Yahoo! Music Review

Released on 25/02/07
Label: Universal

Credibility, they say, is like virginity: once you lose it, you can never get it back. How true that is with Kaiser Chiefs, once the bright-eyed, Ever Ready Bunny of indie bands, brimful of cheery wit and boundless energy. Think back to the simple qualities that formed the core of their appeal - Ricky Wilson's ability to leap ten feet in the air while screaming "woaaaaah", their cheeky confidence and unstoppable charm. That sense that they were really having fun up there - that, like all the best everyman bands, they were the crowd running amok in the spotlight.

Alas, it seems success has ruined them. While "Employment" was bright, endearing and charged with its own sparky momentum, "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" sounds tired and calculated. The melodies feel functional at best, surprisingly charmless affairs that push all the right buttons with little passion or joy, while the lyrics are that depressing rock cliché: woe-is-me deliberations on the pressures of fame. If "Employment" leap-frogged "Leisure" to get directly to the magnificence of "Modern Life Is Rubbish", then "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" pulls off the self same trick - skipping "Parklife" to go straight to "The Great Escape".

Probably the worst offender, the song that single-handedly punctures the goodwill the band accumulated with their first album, is "Thank You Very Much". To a tune that clenches its teeth while attempting to appear chirpy, Wilson relates an astonishingly patronising account of the pain of dealing with adoring fans. "Thank you very much / It's really nice to know / That you enjoyed the show / And I want you to know when to go." Oh, pay my wages, leave me alone. "This should be a thrill", Wilson moans, "but it feels like a drill". It's a concept that stays with you for the remainder of the album.

And so it goes on. "The Angry Mob" is a holier-than-thou rumination on the common folk - "We read the papers every day / We like who we like / We hate who we hate / But we're also easily swayed" - that leaves a sour taste in the mouth. "Learn My Lesson Well" sees Wilson in a moment of self-realisation - "What are you moaning for? / You got all that you want / Life could be worse" - but still concludes - "I can't help being like this". To cap it all, "Retirement", sees Wilson aching to be released from this torment. "I want to get by without the man on my back", he sighs.

Ho hum. There are moments when they recapture their old glory. "Highroyds" is a brilliant echo of "I Predict A Riot", while the slower, tender likes of "Love's Not A Competition (But I'm Winning)", "I Can Do It Without You" and "Boxing Champ" (sung by drummer Nick Hodgson), display some simple, touching, heart and soul. But for the most part, "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" sees the band who once sought employment begging for retirement. They were looking for a job and then they found a job. Heaven knows they're miserable now.

    by Ian Watson