Name: Off With Their Heads by Kaiser Chiefs
Brand: Kaiser Chiefs
SKU: 602517848344
Price: 9.9 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 4 (105 reviews)

ALBUM

Volume 1

Volume 2

#

Title

Lyrics

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Time

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1

Can't Say What I Mean

03:27

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Lyrics available

Popularity 1/10

03:27

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2

Never Miss A Beat

03:12

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Synced lyrics available

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Popularity 5/10

03:12

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3

You Want History

04:47

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Popularity 2/10

04:47

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4

Half The Truth

04:12

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Popularity 1/10

04:12

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Though "Ruby" was one of the Kaiser Chiefs' biggest hits, it and the rest of Yours Truly, Angry Mob were disappointing, trading Employment's ambitious spark for workmanlike consistency. It seemed like that could be the fate of the rest of the band's output until Lily Allen's funky pop cover of "Oh My God" appeared on Mark Ronson's album Version, which ultimately led to Ronson working on the Kaisers' third album. The golden touch Ronson had as a producer for artists like Allen and Amy Winehouse is also evident throughout Off with Their Heads: he imbues the band's spiky Brit-rock with his pop and dance music flair, throwing together strings, synths, live and programmed drums, exotic percussion and lots of guitars in a new wave-y/rave-y mix that nods to bands like Klaxons and Late of the Pier. The cheeky "Addicted to Drugs" gets an extra kick from Ronson's a go-go bells, giving the song a kinetic beat even though the rest of the track is straight-ahead guitar pop, while "You Want History"'s brisk hi-hats and surging synths flirt with the dancefloor. Ronson also brings in Allen as a guest vocalist for the excellent, slightly paranoid pop of "Always Happens Like That" and rapper Sway on "Half the Truth," who gives the song's angry young man rant against doublespeak a sharper edge. Of course, all the creative production and guest stars Ronson offers wouldn't mean anything if the Kaiser Chiefs' songwriting wasn't focused, but Off with Their Heads delivers on this front too. The band rails against stupidity and conformity like they did on Yours Truly, Angry Mob, but this time they know that while it's smart to be witty, it's even smarter to be insidiously catchy. The band's commentary is fused to some of their most pointed hooks: "Never Miss a Beat" rails against how "it's cool to know nothing" to a fittingly relentless rhythm. "Like It Too Much" touches on the Kaisers' latent XTC fetish -- words like "You are descended from animals/And you are constructed of chemicals" could have flowed from Andy Partridge's pen, and the song's lumbering stomp only heightens the similarity. Elsewhere, "Can't Say What I Mean" is wittily tongue-tied and "Good Days and Bad Days" manages the impressive feat of being happy-go-lucky with sounding complacent; more importantly, they show that the Kaiser Chiefs remember the playful spirit of British rock that a lot of traditionalist U.K. bands forget. A couple of songs lack the urgency of the album's best moments (though "Tomato in the Rain" boasts the great lyric "A policeman on the take/Weighted down in a lake" and "Remember You're a Girl" has a naggingly deja vu-inspiring melody), letting Off with Their Heads fall just short of greatness. Still, this is easily some of the Kaisers' finest -- and most consistent -- music.
© Heather Phares /TiVo

Off With Their Heads

Product information

Release options

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 1

1. Spanish Metal

2. Never Miss A Beat

3. Like It Too Much

4. You Want History

5. Can't Say What I Mean

6. Good Days Bad Days

7. Tomato In The Rain

8. Half The Truth

9. Always Happens Like That

10. Addicted To Drugs

11. Remember You're A Girl

Volume 2

1. Can't Say What I Mean

2. Never Miss A Beat

3. You Want History

4. Half The Truth

Technical Specifications