Critic's Reviews of BOTT??

[blindfaith]

saltyleave said:

Spin mag gave it 2 and 1/2 stars out of 5. Want to cancel my subscription.

wtf?

[blindfaith]

4 out of 5 stars at The Music Box:

www.musicbox-online.com/reviews-2007/kingsofleon-becauseofthetimes.html

For a band that thrives on being in front of an audience, Kings of Leon has put together a remarkably solid slate of studio albums. Although one gets the sense that its songs have the potential to pack even more of a punch in a concert setting, the ensemble largely succeeded on both Youth & Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak in capturing the primal, adrenaline-soaked, tension-and-release fury of its attack. In that sense, Kings of Leon’s latest endeavor Because of the Times is no different. Throughout the set, drums crash, guitars scream, and basses throb as front man Caleb Followill growls his way through 13 hazy songs about having children out of wedlock (Knocked Up), perseverance (McFearless), unrequited affection (True Love Way), and rock star idolatry (Fans).

Assuming that Kings of Leon musically has remained in one place, however, would be an inaccurate assessment. Granted, the group still has a penchant for challenging newcomers to go with the flow, and the combined effect of the opening trio of tunes on Because of the Times might be enough to turn away many of the more curious souls among them. Knocked Up lingers for more than seven minutes as crisp, penetrating shots from a drum jarringly break through the atmospheric textures that wash over the song’s quietly propulsive rhythm. On Charmer, punk rock’s clatter merges with heavy metal’s thunder in a way that is strangely reminiscent of The Police’s Mother — albeit as performed by The White Stripes in full, Led Zeppelin mode — while the subsequent On Call begins as an ethereal piece in the spirit of Peter Gabriel-led Genesis. Yet, as the beat kicks in and the guitars begin to churn, everything seems to fall into place — so well, in fact, that, in retrospect, the opening cuts gain traction.

For the remainder of Because of the Times, Kings of Leon showcases the maturity that it gleaned from touring with U2, Pearl Jam, and Bob Dylan. Each track on the effort is better than the one that preceded it, and from the clamorous country inflections of Black Thumbnail to the reggae-tinged jubilance of Ragoo, the collective makes it perfectly clear that it is more than ready to play with the big boys. Because of the Times, then, feels like it is a huge coming-out party for Kings of Leon. What’s even more astonishing is that it doesn’t feel at all as if the band made any commercial concessions to host it. In an age of generic, watered-down rock, this is truly a testament to Kings of Leon’s ambitions as well as to its potential for a long and prosperous career.

[blindfaith]

redding said:

saltyleave said:

Spin mag gave it 2 and 1/2 stars out of 5. Want to cancel my subscription. sometimes I think they do things just to be opposite of Rolling Stone.

I read that spin review it came across like the reviewer didnt like it because it wasnt what he expected from them...

Finally got around to reading this, and I got that sense from it too. It's like he wanted to hear 45 minutes of sermonizing or something. And unfocused jamming? They need songs? Puh-leaaaaaaaase.

Here's the text:



Despite their well-publicized evangelical upbringing, I have no idea what religion Kings of Leon practice. I suspect they'd make lousy Buddhists -- because repetition, when it's feeding meditation, is supposed to lead to deep thoughts, and no matter how many times you repeat, "She said call me now, baby / And I'd come a-runnin'," it doesn't quite cut it. That's not to say these Tennessee brothers (and a cousin), who sound like Bobcat Goldthwait fronting the Strokes, don't excel at unlocking grooviness from a word or a note or two.

On "Charmer," singer Caleb Followill lets loose a David Lee Roth -- worthy shriek before every stanza. At first it's impressive, then you kinda want to kill him, and eventually the sound settles nicely into the architecture. On "Knocked Up," two high guitar notes float in and out for seven-plus minutes, as Followill ponders having a kid and getting off the road. But that's about as believable as the boast that he and his bandmates are "an ornery cuss." Everyone likes pointless bravado, but what these guys need now is songs, and this LP sounds too close to unfocused jamming. Even when a tune really pops, like the single "On Call," it's just a feeling. The Kings have the potential to reach nirvana, but enlightenment is a long way off. ANDREW BEAUJON

www.spin.com/reviews/2007/03/0704_kingsofleon/

[Twelvevolts]

What is good about today versus years gone by - is you've heard the album before the reviewer most of the time and you can see how little effort some of them put into the job. I guess they review a lots of albums but some of the reviewers sound like they listen to the album two or three times max, whilst I've listened to it nearer to two hundred times. With many albums the reward is sticking with so you discover the gems that you don't hear the first few times.

[kingjuddy]

Somebody from Pitchfork didn't like the album.

Poor wittle pretentious Pitchfork loser...

I can't be bothered to post the link. Not worth reading especially after YAYM and ASH both got less than 5/10...

[mynameisdominic]

PItch fork always hate specific bands and unfortunately KOL is one of them... i don't know why anyone would buy that mag

[Twelvevolts]

mynameisdominic said:

PItch fork always hate specific bands and unfortunately KOL is one of them... i don't know why anyone would buy that mag

I've never seen the mag fortunately - I only ever buy NME when it has a cover disk on it. Well maybe Q once a year as well.

[sunshowers]

I don't think pitchfork is a mag- it's just a website. I've never seen it on the stands at least.

I emailed Pitchfork complaining to them about how biased they were against KOL . I doubt I'll get a reply, but I'm still proud of myself. I love the site- just not the CD reviews. I disagree with almost every one of their reviews. The news and mp3s are pretty nice, though.

Their BOTT review has no credibility to it anyways- they called them the "Southern Strokes" again. And then they changed it to "Southern U2" I don't know how they can review a CD when it's obvious from the review that they were biased against them before they listening to it.