Kaiser Chiefs: Far Away From Home

Oh my god, I can't belive it . . . the British rockers Kaiser Chiefs have survived the sophomore slump and their popularity has skyrocketed following the release of their proper second album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob. As opposed to many overhyped bands of the Internet age, who fail to maintain any traction after their "big break", the Chiefs have bucked this trend and escaped from the land of the one-hit-wonder.

As a bit of a background on the group, they won three BRIT Awards for 'Best Group', 'Best British Rock Act' and 'Best Live Act' in 2006. Their debut single, Oh My God was released in 2004. Neither the song or its follow-up, I Predict a Riot gained a notable chart position. These songs were released prior to the succesful re-issue of Oh My God.

NME provides their review of the Chiefs opening night of their American tour in Philadelphia. They played DC tonight and will continue on across the country, finishing with a tour capper in San Francisco.

If you're not familiar with the Kaiser Chiefs, check out their first hit "Oh My God", a combination of brit-punk-funk with the best tension-release chorus I've heard in years:



And their most successful single to date, "Ruby", which peaked at #1 in the UK on February 25, 2007 (it has reached #18 in the US so far). This track is a more straight up rocker with Morrisey-like verses, but just as fun to listen to: