Kaiser Chiefs - "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" Era

[joker]

The Chiefs held off Arcade Fire to take the #1 spot on the UK album chart for a 2nd week.

[jaxxalude]

NME

Kaiser Chiefs writing album three already
Plus band get ready for north American tour

Kaiser Chiefs have unveiled details of a fans-only album.

The Leeds five-piece, who only recently released their second album 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob', say they have enough material left over for a third LP and it could be out as soon as next month.

"When we recorded this album ('Yours Truly, Angry Mob') we recorded more songs for a third album," said bassist Simon Rix. "It's done and we'd like to release it in April. It will be a fans-only album and we'll probably release it on our own label."

He also revealed that the band are keen to get cracking on their next record as soon as possible.

Rix told MTV: "It can get frustrating waiting between releases. We wrote 'Employment' and then we didn't record for another two years. We'd prefer to start writing our next (major) album soon.

"Bands in the Sixties used to bang albums out and that's what we want to do."

The band are also set to hit the road for the NME Presents Kaiser Chiefs tour in north America next month.

They will play:

Philadelphia Electric Factory (April 6)
Washington 9:30 Club (7)
Boston Avalon Ballroom (9)
New York Roseland Ballroom (12)
Montreal Spectrum (17)
Toronto Kool Haus (18)
Chicago Vic Theatre (20)
Minneapolis Trocaderos (21)
Vancouver Commodore Ballroom (24)
Seattle Showbox Theatre (25)
Portland Crystal Ballroom (26)
San Francisco Warfield Theatre (27)

The Walkmen will play the whole tour as special guests, while Annuals will open from the Philadelphia to Toronto dates, with The Little Ones playing the remaining shows.

[joker]

The Guardian review

Kaiser Chiefs
Yours Truly, Angry Mob


by: Caroline Sullivan

Dismissed by Liam Gallagher as a "bad Blur", the Kaiser Chiefs are more accurately a brainier Oasis, producing songs that double as terrace chants and articulate pop tunes. There's a baker's dozen of them on the follow-up to their 2.8m-selling debut Employment, nearly all jostling to be singles: call this album their application for recognition as one of the decade's major UK bands.

First single "Ruby", which played on last Sunday's Match of the Day, is the odd one out, in as much as it's a straightforward love song. The rest masterfully hone the Kaisers' formula of recounting what they saw while out last night. (You can almost see Ricky Wilson mournfully shaking his head as he intones: "Standing outside a nightclub in the snow/ It's not very cool or impressive.") It's not rocket science, but it's very clever. This year, that riot they predicted in 2005 will centre on them.

[oscillations.]

There's a lot of Pulp & Blur in the Chiefs' sound, but with parentage of that caliber, you can't help but love the offspring.

I'm happy to see them about to break Top 20 on US Modern Rock.

[joker]

They will be on Late Night w/Conan O'Brien on Thursday, April 5th.

Meanwhile, on the UK charts this week, "Ruby" fell 3-6, and the album dropped 1-6 after two weeks on top.

[Hook]

I think I'll be getting this CD. It's only $8 at Target, so why not? I'm loving "Ruby."

[oscillations.]

RUBY, RUBY, RUBY, RUBY!!!

I hear this song every 5 minutes. Then again, I only listen to British radio now, so that helps explain it.

[joker]

Kaiser Chiefs Don’t Think Orson Are Worthy (ChartAttack)

[joker]

Aversion review

Yours Truly, Angry Mob
Kaiser Chiefs
B-Unique/Universal Motown Records



Every fun-loving band has a serious side buried somewhere. The Killers pulled a complete makeover, attempting to change from Duran Duran-worshipping doofuses to self-righteous Springsteen-slinging troubadours. Perhaps not learning from others' mistakes, Britain's Kaiser Chiefs return with a sophomore effort which attempts to bridge the gap from party-band vigor to wizened songwriters on Yours Truly, Angry Mob. It's a lot easier to swallow the Kaisers' image overhaul.

That's because bridging the gap from point A (Jam and Specials influenced party-rock) to point B (a drab twist on Blur and Smiths esque Britpop), isn't quite the gap that we may have been led to believe. Where The Kaiser Chiefs could survive almost solely on hyperactive energy, a host of new wave influences and gate-crashing vigor, Yours Truly backs off the throttle to let the outfit wax philosophical. And while that's not entirely new for the Chiefs (remember "I Predict a Riot" and "Saturday Night?"), the five-piece is all business on this effort.

That's not quite as drab as it sounds, but anyone looking for the adrenaline and Pixie Stix rush of Employment (2005, B-Unique) is bound to leave feeling a little shortchanged. "Ruby" opens the album with the same sugar-tooth melodies and buzzing guitars that made Employment happen, as singer Ricky Wilson shows us he has at least one last sing-along in him. After that, though, the All Mod Cons flair dissolves, leaving the Kaisers stuck in a limbo between rousing pop anthems and buttoned-down adult rock. "Highroyds" and "Everything is Average Nowadays" pose as big-guitar pop nuggets, only vaguely clever observations about youth culture push out the huge hooks. The title of "Love's Not a Competition (But I'm Winning)" suggests the cheeky bravado of Employment, but the band instead delivers an acoustic-pop trip to couple's therapy. "Heat Dies Down" is a somber look at fame through the eyes of the famous -- and comes off sounding just as egocentric as it sounds, and "My Kind of Guy" seems more infatuated with classic-rock riffs than the easygoing pop of the Kaisers' earlier days.

Settling into Yours Truly, Angry Mob might be a bit of a surprise, and it's no match for the band's debut, but it's not a total loss. The Kaiser Chiefs are growing up, looking inward and moving on -- Yours Truly is its awkward adolescent stage. It's still enjoyable -- if not exactly lovable. Here's to growing up -- and going all the way with it. We'll be looking forward to your next album, Kaisers.

[joker]

Monsters and Critics review

If your previous album was a slow-burning success story, it can be hard to be expected to hit the ground running on the follow-up. Fortunately, the Kaiser Chiefs have done just that on the fantastically titled Yours Truly, Angry Mob. Like Employment, their debut and this album's predecessor, Yours Truly... is full of radio-friendly, hook-ridden tunes that mask cunningly subversive lyrics.

(more at link)

[joker]

BANKER CHIEFS
Kaiser Chiefs release single with familiar theme. Hmmm...

Leeds-based plump gets Kaiser Chiefs are all set to release the second single from their much derided but commercially successful 'Yours Truly Angry Mob', the When The Whistle Blows of indie rock albums. You're 'avin' a laugh etc..

Though the Chefs are nothing at all like Blur, they're about to bring out 'Everything Is Average Nowadays' on May 21st, which title-wise is nothing at all like 'Modern Life Is Rubbish'. Oh no it isn't.

"It's too easy to pin Britpop on us," Ricky Wilson once said to PlayLouder during a telephone interview. As if we'd accuse them of something like that strike a light love a duck.

B-sides on the new single will be called 'Be Here Cow' and 'Toffee and TB'. Only kidding wiv ya. The real titles are 'Out Of My Depth' and 'I Like To Fight', which you don't want to attempt concurrently.

[joker]

PopMatters review

Washington Times review

Rocky Mountain News quick review

[oscillations.]

I'm buying it, despite the mixed reaction. I've heard about half the record, and I like what I've encountered enough to buy the whole thing. The Ruby b-sides are really good, too.

[oscillations.]

I've always loved this picture of them. It just sums up everything I enjoy about British lad rock.

[areyoureadytojump]

Out today in stores.

[joker]

Looks like the first-week numbers will be close to 30k, according to the HITS thread:

Casablanca/Universal Republic’s Mika, another U.K. star seeking cross-oceanic success, will debut with around 30k, followed by Universal Motown’s Kaiser Chiefs, yet one more neo-British Invasion critical fave looking to make inroads with stateside rock fans.

That would put them in the #20-25 range next week, if the overall sales numbers are similar to this week's chart.

[oscillations.]

Good news!

[joker]

The Chief Problem? The same old

The Kaiser Chiefs formed in Leeds, England, in 2003.Their debut album, Employment, released in 2005, was hailed by the music press as the savior of British rock, and in many ways, that assessment was correct. Songs such as "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" and "I Predict a Riot" were loud, vibrant, witty, and fresh. It was a new sound for a new millennium, and the combination of clever songwriting and fervent guitar-playing made Employment a modern indie classic.

Unfortunately, the sophomore slump has afflicted one more neo-new-wave band, just as it did with the Killers and Franz Ferdinand. Don't be misguided; there are certainly many great songs on Yours Truly, Angry Mob. It's just that the album lacks the vitality and originality of its predecessor.

The Chiefs' trademark theatrical, tense, and passionate style is still present. So are the band's main inspirations: '60s Brit-pop, '70s punk, and '80s new wave. But Yours Truly, Angry Mob differs in many ways from Employment. For starters, it is much more rock-oriented than the Chiefs' electro/indie debut.

Perhaps the greatest difference, however, is in the lyrics. While Employment was all about rejecting the status quo and rebelling against "the man," Yours Truly tries to hide from him. The Chiefs' lyrics are more pessimistic, and the new formula works quite well for a few songs - after a while, though, the songs become too depressing for their own good and the excessive cynicism leaves the listener feeling hopeless rather than energized.

Despite this setback, Yours Truly is a great time capsule album. Just like the Clash's debut in 1977 and Blur's Modern Life is Rubbish in 1993, the Kaiser Chiefs have captured life in England in their own era.

This album is about being young, bored, idealistic, and anxious, as if the Chiefs are all dressed up with no place to go. This is the album to listen to after spending hours getting ready to go out on a Saturday night, only to end up staying home anyway.

By far, the overriding theme of Yours Truly is frustration and disillusionment with fame. Employment sold over 3 million copies worldwide and was one of the most successful debut albums of the 21st century, but now the Chiefs are jaded by their success.

Much of the album reflects their conflicting desires: they want to leave the spotlight, but they also want to be recognized for doing so. "Thank You Very Much," for example, is about an obsessive fan who corners vocalist Ricky Wilson after a show. "Learnt My Lesson Well" reveals the Chiefs' self-loathing in the wake of their sudden fame. In "Retirement," Wilson wishes he could have invented something practical so that he could give up music and live a life of comfort and solitude.

Still, the Chiefs are unlikely to garner sympathy from their fans for being too famous. Unsurprisingly, the best moments on the album come when the band stops being so serious and self-pitying and starts to have fun again. Lead single "Ruby" is energetic and catchy, while the riot-inducing fervor of the final two minutes of "Angry Mob" is perhaps the greatest moment of the album.

The Kaiser Chiefs' refusal to accept fame lightly could propel them to make relevant music for years to come - the worst thing to happen to a young band is financial stability, which almost always brings complacency and mediocrity. Judging by Yours Truly, Angry Mob, the Chiefs are far from that point.

[joker]

Jam! Showbiz Review

[reception]

Reviewed by Ken Barnes
USA Today

Kaiser Chiefs, Yours Truly, Angry Mob: (* * * 1/2 out of four) Leeds the way for U.K. rock

When a rock band is as confident and on top of its game as Leeds, U.K.’s Kaiser Chiefs, you can’t help but get swept up in their sheer exuberance. Everything’s in place on this second album: rousing riffs, catchy tunes and witty portraits of British culture. The range is from superior to superb on one of the few new albums you can safely certify as filler-free.

[oscillations.]

Hits is pointing towards a #48 debut with 17k+ sold

I expected more & I hope BB reports more favorably.
This week's chart (sans Amy) is a disappointment in general. What the hell is going on?

[joker]

Disappointing, I was hoping for closer to 30k...... hopefully that total will go up in tomorrow's figures.

[vance169]

Disappointed in Kaisers numbers but Ruby has not found life at radio or on downloads yet. Kinda hard for a CD to take off.

[areyoureadytojump]

Billboard:

Kaiser Chiefs' "Yours Truly, Angry Mob" (Universal/Polydor, No. 45, 17,000).

[Felicia]

'Everything Is Average Nowadays' is C-listed on Radio 1.

[Chromeozone]

I hope/expect Heat Dies Down to be a single at some time. It's currently the album track that stands out the most to me.

[oscillations.]

#47 debut with 17,000



Seems like it trended downwards after those initial first-day #s last week.
That sucks.

I confess I haven't bought it yet. But I probably will within the week.

[oscillations.]

Hot Conan performance!

[roentgenizdat]

04/14: NEW 45 KAISER CHIEFS YOURS TRULY ANGRY MOB 17,495 38777.8% 45 17,558

[roentgenizdat]

04/21: 45 123 KAISER CHIEFS YOURS TRULY ANGRY MOB 8,872 -49.3% 17,495 26,430