Inside music album guide

Kaiser Chiefs, Taylor Swift haven't lost their edge

By: Stephen Mason

Posted: 11/13/08

Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns, 3.5 out of 5

After their colossal single, "Chasing Cars," Snow Patrol established themselves as the new Coldplay. Take that as you will, but it meant big things for the band. Now they were on the map and people expected great things. A Hundred Million Suns seems like the unfortunate expected reaction: Do the same thing again. The album is very safe, never venturing beyond any of the pre-established melodies that Snow Patrol is known for. It's full of somewhat-memorable moments, but none are equally or more impressive than "Chasing Cars." It's certainly a pleasing entry, but as far as growth, they haven't gained an inch.

Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads, 4 out of 5

Off With Their Heads is a rare alternative rock album. Any lesser band wouldn't be able to pack a punch in the first few tracks before devolving into a series of same-sounding songs. Kaiser Chiefs vary things throughout the album without ever being too cheeky or nonsensically different. The crescendos of "Never Miss a Beat" topped with a riveting keyboard siren make it nearly epically operatic. They've taken lessons from their elders and consequentially have the rollicking qualities of R.E.M. but with the control and discipline of Talking Heads. A fantastic album, and hats off to Mark Ronson (the genius behind the sounds for Back to Black and Alright, Still, among others), who once again is one of music's most brilliant producers.

Taylor Swift - Fearless, 4 out of 5

Taylor Swift seemingly came out of nowhere and blew everyone away. She was country without being annoyingly so, yet wasn't too poppy. In return, everyone waited anxiously for her sophomore album, Fearless. It delivers. From the title track to the end, it seems as if Swift has a bottomless bag of catchy tunes. Even more impressive is her ability to make cliché material like young teenage love sound interesting (witness "Fifteen"). Fearless sees her moving forward, stepping even a little bit further away from country, especially considering the twang in her voice is barely audible and the fiddles are replaced by orchestral strings. And if you're wondering, yes--the song "Hey Stephen" is definitely about me.

The Flaming Lips - Christmas on Mars, 3.5 out of 5

A seven-year project in the making, the Flaming Lips have finally released their film, Christmas on Mars. With it comes the soundtrack, a landscape of distorted sounds worthy of a Stanley Kubrick movie. It's hard to talk about music without the film, as it's certainly integral to the experience. Together they're perfect; apart not as much. The moody brooding sounds that Christmas on Mars makes as an album would certainly be more appreciated by the chemically-enhanced listener, but it's still interesting in its own right. But they were intended to be taken in together, and that's the way anyone who is cu