Kaiser Chiefs
Off With Their Heads
Universal
By Miriam Lamey
With their debut release, Employment, the Kaiser Chiefs established themselves as a down-to-earth, hardworking, British band. Their music transmitted a certain gritty working-class vibe, absent from Blur’s cockney twanging and Oasis’ post-Be Here Now pretentiousness. And then, the Chiefs unleashed their angry mob in a cleaner fashion with album number two; a well-produced effort with some foot-stomping anthems and drunken pub-singalong tunes for the top 40 set. (“Ruby” anyone?) Today, the Kasier Chiefs have once again tried to channel their angst into a raucous collection of tunes, but with their latest, “Off With Their Heads,” the lads seem to only succeed at generating a hint of anthemic rumblings.
Off With Their Heads is far from a poor album. It’s well balanced, clean (for the most part) and several tracks showcase drums that thud like a beating heart. The Angry Mob worthy track “Never Miss A Beat” is actually rather entertaining and plays with different percussion sounds, both electric and organic. Singer Ricky Wilson blasts out a ridiculously catchy, loud chorus that should be both the new “Ruby” and “I Predict A Riot.” You’ve got to hand it to these lads – they certainly know how to write a thrilling, fired-up track that prompts a mad rush to any dance floor. In fact, the first half of Heads is full of creativity and screams, “dance/gyrate/flail about to me.” “Spanish Metal” conceals a Beatles-like mood under booming riffs and almost tuneless vocals that slur angrily and barely hint at a melody. ”Like it Too Much,” plays with a thick beat, signature shouting lyrics and then slides into an almost (gasp!) tuneful chorus. Too many instruments weave in and out through this track and turn this tune into the Kaiser Chiefs idea of drugged out sonic splendor. Unfortunately, like every good high, this trip must come to an end.
Suddenly, the strains of “Good Days Bad Days” hit. This cringeworthy blend of perky, sunniness and an attempt at a tight melody somehow does not fit the Kaiser Chiefs attitude. The quick vocals, light jangly guitars with sing-a-long choruses and (good God) a background bongo drum are so bizarrely out of character. It just doesn’t work. I can’t even talk about “Tomato in the Rain” without wanting to laugh. Lyrics such as “Like a tomato in the rain/I got that feeling again” under a pretty, light guitar and drums, and nodding, languid bassline just seem so out of character and draggy that this and following tracks diminish the first half of the album. Either the Kaiser Chiefs wrote this album in a rush, or they were planning to release an EP but changed their minds. “Off With Their Heads” starts out great and then loses its head and motivation somewhere in the middle, making for a very bizarre mix of tracks, particularly when shuffled out of sequence.
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