Yours Truly, Angry Mob --- Kaiser Chiefs, Pt 1

Here's what the album is missing: Climax. The band tries their damn best to have climax points in all the right places, but given the fact that KC are not an orchestra and what I'm listening to is not a live performance, with some extra oomph, it ain't gonna happen. That's the problem with them forsaking the ooohs and aaahs that made them so famous; they can't reach that climax point. What so many pop and rock bands don't realize is that those cheesey sound effects are necessary to reach the heights listeners are expecting any given song. The overall effect of not having climaxes makes the album seem climax-less and flat. That feeling takes away from the utter brilliance that underlies "Yours Truly, Angry Mob." My boys have grown up quite a lot since "Employment" but it seems that without Rick's trade-mark screams, the songs never reach the climax this listener is expecting.
Here's what the album has in spades: Guts. Musically speaking Kaiser Chiefs have matured since 2005, maybe not as drastically as some of the critics have said, but what has truly matured, a whole hell of a lot, are the lyrics. The lyrics, always an important part for me, have moved away from "Yeah, we're going to get drunk, and the world is crazy and we're crazy, etc." to "My fucking god, we've seen the world, and it's a whole hell of a lot bigger than Leeds." The subjects of the songs vary from fame backlash to ending relationships, but they all portray a growing maturity that one would expect and hope for in a second album. Some of the songs, as this band is want to do, don't make a lot of sense, but this may be because I'm only getting 85% to 90% of what Rick is singing. I can tell you this though; If I had no idea who Kaiser Chiefs were and heard "The Angry Mob" I would buy the album, no questions asked.
Highlights of "Yours Truly, Angry Mob":
The Angry Mob
I Can Do It Without You
My Kind of Guy
Everything is Average Nowadays (Modern Way's sucessor)
Try Your Best
Retirement
I swear I'll have more tomorrow. I just need to listen to the album a few more times (even though I've listened to it three times) so that I can get all of the lyrics. I promise there will be a second part. For the mean time if you'd like to hear the album yourself here's a link. You might need an nme.com account (I have one, so I don't know), but it's free so not too much of a bother. I would definitely recommend listening to it yourself.