Review:

on 2009-01-20 kennyscheldt Said:

The Kaiser Chiefs have taken a bit too much heat for hiring UK hitmaker Mark Ronson(Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen) to produce the band's third studio album Off With Their Heads. Hailing from Leeds, England, the Chiefs consist of vocalist Ricky Wilson, guitarist Andrew 'Whitey' White, bassist Simon Rix, keyboardist Nick 'Peanut' Baines, and drummer Nick Hodgson. (They were named after the South African soccer team, the Kaizer Chiefs).

While Off With Their Heads is a move toward a bit more studio gloss, reports by some critics that their vocals are sounding closer to Chumbawamba on songs like "Like It Too Much" are unwarranted. This is by far their most ambitious release yet utilizing bells, string sections, and out of time delays. Sure, the album has less distorto guitar than previous releases but only to leave room for new sounds and ideas to come about. Sometimes sloppy phrases you might have heard on hits like "Na Na Na Na Naa"have been replaced by a tight, more focused production.

Singer Ricky Wilson takes the listener to his usual "Lyrics With Attitude 101" course, a class that many American bands should consider attending (I won't name bands). Lines like "I will not lie to you/But I definitely only gave you half the truth," from the song "Half the Truth," and "Follow the underdog/Hold on his collar tight/This city loves a scrap/One day it's gonna bite," from "Good Days Bad Days," provide the lyrical gunpowder to make these catchy melodies pop, while also keeping them from drifting toward that dreaded "pop."

Get this record.
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