48:13 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 6 June 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2013 in London, England | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 48:13 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Sergio Pizzorno | |||
Kasabian chronology | ||||
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Singles from 48:13 | ||||
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48:13 is the fifth studio album by English rock band Kasabian. The album, produced by the band's leader, songwriter, guitarist, and second vocalist Sergio Pizzorno [7] [8] (being their first album that Pizzorno produced for the band), and named after its total running time, was released in Germany on 6 June 2014 and in the UK on 9 June 2014. [9] [10] The album entered at number one on the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release making it the band's fourth consecutive UK number one album. The album received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics who were divided on the electronic-heavy direction as well as criticising the lyrics.
On 13 November 2013, Kasabian posted a teaser video on their official YouTube channel, announcing that the band's guitarist Sergio Pizzorno had been in the studio for the previous six months working on material for the new record. [11] In an interview with QRO magazine, the band also revealed that the album would be produced by Pizzorno, who also co-produced their 2011 album Velociraptor! . [7]
On 28 April 2014, Pizzorno said in a statement announcing the release of 48:13, "I felt that we had the confidence to be more direct, more honest with this album. I started to strip away layers rather than to just keep adding." Kasabian vocalist Tom Meighan added, "Less is more, you know? It's direct. It is what it is. Just listen to it. We've had the confidence to lay ourselves bare. Serge has stripped it right back. It's unbelievable." [8] [12]
Kasabian have listed Kanye West, Joe Strummer [13] Nirvana, Death Grips, Led Zeppelin, Rage Against the Machine and Beastie Boys [14] as influences for the album. Musically, the album represents a return to the hip hop influenced sound of their debut album combined with the space-rock and neo-psychedelic sound of their more recent releases.
48:13 is notable for being the band's only album before Meighan's departure in 2020 in which Pizzorno's lead vocal duties outweigh that of Meighan, with 4 tracks being sung by Pizzorno on the standard edition, 3 sung by Meighan and 3 tracks which feature both on lead vocals.
Preceded by a 1-minute intro "shiva" that segues in, "bumblebeee" kicks the album off with a "pile-driving electronic rock" sound [15] featuring gang vocals among its "pogoing chorus pulse [emphasising] the theme of togetherness in the sunshine and under the moonlight". [16] It was described by Pizzorno as a "Beastie Boys dub with a sort of Zeppelin, Rage Against the Machine chorus". "stevie" features a driving beat and taut bass riff with strings and horns described as "menacing" and "dramatic", [17] alongside an "empowering" chorus. [18]
The interlude "(mortis)" features Pizzorno's grandfather Wilf Dillon reading in Latin. [19] "doomsday" has been characterised as "glam ska-pop pushed through an electronic filter". "treat" has been regarded by Pizzorno as the "centrepiece" of the album, [19] with its near 7-minute length divided into the first half featuring "razor-sharp guitars" and an acknowledgement to the band's hometown of Leceister, and the second half containing "floaty electronics" [17] compirising a "glacial synth disco coda". [15] "Glass" combines "cycling sequenced electronics"(Independent) with "eastern-tinged guitar" [17] and outro from British spoken word poet Suli Breaks.
The electronic track "explodes" features "sub-bass wub-wubs, and analogue melodies redolent of Kraftwerk". Both this and the following interlude "(levitation)" have been compared to Velociraptor!, with the latter being described as an "Eastern psychedelic track" featuring Pizzorno on vocals. [18] The psychedelic influences continue on "clouds", which was highlighted as an example of the band's "stadium-sized UK 60's psych-rock influences" [16] and overall denoted as a "stirring electro rampage". [20]
Lead single "eez-eh", derived from the Leicester pronunciation of 'easy' is an electro-rock [16] song that features Meighan and Pizzorno singing in unison over "laser-guided galumph". [15] This is succeeded by "bow", which has been defined as an "oddly slick teen-rock anomaly in the vein of Linkin Park" [20] and featuring a contrast between "brooding verses and anthemic choruses". [17] The close "s.p.s", an acronym for 'Scissors, Paper, Stone' is an acoustic-based ballad featuring lap steel guitar, strings and cricket chirping sounds. [15] [18]
On 4 April 2014, Tom Meighan and Sergio Pizzorno appeared in East London dressed in white overalls, painting large numbers "48:13" on a wall belonging to artist and fashion designer Aitor Throup, with whom the band has previously worked on the cover art for Velociraptor! (2011) and the music video for "Switchblade Smiles". [21] [22] On 28 April 2014, the band announced the release of the album, and it became clear that the mural was referring to its title and artwork. [12]
The album cover features simple black text on a pink background displaying the length of every track between the band and album title, although the deluxe edition omits the track lengths and enlarges the text. According to Pizzorno, he chose the pink colour scheme to go against the perception that Kasabian is a "very masculine" band, noting that "there’s a very punk element to it." [19]
48:13 was promoted by the lead single "Eez-eh", [23] released on 29 April 2014. A music video for the song, directed by Aitor Throup, was released onto YouTube the same day. [24]
On 11 June 2014, Pizzorno featured alongside Pete Donaldson on his Absolute Radio show, during which full versions of "Stevie" and "Treat" were played. [25] In support of the album, Kasabian made several appearances at festivals in Europe and Japan. [21] The band also headlined the 2014 Glastonbury Festival, performing on the Pyramid Stage on 29 June 2014. [26]
The second single, "Bumblebeee" was released on 3 August 2014, with the music video, directed by Alex Courtes released on 27 July. [27] Over two months before its release, on 29 May 2014, "Bumblebeee" was awarded Zane Lowe's Hottest Record. [28] The B-side of the "Bumblebeee" single is "Gelfling", named after the creature of the same name from the film The Dark Crystal .
The third single, "Bow" features Pizzorno on lead vocals, their second single to do so after the 2007 single "Me Plus One". It was solely released in Italy, but received some airplay in the UK. [29]
The fourth single, "Stevie", was a part of the soundtrack of the game, FIFA 15 , made by EA Sports.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 62/100 [30] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [31] |
Clash | 2/10 [32] |
The Daily Telegraph | [33] |
Digital Spy | [34] |
Drowned in Sound | 5/10 [35] |
The Guardian | [36] |
The Independent | [37] |
NME | [38] |
The Observer | [39] |
Q | [40] |
48:13 received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favourable" reviews. [30]
Digital Spy's Lisa Wright commented that "Kasabian are not quite up to Alex Turner's level of social commentary," but concluded that "when Kasabian accept what they do best and run with it – and at least half of 48:13 stays resolutely in this spirit – they're the lairy masters of undeniably pumped-up hedonistic fun." [34] Michael Hann of The Guardian wrote that the album is "properly exciting" and the band members "never forget that their purpose is to entertain," however, "the lyrics throughout are reliably terrible." [36] James Hall of The Daily Telegraph wrote a scathing review of Meighan's lofty ambitions for the album, surmising that "no moulds were broken during the making of this album". [33]
All songs written and produced by Sergio Pizzorno, and stylized in all lowercase.
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "(Shiva)" | (instrumental) | 1:07 |
2. | "Bumblebeee" | Meighan/Pizzorno | 4:01 |
3. | "Stevie" | Meighan | 4:45 |
4. | "(Mortis)" | Dillon | 0:48 |
5. | "Doomsday" | Meighan | 3:40 |
6. | "Treat" | Meighan/Pizzorno | 6:53 |
7. | "Glass" | Pizzorno/Breaks | 4:48 |
8. | "Explodes" | Pizzorno | 4:18 |
9. | "(Levitation)" | Pizzorno | 1:19 |
10. | "Clouds" | Meighan | 4:45 |
11. | "Eez-eh" | Meighan/Pizzorno | 3:00 |
12. | "Bow" | Pizzorno | 4:27 |
13. | "S.P.S." | Pizzorno | 4:22 |
Total length: | 48:13 |
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
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14. | "Beanz" | Pizzorno | 4:40 |
15. | "Gelfling" | (instrumental) | 3:15 |
Total length: | 56:06 |
Deluxe edition bonus DVD
Kasabian
Technical personnel [7]
| Additional musicians
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Certifications
|
Country | Date | Label | Format(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Germany [9] | 6 June 2014 | Sony Music | CD, 2×LP |
France [64] | 9 June 2014 | CD, 2×LP, digital download | |
Poland [65] | Digital download | ||
United Kingdom [66] | Columbia | CD, 2×LP, digital download | |
Poland [67] | 10 June 2014 | Sony Music | CD, 2×LP |
Italy [68] | CD, 2×LP, digital download | ||
Australia [69] | 14 June 2014 | ||
New Zealand [70] | 17 June 2014 | ||
Japan [71] | 18 June 2014 | ||
United States [72] | 7 October 2014 | Harvest | CD, 2×LP, digital download |
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.
Empire is the second album by British rock band Kasabian, released in August 2006. The album went on to No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart upon its release and was preceded by the release of new single "Empire" on 24 July 2006.
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.
"Me Plus One" is a song by English rock band Kasabian and is the fourth track on their second album, Empire (2006). The song was released on 29 January 2007 as the third single from that album in the United Kingdom, placing at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart a week later. It was the first Kasabian single to feature guitarist, chief songwriter and band leader Sergio Pizzorno on lead vocals before Tom Meighan's departure from the band in 2020, with the second being "Bow" in 2014 and the third being "Are You Looking For Action?" in 2017.
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is the third studio album by British indie rock band Kasabian, which was released on 5 June 2009. It was the band's first album not to feature Christopher Karloff, the band's lead guitarist and songwriter who departed during the writing stages of Empire (2006). Rhythm guitarist Sergio Pizzorno became lead songwriter and co-producer for the band. It is also their first album to feature guitar contributions from Tim Carter, who would become the band's touring guitarist in 2013 and a full-fledged member of the band in 2021.
"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.
The discography of the English indie rock band Kasabian consists of eight studio albums, two live albums, six extended plays, 22 singles and 28 music videos. The eight studio albums include, Kasabian (2004), Empire (2006), West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009), Velociraptor! (2011), 48:13 (2014), For Crying Out Loud (2017), The Alchemist's Euphoria (2022) and Happenings (2024).
Velociraptor! is the fourth studio album by English rock 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.
"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.
"Re-Wired" is the second single from Kasabian's fourth album, Velociraptor!. First released digitally, the single has also been released as a limited 10 inch vinyl on 20 November 2011. Only 1,000 copies were made and were quickly sold out in 3 days through pre-orders. A part of the song was used at half time in live Premier League football matches on Sky Sports during the 2011/2012 season, when a small round up of incidents during the match was played before a commercial break.
"Goodbye Kiss" is the third single by Kasabian from their fourth studio album, Velociraptor! (2011). It was released first as a music video and then as a single A-side 10" vinyl on 20 February 2012. It is available as a digital download. On 27 November 2011, Kasabian performed "Goodbye Kiss" during the BBC's Formula 1 and performed on 2011 closing season montage and on BBC's The Graham Norton Show.
"Man of Simple Pleasures" is a song by English rock band Kasabian from the band's fourth studio album, Velociraptor! (2011). It was released as the fourth and final single from the record on 7 May 2012.
"Eez-eh" is a song by English rock band Kasabian from their fifth studio album, 48:13. The song was released as the lead single to promote the album on 29 April 2014.
"Bumblebeee" is a song by English rock band Kasabian - the second single from their fifth studio album, 48:13. The single was released on 3 August 2014 as the follow-up to 48:13's lead single, "eez-eh". It peaked at #165 on the UK Singles Chart. The b-side, "gelfling", is named after the characters from the film The Dark Crystal, and is an electronic track without any main vocals.
"Stevie" is a song by English rock band Kasabian. It was released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, 48:13, on 7 November 2014. The music video for the song was uploaded to YouTube on 13 October 2014. It is also featured as soundtrack on EA Sports game, FIFA 15. Also, according to Kasabian, the original inspiration for Stevie is actually Susie.
For Crying Out Loud is the sixth studio album by English rock band Kasabian. It was released worldwide on 5 May 2017. It is their last album to feature lead vocalist Tom Meighan before his departure from the band in 2020.
"You're in Love with a Psycho" is a song by English alternative rock band Kasabian. It was released on 17 March 2017 as the first single from their sixth studio album, For Crying Out Loud (2017). It peaked at No. 62 on the UK Singles Chart in 2017, the first time a lead single from a Kasabian album failed to reach the top 40 in the country. It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for chart sales exceeding 600,000 units in the UK in August 2022. It also won "Best Song of 2017" at the Q Awards.
The Alchemist's Euphoria is the seventh studio album by British band Kasabian, released on 12 August 2022 through Sony Music. It is Kasabian's first album in five years, following For Crying Out Loud (2017), and first to feature Serge Pizzorno as a sole lead vocalist after former frontman Tom Meighan was fired in 2020 amid his domestic assault conviction. It is also their first album to feature guitarist Tim Carter as a permanent member, who contributed to all of the band's albums since West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum in 2009, and joined the band in 2013 as a touring guitarist.
Happenings is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Kasabian. It was released on 5 July 2024 through Sony Music.