Kasabian

Kasabian on Velociraptor!

Those kindly Kasabian boys have given us a track-by-track guide to their new album Velociraptor! giving us a sneaky peek into the band's thoughts and influences.
1. "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To"
We’ve always started each album off with a banger; "Club Foot", "Empire", "Underdog". This time we wanted to do something different. It’s a mental tune. There’s a going, chanting, a real Holy Mountain (cult 1973 film by Alejandro Jodorowsky) vibe. All the classic albums draw you in and that’s what "Let’s Roll..." does. The lyrics are about me and Tom as kids, knocking about, looking for E.T. It’s there to make you think ‘wow, ‘what’s going to happen here’. You’re about to enter a different reality.
2. "Days Are Forgotten"
It’s the sort of song which will sound great crunching out of the radio. The lyrics were inspired by hip-hop MCs like Doom and Gift Of Gab. I love that whole, ‘this is us, and if you don’t like it, f*** off’ attitude. "Days..." is us stating our case. There’s a line in it which goes “Call me a cliché / How right you are”. I might be a rock’n’roll cliché but I take pride in it.
3. "Goodbye Kiss"
I’ve never really written a song like this before. I had this beautiful tune for ages and didn’t know what to do with it. It’s got a Phil Spector, Burt Bacharach kind of feel. It’s about a self-destructive love affair, one which is great for a bit but you both know it can’t last or someone is going to die. Tom’s vocals are genius. It’s one to sing at the end of the night, with your arms around your mates.
4. "La Fee Verte"
It’s a psychedelic tune about those moments when you look around and think the dream is over, and the only thing left to do is pull out the absinthe and head for oblivion. The whole X Factor, celebrity culture thing, dogs in handbags. There are lyrical references to a few people in there--Noel Fielding for one.
5. "Velociraptor!"
It’s the natural end to the first half of the album. A great place to flip the record over. Musically, it’s like Vlad’s older brother. It’s an adrenaline surge, meant to represent this frightening force bearing down on you, whatever that may be. That feeling of being chased.
6. "Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter from the Storm)"
There’s a Native Indian call at the start. It’s got that "Immigrant Song" feel to it. We were after that huge John Bonham drum sound to go with it. It’s massive, it stomps on everything else. We wanted to get that crunch you hear on old Turkish psychedelic records, really full on and in your face.
7. "I Hear Voices"
It was inspired by being in a club in Paris and hearing a Daft Punk tune. I had this riff which reminded me of my raving days. It’s about being in a really flash club full of rich men and gold jewellery, looking at the clock and missing home a bit. A simple sentiment in the middle of the madness.
8. "Re-wired"
A big tune. It starts off with a Stonesy, disco groove, then locks in with this chorus which sounds like Nirvana, almost. There’s a line in it “All this blood and glitter” which is a reference to Mick Rock’s photographic exhibition, just a great image. We’ve been killing it in rehearsals. When that chorus kicks in it’s going to take people to another level.
9. "Man of Simple Pleasures"
This is a really simple song, just guitar, bass and drums. It’s traditional and perfect in a weird way. There’s a bit of a bluesy, country feel to it. If you know the band or hang around with us it will make sense. Come round mine for a smash up you’ll get some Roy Orbison, you know what I mean?
10. "Switchblade Smiles"
This is full-tilt Kasabian. The title was inspired by this interview with Morgan Freeman where he described someone as having a switchblade smile. I knew exactly what he meant. He was talking about one of those people who seem pretty friendly but you know underneath they’re a right evil f***er. This song captures that feeling of edginess. You don’t know what’s going to happen next.
11. "Neon Noon"
It was inspired by hearing Pink Floyd’s "Wish You Were Here" on the radio in New York. "Neon Noon" has got a bit of that feel, with a modern electro feel to it. Acoustic guitars and the Chemical Brothers, and lyrics about skeletons in the desert under a neon sky. A bit of Tangerine Dream, too. It’s amazing to me that people still talk about that ‘Lad Rock’ tag in relation to what we do. It just makes them look foolish really, because it’s obvious they’re not actually listening to the music.