Velociraptor! | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 16 September 2011 | |||
Recorded | November 2010 – March 2011 in Leicester, England | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:38 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Producer | ||||
Kasabian chronology | ||||
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Singles from Velociraptor! | ||||
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Velociraptor! is the fourth studio album by English rock [1] band Kasabian, released on 16 September 2011. The album has been described as expanding upon the neo-psychedelic feel of their previous album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum with a stronger emphasis on experimental song structures and instrumentation. It was released to critical acclaim and became their third UK number-one album.
"Switchblade Smiles" was made available as a free download to anybody who pre-ordered the album from the band's official website store from 7 June 2011. The track is also available as a free download on the band's fanpage on Facebook.
The album cover is an edited picture of all four band members covered in feathers (as Velociraptors were traditionally feathery) and screaming, edited from the "Switchblade Smiles" music video. [2] Music videos for "Days Are Forgotten", "Re-Wired", "Goodbye Kiss", "Man of Simple Pleasures" and "Neon Noon" were also produced and released through the band's Vevo page on YouTube.
The album has been noted for its blend of styles, combining Middle Eastern influences, rock and electronica, [3] with Slant Magazine claiming the album is a "departure from the loutish club-rock with which Kasabian first made their name." [4]
The album opens with "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To", which begins with a gong, and features a Mexican trumpet riff, a 'funky, spy-movie bassline', and elements of mod. [5] The second track and lead single "Days Are Forgotten" is a blues rock-leaning song boasting a 'filthy riff' alongside a 'trademark vowel-murdering, stadium-shaking chorus' [6] and has also drawn comparisons to Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song". [7] Described as a 'sublime ballad', [8] "Goodbye Kiss" is atypical of the band's familiar style, and was covered by American singer Lana Del Rey for BBC Radio One's Live Lounge. [6] "La Fee Verte" is named after the historical nickname for absinthe that translates into 'the green fairy' and was originally written and sung by Sergio Pizzorno for the soundtrack to London Boulevard . The song has drawn heavy comparisons to the Beatles [9] [3] and was described by Pizzorno as 'retro, but still sounds modern'. [10] The title track has been labelled as an 'energetic rave-up' [7] with 'grimy guitars, absurd lyrics and an air-punching chorus.' [6]
"Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter From the Storm)" has been regarded as the biggest showcase of the album's Middle Eastern influences, featuring a 'wordless intro chant to the cutting strings and the brutal Bonham drumbeat'. [3] The song was used in the end credits to the movie Killer Elite. [11] "I Hear Voices" has been branded as 'Kraftwerk-inspired' electronica and has drawn comparisons to the 1982 sci-fi film Tron. [3] The second single "Re-Wired" is an electronic rock and disco-inspired song [12] and has been linked to the White Stripes. [5] Fourth single "Man of Simple Pleasures" was described by Pizzorno as a 'country song played by zombies' [13] and has been likened to Oasis as well as the track "Thick as Thieves" from the band's previous album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. [9] [12] The pre-released free download track "Switchblade Smiles" has been regarded as a bridge between rock and electronica, featuring 'grungy guitar riffs threatening to smash the dance floor to bits.' [3] The song was featured on the soundtrack for FIFA 12 . The closing track "Neon Noon" is a 'reverb-drenched slow-burner' combining acoustic guitars, strings and electronic elements. [6]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 79/100 [14] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [15] |
Consequence of Sound | [16] |
Digital Spy | |
The Fly | |
Guardian | [17] |
The Independent | |
NME | [18] |
Q | [19] |
Slant | [20] |
Daily Telegraph | [21] |
Focus | [22] |
Velociraptor! received a strong critical reception and is often considered by fans and critics to be one of the band's strongest albums. On Metacritic, Velociraptor! has the band's highest rating with a score of 79 out of 100 based on 23 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [14] Their previous best album score was 68, held by West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009). [23]
NME reviewed the album positively, praising its ridiculousness and despite concluding that it falls short to its predecessor, it is "an album with 'much to love about it". [9] Antiquiet gave it 4 1/2 stars out of 5 and declared that "Kasabian has found a way to channel everything you love about The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Radiohead while still keeping the unique sound that sets them apart from the contemporaries like Coldplay, Muse and The Killers." [24]
The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling over 90,000 copies in its first week. In 2011, Velociraptor! sold 279,000 copies in the UK. [25] With little support from Sony Music, the album failed to chart in the United States.
All tracks are written by Sergio Pizzorno.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To" | 4:47 |
2. | "Days Are Forgotten" | 5:02 |
3. | "Goodbye Kiss" | 4:04 |
4. | "La Fée Verte" | 5:47 |
5. | "Velociraptor!" | 2:51 |
6. | "Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter from the Storm)" | 6:01 |
7. | "I Hear Voices" | 3:58 |
8. | "Re-Wired" | 4:44 |
9. | "Man of Simple Pleasures" | 3:51 |
10. | "Switchblade Smiles" | 4:13 |
11. | "Neon Noon" | 5:20 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Julie & The Moth Man" | 8:29 |
2. | "Underdog" | 5:05 |
3. | "Where Did All the Love Go?" | 4:18 |
4. | "Swarfiga" | 2:23 |
5. | "Shoot the Runner" | 4:01 |
6. | "Cutt Off" | 5:29 |
7. | "Processed Beats" | 3:48 |
8. | "West Ryder Silver Bullet" | 6:09 |
9. | "Thick as Thieves" | 3:22 |
10. | "Take Aim" | 6:13 |
11. | "Empire" | 4:23 |
12. | "Last Trip (In Flight)" | 3:03 |
13. | "I.D." | 5:50 |
14. | "Ladies and Gentlemen, Roll the Dice" | 3:59 |
15. | "Fire" | 5:01 |
16. | "Fast Fuse" | 6:01 |
17. | "The Doberman" | 8:22 |
18. | "Club Foot" | 5:33 |
19. | "Vlad the Impaler" | 6:41 |
20. | "Stuntman" | 5:29 |
21. | "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)" | 10:00 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Pistols at Dawn" | 5:18 |
13. | "Julie & The Moth Man" | 5:39 |
14. | "Black Whistler" | 3:41 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "Velociraptor!" (Live in Leicester) | |
16. | "Re-Wired" (Live in Leicester) | |
17. | "Switchblade Smiles" (Live in Leicester) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Pistols at Dawn" | 5:18 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To" (Documentary) | 24:01 |
2. | "The Story of the Velociraptor!" (Track by Track Commentary) | 15:57 |
3. | "Velociraptor!" (Vevo Presents: Live in Leicester) | |
4. | "Days Are Forgotten" (Vevo Presents: Live in Leicester) | |
5. | "Re-Wired" (Vevo Presents: Live in Leicester) | |
6. | "Underdog" (Vevo Presents: Live in Leicester) | |
7. | "Fast Fuse" (Vevo Presents: Live in Leicester) | |
8. | "Vlad the Impaler" (Vevo Presents: Live in Leicester) | |
9. | "Switchblade Smiles" (Vevo Presents: Live in Leicester) | |
10. | "Fire" (Vevo Presents: Live in Leicester) | |
11. | "Switchblade Smiles" (Video) | |
12. | "Switchblade Smiles" (Making of) | |
13. | "Days Are Forgotten" (Video) | |
14. | "Days Are Forgotten" (Making of) | |
15. | "Re-Wired" (Video) | |
16. | "Re-Wired" (Making of) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Man of Simple Pleasures" (feat. J-Ax) | |
2. | "Where Did All the Love Go?" (Live in Dublin) | |
3. | "Shoot the Runner" (Live in Dublin) | |
4. | "Velociraptor!" (Live in Leicester) | |
5. | "Re-Wired" (Live in Leicester) | |
6. | "Switchblade Smiles" (Live in Leicester) | |
7. | "Julie & The Moth Man" | |
8. | "Pistols at Dawn" | |
9. | "Narcotic Farm" |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Pistols at Dawn" | 5:18 |
13. | "Switchblade Smiles" (Video) | 4:16 |
14. | "Switchblade Smiles" (Making of) | 3:08 |
15. | "Days Are Forgotten" (Video) | 4:08 |
16. | "Days Are Forgotten" (Making of) | 3:29 |
17. | "Re-Wired" (Video) | 4:19 |
18. | "Re-Wired" (Making of) | 3:41 |
19. | "The Story of the Velociraptor!" (Track by Track Commentary) | 15:53 |
20. | "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To" (Documentary) | 23:56 |
|
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Certifications
|
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Australia [55] | 16 September 2011 | CD, CD/DVD, | Sony Music |
Belgium [56] | |||
Ireland [57] | |||
Italy [58] | |||
United States [59] | |||
France [60] | 19 September 2011 | ||
New Zealand [61] | |||
United Kingdom [62] | Columbia Records | ||
Spain [63] | 20 September 2011 | Sony Music | |
Japan [64] | 21 September 2011 |
Kasabian is the debut studio album by British rock band Kasabian, released on 6 September 2004. The album's highest chart position on the UK Albums Chart was number 4, making it the band's only studio album not to reach number one. Five singles were released from Kasabian.
Kasabian are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and second vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karloff left the band in 2006 and founded a new band called Black Onassis. Jay Mehler joined as touring lead guitarist in 2006, leaving for Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye in 2013, to be replaced by Tim Carter, who later became a full-time band member in 2021. Meighan left the band in July 2020, with Pizzorno stepping up as full-time lead vocalist.
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Sergio Lorenzo "Serge" Pizzorno is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, and second vocalist of the rock band Kasabian, for whom he became the primary songwriter after the departure of Christopher Karloff in 2006 and the sole vocalist following the firing of Tom Meighan in 2020. He is also a member of Loose Tapestries alongside Noel Fielding and fellow Kasabian member Tim Carter, a group put together to produce music for Fielding's TV series Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy.
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"Fire" is a song by English rock band Kasabian and is the lead single from their third album, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. It was released 1 June 2009. On the week of its release, it debuted at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, making it their first UK top-three entry and their highest-charting single to date as well as their fourth UK top-ten single. "Fire" also debuted at number one in Scotland, becoming Kasabian's highest-charting single there as well. On the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, it debuted at number 44 peaked at number 41.
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Heritage is the tenth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. It was released on 13 September 2011 through Roadrunner Records. The album was recorded in early 2011 at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm and produced by Mikael Åkerfeldt, engineered by Janne Hansson, and mixed by Steven Wilson. It takes on more of a progressive rock sound, something the band had wanted to do for some time, resulting in a stark contrast to the progressive death metal sounds of their past albums.
In Waves is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released worldwide during August 2011 through Roadrunner Records and was produced by Colin Richardson and Martyn "Ginge" Ford.
"Days Are Forgotten" is a song by British rock band Kasabian. The song serves as the lead single of the band's fourth studio album, Velociraptor!. The song was first released in Belgium on 12 August, and was later released in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2011 - where it debuted at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.
Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album release by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 18 November 2011 by RCA Records and Sony Music. Greatest Hits follows their previous compilation Unbreakable: The Greatest Hits Volume 1 (2002) and was their last before their split in the months following its release. The album is the group's first album not under Syco Music and not under the tutelage of Simon Cowell, having left Syco and Cowell in March 2011. The album contains 14 singles spanning throughout the band's career and 4 new songs produced by John Shanks. The standard edition of the album contains eighteen tracks; an expanded deluxe edition features a bonus disc and a DVD containing nearly all of the band's music videos up to that point. The album's lead single "Lighthouse" was released on 14 November 2011.
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