Infantilizing punk rock is a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. Enter the Kaiser Chiefs, the sprightly Brit-rock quintet from Leeds, England who are currently preparing for their official indie unveiling at SXSW and, in turn, the yet-unconquered Americas. Live, they put on a mean show, all spastic and full of shouting, jumping, strutting, kicking, jumping on drum kits, and all manner of delinquency. It's a whole lot of fun, though I remember more of the antics and less of the music, which is why I was curious to hear how their sound translated to recorded album.
Whoever is in charge of synths in this band is clinically insane (Nick Baines, I'm talking to you). Shrill and insistent, mixed front and center, they dominate the album from the first bar of "Everyday I Love You Less and Less," the band's insistent ode to failed attraction. They later re-emerge organ-style for "I Predict A Riot," Employment's most irresistible track with a killer guitar hook, this year's best thus far. Here the Kaisers' formula gels perfectly, urgent chorus calling out to that demented organ, drums leading the way into verse-chorus-verse. It's black magic, a peak the band never again quite reaches.
Dynamics are mostly up for grabs on Employment, which finds the band in the precarious situation of seeming alternately charming and strikingly discordant. Recent single "Oh My God" takes the band's cherubic energy to its logical endpoint, its sing-songy verses and jocular chord progressions fighting for space against an overzealous casiotone. There's not much room to breathe, and Ricky Wilson's somewhat underwhelming yelping of "I've never been this far away from home" can't help but feel wan when flanked by jagged power chords. But subtlety is not entirely lost on the Kaisers; "You Can Have It All" is a surprisingly tender ballad and proof that the band can take itself seriously and still shine.
The Kaiser Chiefs aren't exactly moving the game forward; unabashed revivalists are what they are, and Employment feels more like a patchwork collage of past Brit-rock stardom (The Clash, Blur, Brian Eno) than a fully-formed statement of their own. But maybe that's missing the point. When a band has this much fun and crackles with this much energy, you don't ask questions. You put away your left-field IDM and shoegazer imports, and you dance. Feels good, right?
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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