Album Review: Kasabian – For Crying Out Loud
3 min read
Leicester legends Kasabian are heading in a different direction on their sixth album. Having burst onto the UK rock scene with their self-titled debut back in 2004, the band have gone on to become one of Britain’s biggest acts.
Whilst the cover art of For Crying Out Loud being something to write home about for all of the wrong reasons, luckily the music offers up more that can be praised. Tom Meighan’s trademark attitude hasn’t lost any poison over the years, with III (The King) kicking the album off in aggressively cool style.
The main riff from You’re In Love With A Psycho could be a reprise for their best known hit; Fire, if it were to be chained down. We need to talk about the lyrics on this one though, there’s talk of chips, macaroni and seafood sticks… Rock n roll doesn’t always have to make sense, but we’re better than this boys. The problematic use of the ableist term ‘psycho’ is also another reason for smashing pause on this one.
Twentyfourseven strikes hard in the proverbial gut, all thrashing guitars and violent lyrical delivery. This is real music to thrash about in a moshpit to, or power run our way to success in the gym to. It’s stirring and rousing in the most impassioned way, with the potential to be an ace in their live set.
Showcasing a different side to the band entirely; Wasted, sees Tom and Serge et al go a little bit Oasis by cracking out a more acoustic sound. Whilst it works as a standalone cut, it’s too far removed from the brashness that everyone idolises Kasabian for. The opening trumpets of Comeback Kid signify a victory on a par with when their beloved Leicester won the Premiership. As the band have re-cemented themselves as cultural icons in the city of Leicester, it is fitting this record encompasses almost as many styles as there are different cultures present in such a vibrant city.
But before you get too comfortable, there is yet another style u-turn that begs the question, Are You Looking For Some Action? It’s a groovy little ditty that is low on lyrics but big on vibes. The remix potential for this cut are out of this world, and could even see Kasabian get a low-key club hit.
You could be mistaken for thinking that Bless This Acid House would be an ode to Bez of Happy Mondays fame, instead it seems more a tribute to The Jam. The style doesn’t befit the subject matter, not a crime in itself but you can’t call a track Bless This Acid House and not deliver a mind melting tune.
All throughout For Crying Out Loud there are solid moments of genius that highlight a band still very much in touch with the reason they are so successful. But on more than one occasion this album will have you yelling For Crying Out Loud, where are the next generation of iconic riffs?! Far from seminal as prior releases of Kasabian have been, For Crying Out Loud marks a more experimental phase for a band who have stuck more or less to the same formula. It sort of works, but it’s not fully cooked yet and could have done with a tad longer in the album oven.
