There's no doubt, the Kaisers know their rock history: "Oh My God" and "Every Day I Love You Less and Less" barrel along with something of Madness' playful charm, while "You Can Have It All" and the lush "Caroline, Yes" appear to be conscious nods to the sleepy, harmony-laden Californian pop vision of Brian Wilson. The lyrics of frontman Ricky Wilson, however, are rooted in a very English sensibility--one often traditional and occasionally, bizarrely archaic: "Walking through town is quite scary/ It's not very pretty, I tell thee," he gasps on adrenaline-fuelled urban nightmare "I Predict A Riot". It's the sort of pleasingly unusual idiosyncrasy that sees Employment stand out from the fashionable indie pack, and assuming the Chiefs can continue to keep their foibles the right side of irksome, any attitude is thoroughly justified. --Louis Pattison

About the Artists
Sometimes the greatest success stories sprout from the tiniest of ambitions. When Kaiser Chiefs formed up in Leeds around the summer of 2003, their aim wasn't to conquer stadiums and change the world. Instead, these five Britpop-obsessed oddballs began plotting a rather more modest plan. In the shadowy corners of clubs and venues across the city Ricky Wilson (lead vocals, owner of stylish blue and orange suit), Andrew 'Whitey' White (guitar), Simon Rix (bass), Nick 'Peanut' Baines (keyboards and modeller of impressive pork-pie hats) and Nick Hodgson (drums and vocals) decided to form a band that would harness the awesome capability of being able to blag an early slot at the following year's Leeds Festival.

The Kaisers' story actually begins some time before they'd decided to name themselves after a successful South African football team. School friends Simon, Peanut and Nick had been playing together in various bands since the age of 15 before spying art school graduate and restless-ball-of-energy Ricky singing with a Rolling Stones tribute band.

Right now, everybody wants a piece of the Kaiser Chiefs. Blur producer Stephen Street was so bowled over he offered his services for debut album Employment. A barrage of bouncing art-pop brilliance, it's scheduled to soundtrack 2005 from the minute it hits stereos this March.

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