Search - Kaiser Chiefs :: Employment

...Here they come, and the Kaiser Chiefs SCOOOOORE

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 03/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kaiser Chiefs hail from Leeds but named themselves after a soccer team in South Africa. After a commercially under-the-radar but critically acclaimed debut single last Spring, Kaiser Chiefs became a hot commodity, leading to the UK breakout single "I Predict a Riot" last Fall.



"Employment" (12 tracks, 44 min.) starts off with a British humor-bursting "Everyday I Love You Less and Less", with the music just as irreverent and fun. "I Predict a Riot" is the monster track on this album, insanely catchy (similar in spirit to Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" on its debut album). I'm just afraid that eventually this will cross play onto US mainstream radio and it'll get played to death (again, see "Take Me Out"). The first half of the album is near perfect: "Modern Way", "Na Na Na Na Naa" and "Oh My God" are all irresitable (the latter being that obscure debut single, but it's being re-released in the UK). The second half is not as strong, but still quite strong, in particular "Saturday Night", the lite-reggae "What Did I Ever Give You", and the 60s-Kinks sounding "Time Honoured Tradition".



It's not like the Kaiser Chiefs have come up with a new or unique sound, but "Employment" is a fun album with lots of catchy songs, very much like Franz Ferdinand did a year ago. The UK music scene is brimming with good new bands (the Futureheads, Kasabian, Bloc Party, etc.) and Kaiser Chiefs stand proudly at the head of that group. Highly recommended!"

Pneumothorax is a word that is long.

Jason Stein | San Diego, CA United States | 08/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kaiser Chiefs join the ranks of other nu-wave bands of the moment, and I, for one, can't get enough of this revival. It's challenging to place Kaiser Chiefs influences, but The Clash, Talking Heads, The Cars, and other new wave bands of yore come to my mind.



The band put a great deal of energy into "Employment", their debut album, and the lyrics are full of wry wit. However, in the end, it's the music that's a slight letdown. For some reason, listening to this album all the way through is repetitive. The band does differentiate each track, but the album as a whole has a very homogenous sound, which to me, became a little tiresome, thus the four star rating. Still, this is a great debut, and there are several songs to enjoy such as "Everyday I Love You Less And Less", "I Predict A Riot", "Modern Way", "Saturday Night" and "Time Honoured Tradition". The rest of the selections are strong, but not as memorable.



So, if you're looking for something else to listen to while you take a break from The Killers, Interpol, The Music, The Bravery, Keane, Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay, The Postal Service, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Louis XIV, Gwen Stefani, Bloc Party, Caesars, The Futureheads or Duran Duran, then check out "Employment" by Kaiser Chiefs."

An album not to be missed... one of the best of 2005

Mike Mineo | Berkeley Heights, NJ USA | 03/23/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kaiser Chiefs have been building a dedicated fanbase for quite some

time now, with the release of their single, 'Oh My God' increasing it

even more so after recieving rave reviews from magazines such as NME.

The single was a very big accomplishment, and it deserved the reviews

it received as it felt very lively and energetic. It was clear to see

that Kaiser Chiefs had the energy in hand to be one of the most

memorable bands of the year if the album could follow on the

excitement on the single, 'Oh My God.'



Kaiser Chiefs first album, Employment, kicks off with the song,

'Everyday I Love You Less And Less', which could easily be an

attainable single, following the format the band followed with 'Oh My

God' with a display of fun lyrics and a catchy chorus. The lyrics may

be too simplistic at times, but the Kaiser Chiefs are not aiming for

complexity here. They aim for fun and this is what they achieve.

Wilson fun little chants such as, "Everyday I love you less and less,

it makes me sick to think of you undressed," continue throughout the

album in a somewhat repetitive fashion.



The second song on the album, 'I Predict A Riot' will most likely be

known as Kaiser Chiefs most popular song, as vocalist Ricky Wilson

sounds superb while he bounces off yet another song with a great and

hooking chorus. As simple as it may be, it works great for the band.

But instead of making an album where every song attempts to be a

generic single, the Kaiser Chiefs moved on to a more different

sounding territory with most further tracks.



'Modern Way' starts paving the way for the band showing that they

don't want every song to sound repetitive. After two explosive songs,

Wilson sings with a more hush-hush fashion, and he is successful in

doing so. 'Modern Way' is probably the best track on this album, and

it's a song that's not to be missed.



The album does have its blunder with the incredibly annoying 'Na Na Na

Na Naa' turning up into a disaster of a song. This is badly placed as

the fifth track, disrupting the flow, but luckily the Kaiser Chiefs

regain their ground with the enigmatic 'You Can Have It All' and 'Born

To Be A Dancer.' Both tracks are extremely catchy and again show that

the Kaiser Chiefs still have it in their debut of an album. As I've

already talked about the song 'Oh My God' earlier this is stationed in

between these two tracks as well, and it makes its way as the Kaiser

Chief's anthem-type of a track that has you nodding your head to the

beat. A great single, as I stated before.



'Saturday Night' may turn some off, as the Kaiser Chief's take a step

into a new direction but I personally find the song a breath of fresh

air as it's the only song on the album that cannot really be compared

with any others on the album. The album continues to finish off strong

with the creative 'Caroline, Yes' and the lush ending ballad of 'Team

Mate' as the album fades into the end.



Overall, the Kaiser Chiefs have a solid winner in their debut album.

Employment provides a welcoming sound with a bunch of stellar tracks.

One would think with songs such as 'Oh My God' and 'I Predict A Riot'

that most of the tracks would be fillers. That is far out of the

question. Though at first the Kaiser Chiefs will sound like any old

indie rock band, the songs grow on you tremendously. The Kaiser Chiefs

turn out one of the most fun records of the year in their debut, and

it's not to be missed."