Kasabian have always straddled a sometimes-uncomfortable fence between anthemic rock and big beat electronica. Their fifth album, 48:13, is the moment they fall right off that fence and land straight on their balls. Sure, they're aiming high, adding synthy sonics to their palette of laddish rock designed to be heard
at open air festivals like Glastonbury. But they've done it in the most ham-fisted way possible, like a bedroom producer mashing up Oasis and Chemical Brothers albums. Yes, the Leicester quartet are starting to sound like the aural equivalent of dads dancing with their kids at a rave. You could imagine the Wiggles dancing along to Doomsday's cartoon nursery rhyme bounce, while Eez-eh's big beat bollocks could be a long lost track from one-hit muppets Chumbawumba. And the lyrics don't help: Bumblebee's otherwise excellent stomp includes the laughable line: "All you pretty things, get on board this mothership". The only redeeming feature is Treat's warped space-pop -- but after listening to 48:13 you'll know exactly how Tom Meighan feels when he sings, "I'm stood here naked with a junkie sinking margaritas". It's pretty much the only option after listening to this mess the whole way through.
