The Singles Jukebox

The return of the blokiest blokes that ever did bloke…

[Video][Website]
[3.73]

Michaelangelo Matos: Oh great — the Uninteresting ’60s.
[3]

Iain Mew: After the first taster from their new album flirted with such unlikely ideas as excitement and progress, Kasabian appear to have got a bit concerned that no one would recognise them. So they’ve followed it with the most Kasabian-ish Kasabian single ever. The result is less “on fire”, more “leaning against the radiator a bit long”.
[2]

Anthony Easton: It’s Doors 2.0, but they have gone from rock to kitsch, to post modern kitsch, and back to rock, so this sort of completes the cycle in a mildly interesting and engaged way. Sounds great double channeled on headphones; the fake oriental taste to some of the guitar is a nice touch, and I am a sucker for how he elongates his vowels. Made me find an mp3 of “The End”, which must mean something.
[9]

Edward Okulicz: While this is still Kasabian and thus pretty much awful as a rule, there’s definite progress here – both in the wrong and right direction. Sounding a bit like The Doors is certainly a step backwards, even for Kasabian. But the music between the choruses is only one remix away from soundtracking actual pleasure! Nearly there, boys!
[5]

Chuck Eddy: Halfway palatable remnants of turn of the ’70s rock (“Spirit In The Sky” shuffle, Jim Morrison light-thy-fire blowhardiness, maybe even a sandy strand or two of Ennio Morricone spaghetti) sunk into the drippy species of wobble that I gather has passed for “dance-rock” in England since the era of Happy Mondays and Stone Roses. Blimey!
[5]

Hillary Brown: Deadly uninteresting. What is with this trend of Jukebox songs with the word “fire” in the title that burn with absolutely none of it (Sean Kingston excepted)?
[3]

Alex Ostroff: The verses plod where they should drive forward, the chorus grounded where it should soar. Vocals sit at the back, murky, where they should snarl and bite. It’s possible to do this midtempo trance-rock formula properly — Kasabian’s “Club Foot” was a delightful earworm that mixed guitar riffs, washes of noise and drifting vocals. All the more disappointing, therefore, that “Fire” feels like the bastard lovechild of a drunken orgy featuring Elvis, the Gallagher brothers and a third-wave ska band.
[4]

Rodney J. Greene: The intro’s sepia backroad rockabilly perked my ears up something fierce, but then they had to go and remind me that they are British.
[4]

Martin Skidmore: The vocals start off as if drunkenly slurred. It’s slow and moody for a while, then it gets noisier, then there is a bleepy bit, then back to the indie rock. The lyrics are bollocks, the style immensely backward-looking, several obvious inspirations without the slightest hint of actual inspiration. Dead.
[1]

Additional Scores

Martin Kavka: [4]
Doug Robertson: [1]