Post by Dirty Belly on Aug 24, 2004 8:36:25 GMT
I know it's old but I think it's a great review from the Observer (big broadsheet read by really clever people!) but it's a great review! I really hope the new CD gets press this good.
Sons of a preacher man
CD of the week: Their father was a priest, but Kings of Leon walk in Robert Johnson and Hank Williams's footsteps, says Akin Ojumu
Sunday July 6, 2003
The Observer
Kings of Leon
Youth and Young Manhood
(Hand Me Down Records)
If things had worked out differently, Caleb Followill - lead singer of the Kings of Leon - might have found himself at the pulpit delivering fire-and-brimestone sermons to the Tennessee faithful. Instead, the son of an itinerant preacherman formed the band with his two brothers, Jared and Nathan, and cousin Matthew Followill.
Despite the biblical names and spiritual background, Kings of Leon have, musically at least, drifted on to the wrong side of the tracks. They are the latest in the long line of Southern rebels to strap on guitars. But even Hank Williams, a notorious amphetamine abuser, would have struggled to play with the intensity of Kings of Leon, whose raw, dirty blues has led to them being described as the 'Southern Strokes'.
While The Strokes rely on new wave and garage rock for inspiration, this four-piece cast their net wider, using country, blues and hillbilly rock'n'roll. However, like The Strokes, they look the part, eerily reminscent of the fictional rock band in Almost Famous. Their songs are short, sharp bursts of rootsy energy in which finesse is substituted by passion. Incidentally, Kings of Leon were originally signed by Steve Ralbovsky, the man who discovered The Strokes, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam.
They are more than just another derivative retro band, though, even if this release leaves you wondering whether there is anything post-1980 in any of their record collections. Their songs are structured like classic punk songs - a skintight rhythm section plus punchy choruses. But, like all worthwhile bands, they have taken a rich stew of influences and turned them into something fresh. While the imagery is evocative and familiar - Greyhound bus stations, one-horse towns, ramshackle bars - the songs, as the album title suggests, are about the frustrations and thrills of youth.
Caleb Followill is a remarkable singer. You can hear his nonchalant scowl in every line, as though he had dragged his larynx across a sawdust-strewn floor to achieve that bruised quality. On 'Tranny', the album's epic ballad, Followill sounds like Mick Jagger's country cousin circa Exile on Main St. Of course he gets good support from the family. On 'Molly's Chambers' the clan create a clever piece of angular rock in just over two minutes, punctuated by a delirious refrain; on 'O Dusty' they invoke the ghost of Robert Johnson.
Under their redneck exterior, Kings of Leon have a lot going for them. The group are gifted beyond their years (the youngest member of the band, bassist Jared Followill, is only 16), and Youth and Young Manhood is one of those joyous, unpretentious debuts that make you wonder why all bands don't do it like this. Expectations will be high for their follow-up but for now they should relax because they've got most things just right. Especially those haircuts.
Sons of a preacher man
CD of the week: Their father was a priest, but Kings of Leon walk in Robert Johnson and Hank Williams's footsteps, says Akin Ojumu
Sunday July 6, 2003
The Observer
Kings of Leon
Youth and Young Manhood
(Hand Me Down Records)
If things had worked out differently, Caleb Followill - lead singer of the Kings of Leon - might have found himself at the pulpit delivering fire-and-brimestone sermons to the Tennessee faithful. Instead, the son of an itinerant preacherman formed the band with his two brothers, Jared and Nathan, and cousin Matthew Followill.
Despite the biblical names and spiritual background, Kings of Leon have, musically at least, drifted on to the wrong side of the tracks. They are the latest in the long line of Southern rebels to strap on guitars. But even Hank Williams, a notorious amphetamine abuser, would have struggled to play with the intensity of Kings of Leon, whose raw, dirty blues has led to them being described as the 'Southern Strokes'.
While The Strokes rely on new wave and garage rock for inspiration, this four-piece cast their net wider, using country, blues and hillbilly rock'n'roll. However, like The Strokes, they look the part, eerily reminscent of the fictional rock band in Almost Famous. Their songs are short, sharp bursts of rootsy energy in which finesse is substituted by passion. Incidentally, Kings of Leon were originally signed by Steve Ralbovsky, the man who discovered The Strokes, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam.
They are more than just another derivative retro band, though, even if this release leaves you wondering whether there is anything post-1980 in any of their record collections. Their songs are structured like classic punk songs - a skintight rhythm section plus punchy choruses. But, like all worthwhile bands, they have taken a rich stew of influences and turned them into something fresh. While the imagery is evocative and familiar - Greyhound bus stations, one-horse towns, ramshackle bars - the songs, as the album title suggests, are about the frustrations and thrills of youth.
Caleb Followill is a remarkable singer. You can hear his nonchalant scowl in every line, as though he had dragged his larynx across a sawdust-strewn floor to achieve that bruised quality. On 'Tranny', the album's epic ballad, Followill sounds like Mick Jagger's country cousin circa Exile on Main St. Of course he gets good support from the family. On 'Molly's Chambers' the clan create a clever piece of angular rock in just over two minutes, punctuated by a delirious refrain; on 'O Dusty' they invoke the ghost of Robert Johnson.
Under their redneck exterior, Kings of Leon have a lot going for them. The group are gifted beyond their years (the youngest member of the band, bassist Jared Followill, is only 16), and Youth and Young Manhood is one of those joyous, unpretentious debuts that make you wonder why all bands don't do it like this. Expectations will be high for their follow-up but for now they should relax because they've got most things just right. Especially those haircuts.
