Customer Reviews

Employment

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Kaiser Chiefs hail from Leeds but named themselves after a soccer team in South Africa. After a commercially under-the-radar but critically acclaimed debut single last Spring, Kaiser Chiefs became a hot commodity, leading to the UK breakout single "I Predict a Riot" last Fall.

"Employment" (12 tracks, 44 min.) starts off with a British humor-bursting "Everyday I Love You Less and Less", with the music just as irreverent and fun. "I Predict a Riot" is the monster track on this album, insanely catchy (similar in spirit to Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" on its debut album). I'm just afraid that eventually this will cross play onto US mainstream radio and it'll get played to death (again, see "Take Me Out"). The first half of the album is near perfect: "Modern Way", "Na Na Na Na Naa" and "Oh My God" are all irresitable (the latter being that obscure debut single, but it's being re-released in the UK). The second half is not as strong, but still quite strong, in particular "Saturday Night", the lite-reggae "What Did I Ever Give You", and the 60s-Kinks sounding "Time Honoured Tradition".

It's not like the Kaiser Chiefs have come up with a new or unique sound, but "Employment" is a fun album with lots of catchy songs, very much like Franz Ferdinand did a year ago. The UK music scene is brimming with good new bands (the Futureheads, Kasabian, Bloc Party, etc.) and Kaiser Chiefs stand proudly at the head of that group. Highly recommended!

Kaiser Chiefs join the ranks of other nu-wave bands of the moment, and I, for one, can't get enough of this revival. It's challenging to place Kaiser Chiefs influences, but The Clash, Talking Heads, The Cars, and other new wave bands of yore come to my mind.

The band put a great deal of energy into "Employment", their debut album, and the lyrics are full of wry wit. However, in the end, it's the music that's a slight letdown. For some reason, listening to this album all the way through is repetitive. The band does differentiate each track, but the album as a whole has a very homogenous sound, which to me, became a little tiresome, thus the four star rating. Still, this is a great debut, and there are several songs to enjoy such as "Everyday I Love You Less And Less", "I Predict A Riot", "Modern Way", "Saturday Night" and "Time Honoured Tradition". The rest of the selections are strong, but not as memorable.

So, if you're looking for something else to listen to while you take a break from The Killers, Interpol, The Music, The Bravery, Keane, Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay, The Postal Service, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Louis XIV, Gwen Stefani, Bloc Party, Caesars, The Futureheads or Duran Duran, then check out "Employment" by Kaiser Chiefs.

Kaiser Chiefs have been building a dedicated fanbase for quite some
time now, with the release of their single, 'Oh My God' increasing it
even more so after recieving rave reviews from magazines such as NME.
The single was a very big accomplishment, and it deserved the reviews
it received as it felt very lively and energetic. It was clear to see
that Kaiser Chiefs had the energy in hand to be one of the most
memorable bands of the year if the album could follow on the
excitement on the single, 'Oh My God.'

Kaiser Chiefs first album, Employment, kicks off with the song,
'Everyday I Love You Less And Less', which could easily be an
attainable single, following the format the band followed with 'Oh My
God' with a display of fun lyrics and a catchy chorus. The lyrics may
be too simplistic at times, but the Kaiser Chiefs are not aiming for
complexity here. They aim for fun and this is what they achieve.
Wilson fun little chants such as, "Everyday I love you less and less,
it makes me sick to think of you undressed," continue throughout the
album in a somewhat repetitive fashion.

The second song on the album, 'I Predict A Riot' will most likely be
known as Kaiser Chiefs most popular song, as vocalist Ricky Wilson
sounds superb while he bounces off yet another song with a great and
hooking chorus. As simple as it may be, it works great for the band.
But instead of making an album where every song attempts to be a
generic single, the Kaiser Chiefs moved on to a more different
sounding territory with most further tracks.

'Modern Way' starts paving the way for the band showing that they
don't want every song to sound repetitive. After two explosive songs,
Wilson sings with a more hush-hush fashion, and he is successful in
doing so. 'Modern Way' is probably the best track on this album, and
it's a song that's not to be missed.

The album does have its blunder with the incredibly annoying 'Na Na Na
Na Naa' turning up into a disaster of a song. This is badly placed as
the fifth track, disrupting the flow, but luckily the Kaiser Chiefs
regain their ground with the enigmatic 'You Can Have It All' and 'Born
To Be A Dancer.' Both tracks are extremely catchy and again show that
the Kaiser Chiefs still have it in their debut of an album. As I've
already talked about the song 'Oh My God' earlier this is stationed in
between these two tracks as well, and it makes its way as the Kaiser
Chief's anthem-type of a track that has you nodding your head to the
beat. A great single, as I stated before.

'Saturday Night' may turn some off, as the Kaiser Chief's take a step
into a new direction but I personally find the song a breath of fresh
air as it's the only song on the album that cannot really be compared
with any others on the album. The album continues to finish off strong
with the creative 'Caroline, Yes' and the lush ending ballad of 'Team
Mate' as the album fades into the end.

Overall, the Kaiser Chiefs have a solid winner in their debut album.
Employment provides a welcoming sound with a bunch of stellar tracks.
One would think with songs such as 'Oh My God' and 'I Predict A Riot'
that most of the tracks would be fillers. That is far out of the
question. Though at first the Kaiser Chiefs will sound like any old
indie rock band, the songs grow on you tremendously. The Kaiser Chiefs
turn out one of the most fun records of the year in their debut, and
it's not to be missed.

I was first introduced to the Kaiser Chiefs through the recommendation of some people overseas, though I was reluctant to bother. I fell in love the moment I heard I Predict a Riot, Wrecking Ball and Take my Temperature. For weeks I anticipated their album hitting the shelves, and I was not left disappointed. Listening to Employment leaves a smile on your face from start to finish, and as opposed to sticking to the same sounding songs, the men of this group go out of their way to make everything unique while still staying true to themselves. You will not be dissappointed by a single track and I guarantee you'll soon wear out your copy of the CD.

I purchased this album after hearing "I Predict a Riot" a couple times and "Oh My God" maybe once. I was hoping to find a collection of songs that were in the quirky vein of Franz Ferdinand, but with a slightly harder edge. Employment delivers that and more. Certainly, as other reviewers have pointed out, "I Predict a Riot" and "Oh My God" are the two best songs on the album. But I would disagree that the rest of the songs are simply filler. Every album is going to have a few tracks that are stronger than the rest. The challenge to any band is making the whole album interesting enough to to make you want to listen to it all the way through.

Each of the tracks on this album has a very accessible hook to it that will have you singing along and banging on the steering wheel in no time. Even some of the slower songs have gritty guitar riffs and tempo changes interwoven to prevent you from falling into the power ballad coma. But the whole album is a slight side trip from the cookie cutter music that we're spoon fed on commercial radio. Instead of staying on the mainstream music expressway, this is a really enjoyable drive down a salty side street not travelled by the everyday listener.

Comparisons to other artists will always be made and, in many cases, will be accurate. Maybe they're the next Beatles, maybe not. Being a Beatles fan, I highly doubt it. What it really comes down to as an everyday consumer and music fan is: "Is this album going to be fun to listen to?" To that, I would say, resoundingly, "Yes".

So why not a whole five stars? I would've liked to hear a couple more uptempo songs like "I Predict a Riot".

Either way, they're going to be a mainstay on my digital music player and many other people stuck in traffic with me will be exposed to the Kaiser Chiefs.

Everything's unique about The Kaiser Chiefs. From their carefree pump-fisting social commentary of I Predict A Riot to the brooding self-flagellation of What Did I Ever Give You?, you can't help but enjoy Employment. Are they like the Zutons, Killers, or Franz Ferdinand? A little of all three, I suppose.

I just saw them live on the day of the CD release(3/15) here in Atlanta and, suffice it to say, Ricky Nelson just plain brought it on lead vocals as did the rest of the band mates - especially with the incredibly ebullient encore of Oh My God. If given the opportunity, check them out live. This week's Rolling Stone lists them as one of 10 Artists to Watch. And for good reason. Good stuff. Enjoy.

This is the best rock album I've heard in a couple of years. I'm jaded, 41 and can remember the days of seeing triple bills of Minutemen, Meatpuppets and Husker Du. This album is the jolt I needed to make me think that rock has a future. It rocks. It's got catchy melodies. It ain't wussy. I want all my friends to hear it.

I'm giving this four and half, but its closer to 5 then 4 so I gave it a five. Anyone who buys this album and expects it to immediately be as accessible as "I Predict a Riot", be warned. Although the majority of the tracks are excellent, they're not as catchy or instantly grab you as that song. That said, I really enjoy this album. It's a lot of fun to listen to, Ricky Wilson has a wonderful British singing voice and he knows how to use it well. Yes, I Predict A Riot and Oh My God are the two catchiest songs on here and they're great, but my favorite would have to be "Caroline, Yes". It's a much more down tempo song, but it's excellent. It's so hard to find a good down-tempo, slow song, and this one is much better than good. The only song I don't like that much is What Did I Ever Give You. But other than that, I truly enjoy every track on this CD very much and any fan of rock or good music should like this. GO BUY IT!

Sorry but despite all the hype which usually ruins the experience for me, I find the Kaiser Chiefs debut album to be one of the most enjoyable cd's I've heard in quite some time. What's not to like? Britpop meets garage with big guitars, huge sing along choruses, cheeky, and clever but not too serious lyrics, and that peculiar '80's synth sound. Mix it all together with great melodies, vocal harmonies (courtesy of drummer Nick Hodgson) and Kinks-like song structure twists and you've got one of the most fun and unabashedly joyful recordings of the past several years. I don't care if they're not reinventing the wheel, they're simply too much fun to worry about such things.
Here's the proof of the pudding: while driving back from Florida to DC at 12 am I was listening to Funeral by Arcade Fire, whom I like very much but they're not energetic enough when you're starting to nod out on the highway. So I put Employment in my cd player and the next thing I knew I was singing along and pounding on my steering wheel, wide awake. They give me the same feeling as The Specials, Buzzcocks and early Blur did. 'Nuff said.

I was extremely excited when I saw this band perform the awesomely power packed single "I predict a riot" for the very first time on a direct tv show called "CD USA" a few months ago.I found them to be rather entertaining and appealing,not to mention the fact that in wild frontman Ricky Wilson the band has a force to be reckoned with.And so the next day,I listened to the samples of the album right here on amazon only to find myself purchasing it a few minutes later.And boy,am I glad I did!
Bottom line is:If you like your music to be melodic,groovy,bombastic and fun driven,this is definitely an album you won't want to miss.Besides a couple of ballads on it(which are also pretty good),everything else on employment will pretty much rock your socks off,and if you think about it,that's all we want from a good rock&roll record,right?just do yourself a favor and get these bloody brits album!.I would also like to recommend the following albums which you may wanna check out just in case you haven't bought them yet:
Funeral - arcade fire
American idiot - green day
Silent alarm - block party
Demons days - gorillaz
We shall overcome...the seeger sessions - bruce springsteen
Oral fixation 2 - shakira
Mesmerize - system of a down
X&Y - coldplay