Track Listing

1. Underdog
2. Where Did All The Love Go?
3. Swarfiga
4. Fast Fuse
5. Take Aim
6. Thick As Thieves
7. West Ryder Silver Bullet
8. Vlad The Impaler
9. Ladies & Gentlemen (Roll The Dice)
10. Secret Alphabets
11. Fire
12. Happiness

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52 in Music
• Released on: 2009-06-08
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Kasabian arrived with a bang and a half early this century, brandishing a slew of ever more dynamite singles and a rigorously assembled debut album that straddled dancefloors and festival fields with monumental ease and a glint in its bloodshot eyes. It was all very post-Xtrmntr, whilst avoiding much of the seriousness that could have entailed. Whether anyone expected them to chase Oasis’ coat-tails with such keenness is by the by now; they have since been ordained as an anthemic rock colossus of the UK rock scene. That has almost certainly gone to their heads and as years and albums pass they move further away from their original chemical reaction and into attempting to elbow their way onto the table of some of the greats--early Pink Floyd (the well meaning, but slightly aimless "Swarfiga"), The Kinks (the blatant "Thick As Thieves", though it doesn’t take much to imagine Noel Gallgher bashing it out either) and The Rolling Stones ("Happiness", see also Primal Scream). West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum finds them in an exploratory mood even if it struggles to lift off like either their own early material or the greats they aspire to emulate. Still, "Fast Fuse" is a rabid burst of tinny psychedelic punk and "Vlad The Impaler" intriguingly dark and electric. Not as weird or as wired as they purport to be, but given the kind of brain-numbing predictability normally peddled by bands at their level, we should be grateful for the ambition of this album. --James Berry

CD Description
Kasabian have always had an electronic element to their sounds, but their tongue-twisting third album showcases this part of their sound, with one track being described as sounding like 'Daft Punk and The Clash together'. The album is alsomore psychedelic than previous efforts, mirroring close friends and touring partners Oasis' most recent record, Dig OutYour Soul. Produced by American hip-hop producer Dan The Automatic, who is best known for his work on the Gorillaz' first album.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Kasabian
Im nearly 70 years old but love the music of this century (as well as the last). I had heard various tracks from West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum on the radio and recently downloaded the whole thing. I cant tell you how I was entranced by the power and beauty of the music especially "Underdog" , "Where did all the love go" and "West Ryder Silver Bullet"...........Oh hell I love it all.

Album of the year
The third album of the band is as good as the first and is a great example of innovative rock and roll with nice psychodelic and eletric influences.

The result is nothing short of perfection and looks like this a first album rather than a third.All the songs flow very well.

Every Kasabian album seems to have a anthem and this time is FIRE , which sticks to your head and it went down like a storm in Glastonbury , Vlad the impaler and fast fuse will also be singles. Underdog is another candidate for a single .

Apart from Muse there is no competition in the rock and roll arena for Kasabian.

Buy and enjoy.

Far out maaaaan...
OK I've heard it, here's my track by track review of The West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum by Kasabian...

1) Underdog - known to many from a certain telly advert. This is a soaring, epic track in the vain of LSF from their S/T debut.

2) Where Did All The Love Go? - I'm probably setting myself for criticism with this one but this is very disco in it's style. Has some great strings and backing vocals.

3) Swarfiga - a short, electro instrumental number that contains a background sample not far removed from the Monolith noise in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

4) Fast Fuse - a quick paced song with a great bassline and a certain bluesy vibe to it.

5) Take Aim - a track that really builds. Starts off with a basic acoustic/vocal set up and gradually layers with electronica and horns. Great string arrangements at the end too.

6) Thick As Thieves - reminds me of a certain La's track. Very mellow, this is the equivalent of Empire's British Legion track. You'll swear you've heard the melody somewhere else before..

7) West Rider Silver Bullet - a real curveball this one. Sounds straight out of a Western film in some parts. Tom Meighan trades vocals with Rosaria Dawson to croon the "She's my baby/He's my baby.." refrain.

8) Vlad The Impaler - classic Kasabian. Angry squalling guitars and samples, nasty distorted bass and a great chorus ("Get loose! Get loose!") that's sure to ignite moshpits.

9) Ladies and Gentlemen (Roll The Dice) - this reminded me of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade Of Pale"! Organ-led with some lovely tremolo guitar parts. Very melodic and a different side of Kasabian for sure.

10) Secret Alphabets - whoooa..psychodelic to the max. Some nice layered vocal harmonies that keep the song drifting along. Then the synths come in halfway to take it to another level. The song ends with an orchestral arrangement straight out of a Tim Burton film.

11) Fire - Great song, slowly galloping along with a haunting melody before erupting into a huge chorus. Sure to be a massive crowd sing along at concerts.

12) Happiness - an uplifting track complete with gospel choir and handclaps nearing the end. Ends the album on an optimistic vibe.

In conclusion, TWRPLA is Kasabian's most diverse work to date. Sonically, it is certainly the most mellow of all their albums. However, it is probably their most complex that will require repeated listens to fully appreciate. Oasis talked about how Dig Out Your Soul was their psychodelic record, however they barely scratched the surface. THIS is what a modern psychodelic album should sound like. It will probably annoy the elitists that want Club Foot Part 2 but it is sure to enrapture anyone that gives it the time it deserves. Get it!