... The songs on 'Employment' brim with confidence and ability, as though the band are quite assured of their talents and have just been biding their time for the right moment to unleash them.
It's very easy to talk about influences for a band like the Kaiser Chiefs, and indeed you could do ... Read review
OnEmployment, raffish, trilby-clad young Leeds quintet Kaiser Chiefs prove themselves the ... more
logical heirs to the Britpop throne previously warmed by the likes of Blur and Supergrass, twinning expectant verses with rollicking choruses and generally acting...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
OnEmployment, raffish, trilby-clad young Leeds quintet Kaiser Chiefs prove themselves the ... more
logical heirs to the Britpop throne previously warmed by the likes of Blur and Supergrass, twinning expectant verses with rollicking choruses and generallyacting ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
On Employment, raffish, trilby-clad young Leeds quintet Kaiser Chiefs prove themselves the ... more
logical heirs to the Britpop throne previously warmed by the likes of Blur and Supergrass, twinning expectant verses with rollicking choruses and generally actin...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
On Employment, raffish, trilby-clad young Leeds quintet Kaiser Chiefs prove themselves the ... more
logical heirs to the Britpop throne previously warmed by the likes of Blur and Supergrass, twinning expectant verses with rollicking choruses and generally actin...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
OnEmployment, raffish, trilby-clad young Leeds quintet Kaiser Chiefs prove themselves the ... more
logical heirs to the Britpop throne previously warmed by the likes of Blur and Supergrass, twinning expectant verses with rollicking choruses and generally acting...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Very catchy, great lyrics, quite a promising bunch Disadvantages: Loses its way towards the end
Thank Franz Ferdinand. For the Franz have brought about a veritable explosion in British guitar music, both at home and in terms of exporting music to the United States. While it may be easier to accredit the Libertines with kick-starting the movement, such praise but would inaccurate, as it is Franz who took British rock music global once again, paving the way for Razorlight, Bloc Party and this little group from Leeds, the Kaiser Chiefs. The Libertines, ... ...to their knees by pressure to live up to their 'greatest band in the history of the world ever' tag from rags such as the faddish NME, the result of which is a cracked-up frontman who is speedily becoming the rock world's equivalent of George Best.
Anyway…
Named after a South African football team, Kaiser Chiefs surprise everybody by living up to expectation and then some, by releasing a debut album which is actually ... more
Thank Franz Ferdinand. For the Franz have brought about a veritable explosion in British guitar music, both at home and in terms of exporting music to the United States. While it may be easier to accredit the Libertines with kick-starting the movement, such praise but would inaccurate, as it is Franz who took British rock music global once again, paving the way for Razorlight, Bloc Party and this little group from Leeds, the Kaiser Chiefs. The Libertines, on the other hand, were an over-rated little prospect brought to their knees by pressure to live up to their 'greatest band in the history of the world ever' tag from rags such as the faddish NME, the result of which is a cracked-up frontman who is speedily becoming the rock world's equivalent of George Best.
Anyway…
Named after a South African football team, Kaiser Chiefs surprise everybody by living up to expectation and then some, by releasing a debut album which is actually really rather good. 'Everyday I Love You Less & Less' begins with speedy synthesizers before the frenetic guitars and loud drums kick in. The vocal is urgent and impassioned and the band prove themselves to be quite amusing lyricists ("Everyday I love you less and less/It makes me sick to think of you undressed", for example). Their lyrical ability and passion for the kitchen sink puts them in a lineage of British rock bands with the likes of the Kinks, Squeeze, Madness, Pulp and Blur, all of whom took mundane working-class themes and brought them into the rock arena, immaculately studied and examined. This is continued in 'I Predict A Riot', which is a marvellously clever look at a typical working class night out in your typical working class town, opening with the wonderful line: "Watching the people get lairy/It's not very pretty, I tell thee". It's too clever by half, granted, but you have to admire their chutzpah. Most of all, the opening two songs have an inspired confidence that is rare for a band which has come from nowhere and has just released their debut album. The songs on 'Employment' brim with confidence and ability, as though the band are quite assured of their talents and have just been biding their time for the right moment to unleash them.
It's very easy to talk about influences for a band like the Kaiser Chiefs, and indeed you could do a dot-to-dot of bands whose influence can be located on this album, both British and American, but the over-riding stimulus is that of Britpop. This does seem like a lost Britpop album at times, as the posturing seems reminiscent of Jarvis Cocker, the lyrics seemingly copped from a Blur album and there are even traces of lesser acts such as Mansun, Shed Seven and Menswear (who remembers Menswear?). Listening to it takes you straight back to 1995/96, when British rock music seemed to be experiencing a bit of a revival, before it buckled under its own weight. This is an album which would sound completely at home in that era, and directly references it. So in that sense, this is something of a 'retro' album, in the nicest possible sense of the word (the worst possible sense of the word being seeing Shakin' Stevens or Tony Hadley live in concert, one imagines).
And it's a very British record. Kaiser Chiefs are a very British band, there is absolutely no way that this record could possibly have been put together by an American band. It is a record so intrinsically British that you wonder where's the Union Jack and cup of tea (whose trading in cheap stereotypes today, then?). Bizarrely, there have been many comparisons between the Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand, a rather baffling comparison, as the two bands have absolutely nothing in common other than that they both hail from the British Isles. Perhaps it's a case of over-enthusiastic American journalists rushing to tag a band before even listening to an album (those darn journalists again, it's always those darn journalists…).
The album is chock-full of good tunes that drive their way into your head and stay there for days and days. The most obvious one if 'Na Na Na Na Naa', an infectious little song that is catchier than the Ebola virus. It's an imaginative ditty, and indeed this is an album bursting at the seams with imagination and ideas. It's a storybook of catchy tunes and rather astute lyrics, an extremely fun album that merits repeated listens. Anybody trying to ascertain a feel for the album from the singles released thus far, 'Oh My God' and 'I Predict A Riot' might suggest that the theme is going to be fast-paced rockers throughout, but 'You Can Have It All' proves that the Kaiser Chiefs are a band who can turn their hands to sweeter, slower numbers if need be, and the song has a distinct Beach Boys feel to it. So too, does the more obvious 'Caroline, Yes' (quite clearly a parody of the Beach Boys' 'Caroline, No'). It must be said, however, that the band are far better at the more up tempo numbers than on the slower ones, as they hold your interesting a lot better.
Nobody can claim to be surprised that 'Oh My God' was chosen as a single. It's anthemic, catchy and rather brilliant all at the same time. Ricky Wilson's vocals sound breathless, frantic and urgent. 'Saturday Night' sounds like the mutant lovechild of Johnny Rotten and Deborah Harry who grew up listening to Supergrass. It's the punkiest track on the album by a mile and has a healthy dose of punk venom and aggression, while still managing to sound radio-friendly and memorable. 'What Did I Ever Give You?' is a cheeky little monkey of a song, with a singalong chorus that Max Boyce would be proud of. 'Employment' achieves the rare feat of being an album in which almost all of the songs could realistically be released as singles. The quality is consistently high and each song is rather catchy and radio-friendly. Frontman Ricky Wilson (currently the most iconic ginger in pop) has a definite ear for a good melody and possesses a quite distinctive voice that can adapt equally well to faster and slower material.
The only problem is that towards the end the band seem to run out of steam and 'Caroline, Yes' (despite its wonderful title) and 'Team Mate' are just a little bit… well, boring for lack of a better word. The sentiment is a little bit overpoweringly sugary and their change of pace contrasts far too sharply with the dizzy amphetamine rush of what has gone on before. But we can forgive them that.
This is an unpretentious an uncomplicated record that suggests that Kaiser Chiefs are a band with a very bright future indeed. It has a lyrical wit and cheeky charm that makes it hard to dislike this band, who have already established themselves as having a cross-cultural appeal that is not singularly limited to the serious rock market. Kaiser Chiefs do not play to the vogue market in the way that say, the Bravery, do, but instead place the emphasis firmly on having fun and making something danceworthy, while also writing some rather witty lyrics which hopefully they will be accredited for, and not a facet for which the band will be overlooked in the years to come. Even though the album runs a little short of steam towards the end, the Kaiser Chiefs prove themselves to be a band that are very hard not to like.
'Employment' is available from Amazon.co.uk for £8.99
Advantages: A handfull of decent, or at least partially good songs Disadvantages: Repetitive, mostly poor.
...to death with Team Mate, Employment is an almost unrelentless assault on all that is good in music. From singer Ricky Wilson's utterly detestable chirping to Peanut's unimaginitive synth bleeps, this record is, to all extents and purposes, really quite bad. Everyday I Love You Less And Less starts the album, and it was a recent single. It comes to life with some fuzzy sounding keyboards, before the guitar, bass and drums enter, and it isn't long ... ...and done, I recognise that Employment isn't the worst record ever...it's not even close to be honest, at the same time, for a band who recieve comparisons and recognition in the same light as such better bands, this is an incredibly weak record, and it's easily one of the least listened to CD's in my collection from this whole 'New-New Wave'. I will say it's better than The Killers, but to be honest, The Kaiser Chiefs really aren't very good. I wouldn't ...
Flash-Hammer 26.11.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Employment - Kaiser Chiefs
Advantages: Decent enough debut, with some catchy tracks Disadvantages: A lot of filler and a quite disjointed feel to the whole album
...up to this debut album Employment or if thy will just vanish without a trace. The later fate has befallen on a lot of bands in the past, but for now they are living in the glory of this, their debut album.
The band hail from Leeds and have taken their name from a South African football team that one of Leeds players used to play for. It's quite a memorable name and the band obviously wanted something memorable, but unique when they were deciding ... ...taken influences from Blur and Supergrass, seemed to fit perfectly into the new Brit Pop revival that seems to be under way. Three of the band had been playing together for a number of years in various different bands but it was the introduction of lead singer Ricky that really set the ball rolling. If the comparisons to early to mid nineties Blur aren't enough, one time Blur producer Stephen Street was so impressed by some of the bands material ...
Andy.mack 09.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Employment - Kaiser Chiefs
Advantages: Great songs and plenty of fun Disadvantages: Not that original for us oldies
Is it me or are there a lot of whinging bands around at the moment? Coldplay, Keane, Snow Patrol come on boys cheer up a bit you're all getting a little old for all that teenage angst! Don't get me wrong I actually like all of those bands but sometimes I find a whole album of serious whinging about the state of the world a little too much to bear. So it's a relief that some new bands are actually introducing or reintroducing a bit of fun back in ... ...example of this is 'The Kaiser Chiefs' and their latest album Employment. Original it ain't but it's been a while since a band has attempted to combine the typically British indie pop sound with light-hearted sentiments so successfully. We can think back, even as far back as the Kinks to see where the roots of this kind of Brit Pop originated, more recently Blur have also managed this combination but I feel that The Kaiser Chiefs owe a lot more to ...
Mauri 10.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Employment - Kaiser Chiefs
Advantages: Possibly the new indie kings Disadvantages: No killer ending and, erm... too many whoooooo's, but is that actually a bad thing??
I have just got back from the V festival. What can i say, this band blew me away. Just by watching them you can see they are having a great time and their euphoria transmits to the crowd who equally enjoy themselves. Such performances should be expected after releasing so strong an album. Confidence should be sky high.
Probably like many others, I got into the band after hearing the single, Everyday I love you less and less. Its the perfect summer ... ...be an indie and live classic of the year. The solid start is followed by the standout track, I predict a riot!! The line, 'to borrow a pound for a condom' is genius and typical of northern working class band embracing their culture. I fear this song may have a backlash as all radio stations seem to want to play it till becomes boring. Lets only hope people remember how good it was the first couple of listens rather than after being sick to the death ...
oa515 13.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Employment - Kaiser Chiefs
Advantages: Brilliant, new sound. Disadvantages: Can become ever so slightly tedious in parts.
To introduce the Kaiser Chiefs, they are a band from Leeds consisting of four members, with a vary distinct sound, which pesonally I would describe as Electronic Indie. They have recently toured with The Killers, Bloc Party and The Futureheads on the NME tour, which was sold out all the way. Since then their popularity has only increased. They recently brought out their debut album 'Employment' at a good time as far as their popularity is concerned, ... ...first heard the Kaiser Chiefs, way back in December, I knew they were going to be a great band, the song I first heard was 'Oh My God' and this whetted my appetite for the rest. Obviously when I heard that they had an album coming out on a Monday a few weeks ago, I was the first one to go out and buy it. And when I got home and listened to it as a whole for the first time, I most certainly was not disappointed. The Album features 12 tracks:
Everyday ...
hixey101 01.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Employment - Kaiser Chiefs
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Reviews which might be of interest for "Employment - Kaiser Chiefs"
Advantages: Catchy and very different from other artists Disadvantages: Leaves you wanting more....
Employment is the brilliant debut from the KaiserChiefs.
Me and my girlfriend had liked many of the singles released from this band, so I decided on a whim to go out and buy the album - it was a really good buy.
At first I found myself listening to a lot of the familiar tracks and feeling this would be an album where the singles were great but the rest was a lot weaker.
After a while though the tracks begin to grow on me and whilst having familiar aspects of previous british bands - noticibly madness - this was a different kind of style altogether.
Firstly this was experimental - from unusual compositions and obscure instruments being used in the production of songs - but never did the intensity and pace drag off. Even in the slower numbers the energy didnt abate, it had a exhilerating feel to it.
Secondly this album ...
Advantages: Highly Original! Great British Music Disadvantages: Slightly expensive.. but not if you buy online!
Firstly I'll apologise for the title, if you check the album out, you'll see "Modern Way" is a name of one of their tracks, and im afraid someone else already took the "oh my god" joke...
The KaiserChiefs are probably one of, if not the largest upcoming figures in the British rock industry, Straight from Leeds, these guys have got raw talent, originality and amazing song writing technique.
The KaiserChiefs special edition box set and DVD is the word "originality" personified.
Let's start with what this special edition has to offer. Well, it comes in a nice handy box, obviously the inlay that you would find with the normal version of this album, plus the 12 song disk. In addition we are given another CD, containing one extra song, plus live versions of a few of the KaiserChiefs songs ("Hard Times Send Me", "Modern Way," "I ...
Product Information for "Employment - Kaiser Chiefs" »
Product details
Title
Employment
Performer
Kaiser Chiefs
Genre
Rock & Pop
Sub Genre
Alternative
Release Date
07/03/2005
Recomended Retail Price
16.99 GBP
Original Release Year
2005
Label / Distributor
B-Unique/Polydor / PIAS UK/Universal Music
Engineer
Cenzo Townsend
Producer
Stephen Street
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Format
Performer
EAN
5055052813028
Additional notes
Album Notes
Emerging in an era rife with New Wave rip-off artists, the Kaiser Chiefs ran the risk of their sharp suits, angular haircuts, and early-1980s influences being taken the wrong way. While many of their peers shamelessly aped the most obvious aspects of the Cure, New Order, et al, Kaiser Chiefs (the name comes from a motorcycle) much more subtly incorporated the sensibilities of their influences. Though one can hear traces of everything from Madness to XTC and Adam & the Ants on the Chiefs 2005 debut album, EMPLOYMENT, these Brits are no one's slavish imitators. Their undeniably catchy melodies, sarcastically witty lyrics, and often-sophisticated song structures bespeak a band that has developed its own style. Thus, the record finds Kaiser Chiefs standing head and shoulders above the mid-2000s neo-New Wave pack, brimming with energy, smarts, and promise.
Album Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.76) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[D]anceable art-punk gems full of guitar fuzz, na-na-na choruses and boyish energy..." Rolling Stone (p.68) - "[D]anceable art-punk gems full of guitar fuzz." Spin (p.62) - Ranked #19 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "[A] cohesive debut that recalls the glory days of Britpop and second-wave punk." Spin (p.102) - "[T]he quintet bash through nervy, synth-stoked guitar pop....[With] a dedication to daffy English humor and bouncy music-hall folderol that creates the illusion of cultural import." - Grade: B+ Entertainment Weekly (No. 814, p.64) - "[T]he Leeds five have polished their ability to craft catchy songs..." - Grade: B Mojo (p.64) - Ranked #50 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2005" - "Ricky Wilson's cheeky chappies proved the power of knowing daftness." Mojo (p.109) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[E]mploying ill-fitting suits, tongue-in-cheek lyricism and a jerky guitar attack that smelts the classic rock canon into an infectious, head-spinning punch." Uncut (p.105) - 4 stars out of 5 - "EMPLOYMENT is a gem...In the smart-pop steeplechase, Hot Hot Heat have got serious competition."
Titles on disc 1
1.
Everyday I Love You Less And Less
2.
I Predict A Riot
3.
Modern Way
4.
Na Na Na Na Naa
5.
You Can Have It All
6.
Oh My God
7.
Born To Be A Dancer
8.
Saturday Night
9.
What Did I Ever Give You
10.
Time Honoured Tradition
11.
Caroline Yes
12.
Team Mate
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Listed on Ciao since
16/03/2005
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