Education, Education, Education & War

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. Three songs were co-written with Fraser T Smith (known for his work with Adele and 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/kaiser-chiefs/74190 |title=Kaiser Chiefs announce new album – watch |work=NME |date=3 December 2013 |accessdate=3 January 2014}} It was mixed by Michael Brauer (My Morning Jacket, Coldplay) at Electric Lady Studios in New York City in November 2013.

The album was released in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2014 through Fiction Records/Caroline International/Universal Music as a standard CD,{{cite web|url=http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/education-education-education+war/kaiser-chiefs-education-education-education+war-cd-album/invt/0602537666300 |title=Kaiser Chiefs {{!}} Education, Education, Education & War CD Album |publisher=Universal Music |accessdate=3 January 2013}} LP (with a bonus 7" single),{{cite web|url=http://store.universal-music.co.uk/restofworld/education-education-education+war/kaiser-chiefs-education-education-education+war-lp-album/invt/0602537666348 |title=Kaiser Chiefs {{!}} Education, Education, Education & War LP Album |publisher=Universal Music |accessdate=3 January 2013}} and digital download. In the United States, it was released on 1 April 2014 through ATO Records.{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2013/12/kaiser-chiefs-education-war-album-trailer-track-list/ |title=Kaiser Chiefs Preview Fifth Album 'Education, Education, Education & War' |work=Spin |first=Chris |last=Martins |date=3 December 2013 |accessdate=3 January 2014}} On 6 January 2014, the album became available for pre-order on iTunes, with a free download of the song "Bows & Arrows".{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153706448960215 |title=Kaiser Chiefs {{!}} Pre-order now on iTunes to get "Bows & Arrows" instantly |publisher=Facebook |date=6 January 2014 |accessdate=6 January 2014}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a537116/kaiser-chiefs-debut-new-song-misery-company-listen.html |title=Kaiser Chiefs debut new song 'Misery Company' - listen |publisher=Digital Spy |first=Lewis |last=Corner |date=10 December 2013 |accessdate=6 January 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/kaiser-chiefs/74333 |title=Kaiser Chiefs unveil new track 'Misery Company' – listen |work=NME |date=10 December 2013 |accessdate=6 January 2013}}

On 3 January 2014, "Bows & Arrows" premiered on Rolling Stone magazine's website, and on 6 January 2014, the song was released as a single in France.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.fr/Bows-Arrows/dp/B00HPV9XQO/ |title=Bows & Arrows: Kaiser Chiefs |publisher=Amazon.fr |language=French |accessdate=7 January 2013}} 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. Wilson said:

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.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kaiser-chiefs-celebrate-brotherhood-on-bows-and-arrows-premiere-20140103 |title=Kaiser Chiefs Celebrate Brotherhood on 'Bows and Arrows' - Premiere |magazine=Rolling Stone |first=John |last=Gentile |date=3 January 2014 |accessdate=3 January 2014}}

On 13 February 2014, the first single for the album was released, titled "Coming Home" in the UK.{{cite web |url=http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2014-02-/14-/kaiser-chiefs-new-single-coming-home |title=The Kaiser Chiefs return with new single "Coming Home" - GQ.COM (UK) |accessdate=2014-02-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222021213/http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2014-02-/14-/kaiser-chiefs-new-single-coming-home |archivedate=22 February 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPipMQvKgKk |title=Kaiser Chiefs - Coming Home |via=YouTube |date=19 February 2014 |accessdate=2 March 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allaccess.com/triple-a/future-releases |title=Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations |publisher=All Access Music Group |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727124426/http://www.allaccess.com/triple-a/future-releases |archivedate=27 July 2014 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allaccess.com/alternative/future-releases |title=Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations |publisher=All Access Music Group |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713212901/http://www.allaccess.com/alternative/future-releases |archivedate=13 July 2014 |url-status=dead}}

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.{{YouTube|5JTH-qTDRRg}}

On 26 May 2014, the second single, "Meanwhile Up in Heaven", was released in the UK.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltZYXEsvfqU |title=Kaiser Chiefs - Meanwhile Up in Heaven |via=YouTube |accessdate=26 May 2014}}

On 24 June 2014, the third single, titled "My Life", was released in the UK.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltZYXEsvfqU |title=Kaiser Chiefs - My Life|via=YouTube |accessdate=26 May 2014}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 59/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/education-education-education-war/kaiser-chiefs |title=Education, Education, Education & War Reviews |publisher=Metacritic |accessdate=5 April 2014}}

| rev1 = Aesthetic Magazine

| rev1Score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite web|url=http://aestheticmagazinetoronto.com/2014/04/03/album-review-kaiser-chiefs-education-education-education-war/ |title=Album Review: Album Review: Kaiser Chiefs – "Education, Education, Education & War" |last=Gerichter |first=Daniel |work=Aesthetic Magazine |date=3 April 2014 |accessdate=5 April 2014}}

| rev2 = AllMusic

| rev2Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/education-education-education-war-mw0002613851 |title=Education, Education, Education & War - Kaiser Chiefs |first=James Christopher |last=Monger |publisher=AllMusic |date=31 March 2014 |accessdate=27 July 2019}}

| rev3 = Alternative Press

| rev3Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite journal|title=Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War |last=Ham |first=Robert |year=2014 |journal=Alternative Press |volume=May 2014 |issue=310 |page=93 |publisher=Alternative Press Magazine |issn=1065-1667}}

| rev4 = Clash

| rev4Score = 5/10{{cite web|url=http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/kaiser-chiefs-education-education-education-war |title=Kaiser Chiefs - Education, Education, Education & War |first=Shahzaib |last=Hussain |work=Clash |date=26 March 2014 |accessdate=5 April 2014}}

| rev5 = Consequence of Sound

| rev5Score = C{{cite web|url= http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/04/album-review-kaiser-chiefs-education-education-education-war/ |title=Album Review: Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War |last=Bosman |first=Chris |date=2 April 2014 |publisher=Consequence of Sound |accessdate=2 April 2014}}

| rev6 = The Guardian

| rev6Score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/27/kaiser-chiefs-education-education-education-and-war-review |title=Kaiser Chiefs: Education, Education, Education & War review – serious intentions but lightweight sounds |first=Harriet |last=Gibsone |work=The Guardian |date=27 March 2014 |accessdate=5 April 2014}}

| rev7 = Mojo

| rev7Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite journal|url=http://www.mojo4music.com/ |title=Fighting talk from the regrouped Leeds indie kings. |last=Bennett |first=Ross |journal=Mojo |volume=April 2014 |issue=245 |page=92 |publisher=Bauer Media Group |issn=1351-0193|accessdate=26 March 2014}}

| rev8 = musicOMH

| rev8Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/kaiser-chiefs-education-education-education-war |title=Kaiser Chiefs – Education, Education, Education & War |first=Andy |last=Baber |publisher=musicOMH |date=25 March 2014 |accessdate=5 April 2014}}

| rev9 = PopMatters

| rev9Score = {{Rating|6|10}}{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/review/180491-kaiser-chiefs-education-education-education-war/ |title=Kaiser Chiefs: Education, Education, Education & War |first=Richard |last=Folland |publisher=PopMatters |date=4 April 2014 |accessdate=5 April 2014}}

| rev10 = Rolling Stone

| rev10Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/education-education-education-war-20140404 |title=Kaiser Chiefs 'Education, Education, Education War' Album Review |first=Jon |last=Dolan |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=4 April 2014 |accessdate=5 April 2014}}

}}

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.

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." Ross Bennett of Mojo rated the album 3 stars out of 5, remarking that the release "finds them in defiant form."

{{Track listing

| title1 = The Factory Gates

| writer1 = Nick Baines, Simon Rix, Fraser T Smith, Andrew White, Ricky Wilson

| length1 = 3:32

| title2 = Coming Home

| writer2 = Baines, Rix, White, Wilson

| length2 = 4:51

| title3 = Misery Company

| writer3 = Baines, Petraglia, Rix, White, Wilson

| length3 = 5:13

| title4 = Ruffians on Parade

| writer4 = Baines, Rix, T Smith, White, Wilson

| length4 = 3:35

| title5 = Meanwhile Up in Heaven

| writer5 = Baines, Rix, White, Richard Wilkinson, Wilson

| length5 = 5:12

| title6 = One More Last Song

| writer6 = Baines, Rix, White, Wilkinson, Wilson

| length6 = 4:05

| title7 = My Life

| writer7 = Baines, Ben H. Allen III, Marcus Killian, Rix, White, Wilson

| length7 = 5:08

| title8 = Bows & Arrows

| writer8 = Baines, Rix, White, Wilkinson, Wilson

| length8 = 3:43

| title9 = Cannons

| writer9 = Baines, Rix, T Smith, White, Wilson

| length9 = 6:02

| title10 = Roses

| writer10 = Baines, Allen, Rix, White, Wilson

| length10 = 4:38

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Limited Edition Bonus Tracks

| title11 = Song for Stephanie

| writer11 = Baines, Rix, Fraser T Smith, White, Wilson

| length11 = 4:21

| title12 = The Nerve

| writer12 =

| length12 = 3:21

| title13 = Coming Home

| note13 = Radio Edit

| writer13 =

| length13 = 4:10

| title14 = Misery Company

| note14 = Radio Edit

| writer14 =

| length14 =

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Japanese Edition Bonus Tracks

| title11 = Song for Stephanie

| writer11 = Baines, Rix, Fraser T Smith, White, Wilson

| length11 = 4:21

| title12 = Nerve

| writer12 =

| length12 = 3:21

}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-3}}

;Kaiser Chiefs

• Ricky Wilson – lead vocals, percussion
• Andrew "Whitey" White – guitar, backing vocals
• Simon Rix – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Nick "Peanut" Baines – keyboards
• Vijay Mistry – drums, percussion

{{col-3}}

;Technical personnel{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/education-education-education-war-mw0002613851/credits |title=Education, Education, Education & War - Kaiser Chiefs {{!}} Credits |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=5 April 2014}}

• 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

{{col-3}}

;Additional musicians and performers

• Ben H. Allen III – acoustic guitar, organ, percussion, synthesizer, background vocals
• Bill Nighy – narrator (track 9)

;Additional personnel

• Cally – art direction, design, production
• Ross Neil – drawing
• James Sandom – management
• Mick Webster – management
• Jessica Lord – assistant
• Nadia Shukri – assistant

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"
scope="col"| Chart (2014) !scope="col"| Peak position
{{album chart|Flanders|33|artist=Kaiser Chiefs|album=Education, Education, Education & War|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 April 2014}}
{{album chart|Wallonia|40|artist=Kaiser Chiefs|album=Education, Education, Education & War|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 April 2014}}
{{album chart|Netherlands|37|artist=Kaiser Chiefs|album=Education, Education, Education & War|rowheader=true|accessdate=5 April 2014}}
{{album chart|France|154|artist=Kaiser Chiefs|album=Education, Education, Education & War|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 April 2014}}
{{album chart|Germany3|39|artist=Kaiser Chiefs|album=Education, Education, Education & War|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 April 2014}}
{{album chart|Switzerland|76|artist=Kaiser Chiefs|album=Education, Education, Education & War|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 April 2014}}
{{album chart|UK2|1|artist=Kaiser Chiefs|date=2014-04-12|rowheader=true|accessdate=6 April 2014}}

{{col-2}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
scope="col"| Chart (2014) !scope="col"| Position
scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC){{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/end-of-year-artist-albums-chart/20140105/37502/|title=End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2014|publisher=Official Charts Company|accessdate=19 August 2020}} | 64

{{col-end}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Kaiser Chiefs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Education, Education, Education and War}}

Category:2014 albums

Category:Kaiser Chiefs albums

Category:B-Unique Records albums

Category:Fiction Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Ben H. Allen