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There's going to be a hearty scrap between this lot, Muse and the Monkeys when album of the year time comes round.
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80For the most part Empire is every bit as powerful as its title suggests. [Oct 2006, p.96]
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80Empire arrives with the same frazzled mien as Oasis' What's The Story (Morning Glory); alive with paranoia, delivered with an unshakeable self-belief. It's relentless stuff. [Sep 2006, p.80]
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80There are... some impressivley fresh ideas lurking between the anthemic bits. [Sep 2006, p.137]
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80Naysayers may write this off as a derivative mash up of early-'90s indie moves, but on Empire Kasabian have become bigger than the sum of their record collections. [Oct 2006, p.116]
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Like a primer in recent rock history. [Dec 2006, p.200]
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Unlike the calculated, humourless thump of Razorlight, this is stirring, ecstatic and - just sometimes - brilliantly OTT stuff.
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Empire's swaggering decadence is tiresome near the end, but in smaller doses it's undeniable fun. [22 Sep 2006, p.95]
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70"Empire" has an almost childlike energy and determination that makes it feel strangely charming.
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While there’s no doubt the songs from Empire will translate into amazing live shows, the repetitiveness of several tracks wears thin after a while in a less dance-friendly environment. [#15]
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Lost in all this is the instantly grabbing songwriting of Kasabian's debut, and to some extent, the bandmembers themselves, who often seem to be riding this swirl instead of guiding it.
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60Empire constantly changes its focus. [Oct 2006, p.99]
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60Yes, Kasabian's sound is now noticeably fuller and more sophisticated, bolstered by their inspired decision to assimilate Gary Glitter's glam stomp into their heady electro-rock. But this is still a band that too often struggles for tunes to match the chutzpah.
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60It is better than the eponymous debut, although not to the level that their self-satisfaction with it would suggest, and there is still a distinct lack of consistency and a feeling that occasionally while you can see who and what they're aiming at, they miss quite considerably.
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60On the whole, it’s a good second step, but hopefully step three is more in line with the shock and awe the first album contained.
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"Empire"... isn't quite as refreshing as its self-titled debut, but it again finds the U.K. quartet strutting off in its own direction, oblivious to the ridiculousness that sometimes characterizes its compulsive bids to be hip.
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It may not be fair to rag on the group for picking the wrong decade to rip off, but right now Kasabian's allegiance to the '90s sounds especially uninspired.
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Kasabian can’t do anything besides snarl, a limitation that’s starting to show after only two albums.
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The second album... is miles worse than their shallow but tasty first, its big-budget production only making its shortcomings more apparent. [21 Sep 2006, p.88]
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What we're offered here is pretty much a second take on the discordant beeps, Mani-ripped basslines and lazy hip hop breaks of their first album, with the addition of some hideously nipped and tucked string samples padding out their attempted lyrical bravado.