THE SKINNY: This review is largely negative, so it is worth beginning with some positives about Kasabian. They are consistently one of the most exciting live bands out there. The way they adjusted to conflict within the band and took up the mantle without Tom Meighan is inspiring, and they are responsible for some of the biggest bangers in UK music in recent history. It’s also worth saying that everything that makes the band good is present on their new album Happenings; however, it is so contrived that the LP as a whole is borderline unlistenable.
Happenings sounds like an album by a band that can’t agree on a direction. While some tracks are dark, brooding, and experimental, others are anthemic and (trying to be) inspiring ballads. This makes the listen as a whole so haphazard that even the good songs are impossible to enjoy. As the intro track plays and you get ready for the promise of ecstasy, you’re instead left with a sugar pill and a disappointing 50 minutes.
Tracks like ‘Darkest Lullaby’ are the kind of singalongs that festival-goers look forward to joining in with, while the likes of ‘Hell Of It’ and ‘Bird In a Cage’ show off the cool energy that Kasabian can pack into their music effortlessly. These standouts are few and far between, though, as songs like ‘Call’ and ‘Algorithms’ try so hard to merge those different elements that they end up not achieving any of them.
Something needs to be said for some of the awful lyricism in this album, too. Tracks like ‘GOAT’ and ‘Passengers’ try to be inspirational-sounding but end up being some of the most cringe-inducing music the band has ever made. Overall, Happenings is a messy attempt at making a cohesive album. It sounds like the first draft of a band caught in the midst of an argument will go down as one of Kasabian’s worst outings so far.
For fans of: The old Kasabian, the new Kasabian and another Kasabian that people ignore when they pass them in hallways.
A concluding comment from a blender: They just threw all their past albums into me and this is what happened.
Happenings track by track:
Release date: July 5th | Producer: Sergio Pizzorno and Mark Ralph | Label: Columbia
‘A Happening’: A cinematic style opening. Synth builds, popcorn is poured, time to start the show… [20thCentury Fox/5]
‘Darkest Lullaby’: A really great song. It’s catchy, anthemic, equipped with strings and synth, but all used cohesively. Granted, when you put it in context with the rest of Kasabian’s catalogue, it isn’t their best song, but as new material goes on, it doesn’t get much better. [4/5]
‘Call’: This is a very bad song and a glistening example of how terrible something can sound when it tries to do too much. Part deep house, part rave tune, part psychedelic rainbow rhythms potluck, part love song, part noise, part dream-like escapist new wave, this number needs blocking. [1/5]
‘How Far Will You Go’: This follows on perfectly from ‘Call’ in that it’s also a confused piece of rubbish. It’s a bland attempt at being punk, the most vanilla version of mosh pit music you will ever hear. The mid-song beat breakdown, electronic cuts incorporated throughout the track and persistent use of synth scratches aren’t clever. They’re incredibly frustrating to listen to. [1/5]
‘Coming Back To Me Good’: A very summery upbeat number, lightyears away from the two preceding tracks. ‘Coming Back To Me Good’ is the kind of song begging for a beer garden and dancing shoes. Serge’s voice sounds great, taking to the track well and delivering shimmering words to accompany the sunshine instrumentation. [4/5]
‘GOAT’: A track that leaves you positively lost for words at its awfulness. Surely Kasabian has contacts that could get them a job doing the soundtrack for a Disney Channel boxing movie. Why do they need to write a horribly cringeworthy song in the hope it might get picked up by one? The perfect song for people who wear suits to work from home and think The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is a MUST READ. [0.5/5]
‘Passengers’: A song that follows a similar path to ‘GOAT’. It sounds incredibly outdated, almost Imagine Dragons-esque in how much it lifts at the chorus, begging people to feel inspired but falling ridiculously short of the mark. It will be good when it inevitably makes it onto a FIFA game. [1/5]
‘Hell Of It’: A shining light in a surrounding pit of darkness. This is the Kasabian that people know and love, as the band try to create an interesting off-kilter beat in a track packed with attitude. The blend of electronic instruments and distortion-laden guitars is great fun. This song sounds like what the band was going for as a whole with this album, but they haven’t been able to recreate it. There’s no denying it’s one of the standouts on the record. [4.5/5]
‘Italian Horror’: It’s not a bad song, but it does not stand out either. It’s hard to keep track of whether the song is one with lust or sincerity at its centre, but the attitude packed within the simple yet punchy guitar riff that plays throughout and the “ooh oohs” in the chorus are undeniably a lot of fun. [2.5/5]
‘Bird In A Cage’: The best way to describe this tune is it sounds like a Kasabian cover of the earlier track ‘GOAT’. They use a similar tempo and melody, but this track actually has something going for it. It’s more experimental, has more emotion, and is generally more fun to listen to. Little hits of guitar amongst a heavy synth track work incredibly well, and it’s frustrating hearing a song this innovative, knowing full well that this is what Kasabian are capable of, surrounded by poor songs on such a hit-and-miss album. [5/5]
‘Algorithms’: Another pretty poor number to close, unfortunately. ‘Algorithms’ sounds like a song that would play during a coming of age that never got proper funding. As Serge announces, “This one’s for the weirdos, one day we’ll be heroes,” it’s a cringe-inducing track trying to disguise itself as a singalong. [1/5]