Record Reviews
Kaiser ChiefsYours Truly, Angry Mob (Universal Motown)The nervy, tightly wound dorkiness that made the Kaiser Chiefs' 2005 debut CD, Employment, so accessible and fun has now developed a thick skin and a cynical, world-weary disposition. The transformation has made them both tougher and more aware. The evidence is everywhere on their new album, from song titles, notably "Everything Is Average Nowadays" and "Learnt My Lesson Well," to the title track, which seemingly attacks gullible tabloid readers and fair-weather fans. "We are the angry mob. We read the papers every day. We like who we like, we hate who we hate, but we're also easily swayed." This new worldview comes equipped with a cocky swagger. In "Highroyds," singer Ricky Wilson describes a typical outcast high school moment as if it were from a bygone era. "Standing outside nightclubs in the snow is not very cool or impressive. They let in all the girls from the year below. No need for IDs with those dresses." Their new place in the in-crowd has jaded them. The song closes with this thought: "Got a text from an ex. She wants to know when we're in London next. 'And will you write a song about me?' I don't think so."
Touring the world has made them see their hometown differently. In "I Can Do It Without You," Wilson notes, "None of the buildings even look the same, and underneath them all the shops have changed." In "Heat Dies Down," we learn that even the simple thought of marriage is nauseating. "I doubt I could stomach twenty years. Spending time at hers, talking to that Mother. 'Cos I got a wider knowledge of the world. I just can't face another argument about the rent. It all seems unimportant in the grander scheme of things." Normal life has become stifling and unappealing, and yet, Wilson resents his success. The album closes with him begging for retirement, in the song of the same name. "Now my place in history is surely assured. I will be remembered here for evermore."
The album succeeds in spite of how whiny this all reads in print, in much the same way that Morrissey has built a career on the delicate combination of hubris and self-loathing. It's a decidedly British point of view, and the Kaiser Chiefs, using words like "rubbish" and phrases like "that impressed me quite," are as British as Springsteen is American. Listening to Yours Truly, Angry Mob, you can hear the grand tradition of British music coursing through its veins: The Kinks' defiantly English subject matter, the angular power pop of XTC, the pithy wit of The Smiths, and the art school urbanity of Blur. The piano intro of "Learnt My Lesson Well" is a dead ringer for The Housemartins. The CD booklet depicts keyboardist Peanut eating Heinz baked beans, a la The Who Sell Out. Even the pissed-off title of their record sounds properly polits. It's a record that Anglophiles will eat up quicker than those baked beans. But for those who don't fancy this sort of thing, their Britishness may prove to be an obstacle too difficult to overcome. That would be a shame, as they have made a stellar sophomore album, beefier and darker than the first, and hopefully only hinting at what's to come.
- Jeremy Frye
Kaiser Chiefs
Universal Motown
Plastic ParachuteSwell (self-released)
Their pop instincts as sharp as their rhythm section is relentless, Plastic Parachute have the best of everything - the commercial appeal of someone like Kelly Clarkson (big, bold and radio-ready) with the pecularity and attitude of the best New Wave hits. While still a young band (this is their first release), the quintet demonstrates that they know plenty about crafting music that glues itself into the memory.
Swell bursts with confidence from its opening track ("Simply Ordinary") onward. The record, produced by Dave Darling, may be too slick for some tastes, but the brassy onslaught of big guitars, thumping bass and swelling choruses suits the 'Chutes. This is a band that seems to have no pretenses when it comes to aping obscure influences or trying to seem arty - they gravitate naturally towards the most accessible rhythms and melodies around and hold on tight.
Although the band (Ricky and MichaelAngelo Brewer, Clint Johnston and Brian Lewis) is cracking, the personality and lyrical sensibility of vocalist Deb Hooks is Plastic Parachute's greatest asset. Hooks injects individual obsessions into her songs, dreaming of Garbo-style romance and a guy "with a little more substance" on the spunky history-book fantasy "Houdini" (though it bears pointing out that no one ever called Pablo Picasso an asshole). Her passionate, sexy-weird delivery brings to mind unpredictable 80s frontwomen like Terri Nunn or Dale Bozzio, and she fits comfortably into that niche without coming across as a mere imitator.
Plastic Parachute are currently working on a follow-up to Swell somewhere in Kansas. It seems destined to be stylish, off-kilter, and as their prophetically named singer would no doubt agree, undeniably hooky as hell.
- Amanda Langston
Plastic Parachute
Plastic Parachute on CD Baby
The Inner BanksThe Inner Banks (Dag!)
Depite the outrageous beauty of their music, The Inner Banks come on with a restrained modesty, allowing their smooth 7-song debut to speak for itself. The duo merges spacey electronica, grand fantasy and roots-based folk impulses into one sophisticated package, while steering clear of the snooze-inducing pitfalls such a tasteful sound might imply. Instead, the songs manage to intrigue in their own quiet way. Lush, Moon Safari-style ballads like "Electric" twinkle and flow with a languid sigh, while "Buried West" and "Anthem" find the common ground in spaghetti Westerns and Space Age glamour. The majority of tracks are instrumental, but when Caroline Schutz does raise her voice, she sounds like a shy alien who's adopted "Glittering Sky" as her galactic hymn.
The Inner Banks are soothing but smart, knowing which melodic buttons to push but also hinting at a rich interior world. Let's hope that there's more of their artfully overcast music yet to come.
- Amanda Langston
The Inner Banks
Dag! Records