Kasabian

Velociraptor! Sony ***

Velociraptor! Sony***

The stealth-bomb brilliance of Kasabian's third album, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, kicked the band out of lumpen lad-rock territory and into the premier league of dementoid pop-psychedelia. There's no going back, and Velociraptor!sees the Leicester foursome attempt to rip any last resistance to shreds and prove they're not dadrock dinosaurs. It almost works. Let's Roll Like We Used Toswaggers along on the band's trademark lurching groove, and Days Are Forgottencharges over the hill with a tribal war cry, a thumping retro beat and lyrics about chewing on monkey brains. Niiice. However the title track is a cheesy monster mash-up, while Re-Wiredtrips over its own short-circuit beats and Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter from the Storm)takes a wrong turn at Led Zep's Kashmir, and gets lost up an oasis without a camel. See kasabian.co.uk

Download tracks: Let's Roll Like We Used To, Days Are Forgotten, Switchblade Smiles

Kevin Courtney

Kevin Courtney

Kevin Courtney is an Irish Times journalist