New release doesn't live up to hype

By Patrick Daugherty, Arts and Entertainment Editor
April 3, 2007

The current British invasion of America has many potential forefathers, but despite all the attention heaped on Arctic Monkeys and The Editors, the first of this new wave might very well have been the Kaiser Chiefs. They exploded onto the American indie scene to glowing reviews in magazines, including Rolling Stone and Blender, and bowled over music fans with their boundless energy and incendiary debut single, "I Predict a Riot."

But as the band itself says, the heat has died down on its second release. In place of their debut's starry-eyed-yet-street-tough attitude, these English blokes are now paranoid, angry rockers jaded before their time. This is surely because of the overwhelming success the Kaiser Chiefs have experienced in their homeland, but many casual American fans might wonder: Why are there no more "oooohhhhs" in the choruses? The band still sounds catchy without trying, but the charm has definitely been reduced.

The band didn't have poppy themes on Employment, but it was delivered with so much gusto that every song sounded like it could be the new "Happy Birthday."

The Kaisers seem to be hitting on bigger themes here than before as well. On "Try Your Best," singer Ricky Wilson implores the listener to "Try your best and think about it later/ Or you will never know which way your life could go." It is an un-ironic statement from a band perennially prone to preening and snarkiness — even if it is lame.

But though all the hype has tapered off, the Kaisers are still under immense pressure to sustain their popularity in England and to break in America.

It's obvious they are feeling it in the less-bouncy rhythms and aforementioned cranky lyrics.

Unlike Employment, the album has sequencing problems. First single "Ruby" is a good first single but sounds out of place opening the album. It should have been switched with track two, "The Angry Mob." Maybe the Kaiser Chiefs thought this would be too obvious, but "The Angry Mob" is the album's mission statement, while "Ruby" is the hook to keep you in.

Album-closer "Retirement" is also ill-fitted to finish an album. Boring and dismal, it has none of the flash you would expect from a Kaiser Chiefs song, let alone an album closer. The song is a dour pronouncement of the band's accomplishments ("I want to retire/ No longer required/ I want to get by without the man on my back") and nothing more. I know the Kaisers are really popular overseas but they've only made one album. If they want to know what pressure is really like, they should talk to Arctic Monkeys.

The album, which starts off improbably slow, finally justifies its purchase and existence in its second half (again, bad flow and sequencing). Despite its title, "Love's Not A Competition (But I'm Winning)" is rock solid and surprisingly reflective. "I Can Do It Without You" is a semi-power ballad classic and will surely be a new anthem at Kaiser Chief concerts. "My Kind of Guy" is typical Kaiser Chief arrogance and machismo with Wilson singing lyrics such as "You sound as horrible as me, and I don't mind if you're unkind/ Because you're reminding me of me." It's classic Kaiser Chiefs.

Not a classic but not a failure, Yours Truly, Angry Mob is really all you could hope for from an average band's sophomore album. The ball isn't dropped too often, and the potential for further growth is evident. Let's hope they cheer up soon.

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New release doesn't live up to hype

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