Kaiser Chiefs
Duck

There has been persistent talk of the now overused "return to origins" for the new, seventh studio album by the Kaiser Chiefs.

Probably the cold reception given to the (for long stretches improbable) pop dance turn of the previous "Stay Together" has left its mark, and here we are talking about an album that, according to frontman Ricky Wilson, possesses a hundred percent Kaiser Chiefs soul.

The mission is, it must be said, perfectly successful: "Duck" (this is the title) is an album entirely in the KC style, with all the pros and cons of the case, only this time the former far outweigh the latter, unlike the work from three years ago. Credit also goes to producer Ben H. Allen, who was already the director of the band's remarkable resurrection in 2014 with the underrated "Education... And War," which relaunched the band after the heavy flop of "Off With Their Heads."

Allen helps the former prodigy boys to focus on their best talent: an innate skill and naturalness in constructing the right melody at the right time. The result is truly convincing and effective pieces, such as the opener "People Know How To Love One Another," joyful and energetic, or the single "Record Collection," the only track on the new work to hybridize funk dance elements from the previous release with the typical Kaiser Chiefs sound of the early 2000s. The delightful "The Only Ones" also deviates a bit from the track, hitting the mark with its typically eighties flair and providing yet another melody to memorize.

Wilson and company are a little less convincing when the rhythms slow down ("Target Market," a perhaps too bland yacht rock, and "Lucky Shirt," although the refrain in this case is truly irresistible), while they are hilariously entertaining when the rhythms pick up and unsuspected fusions of different elements emerge, such as the brass mixed with light electronics of the frenetic "Wait" and the almost flamenco guitar of "Northern Holiday."

Speaking of which, the guitars return, although they are no longer as central and aggressive as in the first two albums, but rather serve as a frame to a vividly pop painting: "Golden Oldies" and the beautiful conclusion "Kurt vs Frasier (The Battle For Seattle)" in this sense are complete Brit pieces, which in the chorus evoke the cheeky choirs of the "Employment" era. "Don't Just Stand There, Do Something" instead is a welcome tribute to the more mature Arctic Monkeys of their latest albums.

An excellent return this "Duck," not the trumpeted to the four winds return to origins, but the rediscovery of a new balance for the five from Leeds and their best album in years.

Best track: Kurt vs Frasier (The Battle For Seattle)