Kaiser Chiefs - Employment

Pitching straight in as a 21st Century Parklife (right down to the packaging of the album), Employment is an album which makes no bones about it's outlook or intentions. Singles "I Predict A Riot" and "Oh My God" whupped up a frenzy of expectation for the album, but sadly, the boys from Leeds can't quite manage to live up to the hype.

When they are good, as in the singles and the riotous "Everyday I Love You Less And Less", they are bloody fantastic, but too many tunes meander along without ever really hitting the mark, and at times it feels like the band are trying too many styles and are trying to be too ambitious in a debut album.

They've nailed the "storytellin" aspects of Parklife, but failed to keep up the momentum up over the whole album. Still, there is enough here to suggest that there is something more to come, and songs such as "Team Mate" suggest that there is more to the Kaiser Chiefs than the "Brit-Pop" attitude would otherwise suggest.

Icon's View - 3 out of 5.