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oldgregg

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Choose the tunes for the newKaiser Chiefs album

Sun 5th Jun, 2011 in International News

Following the announcement of The Kaiser Chiefs’ Splendour in the Grass sideshows and the release of the band’s first single since 2009, Little Shocks, The Kaiser Chiefs have surprised fans with the sudden (and strange) release of their new album, The Future Is Medieval.

The band’s fourth studio album is out now as a digital release via their website. While that may sound simple enough, the lads from Leeds have put a twist on their latest release. The website features 20 songs and fans can choose any 10 to tailor make an album, cover art and all. And if that isn’t awesome enough, they are also letting you sell your version and earn £1 for every copy sold (that’s about $1.53!).

Frontman Ricky Wilson has explained they chose this method to release the record as they were bored making an album the traditional way, and states that “because fans pick their own songs and artwork and decide what order the songs should be in, it lets them invest time in albums again”. Let it never be said, that the romance is dead, eh?

Worryingly, the Chiefs main songwriter and drummer Nick Hodgson has said the new material is heavily influenced by Oasis’ Be Here Now album; a record that *Noel Gallagher describes as “the best advertisement against taking cocaine. It goes on too long, it’s smothered by its self importance – the same as coke users are”. Hodgson rejects any suggestion that the record is indulgent noting that “We all know that record has loads of problems, but at least it’s got an attitude, unlike the twee and boring folk music that’s so popular at the moment”.

Accompanying the release of The Future is Medieval is the album’s very own trailer, starring an unsuspecting fan who thinks he’s in for an exclusive listening party, before being told he is actually there to produce the album.

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HalfCentaur

HalfCentaur said on the 6th Jun, 2011

so..how do THEY sell any albums

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 6th Jun, 2011

you gotta pay for it, its not a free download..

berlinchair101

berlinchair101 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

I wasn't impressed by their new single and this all seems like too much effort.

Braveheart81

Braveheart81 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

Is this a rhetorical question?

If so, well done.

I can't work it out either anymore. I mean the first album was great, second was enjoyable, but it was a very slippery slope after that.

MorningAfterboy

MorningAfterboy said on the 6th Jun, 2011

I really dug that trailer. And I love the way they've released the album! Can't wait to put my copy together - the songs sound like some of their best since Employment.

daveyac8881

daveyac8881 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

Yeah fuck this. I'll just wait till all 20 songs are in a torrent.

01seb

01seb said on the 6th Jun, 2011

they are....

some of the songs are quite good, whilst others are a bit boring to be honest

mooney88

mooney88 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

Hats off to them for doing something different, but I don't like this format at all.

Seems like a way of avoiding the album being panned.

sarcasm_mister

sarcasm_mister said on the 6th Jun, 2011

good on them for trying something unique. but unlike similar ventures in the past by radiohead and nine inch nails this shows a band who have no confidence whatsoever in their music. this is what almost every band goes through. record 20 odd songs for an album and then go through the painstaking process of cutting out the stuff that doesn't fit in. a lot of the time this can make or break an album. but the kaiser chiefs clearly don't have enough faith in themselves to do this. instead they've passed this task on to their fans.

sarcasm_mister

sarcasm_mister said on the 6th Jun, 2011

look again i'm sure you'll find one. that's how i got the "album".

not quite worth the 180mb it will take off your download limit.

daveyac8881

daveyac8881 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

Haha wow, that bad huh? Maybe I just won't bother. I liked their first album and the first single from their 3rd album. The rest of it was pretty average. I'll try letting my memories of them remain unruined.

berlinchair101

berlinchair101 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

I really like their first two records but I didn't think too much of their last and the singles I've heard from the new one.

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 6th Jun, 2011

i may eventually buy tickets to their gig regardless of the last two albums.
say what you want about their latest releases but their show at the palace in 2009 was one of the best i've been to.

MorningAfterboy

MorningAfterboy said on the 6th Jun, 2011

I've heard they put on a good show. Would have preferred to see them somewhere smaller, though - might try the Canberra show?

Stonefield are awesome, too, would love to see them again.

Braveheart81

Braveheart81 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

I've only seen them once but I thought they were great at Splendour 2007.

The whole crowd chanting WE ARE THE ANGRY MOB was one of the highlights of the festival.

berlinchair101

berlinchair101 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

i may eventually buy tickets to their gig regardless of the last two albums.
say what you want about their latest releases but their show at the palace in 2009 was one of the best i've been to.

Everyone I know who has seen them says they are brilliant.

sarcasm_mister

sarcasm_mister said on the 6th Jun, 2011

i just hope their live shows don't suffer because of this ridiculous idea. 20 songs is a lot to take in especially for a casual listener. i can see most of the new stuff falling flat live because the people who did do the 10 track thing might not have downloaded that particular song and the people who torrented the full 20 probably can't remember it.

Braveheart81

Braveheart81 said on the 6th Jun, 2011

They should just release a double album.

That way RHCP and Foo Fighters can both move down a spot on the 10 Worst Double Albums of All Time list.

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 6th Jun, 2011

I've heard they put on a good show. Would have preferred to see them somewhere smaller, though - might try the Canberra show?

Stonefield are awesome, too, would love to see them again.

I've only seen them once but I thought they were great at Splendour 2007.

The whole crowd chanting WE ARE THE ANGRY MOB was one of the highlights of the festival.

ricky wilson is every bit the frontman, i've never seen anyone so energetic, quality performer.

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 6th Jun, 2011

buy my copy of the album here

grattan

grattan said on the 6th Jun, 2011

It's basically the same idea as the one Devo had for their last record

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 6th Jun, 2011

so much for an original thought.

daveyac8881

daveyac8881 said on the 7th Jun, 2011

I like Devo's better because they end up with a final album.

SlowerQuieter

SlowerQuieter said on the 7th Jun, 2011

Saw them in 07 at the Hordern and they were excellent. Shame they stopped making good music after 'Employment' though...

On a side note, I thought Parva were brilliant (their previous incarnation). '22' is one of my all time favourite albums, there is some really great stuff on there.

Tonks88

Tonks88 said on the 7th Jun, 2011

i get the concept and all but seriously.. it is way to much effort and for the people who want all the songs, they have to go through the process twice and essentially buy two albums.. they are releasing a physical version on july 1st which i will be waiting for but unfortunately it only has 14 of the 20 songs

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 7th Jun, 2011

it cost $11 for 10 songs don't be a tightwad, you'd pay $20 for an album normally.

daveyac8881

daveyac8881 said on the 7th Jun, 2011

$11 for 10 bad songs is not a good deal. Silence is free

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 7th Jun, 2011

having spent the day listening to it to review, i feel obligated to take back some of my comments, its a much better album than off with their heads, i actually quite like the 10 i selected, premature judging based on one minute previews was slack .

Braveheart81

Braveheart81 said on the 7th Jun, 2011

By that logic, you might have picked the 10 worst songs available!

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 7th Jun, 2011

i could of... but what i was sayin is i should of give the song a full listen before having a go.

grattan

grattan said on the 15th Jun, 2011

The official tracklisting for 'The Future Is Medieval':

'Little Shocks'
'Things Change'
'Long Way From Celebrating'
'Starts With Nothing'
'Out Of Focus'
'Dead Or In Serious Trouble'
'When All Is Quiet'
'Kinda Girl You Are'
'Man On Mars'
'Child Of The Jago'
'Heard It Break'
'Coming Up For Air'
'If You Will Have Me'

sarcasm_mister

sarcasm_mister said on the 15th Jun, 2011

*deletes all the songs that didnt make the cut*

and correct me if im wrong but Kinda Girl You Are wasnt on the original 20 was it???

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 15th Jun, 2011

its like the opposite to mine lol.

berlinchair101

berlinchair101 said on the 15th Jun, 2011

But whose is better?

01seb

01seb said on the 15th Jun, 2011

Pretty good selection of tracks......except that they dropped the best song

oldgregg

oldgregg said on the 15th Jun, 2011

mine obviously.