Kaiser Chiefs have sold millions of records. If you're reading this from the U.S., you might not realize that, even though the group has moved a relatively impressive number of albums in America as well. Stuff that sounds this British usually winds up in the "cult" file over here though, and the Kaisers have been no exception. Off With Their Heads is the Leeds quintet's third LP, and although it isn't poised to break the UK group out of Keane/Snow Patrol territory-- let alone Coldplay or Gorillaz-- it recaptures some of the ebullience of their 2005 debut, Employment, after the darker cynicism of the follow-up, Yours Truly, Angry Mob.
Their latest approach to winning converts appears to be to make music so ridiculous that you at least have to notice it. Opener "Spanish Metal" cuts right to the chase in its first few bars, a hard-rock guitar-and-organ riffs that's so over the top it has to be tongue in cheek. It really is ludicrous, but it's fun, too, and the band balances it with a good verse where the guitars drop out, leaving just the drums, bass, and harmony vocals. There's even finger-tapping toward the end. The other song that most embodies this irresistible ridiculousness is "Addicted to Drugs", whose title refrain, alas, isn't sung to the tune of Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love", even though it seems clear they had the song in mind. Instead, the discofied chorus, blue-eyed soul backing vocals, and genuinely funny lyrics practically force you to enjoy it. Yes, there's cowbell.
Vocalist Ricky Wilson seems to be having more fun this time out, as on the New Wave-y "Half the Truth", which actually has two choruses, the second of which is the punchline: "I will not lie to you, but I'll definitely only give you half the truth." I have no idea what they were thinking bringing in Sway DaSafo to rap a verse, but it doesn't work. The other noticeable guest is Lily Allen, who's in on backing vocals on two songs, including single "Never Miss a Beat", which seems to be a criticism of anti-intellectualism with its repeats of "it's cool to know nothing." The most notable song, though, might actually be closer "Remember You're a Girl", which finds the band in new territory with its quiet, minor-key melody and understated backing from the band. It's so divorced from the rest of the record that it almost sounds like a different group snuck their song onto the album. That's not great for continuity, but it is a nice reprieve from the constant harmonies and blasting guitars that make some of the less exceptional songs bleed together.
In the end, Kaiser Chiefs are a band of anthems, and this album offers a few clues that they're capable of doing other things when they wish to-- it doesn't seem like an accident that they're named for a soccer club, given the terrace-like audience their songs are built for. It's not all great-- "You Want History" can't overcome rhyming "mystery" with "history" or its leaden coda, for example-- but it is at least as good as their debut, if not just a tick better for its relative dynamic and tonal variety.
