Velociraptor!

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, its lead single "Days Are Forgotten", first released in Belgium on 12 August, and in the United Kingdom on 9 September 2011 - debuted at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart. Their song was featured in EA Sports game, FIFA 12 with "Switchblade Smiles".

Velociraptor!
Studio album by Kasabian
Released	16 September 2011
Recorded	November 2010 – March 2011 in Leicester, England
Genre	Electronic rock electronica neo-psychedelia space rock
Length	50:38
Label	RCA
Producer	Dan the Automator Sergio Pizzorno
Kasabian chronology
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009) Velociraptor! (2011) 48:13 (2014)
Singles from Velociraptor!
"Days Are Forgotten" Released: 12 August 2011 "Re-Wired" Released: 21 October 2011 "Goodbye Kiss" Released: 20 February 2012 "Man of Simple Pleasures" Released: 7 May 2012

Miscellany

"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.

Q magazine listed "Re-Wired" as the number 1 track to download in their October 2011 issue.

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.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
Consequence of Sound	[5]
Digital Spy
The Fly
Guardian	[6]
The Independent
NME	[7]
Q	[8]
Slant	[9]
Daily Telegraph	[10]
Focus	[11]

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".[3] Their previous best album score was 68, held by West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009).[12]

NME stated that Kasabian have lived up to expectations and believe the album is a huge step up from their previous albums. 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."[13]

Commercial performance

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.[14] With little support from Sony Music, the album failed to chart in the United States.

Track listing

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

Deluxe Edition Bonus DVD: Live at The O2 Dublin, 27 November 2009

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

Japan Only Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Pistols at Dawn"	5:18
13.	"Julie & The Moth Man"	5:39
14.	"Black Whistler"	3:41

Japanese Special Limited Edition Bonus Tracks[15]

No.	Title	Length
15.	"Velociraptor!" (Live in Leicester)
16.	"Re-Wired" (Live in Leicester)
17.	"Switchblade Smiles" (Live in Leicester)

Super Deluxe Box Bonus Track

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Pistols at Dawn"	5:18

Super Deluxe Box / Japanese Special Limited Edition[15] Bonus DVD

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)

Italian Special Edition Bonus Disc – Man of Simple Pleasures Italian Special EP[16][17]

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"

iTunes Store Deluxe Version Bonus Tracks[18]

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

Personnel

Kasabian Tom Meighan – lead vocals (all tracks except 4, 6 and 11), backing vocals (tracks 4, 6 and 11) Sergio Pizzorno – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals (all tracks except 4, 6 and 11), lead vocals (tracks 4, 6 and 11), co-lead vocals (track 5), synthesizer, bass guitar, production Chris Edwards – bass guitar Ian Matthews – drums

Additional musicians Jay Mehler – guitar Sandris Skyrimš – guitar Tim Carter – guitar, percussion Ben Kealey – keyboards Dan Ralph Martin – guitar, percussion (tracks 4 and 9) Gary Alesbrook – trumpet Mat Coleman – trombone Andrew Kinsman – saxophone London Metropolitan Orchestra – strings Jessica Dannheisser – orchestration Andy Brown – conducting

Technical personnel Dan the Automator – production Tim Carter, Joe Kearns – engineering Stephen McLaughlin – production Aitor Throup – design and art direction Neil Bedford – photography

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2011) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 8 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 17 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 16 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22] 11 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[23] 17 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 37 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[25] 32 French Albums (SNEP)[26] 14 Irish Albums (IRMA)[27] 2 Italian Albums (FIMI)[28] 11 Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[29] 88 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30] 21 Polish Albums (ZPAV)[31] 13 Scottish Albums (OCC)[32] 1 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[33] 31 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 10 UK Albums (OCC)[35] 1 UK Digital Albums (OCC)[36] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position UK Albums Chart[37] 37 UK Rock Albums Chart[38] 7 Chart (2012) Position Italian Albums Chart[39] 66 UK Albums Chart[40] 98 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Italy (FIMI)[41] Gold 30,000^* Poland (ZPAV)[42] Gold 10,000^* United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Platinum 300,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Australia[44]	16 September 2011	CD, CD/DVD, Digital download	Sony Music
Belgium[45]
Ireland[46]
Italy[47]
United States[48]
France[49]	19 September 2011
New Zealand[50]
United Kingdom[51]			Columbia Records
Spain[52]	20 September 2011		Sony Music
Japan[53]	21 September 2011

References

1. "Kasabian's Serge: I'm no indie boy". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk.
2. Kasabian - Switchblade Smiles. YouTube. 15 July 2011.
3. "Velociraptor! Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
4. Jeffries, David (19 September 2011). "Velociraptor! - Kasabian". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
5. "Album Review: Kasabian – Velociraptor! « Consequence of Sound". Consequenceofsound.net. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
6. Dave Simpson (15 September 2011). "Kasabian: Velociraptor! – review | Music". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
7. "NME Album Reviews - Album Review: Kasabian - 'Velociraptor!'". NME. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
8. October 2011, p. 114
9. "Slant review".
10. McCormick, Neil (15 September 2011). "Kasabian: Velociraptor, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London.
11. FOCUS Online (20 September 2011). "Plattenkritik: Kasabian – "Velociraptor!": Schwachbrüstiger Dinosaurier". FOCUS Online.
12. "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
13. "Kasabian Swing the Talons with 'Velociraptor!'". Antiquiet. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
14. "The Top 20 rock singles and albums of 2011 revealed". The Official Charts Company. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
15. "ディスコグラフィ - Sony Music". sonymusic.co.jp.
16. "Velociraptor! : Kasabian: Amazon.it: Musica". amazon.it.
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20. "Austriancharts.at – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
21. "Ultratop.be – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
22. "Ultratop.be – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
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24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
25. "Kasabian: Velociraptor" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
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31. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
32. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
33. "Spanishcharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
34. "Swisscharts.com – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
35. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
36. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
37. http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusYE2011.pdf
38. "The Top 20 rock singles and albums of 2011 revealed". officialcharts.com.
39. "Top 100 Album Combined - Classifica annuale (dal 2 Gennaio 2012 al 30 Dicembre 2012)" (PDF) (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry / TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
40. http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusYE2012.pdf
41. "Italian album certifications – Kadabian – Velociraptor!" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2013" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Velociraptor!" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
42. "Polish album certifications – Kasabian – Velociraptor!" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
43. "British album certifications – Kasabian – Velociraptor!". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Velociraptor! in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
44. "iTunes - Music - Velociraptor! by Kasabian". Itunes.apple.com. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
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