Kaiser Chiefs, Innovators?!

My band when I was 13 were Kaiser Chiefs. My first gig ever was Kaiser Chiefs at Wolverhampton Civic Hall. Unfortunately, I am not 13 anymore, and therefore do not hear them with such excitement; indeed, the vague attachment to them I still feel is tempered with shame, because of the misery I put friends through with this Ricky quote and that Ricky quote, and because of their abomination of a filler track, 'Tomato in the Rain'.



Mostly, Kaiser Chiefs have not survived the test of time in my record collection because everybody rejects the thing they loved after a violently obsessive phase; it becomes tied to one's past flaws. But also, the lyrics. Four albums in and they seem to have forgotten why songwriters who aren't natural poets use rhyme - because it feels like they've at least tried. Here is a sample of a lyric from this album:

"Bless my heart and everything will be explained
In the diaries especially the latter part
I’ll be a somebody, I found an empty glass today at home
Give me ability turn up the pedal away from his hand"

What?

I may not be impressed by the words, but The Chiefs have at least done something innovative fourth time round: follow the link below, and you can create your own makeshift album from twenty songs they've recorded. But are B-sides B-sides for a reason? Doesn't it take all the craftsmanship out of an album? It's a novel idea, anyway.

Go and hear the tracks.