lacks the gravitas of Meighan. The new album is pretty heavy handed with the vocal effects. Also, there seemed to be a lack of guitars and a surplus of electronics. When the album finally came out it went straight to the top of the U.K. charts. It took a couple weeks for my record store to get it in stock, so I had to stream it at first. I finally got to listen to the LP yesterday. My first impulse was to question why they didn't just scrap the name Kasabian and start fresh. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's not a Kasabian album. It's adventurous and sounds modern. It's rhythmically interesting and has some world music influence. If you're young and hanging out at the club it's fantastic. If you're an old dude who likes anthemic arena rock it's a curiosity.
The closest they come to a rock track is "Chemicals". This song has some modern elements, but the guitars and drums are more up front. Had the whole album taken this approach it would have been a good transition to whatever Kasabian is going to become in the future. The album closes, oddly, with a mostly acoustic song, "Letting Go". It's on tracks like "The Wall" that Sergio struggles as a lead singer. In his defense, some of this might just be the production. I do like some tracks, like "SCRIPTVRE" and "ALYGATYR". Yes, those are the spellings. Like "Chemicals" they are a combination of the old Kasabian swagger and modern electronics. I have only listened to The Alchemist's Euphoria fout times, so I'm not writing it off yet. However, I am looking forward to hearing Tom Meighan's solo album when it's finished. He is married and seems to be working on his personal problems and I am pulling for him. We need to reach a point as humans where we can resist the urge to erase anyone who makes a mistake in their life. Next time it might be you. Peace.
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