Kasabian in the groove

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NOW established as one of Leicestershire's top exports alongside pork pies and stilton, Kasabian are back on Monday with the snappily-titled and equally mouth-watering West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
Now although I'm obviously likely to champion any group that hails a stone's throw away from Loughborough, this, their third studio album, is probably their best work yet.
After the overblown psychedelic pomp of their previous album Empire, this Dan The Automator-produced effort strips back their sound to what made their eponymous first album so appealing.
The group's rock swagger, which has led to endless 'Madchester' comparisons, is here in full effect, and although the psychedelia and electronica of earlier efforts is retained, none of it ever overpowers the tracks.
But central to the new, leaner Kasabian is the return of the groove - nearly every track is riddled with funky rhythms, from opener Underdog through the frenetic Fast Fuse to anthemic Fire, and the result is intoxicating.
Makes you proud to be an East Midlander, eh?