CD OF THE WEEK

KAISER CHIEFS Employment b-unique ****

So English it should be packaged in a Union Jack sleeve, this much- anticipated debut release from the Leeds Britpop revivalists exceeds expectations. While all around them may be listening to Gang of Four, it's obvious that Kaiser Chiefs have been alternating Blur and Cockney Rebel records. With Stephen Street behind the glass partition, this was always going to have a mid-1990s feel and it's the sound of classic British Invasion bands filtered through Damon 'n' Noel 'n' Jarvis and all given a curiously contemporary regional sheen. The standout single, I Predict A Riot, is robust social commentary with an anthemic chorus that could double as the theme song for Temple Bar on a weekend night, while Oh My God could be The Hollies on steroids. Elsewhere, the high-octane stomparama Saturday Night wryly notes: "We are birds of a feather and you can be the fat one". The cheekily titled Caroline, Yes is a woozy classic - borrowing from the same lyrical template as David Watts, while closing song Team Mate shows they can do subtle and subdued, too. It matters little that Employment lacks the angular arty-shapes of their peer group. This is a beguiling and artless (in the positive sense of the word) work, run through with sardonic wit and knowing musical references. Just don't call it Nu-Britpop. Brian Boyd