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Post by steelersfreak1 on Oct 4, 2010 13:04:00 GMT
It's really fun to read the reviews of the album but I do get quite nervous. I wonder what I will think about the album... Hopefully I'll love it! It's really a grower. On first listen it's kind of hard to swallow and a little weird to hear, but as you listen more you grow to like the songs.
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Post by chenault on Oct 4, 2010 13:42:53 GMT
it's definitely still growing on me. i don't dislike it as much as i did before. lyrically, caleb could have done so so so much better, but i'm finding that i'm enjoying it more and more. pick up truck is incredible, and i know it seems to be a bit of an underdog because the lyrics are thrown together pretty sloppily, but birthday is really catchy. and mi amigo is definitely in my top three right now. southbound, though. i just can't even...
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Post by guitargogether on Oct 4, 2010 13:51:46 GMT
whilst i dont think it's a particuarly bad album, i think they are capable of so much more. i feel similar. even though i dont love it right now i dont think it's awful i think i just set my expectations so high based on hearing Southbound at bonnaroo and having the bootleg of it to listen to all summer.
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Post by Nee on Oct 4, 2010 14:05:22 GMT
I agree Carrie. It's still good, and much better than OBTN, but it's just not quite there, you know? I do think Caleb sounds a bit sad on the album.
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Post by rexrupert on Oct 4, 2010 14:56:08 GMT
My rankings would be: I'm really curious about the B-side Celebration now, VERY curious. Who said they would release CELEBRATION as a B-Side!!?? I have been waiting to hear that song since Mid 2005. I figured "Birthday" might have been it.
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Post by Helene on Oct 4, 2010 15:10:51 GMT
Celebration is going to be on the deluxe version
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Post by chenault on Oct 4, 2010 16:40:38 GMT
i really want to hear celebration.
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Post by luckystrikekc on Oct 4, 2010 16:48:13 GMT
Can someone pm me a download link for the album please? I've been a long time KOL fan and I can't wait any longer for this album.
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texas
Innocent Smile
Posts: 169
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Post by texas on Oct 4, 2010 17:40:07 GMT
I had to pull an all nighter for a project last night and listened to CAS another 3 times. No matter what reservations I have about it, I can't seem to stop listening to it. I feel like it's their most haunting album of the 5. But I can't sit here and say now that the songs sound the same. They don't. Bits and pieces of songs carry over in a bad way (intro to Immortals and No Money are similar, Caleb goes from singing "ride out the wave" to in the next song singing "riiiiiide away"), but I think these songs are starting to show their uniqueness with each listen.
Don't sleep on Mi Amigo. What a badass song, when he says "here we go son!" at the end I just get fired up. This album wouldn't be special at all if it weren't for that song, Pickup Truck, and Back Down South.
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Post by chenault on Oct 4, 2010 18:00:09 GMT
i haven't been able to stop listening to it. i don't know what it is, but it's completely addicting.
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Post by Jonathan88 on Oct 4, 2010 18:37:15 GMT
I'm surprised that a few people have slated Mi Amigo - it really just hit me straight away as a cool song.
As well as that I think it wouldn't sound out of place on an alternative Toy Story soundtrack - if the lyrics were a little less explicit, of course!
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Post by Nee on Oct 4, 2010 18:52:31 GMT
I liked Mi Amigo! Still hoping for Devil Song as a bonus track/b-side.
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Post by Rebecka on Oct 4, 2010 19:16:28 GMT
It feels so weird to hear about all the songs! You keep hearing the names of 'em - Pyro, Mi amigo, Birthday, No Money, Pickup Truck ..... I'm used to know everything about the songs, like when people are explaining something about Closer or McFearless I understand what they mean - but now I just don't know anything! It's a bizarre but funny feeling
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Post by daisy88 on Oct 4, 2010 19:26:34 GMT
Could someone also pm me a link for the album? It would be much appreciated
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Flor de liz
Runnin' Free
Meu pai sempre me dizia: Meu filho tome cuidado. Quando eu penso no futuro n?o esque?o o meu passado
Posts: 212
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Post by Flor de liz on Oct 4, 2010 20:00:11 GMT
The first listen was difficult. I was not impressed at all and I kept saying to my sister: why it's so polished and lazy? Then I listened to it one more time and it got a bit better. It was a matter of getting used to the sound and to the record as a whole. It's like this record is more fluid than the previous ones and I'm not used to that. Then I decided to listen to it with my headphones and it got like 10 times better, because I could really pay attention to all the details. I still can't say that I love it, but for now, it's definitely a grower. It's getting better by each listen, but I tend to skip Radioactive and I always mentally censure myself for that... haha. I think this album can be divide in two parts: The End till The Face put me on suicide mode (except for Mary, thanks God). The Face makes me so fucking sad that I'm scared, it's like I want to cut my wrists open and bleed myself dry – I'm overreacting, but you get the feeling – I'm having problems to understand half of the words, though, it's like he's rambling. Back Down South cuts the album in a middle it's not here nor there; a very good track, nonetheless. Then you have all these “happy” tracks in wich concerns the rhythm (except for Pick Up Truck that is a lot more quiet than it's when done live). No Money is one of my favorites for now, it makes me wanna dance like crazy and shake my head and let my hair move in the air... hehe... it's good like that. Concerning the lyrics I can't really say much since I can't understand them all, but as far as I get they seem more obvious. Like somebody else said before, nothing can touch BotT and ASH lyrics, unfortunately, because I was expecting something like that for this album. It's just a personal opinion, others may think different, but it's like the hiding meanings, the things that got you wondering are not so present as before. I'm also surprised that I can understand a lot of what he sings. His voice sounds sad. People are not talking about the drums, but I think that's what holds the album together and makes it consistent, it's just that I think it was washed down by production. I mean, when you listen to the tracks live you can hear how strong it really is. That being said, I have to agree with people that said it's Jared's and Matthew's record. To me, so far, it is. They impressed me in a lot of levels, specially Matthew, because some of his parts are so haunting and completely make the songs (like The End and The Face). All in all the album is good, solid and fluid, but I have a problem with that. It's so fluid (or smooth , or mellow) that it failed to make a big impact on me so far. But I think it reflects the place they are in their lives now. I was looking for an analogy and I would say that that CAS feels like velvet while the first 3 records feel like a rustic wall; while velvet feels good, sometimes you want the impact to get you bruised, live a scar... sometimes you just want to get hurt. I don't know how to explain this. Except for The End and The Face whose the guitar makes me wanna cry, and No Money that makes me wanna dance the other tracks don't do much for me and a big part of my disappointment comes from the way those tracks were produced. I can't wait to hear the live versions. But it's like I said at the beggining, it's the kind of record that grows on you with each listen. Hopefully with the time I'll change my mind about a lot of aspects. Someone said it would be a natural progression from BotT. It makes sense to me. Skip OBTN, put CAS, speed it up a bit and there you have it.
p.s: I miss Ethan Johns. When I found out that Jacquire King was one of the producers I was disappointed, specially because I was listening non-stop to Laura Marling's “I Speak Because I Can” that was produced by Johns and it's a genius work. I think the songs he produces are more raw, but at the same time they tend to have their sophistication. It's a perfect balance.
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Post by NikLovesLeb on Oct 4, 2010 20:36:14 GMT
Thanks for the review Flor. Very interesting.
I had the same feelings when i heard that Jacquire was producing this one too.
However, if there is no grit in songs, i dont think that even Ethan Johns can make them gritty.
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cubalibre
Innocent Smile
Laissez le bon temps rouler
Posts: 107
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Post by cubalibre on Oct 4, 2010 20:55:02 GMT
Hi there, I haven't been on the forum for a year or so. Now KOL are going to release A NEW ALBUM !!! SOOO EXCITING!!! And uhm, what can I say - after having listened to the album 3 times in a row I now announce my vedict: mediocre. It maybe sounds a little harsh, but when the boys said that they would return to their roots I thought that they either meant the YAYM etc. days or their southern background. Unfortunately I could find none of these things in the record - at least not as a golden thread. It has too many styles combined for my taste. There are some absolutely great tunes on the album (The End, Pickup Truck, Pony Up...), some songs seem to blend into one long dragging along song (sorry, but I find Birthday boring and the lyrics...meh) and Mary, as well a Back Down South don't fit in at all. I was unsure about Mary at first because KOL and a "beachy" tune just would not match in my head, but Mary really rocks. Southbound in contrast was alright live, but is unbearable in the slowed down album version that nearly put me to sleep. Overall the record is good and that's about it. Everyone has their opinion and i liked the somber, troubled, agitated, raw and rough sound of KOL best - mostly because of Caleb's hoarse and full-of-pain voice, his grunts and screams that make his sound so unique. Matt and Jared are brilliant on COS, Nathan's drumming skills could have taken up more room and Caleb should have put as much power and accentuation into the recording as into the live performances. I personally think a record should be as good as a live concert, though it can be different. I find it weird to say it's ok that the studio recording is kind of lame and flat because I will be blown away when I hear them perform the song live. And what can I listen to at home/in my car/at a party while I wait for the live CD to be released to finally throw the other stuff in the trash? God, that came across very brutal - to make it clear, I like the record but it was absolutely not what I had wished for. Aaaand I truly believe that KOL will win some Grammies/MTV-awards etc. for COS because some songs are really catchy and most of the OBTN fans are going to like it. Maybe this review (or whatever that was) didn't make any sense and my grammar sucked balls but I felt the urge to spill my guts to you Have a nice day & lots of love from Ava
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Post by april1988 on Oct 4, 2010 21:01:51 GMT
I am just at my first listening. I am a bit confused. I dunno there are some songs I liked at the first and others I can't stand for now. Beach Side is one of these. And also I am scared to listen to MI AMIGO. This title is hopeless. But I will give more than another chance to Come Around Sundown of course. NO MONEY is brilliant anyway.
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Flor de liz
Runnin' Free
Meu pai sempre me dizia: Meu filho tome cuidado. Quando eu penso no futuro n?o esque?o o meu passado
Posts: 212
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Post by Flor de liz on Oct 4, 2010 21:04:43 GMT
Thanks for the review Flor. Very interesting. I had the same feelings when i heard that Jacquire was producing this one too. However, if there is no grit in songs, i dont think that even Ethan Johns can make them gritty. Thank you. Well, I think Johns would have been great for the second half of the record. I can hear a little bit of ASH there. Even for the first half, I would say, since songs like Pyro and The Face sound a bit like BOtT. I'm not saying that you could take this songs and put it in the previous records, just that you get the loose feeling of another KOL eras when listening to them. A very vague feeling, hehe.
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nobodybutme
Runnin' Free
and there ain't nothin' wrong with the love that's in her eyes
Posts: 290
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Post by nobodybutme on Oct 4, 2010 23:51:13 GMT
Flor, I agree with everything you said, specially the part about skipping 'Radioactive' and censuring myself about it But 'Pyro' is definetly the one; I'm so in love with this song it's not even nice :s They're no Radiohead and this is not OK Computer. Kings of Leon just make tunes. The hipsters are gonna hate, but it's ok, I'll just crack another beer and throw on a little Come Around Sundown and party on. Amen.
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