Kaiser Chiefs — Off With Their Heads

The Kaiser Chiefs are back in more ways than one. While 2007's Yours Truly, Angry Mob veered a tad to the left of the fun, new wave-inspired indie rock path that was carved out by their Employment debut, their latest effort, the Mark Ronson-produced Off With Their Heads, gets the Leeds quintet back on track. Lead single "Never Miss A Beat" is quintessential Chiefs, with an infectious, driving beat and catchy chorus, while "Like It Too Much," "Good Days Bad Days" and "Half The Truth" harken back to their debut. The band do have a few new tricks up their sleeves: rapper Sway appears on "Half The Truth," and Lily Allen makes guest appearances on the single (along with New Young Pony Club) and "Always Happens Like That." While it's great to see this expansion on their sound, the disc does take a few missteps, including "Addicted To Drugs," which pretty much lifts the chorus from Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love" (with a minute word substitution), and the slow and quiet "Remember You're A Girl," which is sung by drummer Nick Hodgson. Off With Their Heads starts to lose momentum near the end, but overall, it's a welcome return to what the Kaiser Chiefs do best.