Kaiser Chiefs-“Employment”
(Universal)
7 out of 10
The Kaiser Chiefs are a product of marketing. They, or their label, or their management, or whoever, will have you believe that the Kaisers are essentially Blur with a keyboardist named Peanut and a bit more a penchant for rioting; and those who obnoxiously praise them would also call them the rebirth of Britpop. Not so. Instead, the energetic quintet is simply a slightly British take on modern rock specially tuned to please people on both sides of the pond. It’s not American indie rock due to the fact that vocalist Ricky Wilson’s got a bit of an accent, and it’s not Britpop because it fails to frequently utilize all the things about English life that gave acts like Blur, Pulp, and Portishead that certain anglo-centric charm. At its best, what it does do is ride either a synthy wave of high-tempo electricity, a bona-fide catchiness, or maybe even both all the way to an album full of potential alt-rock radio hits.
For those in America who listen to alternative rock radio, you may know the Kaiser Chiefs from their smash hit “I Predict A Riot”. It’s the ideal single due to the fact that it summarizes the basic formula of the album: simple, sing-able chorus, roaring guitar, semi-repetitive, and small supplements of loud screaming from every band member simultaneously. It doesn’t sound like much, but darn is it fun!
Some songs go a tad bit above and beyond this formula, such as the clever wordplay and snappy one-liners in the sinfully awesome “Saturday Night”, which goes so far as to include a motorcycle intro courtesy of the honorable Blur guitarist Graham Coxon. Honors also go to the über-catchy “Oh My God”. All it takes is one listen and you’ll be singing “Oh my god I can’t believe it/ I’ve never been this far away from home.”
If it’s Britpop revivalism you’re looking for, check out “Modern Way” and “Time Honoured Tradition”. Both have elementary commentary reminiscent of your Parklifes and your Common Peoples. They don’t exactly mirror the significance of those notable predecessors, but they’re still really cool, especially for an obvious attempt at a carbon copy.
At the end of the day, I think I can say that the Kaiser Chiefs have potential. If they keep at it, they can fully develop their infectious sound and really create a name for themselves. As the Kaiser’s devout fans may say, “Hey, Blur’s debut was fairly patchy too.”
Key Tracks: "Saturday Night", "Oh My God", "Time Honoured Tradition", "Modern Way"
