Kasabian's Empire: British Rock Band Strikes Up the Fun on Latest Effort

With their sophomore album, Empire, British electro-rockers Kasabian are beginning to make the same shift that a few other British bands are already beginning to take. It began with Muse earlier this year, loosening the chains from Absolution and prior albums that had them so dependent upon the keyboards. Instead, with their latest, they ended up toward a more pop/rock sound. Then it was Starsailor with their August release On The Outside. Looking up from their standard shoegazing, the guys instead got some confidence to boost their rock credibility.

Now it is Kasabian's turn to do the same. It's as if they turned up the volume in the garage and decided to let that sound come front and center. The influences of Tom Vek, The Killers and even Duran Duran can be heard here, as slight leaning toward the 80s nu-rock come through every now and then.

Don't let that fool you, however. Kasabian still relies pretty heavily on their house-rock foundation. Their debut, Club Foot, rode the sound for the entire ride, while here on Empire, it simply uses the sound to propel them to new places. The title track is a raucous ride that features distorted energies from the guitar and simulated string sections to ease the tension.

Other tracks also shine on this solid album, most notably "sun/rise/light/flies" which features swirling harmonies before breaking into a Strokes-esque riff and haunting lead vocal. "By My Side" uses the dance floor a bit more along with a string section to paint one of the most infectious songs on the album. The bridge here is particularly beautiful.

If you've never made the investment of time or money to check out these guys, you are missing out on a lot of fun and simply good music. Empire only heightens that recommendation.