Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads

Off With Their Heads? More like Off With Their Ears!

If you’re looking to pad your collection with indistinguishable Brit rock, add Kaiser Chiefs. Their third release is perfect for fist-pumping frat boys in Hoboken bars who desire some semblance of indie cred but are too lazy to research something less generic and slightly under the radar. This would require thinking, but then again so does most subterranean rock worth listening to. Their interesting debut, Employment (2005), flirted with new wave and 70’s punk, but commercial success has made their sound mass produced for, well, mass appeal. Quite frankly, fuck marketability if it’s at the expense of losing that certain something that had initially put them on the map. Even producer Mark Ronson did little for this derivative music than give it a shiny, polished sound.

“Spanish Metal” is their “badass” intro. The vocals excited me since they were reminiscent of Alice In Chains’ lead singer Layne Staley (may he rest). Alas, the thrill wore off since I ended up turning on Jar Of Flies instead. With a catchy chorus and watered down Gallagher (see: Oasis) vocals, “Never Miss A Beat” is actually one of the more tolerable tracks. But if blatant un-originality tires you, this song will put you to sleep faster than Nyquil. Unworthy of mention are the uninspired songs “Can’t Say What I Mean” and “Good Days Bad Days,” boasting lyrics that are equal parts cliché and utterly annoying. The punchy guitar that introduces “Like It Too Much” is nothing but a Spoon “I Turn My Camera On” baseline knock-off, but not in a good way. Plus, I’m not even a Spoon fan! And “You Want History,” with wailing guitars and big background vocals, is a mélange of sounds from forgettable 80’s bands not even worth the lackadaisical mention.

Overall, this album is far from groundbreaking and misses the very beat they claim to “Never Miss.” Had they covered familiar territory from a unique vantage point maybe they could’ve developed more worthwhile lyrics, but no dice. Plus, the music has been done before... and better. Suffice it to say, I’ve seen fake Prada wallets sold by NYC street vendors with more style and originality than Kaiser Chiefs.

Duffy - Rockferry (2008)

Hmm. I don't know what to make of this one. Another British blue-eyed soul singer with a powerful set of pipes. But something is a little off. Some songs just sound a little over-produced, or pitch corrected, like she was singing radio or dance pop until Amy Winehouse hit big. However, that can't hold back classic soul burners like "Mercy" and "Rockferry". Were Mark Ronson and the Dap-Kings unavailable?