It might sound obvious, but it is no harm to point out again that what's popular comes in cycles. Whether it's music or films or art, what gets noticed has a lot to do with timing, and if you've got what happens to be hot at a certain time, then you might just make it big. Hold on to your hats, but it's not always just about the quality of the music.

Kaiser Chief's bouncy guitar pop is therefore perfectly timed. They've listened to the classic albums from the Kinks to the Clash to Blur, they've got the quirky lyrics, the speedy guitars, and the trendy shirts. Frontman Ricky Wilson has the irony laden put on laid back vocal style. They've got a 'name' producer for their debut album, with Blur's Stephen Street twiddling the knobs. In fact the word Blur is going to pop up a lot over the next few paragraphs.

The opening track - Everyday I Love You Less and Less - is a very bouncy, squeezy guitar pop song and gets things rip, roaring along. Then comes recent hyperactive single I Predict a Riot, an energetic bundle of smashing, but not smashed guitars. It's fun. Then comes maybe the stand out track Modern Way which does the slow verse, quick chorus trick with some aplomb.

As the album continues the Blur comparisons become more and more evident. "I wanna be like those guys," sings Wilson on the [yes] catchy 'Saturday Night'. Just occasionally they slow things down a little and everybody puts up their arms and sways like with the easy going What Did I Ever Give You? and it's ok. But.

Lyrically they can be pretty funny in an obvious and very British kind of way: "Everyday I love you less and less/ I can't believe once you and me did sex" and "Watching the people get lairy/ It's not very pretty, I tell thee." And then "Pneumothorax is a word that is long." The jokes wear thin after a few listens.

So while Kaiser Chiefs can certainly write a decent tune, they are no world beaters. Employment is grand like, and if your gonna pick somebody to base yourself on then Blur aren't the worst. But the whole riot prediction thing is not gonna happen. You get the feeling that if it did as soon as they were finished with the breaking the place up, they'd brush themselves off, fix their hair and go round tidying and putting everything back exactly where it was supposed to be.

There is something just a little mediocre about this album, it seems too right for these post Franz Ferdinand days. They know their market, but there's no soul. I'm not denying I found myself humming and then singing along, but still. Kaiser Chiefs seem happy enough turning out nicely produced, well put together chirpy, quick fire guitar pop songs. That's fine, I suppose.

first published on oxygen.ie