Kaiser Chiefs - Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album (Album Review)
Tuesday, 05 March 2024
Written by Jack Press
Photo: Cal McIntyre
Halfway through ‘Kaiser Chiefs’ Easy Eighth Album’ it becomes pertinent to ask if they might have instead gone for a different self-referential title: everything is average nowadays. Guided by ex-Rudimental producer Amir Amor and part-facilitated by a songwriting hook up with Nile Rodgers, the band’s latest missive is a middle-aged identity crisis.
The tracklist resembles speed-dating at a Grammy awards after party, with genre-hopping the order of the day. The Job Centre Shuffle finds Ricky Wilson delivering his best Gorillaz-era Damon Albarn over a sedate bassline while Hak Baker coughs up a few swears, while Reasons To Stay Alive makes lemonade out of blues-rock lemons, recalling Queens Of The Stone Age, Royal Blood, and The Black Keys.
Tucked between the two, though, is the album highlight Burning In Flames, all Berlin-era Bowie doing a line at Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s kitchen disco. As uneven as it is, that run represents some of the album’s stronger stuff.
The first three tracks are lukewarm and forgettable, with the opener Feeling Alright frittering away a Rodgers-penned chorus that should explode into life.
Sentimental Love Songs’ lazy refrain has sing-along anthem of their festival summer written over it, but it’s paint-by-numbers pop-rock. Jealousy is really, truly annoying — if Wilson and company have achieved anything, it’s writing more songs you can’t help but hate to love.
There are some quick-witted commentaries on the industry machine here — see Burning In Flames and Noel Groove — but also too many lazy love songs and awkward attempts to reclaim their working class heroes mantle. There’s something painfully ironic about a band who haven’t had to shuffle to the Job Centre in two decades writing a song about just that.
Whether you’re just getting started with Kaiser Chiefs or you’ve been listening since their mid-noughties glory days, their ‘Easy Eighth Album’ is as frustrating as it is fun — the perfect summary of their career to date.
Kaiser Chiefs Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Mon March 04 2024 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy 2
Thu March 07 2024 - KINGSTON UPON THAMES New Slang (Pryzm)
Thu April 11 2024 - TORQUAY, DEVON Riviera International Centre
Fri April 12 2024 - EASTBOURNE Eastbourne Winter Gardens
Tue April 16 2024 - STOCKTON Stockton Globe
Wed April 17 2024 - WOLVERHAMPTON Civic At Halls
Fri April 19 2024 - BLACKPOOL Empress Ballroom
Sat April 20 2024 - LONDON Troxy
Sun April 21 2024 - LONDON Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace
Fri June 28 2024 - LINCOLN Castle
Sat June 29 2024 - LLANGOLLEN Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod
Sun June 30 2024 - SOUTHAMPTON Guildhall Square
Sun July 07 2024 - MARGATE Dreamland
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