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Everything feels strange. The horizon seems to be moving, repeatedly, up and down by increments of two or three feet. Oh, wait. Something new is happening now, the horizon seems to be rotating in a clockwise motion. This is, perhaps, what you would experience if you were on a bouncy castle that was inside a tumble dryer. This is also, perhaps, the way that listening to the new Kaiser Chiefs album will make you feel…only with less nausea.
I’m not normally a fan of such frivolous and exciting action preferring to seek out more sedate activities than bouncy-castle-tumble-dryer surfing. However, if it feels this good then I may well have to take it up.
This is a good album. I won’t go so far as to say it’s a great album but it is hawkishly eyeing the line that divides goodness and greatness.
As an album it puts me in mind of so many great albums from the mid 90’s. If you listen closely you’ll hear traces of Supergrass (The Angry Mob) with the crunchy guitars, punchy bass and munchy (ok, it doesn’t make any sense but it rhymes with punchy and crunchy!) pianos. Those who know their Blur might also be able to draw comparison with the Modern Life Is Rubbish sound (I Can Do It Without You). At one point (Love’s Not A Competition (But I’m Winning)) I was even reminded of Duran Duran’s Save A Prayer.
In keeping with the great albums I alluded to earlier this album flows well. It’s not all the same pace and the pace changes effectively ensure attention retention. The songs are structured in order to achieve the same end and achieve it they do.
Having made so many comparisons to other albums and bands I must stress that this sounds more like a Kaiser Chiefs album than anything else. It is unmistakeably them. This is chiefly (ha ha ha) down to Ricky (the self-styled velvet-clad indie-ninja) with his voice and tales of unrequited love and disaffection. The wry wit that permeates the lyrics is a joyful thing. The rest of the band chipping in with their own riffs, beats and phrases are developing a sound that will, over the years to come, become the exclusive working environment of the Kaisers.
To summarise; we have here, an album that sounds like a lot of things but it sounds unique. An album that makes you feel like you’re bouncing and spinning around like a giddy child. The festival crowds are going to lap this up and be greedy for the second helpings. Will it do well? I think so.
Reviewed by Daniel Finnerty
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Friday 9th March 2007
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