Hail To The Kaiser Chiefs!

Just bought the debut album by The Kaiser Chiefs, Employment, on the strength of catching all of 10 seconds of one track on T4.

As he gave me my change, the man behind the downstairs counter at WH Smith's on Fleet Street said "people are saying it sounds a lot like Blur". I favoured him with a withering glance as I stuffed the CD into my parka.

Having listened to it, it is jaw-droppingly good fun. A fusion of dozens of styles that leads to a style of its own, it's an insanely catchy, highly eclectic burst of noise and I love it.

To paraphrase those pointless reviews in the Melody Makers of yore that said a lot but told you nothing, it's like the Divine Comedy married Madness, adopted The Jam and joined a circus run by Supergrass. Sort of.
(No wonder the 'Maker folded and had to merge with the NME - a la Whizzer & Chips merging with Buster...)

As for the Blur thing - well, it's produced by Stephen Street but that's about as far as it goes.
Oh, and the sound of Graham Coxon revving his motorcycle is at the start of Track 8. Jeez...