I accidentally listened to the radio yesterday for the first time in years. The non-NPR radio, I mean; that God-forsaken low-fi wasteland of overplayed popular music, interrupted every few minutes by inane ads and annoying DJs. What did I hear?

Franz Ferdinand. Followed by The White Stripes. Followed by Jet. Exactly what was in my CD changer almost a year ago. I’m sure Gomez and The Vines would’ve made an appearance if I’d kept listening.

There’s nothing quite so satisfying as thinking you’re one of an elite few enjoying kickass new bands nobody else has heard of. So much for that.

So. Wanna’ beat the crowd? Go listen to Kasabian, the debut album of the band by the same name. They’ve already conquered Europe, but the CD won’t hit US shelves until March. Which is why you should buy it from Amazon.co.uk immediately, before it gets played to death on American radio and used in every single goddamn movie trailer under the sun.

Act quick! Unless you’re in Europe, you’ve got a guaranteed two, maybe three months to enjoy Kasabian and act like a music snob before they become a household name.

Update: While we were driving somewhere shortly after I posted this, Felicity watched me put Kasabian in the changer and said, “Oh, you listen to Kasabian? NRK plays them all the time.”

Crap.