New wave for holiday dance floors
Looking to cut out the marketable crap that saturates the airwaves and shopping mall speakers this season? The Kaiser Chiefs’ latest release “Off With Their Heads” rocks so hard, it is the perfect cure for your musical holiday blues.
While the British post-punkers’ earlier releases front with a significantly harder edge, “Off With Their Heads” draws it’s strength from the thoughtful vocal harmonies, bearing a Dandy Warhol-ish quality.
Looking to cut out the marketable crap that saturates the airwaves and shopping mall speakers this season? The Kaiser Chiefs’ latest release “Off With Their Heads” rocks so hard, it is the perfect cure for your musical holiday blues.
While the British post-punkers’ earlier releases front with a significantly harder edge, “Off With Their Heads” draws it’s strength from the thoughtful vocal harmonies, bearing a Dandy Warhol-ish quality. Ricky Wilson’s vocals show a striking resemblance to fellow countryman Kele Okereke of Bloc Party fame.
Equally rockin’, equally harmonious, the Kaiser Chiefs boasts a palette of timbres ranging from strings and hand percussion to vibraphones and synthesizers.
From start to finish, the album screams Clash, Kinks, and new wave punk in general. While some harder bopping, slower-rocking tunes like “Like It Too Much” might be a little happy for some, it does add a nice contrast to the grand scheme of the album. “You Want History,” features fun electronic saw effects and fist-pumping lyrics: (“Don’t stop moving/You mustn’t stop moving/You can’t stop moving/You must join in”). Songs like “Half The Truth” and “Never Miss A Beat” are epic enough to find their way from the headphones and stereos to a Richmond dance party near you.
Grade: B
Download (don’t steal): “Spanish Metal” by the Kaiser Chiefs.
