Album Review 2: Kaiser Chiefs – ‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob’

By S.P. MacIntyre Apr 6, 2007, 8:38 GMT

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. The Kaiser Chiefs are very much a Britpop band, ...more

Leave it to the British to produce a damn fine pop-album.  ‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob’ is the sophomore effort by English quintet The Kaiser Chiefs and proves once again that variations on the classical Rondo form are still a staple of contemporary rock music.

With interesting guitar riffs, basslines that refuse to be barely audible, and subtle but forceful drums, this album is reminiscent of the less fluidic early-seventies rock and the brit-pop of the mid-nineties.  This latter part makes sense considering the production contributions of Stephen Street, the man that essentially bore brit-pop into the limeylight…er…limelight. 

In all seriousness, though, ‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob’ is a fun and entertaining album, listenable from start to finish or even on shuffle.  There’s a range of tunes from the powerful and driving “Highroyds” (that reminds me of that one Shins song I can never remember the name of) to the lovely “Learnt My Lesson Well” to the benignly quirky “My Kind Of Guy.” 

The track “The Angry Mob” sounds like it would be a blast to hear in concert, especially during the part where it breaks into a pseudo-march, and tracks like “Thank You Very Much” really flaunt how well this album is put together.

The Kaiser Chiefs are clearly derivative, but they are in a way that isn’t boring and doesn’t make you wish to run back to Blur or the Beatles.  While this album doesn’t rocket itself to a personal top ten, even a top fifty, it’s an enjoyable listen and well worth the purchase. 

‘Yours Truly, Angry Mob’ is now available at Amazon. Visit the music database for more information and a complete track listing.