21st Century Music: Kasabian
21st Century Music are playlists and profiles that focus on artists that have released their music since 2000. These highlight new(er) acts that continue the sound and spirit of the older acts that are the focus of Ceremony. Click on the streaming service of your choice below to listen to the playlist as you read along.
I recently visited the UK for the first time. While exploring the Spitalfields area of London, my wife and I stumbled across Rough Trade East on the funky Brick Lane stretch of stores, bars, and restaurants. Rough Trade East is one of a chain of music stores that originally launched the renowned music label (but are now independent from it) and a place that, today, is keeping the spirit of record stores alive and well. They often have in-store appearances and performances by artist, and on the day we were there the appearance was going to be ‘The SLP’, which we learned was Serge Lorenzo Pizzorno, the guitarist, occasional vocalist, and primary song writer for the band, Kasabian. He was promoting his new solo LP and we were pleased to take in his interview and performance (in which he danced right next to us during a foray into the crowd) and then afterward get him to sign a copy of his album (see photos below). The occasion reinvigorated my interest in Kasabian, a band I once highly adored but had lost track. Hearing Serge talk about their work inspired me to catch up, and thus this 21st Century profile – because certainly in their native UK, the band has been one of the biggest rock acts of the new century.
“Club Foot” was the first Kasabian song I heard. I don’t recall exactly where I came across it, but it was one of those tunes you fall in love with instantly. I quickly picked up the CD, which was Kasabian’s first, self-titled, LP. I listened to it regularly over the winter of 2004-05, taken with its energy, progressive sound, infectiousness, and consistency. It was a rare album that didn’t let up or succumb to a single weak moment. I made sure to catch them on their visit to Toronto at Kool Haus in March 2005 and was sure to bring my friend Nick, who grew up in Kasabian’s hometown of Leicester, England. We had a great time and believed we were seeing the next major UK rock act ready to conquer North America.
Kasabian was trading in the strong tradition of the UK ‘sound,’ a mix of R&B, rock, dance, and pop that had infused generations and various movements of UK music since the earliest days of rock ‘n’ roll. The band was born in the throes of Britpop’s heyday, when Oasis and Blur were battling it out for UK chart supremacy and when guitar-driven rock was enjoying one of its last runs of dominance in the broader music world. Kasabian’s sound, however, gave as much prominence to the rhythm and beat of the music, in many ways mixing the latter Britpop sound with its predecessor movement, the trippy, beat-driven sounds of Madchester. Eyes closed, Kasabian could sound like the love child of Blur and The Stone Roses.
Kasabian in 2004: Chris Edwards; Sergio Pizzorno; Tom Meighan; and Chris Karloff
Sergio Pizzorno (guitar), Chris Edwards (bass), and Tom Meighan (vocals) initially formed the band Saracuse in 1997 while attending Countesthorpe Community College. Chris Karloff also joined on guitar. They eventually changed their name to Kasabian, taken from Linda Kasabian, a member of the Charles Manson ‘family’ and the key witness that brought them down for their infamous murders. It took until 2004 for the band to release their first LP, issuing “Reason is Treason” as the first single, but it would be “Club Foot” that launched the band to greater awareness, with the song cracking the top twenty in the UK. “LSF (Lost Souls Forever),” “Processed Beats,” and “Cutt Off” would also be released as singles, with all cracking the top twenty and “Cut Off” peaking at #8. The LP reached #4 in the album chart. That initial success launched them to a sustained career at the upper echelon of UK music, with their subsequent five LPs all going to #1. They have also enjoyed some success internationally, with their first three LPs gaining minor chart attention in the US. Their success with singles has been mixed, with three top ten singles over the years, though in the age of streaming that’s a weak indicator the band’s broader success. As with many acts in recent years, chart success has not translated to sales, with their last three LPs selling much fewer units than the first three despite equal chart success.
Ian Matthews, Chris Edwards, Tom Meighan, and Serge Pizzorno
After playing with a series of fill-in drummers in their early days, Ian Matthews, one of several that played on the first album, settled into the position permanently. Chris Karloff left the band during the recording of the second album, Empire, leaving Pizzorno as the sole song writer. Their line-up has remained stable as a quartet of Pizzorno, Meighan, Edwards, and Matthews. The band is perhaps most identified, however, with lead singer Tom Meighan, whose distinct tone has been a regular identifier of the Kasabian sound and who initially gained notoriety for picking fights with other artists and for his rock-star lifestyle. He eventually calmed down and let the band’s music carry its reputation.
Kasabian was a natural bridge for Britpop to find its way into the 21st century. Their unabashed embrace of beats and hip-hop attitude mixed with soulful melodies and rocking guitars opened themselves up to audiences of several genres. They moved between catchy, danceable rhythms, hooky turns and phrases, anthemic songs, and melodic interludes. By the end of their third LP, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, they had explored their sound a deeply and consistently, which despite the albums’ strength and success was leaving the band sounding a little too predictable and repetitive. Over the next three LPs they varied their sound more, increasing the use of electronics, offering more mood and texture, and experimenting with more edgy rhythms and song structures. Their most recent release, 2017’s For Crying Out Loud, moved into a purer pop sound, embracing their dance side more than the abrasive rock vibe and producing some of the catchiest, grooviest songs of their career.
As much as I’m enjoying exploring the last four LPs and the many great tracks on them, I’m still smitten with that first LP. “Club Foot” still knocks me back with its phenomenal, growling bass intro, the epic sound of the booming drums and faraway vocals, and its final third with the wall-of-sound crescendo before settling into a softer, electro-rock outro. It was one of the more impressive introductions to a band that I can recall. The beats and hooks on the first LP, repeated effectively though perhaps a little less intoxicatingly on the second LP, made Kasabian one of my most listened to acts in the early 2000s. I missed the issuance of their third LP as they generally faded from view in North America thereafter.
Which is too bad, because the consistent strength of their albums has been impressive. It has been hard editing out tracks to create a reasonable length playlist for this profile. As Serge forays into his solo gig it will be interesting to see where Kasabian goes as they now progress through their third decade as a band. I will be sure to pay closer attention from now on.
The Playlist - song \ album (year)
Club Foot \ Kasabian (2004)
Processed Beats \ Kasabian (2004)
Reason Is Treason \ Kasabian (2004)
L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) \ Kasabian (2004)
Test Transmission \ Kasabian (2004)
Empire \ Empire (2006)
Shoot the Runner \ Empire (2006)
Last Trip (In Flight) \ Empire (2006)
Stuntman \ Empire (2006)
Where Did All the Love Go? \ West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009)
Secret Alphabets \ West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009)
Fire \ West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009)
Days Are Forgotten \ Velociraptor! (2011)
Goodbye Kiss \ Velociraptor! (2011)
La Fee Verte \ Velociraptor! (2011)
bumblebee \ 48:13 (2014)
stevie \ 48:13 (2014)
treat \ 48:13 (2014)
Good Fight \ For Crying Out Loud (2017)
Wasted \ For Crying Out Loud (2017)
Put Your Life on It \ For Crying Out Loud (2017)
