What's your favourite album? (2014 edition)

1. Velociraptor!
2. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
3. Kasabian
4. Empire
5. 48:13

"48:13" wasn't a bad album at all. It's certainly catchy as hell. The biggest problem with it is it sounds too much like Kasabian-by-the-numbers. Only "Bow", "Treat", (the highly underrated) "Glass" and "Explodes" have any real edge to them. The rest is on really catchy autopilot.

"Empire" has some of my favorite and least favorite tracks of their discography. On one hand you've got the brilliance of "Shoot The Runner", "By My Side", "British Legion" and "The Doberman". On the other hand you have "Apnoea" and "Seek And Destroy". Starts off great with a four track run that defies everything you would expect from a follow-up to their impressive self-titled debut, hits a weird middle ground that is saved from mediocrity by the one-two combo of "By My Side" and "Stuntman" (though I still think the latter track could've been better), then comes back strong with the best ending combo they've made yet in the form of "British Legion" and "The Doberman". A weird, yet ultimately thrilling sophomore effort.

"Kasabian" was my introduction to the band. 12 years later, it's still a rock solid listen. There really isn't a weak track on the album. Sometimes I skip "Test Transmission" but that's it. In my opinion, some of their most underrated cuts are home to this album. "ID", my personal favorite song they've ever made, lost in the hype of "Reason Is Treason" and "LSF" is just every single element I love about music thrown into one track. "U Boat" is the third best ending song they ever created. Never thought they could end an album on a better, thoughtful note (more on that subject later). In truth, there is nothing wrong with this album. But after testing the waters of experimentation with "Empire", you want more of that reckless fusion. Their debut plays it a little too straight to really satisfy that craving. Still, it's got some of their best lyrics. "John was a scientist/He was hooked on LSD"

"West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum" is an album that has no right to be as good as it is. Psychotic circus-like synth on one track, demented surf-rock on acid the next. Weird flirtations with the horrid creation known as dubstep. The actress, Rosario Dawson singing back-up vocals on the centerpiece's chorus. It's nearly the perfect recipe of chaos, a word that has become the definition of their sound and they're all the better for it. On first few listens, the bizarre structure of the back half of the album threw me off. That quickly faded and the album became my undisputed favorite for the 2 years before their follow-up, and maybe a little longer than that, if I'm being completely honest. "West Ryder Silver Bullet" into "Vlad The Impaler" remains one of the best and most unexpected transitions in modern music history. Follow that with the underrated "Roll The Dice" and "Secret Alphabets", you get a back-half that hinted at the kind of diversity and creativity their next effort would bring to the table. Really, my only two complaints are the first half of the album, though still very diverse, is a little bit too focused on the psychedelics of 60s and 70s rock and not focused enough on modern times. Also, I love "Happiness", I just think the album would stand out a little more if they had made "Julie & The Mothman" the 13th and final track. They've certainly had better ending cuts on their albums.

"Velociraptor!" is the cream of the crop to me. A more subtle expansion of the classic/modern experimentation "West Ryder" pioneered, with a chaotic "juke box on shuffle" order to the tracks that's reminiscent of Radiohead's "OK Computer" or "In Rainbows" - and works just as effectifely of creating an atmosphere as those masterpieces do. Quiet where it needs to be. Explosive when you least expect it. Absolutely bonkers in every sense of the word. I love the angry cat-like growls that close out "Days Are Forgotten", and how the world "blood" turns into an almost playful roar on the title track. My least favorite song upon my first listen, "Switchblade Smiles" has become one of my all time favorites of their catalog. Pairing it up with "Neon Noon" to close out the album is sheer perfection. The lyrics in all 11 tracks are as goofy as they are deep. A very subtle theme of Man vs Nature underpins the whole affair and seems to convey that we are our own worst enemies with most of the culture stuck in a limited view of thinking. Not one song on this album is wasted or misplaced. If I had to choose a "weak" track on here, it would be "Man Of Simple Pleasures" simply because it doesn't break as many molds as the other 10 tracks, and I pray I ever make an album where my worst cut is as good as that song is! "I'm far too flash for you to keep up with me" The transitions in style turn this into an exhilarating and deeply rewarding rollercoaster of an album with all the random ingredients mixed in just the right order for maximum enjoyment. Want more proof that "Velociraptor!" is perfect in every way? Look no further than album B-side, "Pistols At Dawn". This song is a monster and ranks among the best songs they've ever made. Yet try to place that song anywhere on the album and it will ruin the flow. Only geniuses like Tom and Serge could be intuitive enough to leave a crowd-pleasing cut like that off of an album for its greater good!