Yours Truly, Angry Mob

iTunes Editors’ Notes

Given the acclaim and widespread success engendered by the Kaiser Chiefs’ 2005 debut and its preternaturally infectious single, “I Predict a Riot,” pop history suggest the Leeds outfit should have been prepared for a sophomore slump. Instead, what the Chiefs deliver on their’07 follow-up seems more akin to the Red Sox teams of recent Octobers.  The single “Ruby” instantly reminds that this is a band blessed with a seemingly endless knack for pop hooks, a deceptive throwaway of a song that seems a tailor-made singalong for a pub full of pint-fueled punters. More gratifyingly, while their familiar, propulsive pop sense powers “I Can Do It Without You” and “Highroyds,” the band hasn’t lost an ounce of its wit or political edge elsewhere on the collection, just doused it with the irony and subversion that are at the core of tracks like “Angry Mob,” the airy ballad “Learnt My Lesson Well” and suitably weary tone of  “Retirement.”