|
 ‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob’, the follow up to
Leeds outfit Kaiser Chiefs’ massive 2005 album ‘Employment’, is the
sound of a band affirming not only their status as one of the biggest
acts in the country but also the distinct sound that got them to such a
plateau.
Taking the best bits of bands such as The Smiths and Blur and
reinventing them for the new millennium, there’s no mistaking ‘Yours
Truly…’ as anything other than a Kaiser Chiefs’ album.
Using the blueprint that made ‘Employment’ so successful, the band
change very little and though this could potentially expose them as
one-trick ponies, the truth is that it actually works entirely in their
favour.
Kicking off with recent single ‘Ruby’, destined to be a mainstay in many
an indie club thanks to its sing-a-long chorus, sprightly guitars and
great lyrics, the album descends into more of the Kaiser’s trademark
indie-mod-pop ditties, and it’s almost brilliant.
Lyrically, front man Ricky Wilson is on form. Like a slightly chirpier
Morrissey or a less infuriating version of that young rascal from Arctic
Monkeys, he delivers wry, socially aware lyrics that are clear, clean
and clever.
Meanwhile, the band deliver a fine lesson on how to make great music
that does enough to satisfy hardcore indie fans whilst at the same time
appeasing mainstream audiences.
Crisp guitars bounce around over brisk melodies and weave in and out of
a thumping rhythm section, with the occasional bout of piano/keyboard
added into the mix to create a sound that is fresh, upbeat and catchy. .
A mix of pop, punk and indie, ‘Yours Truly…’ is a quintessentially
British album, the highlights of which include the somewhat creepy ‘My
Kind of Guy’, closing track ‘Retirement’ and ‘Thank You Very Much’,
which despite sounding like an exact replica of ‘I Predict A Riot’ in
parts, is still a pretty much fantastic.
Its hard to say which of the Kaiser Chiefs’ two albums thus far will be
regarded as a British classic, but one of them is bound to, and since
they both sound very similar anyway, does it really matter?
Probably not, but that’s not to say that you can disregard this album if
you already bought the first one. Far from it. Both are indie-pop
classics, and both are needed in your collection right now!
Recommended Links:
►
www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk
►
www.myspace.com/kaiserchiefs
►
Return to Album
Reviews
|
