Kasabian
Empire
Label: RCA
In stores: August 28, 2006

England’s Kasabian made a BIG splash in ‘04 (’05 in the states) by reworking the best aspects of the Stone Roses, Primal Scream and Oasis, and lead singer Tom Meighan’s rock star interview style only further the media and public attention.

It’s two years later, founding guitarist Chris Karloff has left the band (creative differences) and some of us aren’t sure we’re ready for another Stone Roses tribute.

However, Empire is a giant leap forward for the group. The title track single has an addicitive electro-hop beat backed by a cyber string riff and Meighan’s T.Rex swagger. It’s a simple, catchy track with a lot going behind the curtains.

Other highlights include: “Shoot the Runner,”which features stadium reverbed drums and an operatic vocal chorus; and “Me Plus One,” which has a So-Cal meets Kula Shaker K vibe with “Kashmir”-worthy orchestration.

Indie-dance crossover here to stay? Definitely. The mass public just loves one guitar hook repeated throughout a song set to a pounding drum/bass line and string accents. And while some may consider this a rudimentary approach to songwriting, Kasabian strikes the fine balance between pop music and actual music. We like it.

Stream the entire album on MySpace. Stream “Empire” video here: REAL, WIN.