candilicious

Monday, March 21, 2005

touched by the hands of KASABIAN

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PASSION. NOT A WORD YOU HEAR ALL THAT OFTEN ANY MORE WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC, BUT KASABIAN HAVE IT BY THE TRACTOR-LOAD. THEY’RE NOT MAKING MUSIC TO BE FAMOUS, OR BECAUSE ITS A GOOD CAREER, THEY’RE MAKING MUSIC BECAUSE THEY NEED TO, BECAUSE IT’S ETCHED SOMEWHERE DEEP IN THEIR SOULS. “WHY BE IN A BAND?” ASKS SINGER TOM MEIGHAN. “BECAUSE IT’S THE ONLY THING I COULD DO. THERE’S NOTHING ELSE I EVER WANTED. NOTHING, NOTHING. THIS IS WHAT I’VE WANTED TO DO EVER SINCE I WAS FOUR. THIS IS WHY I’M HERE.”

KASABIAN GREW UP IN LEICESTER, A CITY HIDDEN IN A SPRAWL OF SUBURBS. THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE YOU LISTEN TO MUSIC, WATCH FOOTBALL, GET DRUNK AND WANDER THE STREETS AT NIGHT SINGING, BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING ELSE TO DO. EXCEPT THE RAVES. IN THE EARLY 90S MIDLANDS CITIES LIKE BIRMINGHAM, LEICESTER, COVENTRY AND WOLVERHAMPTON WERE THE FOCUS FOR HARDCORE, A MUSIC THAT FUSED HOUSE MUSIC WITH HIP HOP BEATS AND A DARK SENSIBILITY. UNLOVELY AND UNLOVED BY MOST OF THE MEDIA, IT WAS THE PARTY NO ONE IN MAINSTREAM CLUB CULTURE WANTED AN INVITE TO. INSTEAD IT APPEALED TO ALIENATED YOUNG TEENS WHO GRADUALLY DEVELOPED IT IN ALL KINDS OF NEW AND INTERESTING DIRECTIONS. LIKE JUNGLE/DRUM’N’BASS. OR LIKE KASABIAN’S POUNDING ELECTRONIC ROCK.

“WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER, THE HARDCORE YEARS, THAT WAS ALWAYS THERE,” THEY SAY. “THE MIDLANDS WAS THE PLACE TO BE WHEN THAT WAS ALL GOING ON. AND IT WAS INTERESTING. IT’S LIKE MOTOWN RECORDS – IF YOU STRIP IT DOWN, TO DRUM AND BASS, IT’S GOT A GROOVE TO IT. THAT’S WHAT INDIE MUSIC LACKS, AND ALWAYS HAS DONE, IT’S JUST DRONE JINGLE JANGLE – BORING MUSIC.

”KASABIAN IS AN HONEST, UNPRETENTIOUS BAND THAT GREW OUT OF FRIENDSHIP, FIRST. A PROPER GANG. THEY WERE 17 WHEN THEY BEGAN MAKING MUSIC SERIOUSLY. TOM (VOCALS), SERGIO PIZZORNO (SONGWRITER, LEAD GUITAR, KEYBOARDS), AND CHRIS EDWARDS (BASS) HAD KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE THEY WERE KIDS. CHRISTOPHER KARLOFF (GUITAR, KEYBOARDS) WAS DRAFTED IN AFTER THEY SAW HIM IN A PUB AND WERE TOLD HE PLAYED GUITAR: “WE SAW HIS LONG SIDEBURNS, THOUGHT, ‘HEY, HE LOOKS THE PART, WE’LL ASK HIM.’”

THE BRIT-POP BOOM GAVE THEM THE IMPETUS TO FORM A BAND OF THEIR OWN, BUT IT WAS THEIR HARDCORE YEARS THAT LED THEM TO BUY A COMPUTER. “YOU NEED TO PLAY WITH MUSIC A BIT, AND THAT’S WHAT WE DID,” SAYS TOM. “WE GOT THE COMPUTER AND WE CUT ROCK’N’ROLL UP, BECAUSE THERE’S NO POINT IN GOING BACK TO HOW IT WAS. IT’S ALL ABOUT NEW IDEAS AND CREATIVITY.”

LATER ONE OF THEM WAS READING ABOUT CHARLES MANSON, AND THE NAME OF THE FAMILY’S PREGNANT GETAWAY DRIVER, LINDA KASABIAN, LEAPT OFF THE PAGE. THEY WERE GOING TO USE IT FOR A ONE-OFF DANCE PROJECT, BUT IT SETTLED ON THEM TOO COMFORTABLY FOR THAT. IT ALSO TURNS OUT TO BE ARMENIAN FOR ‘BUTCHER’ – APPROPRIATE FOR A BAND WHO WORK WITH A CUT-AND-PASTE COLLAGE OF SOUND, BUT ALSO FOR A GANG WITH AMBITIONS TO CUT THE PAP OUT OF POP. “FROM DAY ONE WHEN WE STARTED THIS BAND, I’VE ALWAYS HAD THE CONFIDENCE,” EXPLAINS TOM. “WE ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING ABOUT US, FROM THE BEGINNING. WE BELIEVED NOTHING COULD LIMIT US.”

THE FINAL PART OF THEIR STORY CAME TOGETHER WHEN THEY WENT TO A PARTY AT A FARMHOUSE IN RUTLAND, ABOUT 30 MILES OUTSIDE OF LEICESTER. THEY GOT TALKING TO THE FARMER’S SON, AND THEY ENDED UP STAYING. A FORMER TEXTILE MILL WITH WHAT SEEMS LIKE AN ENDLESS ARRAY OF ECHOING, EMPTY BUILDINGS, THE FARM SITS IN ISOLATED SPLENDOUR ON A HILL THAT SLOPES GENTLY DOWN TO THE PRETTY MAN-MADE LAKE OF RUTLAND WATER. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL PART OF RURAL ENGLAND. AND, ONCE KASABIAN HAD MOVED IN, IT PROVED THE PERFECT PLACE TO PLOT THE START OF A MOVEMENT.

-from test-transmission.net

Here's a FACT, Kasabian is one of the best and exciting bands that have emerged from Britain's thriving music scene. Their sound is infectious, and they are amazing live performers. I first heard of the band last year, when they released their hit single, L.S.F (Lost Souls Forever), only to find out that there is so much more that this band can offer. Throbbing-bass, killer riffs, dancable, techno-sounding type of music. Notable tracks in their album are the Club Foot, Processed Beats, Cutt Off and Reason is Treason.

I have shamelessly promoted the band almost everywhere I am seen hanging around here in the net, and I fucking don't care about the press giving poor reviews of the album or if other people think they're trying to sound like the Stone Roses or Primal Scream or whatever, well they aren't. Their music fucking owns...so to all you narrow-minded chauvinist bitches out there who don't share the same appreciation to the band's music like I do, get over yourselves and show some respect. They are fucking brilliant and Kasabian is here to stay no matter what. Their album is out now here in Manila, (finally) so you fucking get yerselves a copy and make use of whatever life you have left! KASABIAN OWNS YOU. AND I RULE. That is all.