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.