Employment (album)
Encyclopedia
Employment is the debut album by English indie rock
band Kaiser Chiefs
, released in March 2005 on B-Unique Records
. Employment takes its inspirations from the Britpop
and New Wave
movements, 70s'-era punk rock
and Beach Boys-esque West Coast music. Originally the album charted at number three in the UK Albums Chart
on 13 March 2005, but charted at number two almost a year after its release, due to the band's success at the Brit Awards
. Employment went on to become the fourth best-selling album in the United Kingdom that year.
gig in which Kaiser Chiefs were the support act. Hodgson gave Street a demo CD and said that they would love to work with him. The band's new label B-Unique suggested they try a test session with Street. In mid-August 2004 they visited the producer at a basement studio space at Olympic Studios
he was renting with engineer Cenzo Townsend
and recorded "I Predict A Riot".
According to manager James Sandom in an interview with HitQuarters
, the album was recorded in a rush because the band were under very tight time constraints and touring at the time. As a result they did not have enough time to get to know Stephen Street and relax in his company.
The motorbike that appears at the beginning of "Saturday Night" is owned and 'played' by Graham Coxon
. The sleeve notes read "Graham Coxon's motorbike, (1935 Kaiser 'Chief' 750cc Manx TT Works Racer) appears courtesy of Transcopic Records
". "Caroline, Yes" is named in reference to The Beach Boys
' song "Caroline, No
". The track's original working title was called "Hail to the Chief
", according to Kaiser Chiefs' book A Record of Employment.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
, released in March 2005 on B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records
B-Unique Records is a London-based record label, founded in 2001 by Mark Lewis and Martin Toher.B-Unique has been a division of Atlantic Records UK since February 2008...
. Employment takes its inspirations from the Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
and New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
movements, 70s'-era punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and Beach Boys-esque West Coast music. Originally the album charted at number three in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
on 13 March 2005, but charted at number two almost a year after its release, due to the band's success at the Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
. Employment went on to become the fourth best-selling album in the United Kingdom that year.
Background
It was Kaiser Chiefs themselves that chose to work with producer Stephen Street. According to Street he had been introduced to Nick Hodgson after an Ordinary BoysThe Ordinary Boys
The Ordinary Boys are an English indie rock band from Worthing, in West Sussex, England. Originally named Next in Line, they were influenced by mod revival and Britpop music, as well as the bands Madness, The Specials, The Kinks and The Smiths...
gig in which Kaiser Chiefs were the support act. Hodgson gave Street a demo CD and said that they would love to work with him. The band's new label B-Unique suggested they try a test session with Street. In mid-August 2004 they visited the producer at a basement studio space at Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
he was renting with engineer Cenzo Townsend
Cenzo Townsend
Cenzo Townshend is an English music producer, mixer, and audio engineer. Townshend has collaborated with both mainstream and underground artists, including The Stranglers, Hothouse Flowers, New Order, Sleeper, Kaiser Chiefs, Northside, The Cranberries, Snow Patrol, as well as U2 and Echo & the...
and recorded "I Predict A Riot".
According to manager James Sandom in an interview with HitQuarters
HitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...
, the album was recorded in a rush because the band were under very tight time constraints and touring at the time. As a result they did not have enough time to get to know Stephen Street and relax in his company.
The motorbike that appears at the beginning of "Saturday Night" is owned and 'played' by Graham Coxon
Graham Coxon
Graham Leslie Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He came to prominence as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of rock band Blur, and is also a critically acclaimed solo artist, having recorded seven solo albums...
. The sleeve notes read "Graham Coxon's motorbike, (1935 Kaiser 'Chief' 750cc Manx TT Works Racer) appears courtesy of Transcopic Records
Transcopic Records
Transcopic is a record label created in 1998 by ex-Blur guitarist Graham Coxon for his solo releases. It has also released records by acts such as Ooberman, The Buff Medways and You Am I. The label was co-owned and run by Jamie Davis, now at Ark recordings...
". "Caroline, Yes" is named in reference to The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
' song "Caroline, No
Caroline, No
"Caroline, No" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, recorded during the Pet Sounds sessions. It was released as a solo Brian Wilson single in March 1966 in advance of the album's release. The single was only a modest success, reaching number thirty-two in the US national chart and No....
". The track's original working title was called "Hail to the Chief
Hail to the Chief
"Hail to the Chief" is a march primarily associated with the President of the United States. Its playing accompanies the appearance of the President at many public appearances. For major official occasions, the United States Marine Band and other military ensembles generally are the performers, so...
", according to Kaiser Chiefs' book A Record of Employment.
Reception
- Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(p. 76) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Danceable art-punk gems full of guitar fuzz, na-na-na choruses and boyish energy..." - Spin (p. 62) - Ranked #19 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "A cohesive debut that recalls the glory days of Britpop and second-wave punk."
- Spin (p. 102) - "The quintet bash through nervy, synth-stoked guitar pop....With a dedication to daffy English humor and bouncy music-hall folderol that creates the illusion of cultural import." - Grade: B+
- Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
(No. 814, p. 64) - "The Leeds five have polished their ability to craft catchy songs." - Grade: B - Uncut (p. 105) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Employment is a gem...In the smart-pop steeplechase, Hot Hot Heat have got serious competition."
- Yahoo Music - "finally, a worthy successor to Blur." - 8/10
- MojoMojo (magazine)MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
(p. 64) - Ranked #50 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2005" - "Ricky Wilson's cheeky chappies proved the power of knowing daftness." - MojoMojo (magazine)MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
(p. 109) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Employing ill-fitting suits, tongue-in-cheek lyricism and a jerky guitar attack that smelts the classic rock canon into an infectious, head-spinning punch." - Allmusic - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "Employment is an uneven but still very promising debut that suggests that one day the Kaiser Chiefs will pull off something even more ambitious."
Track listing
Sales
- Europe: Top 10 (2x Platinum) (Sales:2,000,000)
- United Kingdom: #2 (6x Platinum) (Sales:1,880,001)
- Greece: #3 (Gold) (Sales:10,000)