kaiserchiefs-yourstrulyangrymob music reviews Virgin Media
What is it about the press habitually slagging off its own? After its football team, when it came to music, many of the nation's hacks seemed to enjoy giving the Kaiser Chiefs a good kicking in 2006. The reason? It could only be a mixture things - discomfort at "one of their own" selling 3 million copies of debut album Employment; an inverted snobbery at them becoming popular amongst the riff raff; and a ridiculous dislike of the band's ambition to be big, all the while branding them small-time indie.
Meanwhile, the rest of us basked in the fun of listening to their classic debut Employment and soaking up the energy of their live shows. The Kaiser Chiefs were a pop band that sounded a bit like Blur with a northern sense of humour, all storming sing-a-long choruses and wry observations on life in Leeds. And after years of toiling in previous incarnation Parva, the five-piece seized their moment when singles like Oh My God and I Predict A Riot became enormous hits, culminating in a triumphant appearance at Glastonbury and the garnering of three BRITs.
So you feel for the Chiefs with this second album. The knives are sure to be sharpening once again, especially now that latest single Ruby has hit number one - how dare they do so well?! What's more, with Yours Truly, Angry Mob, the Kaisers have not "done a Killers" or "a Razorlight" and tried to be Springsteen or anything they are clearly not. Producer Stephen Street is back to oversee more business-as-usual pop gems. Confident and cocksure, the big choruses and bounce-along stomps are all in evidence once more (see Ruby and The Angry Mob) while lyrically, you'll find rants with the humour you've come to expect.
However, it's the lighter, more sensitive touches that take this sophomore effort beyond Employment and give the album an extra depth. Learnt My Lesson Well surprises with a sweet harmonised chorus, Love's Not A Competition (But I'm Winning)'s acoustic pop is genuinely touching while Try Your Best builds from a melancholic keyboard lament into something of a prog-rock wig out (with a cheeky Hendrix steal at its climax). Elsewhere, Everything Is Average Nowadays, Thank You Very Much and Highroyds look set to be this year's Na Na Na Na Na-like live favourites.
Of course, you can predict the riot of criticism coming their way, merely by dint of making another record. Nevertheless, by sticking to their guns, Kaiser Chiefs have delivered the next instalment in their journey towards becoming not only huge (and proud of it), but also a bona fide classic English pop band. Good on 'em.
