No. 45: Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs are a rock group from Leeds, England. They have released three albums -- the most recent "Off With Their Heads" in October 2008. I bought this album last year after reading a very positive review in Paste magazine (91 out of 100). I don't think I would recommend it this highly, but it has its moments.

You can read a previous review I wrote on the album here. The album has kind of fallen out my play rotation recently, but I still like some of the tunes. (The jam at the end of "You Want History" is guiltily good.)

I've never seen this band live in person, but I did happen to catch a performance on the Palladia channel recently. I was not very impressed. Their songs fell kind of flat in front of a big crowd, and I fear more of the same from them at Lollapalooza. I probably won't be checking them out. But I could see myself stopping for a quick lesson, hoping to hear a few of their catchy songs that I don't want to admit I enjoy.

Their name comes from a South African soccer club. Does anyone else get a "Almost Famous" vibe from this picture?

Kaiser Chiefs on Myspace

Official site

Kaiser Chiefs, "Off with their Heads"

I bought Kaiser Chiefs' latest album, "Off With Their Heads," a few months back, but didn't listen to it much at first. The songs were catchy and tight, but I didn't think they had much substance.

I recently gave this album another chance, and I've found myself listening to it quite a bit lately. The guitar riffs are catchy, and the keyboards provide nice filler. The lyrics kind of leave something to be desired, but overall, I think it's a pretty "fun" album.

The album is short -- 11 tracks, all under four minutes -- but I don't feel like it's incomplete. The songs don't waste any time or drag. Some of the tracks are pretty lousy ("Half the Truth" and the incredibly annoying "Addicted to Drugs," especially), and there are a couple out-of-place guest appearances (Lily Allen and some rapper named Sway DaSafo), but I think the first six tracks (especially "Like it too much" and "You Want History") are worth giving the album a listen.

I'm interested to hear Claptrapped's British band expert, Kolmin's opinion of this record. I don't know if I'll like this album a few months from now, or if I'll shake my head at the fact that I ever listened to it.