Kaiser Chiefs took the world by storm in 2005. The world, and not just their U.K. homeland, leaving smiling music fans in their path, all sweaty and viscous after losing it to the Chief’s self-prophesized anthem, “I Predict A Riot.” After making such a huge first impression with the debut release, Employment, many would hold their breath at what could potentially be the historical sophomore slump.
Rest assured, you can bring the color back to that pretty face of yours and start breathing again. Maybe not breathing as hard after dancing your ass off to “I Predict…” but definitely in very healthy and happy way. Yours Truly, Angry Mob’s musical style retains the Kaiser Chiefs’ soulful ode to their mother England, overflowing with the signature sound of all things Brit-pop.
And while many have connected them to mod-forefathers, The Jam, Yours Truly… feel to have been thrown in the grocery basket with Blur’s Parklife. But those similarities are extremely subtle, as with the keyboard melody on “My Kind of Guy,” which takes an unexpected turn down Broadway, feeling more like a powerful rock opera number complete with velvet-glam costumes and colorful stage regalia.
Like a fine wine, where the influences of berries and cinnamon become more prevalent, songs such as “Love’s Not A Competition (But I’m Winning) leave a wonderful aftertaste in your brain that requires additional trips back to the sommelière for additional pours. And after you’ve got a great buzz on, walk the streets while it’s raining to “I Can Do It Without You,” a emotionally complementing tribute to defiance that clashes with realization.
If you’re looking for a crank-it-up song to give fuel to a living-room-dance-off-in-your-whities episode (no, not a fucking Tom Cruise reenactment), look no further than track one, “Ruby,” which has a very sing-along persona. The music video for this track is also quite creative, breaking ground (pun intended) on artistic imagination and filmmaking. Check out the link below to see what I’m talking about. I also predict that “Everyting Is Average Nowadays,” would definitely qualify as a Lipgloss or Popscene dance standard.
“Boxing Champ’s” fluid piano tinkling’s irony shines against a somewhat sorrowful tale, pulling remnants from the Crowded House archive. But that’s just the first 1.3 minutes of the song. If you weren’t paying attention, you’d think the remainder of the track was a new one, as it booms into a drum-riddled bridge that commingles with a very, happy-go-lucky bounce. This is one time where the lyrics feel a bit trite, “Life could be worse/You could be a nurse…you could leave in a Hearst.” Sounds like they broke out their rhyming dictionary for that one.
That one mark aside, Yours Truly, Angry Mob arrives as an early summertime must-have for long drives, outdoor BBQs or sunny day runs in the park. For this gal, it definitely qualifies to take a place on the list of favorites for 2007.
www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk
www.myspace.com/kaiserchiefs
“Ruby” audio streams
WM: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/labels/universalmotown/kaiser_chiefs/audio/ruby.asx
QT: http://boss.streamos.com/qtime/labels/universalmotown/kaiser_chiefs/audio/ruby.mov
Real: http://boss.streamos.com/real/labels/universalmotown/kaiser_chiefs/audio/ruby.ram
“Ruby” video streams
WM: http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/labels/universalmotown/bunique/kaiserchiefs/video/ruby_400.asx
QT: http://boss.streamos.com/qtime/labels/universalmotown/bunique/kaiserchiefs/video/ruby_400.mov
