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The result is an interesting, unexpected piece of work, devoid of a militantly commercial single like Empire's self-titled track, and lacking the shaggy Madchester vibes that Christopher Karloff brought to 2004's Kasabian.
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One suspects the end product here may have had more to do with the record's producer than its creators, and as a result, this album is as unconvincing as the band's hollow assurances that they're open to embracing new horizons.
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All of which leads you to conclude that in their struggle to position themselves, Kasabian are trying too hard to be all things to all men.
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When taking advantage of the opportunity to be as dumb as they need/want to be, West Ryder succeeds, which is another way of saying acoustic guitars have absolutely no reason to be involved.
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Between the groovier tracks, the album rarely keeps its feet or focus for long, getting lost in mazes of mangy Stones riffs or acoustic roundabouts with little purpose or pulse.
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What pulls this album back from being anything but revelatory, however, is not only the typical lazy rock the band are purveyors of, especially 'Fire' and 'Fast Fuse,' but also the diabolical lyrical content that's employed throughout West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 78 out of 90
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Mixed: 8 out of 90
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Negative: 4 out of 90
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JackieKOct 19, 2009This album is amazing.
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Feb 3, 2020Great album, contains my favourite Kasabian song 'Where Did All The Love Go' and has some great deep cuts, namely Fast Fuse and Secret Alphabets
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Apr 17, 2018