Education, Education, Education & War

Education, Education, Education & War
Studio album by Kaiser Chiefs
Released 31 March 2014
Recorded 2013
Studio The Maze Studio, Atlanta
Genre Indie rock, Britpop[1]
Length 45:59
Label Fiction, B-Unique, ATO
Producer Ben H. Allen III
Kaiser Chiefs chronology
Souvenir: The Singles 2004–2012
(2012)		 Education, Education, Education
& War
(2014)
Singles from Education, Education, Education & War
  1. "Bows & Arrows"
    Released: 6 January 2014 (France only)
  2. "Coming Home"
    Released: 13 February 2014
  3. "Meanwhile Up in Heaven"
    Released: 1 April 2014
  4. "Ruffians On Parade"
    Released: 13 June 2014 (Germany only)
  5. "My Life"
    Released: 24 June 2014

Education, Education, Education & War is the fifth studio album by English rock band Kaiser Chiefs, released on 31 March 2014 through Fiction Records, B-Unique Records and ATO Records. It was produced by Ben H. Allen III, and is the first Kaiser Chiefs album recorded with new drummer Vijay Mistry. The album's name is partly a reference to a line in a famous 2005 speech by Tony Blair where he emphasised the importance of education.[2]

Production and release

Education, Education, Education & War is the first album featuring the new Kaiser Chiefs drummer, Vijay Mistry, after Nick Hodgson left the group in December 2012.[3] Three songs were co-written with Fraser T Smith (Adele, Sam Smith) and the album was produced by Ben H. Allen III (who has previously worked with Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, and Deerhunter), and recorded at The Maze Studio in Atlanta.[4][5] It was mixed by Michael Brauer (My Morning Jacket, Coldplay) at Electric Lady Studios in New York City in November 2013.[6]

The album was released in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2014 through Fiction Records/Caroline International/Universal Music as a standard CD,[7] LP (with a bonus 7" single),[8] and digital download. In the United States, it was released on 1 April 2014 through ATO Records.[5] On 6 January 2014, the album became available for pre-order on iTunes, with a free download of the song "Bows & Arrows".[9]

Promotion

On 5 December 2013, Kaiser Chiefs released a song titled "Misery Company" onto their SoundCloud account. The song had previously been performed live during the band's 2013 summer tour.[3][10]

On 3 January 2014, "Bows & Arrows" premiered on Rolling Stone magazine's website,[11] and on 6 January 2014, the song was released as a single in France.[12] According to singer Ricky Wilson, it was recorded in a studio under a McDonald's restaurant in Islington, and bassist Simon Rix came up with its title. "I liked the idea that bows and arrows are pretty useless on their own but when you get them together, they can be quite formidable. A bit like us lot, really. I love being in a band. It's daft to think you can do it alone. It's about not being afraid of emotion. It can be the strongest weapon we have. What's wrong with a load of blokes admitting they need each other? [It's] a sliver of hope through all the futility and loss on the record. You can also dance to it," said Wilson.[11]

On 13 February 2014, the first single for the album was released, titled "Coming Home" in the UK.[13] [14] [15][16]

On 19 March 2014, Kaiser Chiefs released a 15-minute video on YouTube which contained 1:30-long clips of each of the ten songs off the album.[17]

On 26 May 2014, the second single, "Meanwhile Up in Heaven", was released in the UK.[18]

On 24 June 2014, the third single, titled "My Life", was released in the UK.[19]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic59/100[20]
Review scores
SourceRating
Aesthetic Magazine[21]
AllMusic[22]
Alternative Press[23]
Clash5/10[24]
Consequence of SoundC[25]
The Guardian[26]
Mojo[27]
musicOMH[28]
PopMatters[29]
Rolling Stone[30]

Education, Education, Education & War received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 59/100 ("mixed or average reviews"), based on nineteen reviews.[20]

At Alternative Press, Robert Ham rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, stating that the release "is a raging success" and writing that "Not everything hits the mark, but there is enough to delight in and offer plenty of hope for the Chiefs' future."[23] Ross Bennett of Mojo rated the album three stars out of five, remarking that the release "finds them in defiant form."[27]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "The Factory Gates"  Nick Baines, Simon Rix, Fraser T Smith, Andrew White, Ricky Wilson 3:32
2. "Coming Home"  Baines, Rix, White, Wilson 4:51
3. "Misery Company"  Baines, Petraglia, Rix, White, Wilson 5:13
4. "Ruffians on Parade"  Baines, Rix, T Smith, White, Wilson 3:35
5. "Meanwhile Up in Heaven"  Baines, Rix, White, Richard Wilkinson, Wilson 5:12
6. "One More Last Song"  Baines, Rix, White, Wilkinson, Wilson 4:05
7. "My Life"  Baines, Ben H. Allen III, Marcus Killian, Rix, White, Wilson 5:08
8. "Bows & Arrows"  Baines, Rix, White, Wilkinson, Wilson 3:43
9. "Cannons"  Baines, Rix, T Smith, White, Wilson 6:02
10. "Roses"  Baines, Allen, Rix, White, Wilson 4:38

Personnel

Kaiser Chiefs
Technical personnel[31]
  • Ben H. Allen III – production, programming
  • Michael H. Brauer – mixing
  • Gavin Bush – engineering, mixing
  • Jason Kingsland – engineering
  • Sumner Jones – engineering
  • Mark Bengtson – mixing assistant, Pro-Tools
  • Richard Wilkinson – additional production
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering
Additional musicians and performers[31]
  • Ben H. Allen III – acoustic guitar, organ, percussion, synthesizer, background vocals
  • Bill Nighy – narrator
Additional personnel[31]
  • Cally – art direction, design, production
  • Ross Neil – drawing
  • James Sandom – management
  • Mick Webster – management
  • Jessica Lord – assistant
  • Nadia Shukri – assistant

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[33] 40
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[34] 37
French Albums (SNEP)[35] 154
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 39
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[37] 76
UK Albums (OCC)[38] 1

Release history

Region Date Label Format(s)
United Kingdom[7][8] 31 March 2014 Fiction/Caroline InternationalUniversal Music CD, LP, digital download
United States[6] 1 April 2014 ATO Records

References

  1. ↑ "AllMusic.com".
  2. ↑ "Education, Education, Education & War borrows its title from Tony Blair’s famous 2005 speech". The Times of India. 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  3. 1 2 Corner, Lewis (10 December 2013). "Kaiser Chiefs debut new song 'Misery Company' - listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Kaiser Chiefs announce new album – watch". NME. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 Martins, Chris (3 December 2013). "Kaiser Chiefs Preview Fifth Album 'Education, Education, Education & War'". Spin. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  6. 1 2 "KAISER CHIEFS Announce New Album Out April 1st. Pre-Order Now". ATO Records. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Kaiser Chiefs | Education, Education, Education & War CD Album". Universal Music. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Kaiser Chiefs | Education, Education, Education & War LP Album". Universal Music. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "Kaiser Chiefs | Pre-order now on iTunes to get "Bows & Arrows" instantly". Facebook. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Kaiser Chiefs unveil new track 'Misery Company' – listen". NME. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  11. 1 2 Gentile, John (3 January 2014). "Kaiser Chiefs Celebrate Brotherhood on 'Bows and Arrows' - Premiere". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "Bows & Arrows: Kaiser Chiefs" (in French). Amazon.fr. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  13. ↑ http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2014-02-/14-/kaiser-chiefs-new-single-coming-home
  14. ↑ "Kaiser Chiefs - Coming Home". YouTube. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  15. ↑ "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014.
  16. ↑ "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014.
  17. ↑ Video on YouTube
  18. ↑ "Kaiser Chiefs - Meanwhile Up In Heaven". YouTube. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Kaiser Chiefs - My Life". YouTube. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  20. 1 2 "Education, Education, Education & War Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  21. ↑ Gerichter, Daniel (3 April 2014). "Album Review: Album Review: Kaiser Chiefs – "Education, Education, Education & War"". Aesthetic Magazine. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  22. ↑ Monger, James Christopher (31 March 2014). "Education, Education, Education & War - Kaiser Chiefs". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  23. 1 2 Ham, Robert (2014). "Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War". Alternative Press (Alternative Press Magazine). May 2014 (310): 93. ISSN 1065-1667.
  24. ↑ Hussain, Shahzaib (26 March 2014). "Kaiser Chiefs - Education, Education, Education & War". Clash. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  25. ↑ Bosman, Chris. "Album Review: Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  26. ↑ Gibsone, Harriet (27 March 2014). "Kaiser Chiefs: Education, Education, Education & War review – serious intentions but lightweight sounds". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  27. 1 2 Bennett, Ross. "Fighting talk from the regrouped Leeds indie kings.". Mojo (Bauer Media Group). April 2014 (245): 92. ISSN 1351-0193. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  28. ↑ Baber, Andy (25 March 2014). "Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War". musicOMH. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  29. ↑ Folland, Richard (4 April 2014). "Kaiser Chiefs: Education, Education, Education & War". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  30. ↑ Dolan, Jon (4 April 2014). "Kaiser Chiefs 'Education, Education, Education War' Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  31. 1 2 3 "Education, Education, Education & War - Kaiser Chiefs | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  34. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  35. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  36. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  37. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  38. ↑ "2014-04-12 Top 40 UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
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