Being their fifth studio album, English indie/rock band Kaiser Chiefs are still going strong after more than ten years on the music scene. However, they have always had to try and live up to their own reputation after the incredible reception of their very first album, Employment, released in 2005.
Late 2012 brought a change for the band, in the form of re-evaluation, which fuelled them into action: the departure of one of the founding members, and drummer, Nick Hodgson. Following this disheartening news the remaining members Ricky Wilson, Simon Rix, Andrew White and Nick Baines created something “thrilling and unleashed” having rekindled “the spark that gave [us] hope.”
The album to this new album references Tony Blair’s famed speech in 2005 on the power of education: “Education, education, education… then and now the key to the door of Britain’s future success,” and takes into account the “temperature of a nation seven years into a recession.” The tracks within the release itself reflect on this, through the titles and lyrics within.
The song that really does stand out is “The Factory Gates”, which opens the record with an energetic start. This piece can be seen to encompass the feeling of futility from a recession-ridden nation, something that the Kaiser Chiefs had hoped to achieve. The lyrics look to reflect upon those who are desperate for work, debt-ridden and, ultimately, “contractually tied to death’s door.” The energy behind the track is fantastic and you can really feel the passion behind the music and behind the lyrics. However, despite the energetic start to the album, the rest of the songs come across mellow, needing numerous play-throughs before growing on the listener. Yet the underlying message remains the same: “We the people, created equal.”
It is not meant to be seen as a political record, but about raising questions Ricky Wilson wanted to ask: “I don’t think a band has a responsibility to say anything more than love songs, but if it’s in your mind more than love songs, then stop writing love songs and start writing songs about what’s going on in your street.”
Kaiser Chiefs – The Factory Gates
