BY MIKEY MIGO
Today I'm going to once again sit down, plug in my headphones, and kick back to a band I'm not familiar with. I keep my first impression bands to bands with four to six albums so I can take in the whole discography. Sometimes I fall in love with a new band and sometimes I had trouble remembering anything about them a week later. So far I've given open minded chances to "Simon & Garfunkel", "The Smiths", "The Pixies", and "The Stooges". That's a reasonable enough timeline. The only thing missing is a "current" band. There are plenty of current popular bands that I've not given a proper first impression to because of three reasons. 1.) Their fans spoil it for me. 2.) Their single spoiled it for me. 3.) Their music just hasn't crossed my path.
"Kings of Leon" is one of those bands.
Going into this, I honestly can't tell you much about "Kings of Leon". I know a lot of hipster and indie cred people like them. So that's honestly what I assume of the band. I figured they were boring like "Wilco". With "Wilco" being from the area it's easy to have some exposure to them, but it seems their fan base is the same. I could be generalizing. I expect something a hipster or indie person would enjoy. That's normally not what I'd like. It's just my tastes. Outside of a slim few preferences, my tastes don't match up very well with this group of people. The cynic in me hates them already, but that's really unjust. I know that's judgmental and discriminating, but it's honest.
Another reason is simply that they've never crossed my path. They've played on tour with bands I do like, but didn't get to see that specific time. They've been on my television via video, but my attention has apparently always been elsewhere. I wouldn't say I've avoided them. I like to pride myself on being open minded even with the last paragraph being said. They've just never caught my attention.
When being faced with the four studio albums of the band, I hope my prejudgments are wrong. I wouldn't want to sit with headphones on for a good three plus hours and listen to something not good. I'm going in with an open mind. I'm hoping for the best, but without getting those hopes too up.
Youth And Young Manhood (2003)
We kick off with "Red Morning Light". It surprises me with a cool soul rock riff and pretty interesting lyrics. It's got a familiar feel to it; like I've heard this before. It sets the gritty southern rock mood for what should hopefully be a good first impression. In "Happy Alone" I feel like I just stepped out of a time machine. It really feels like an older classic rock song, but with a hint of gritty punk delivery. Regardless, you can't help but nod your head along. "Wasted World" is a single from the album and I can honestly say I don't remember ever hearing it. It's good, but doesn't have anything to it that hooks me to thinking "Yeah, this IS a single". I find myself liking "Joe's Head" a lot more, but lyrics referring to a bullet in Joe's head I can see why this wasn't acceptable for a single. The storytelling in the song makes the already good tune something even better. It continues as "Trani" is even better. It's like a mix of a "Ziggy Stardust" era track with "The Pixies". Basically, your mind is blown by the time the song ends. I really didn't expect that. What I said about "Wasted Time" being a single, but not having that kick to it..."California Waiting" DOES have that kick to it and I'm surprised I didn't hear this one. By now I'm into the album as "Spiral Staircase" plays all the way through, with my head nodding along the whole way through. The guitar work is impressive. "Molly Chambers" comes on and I KNOW THIS SONG. I remember enjoying it back when I heard it before (radio, movie, something), but never knew who it was. This is by far the coolest song of Kings of Leon I've heard thus far on the album. It has "classic" written all over it. It's like famous Jet(t) song, but with substance. The droning guitar in "Genius" is enthralling. I dig this song as well. We slow it down with "Dusty". It's blues rock at its finest. It's dirty, gritty, and with headphones on it's a journey to say the least. "Holy Roller Novocaine" is next and is another understandable single. I read that it's been in a few movies, but I can't remember at all. At the end of the album is a hidden track called "Talihina Sky". It's a very light track with a piano accompaniment. It's a good ender to a very good album. If this album is any indication as to the potential talents of "Kings of Leon" then I'll be kicking myself all the way to being a big fan.
Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004)
The album starts off with "Slow Night, So Long", a slower tempo opening that builds up. I can instantly tell that this album is going to have a more polished sound than the first. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but worth noting. At like 2:40 into the song, it fades and what feels like another song begins but it's not. A single, "King Of The Rodeo" is next. It's within the same realm of what I know of the band on the first album, but it's got a weird "I Would Walk 500 Miles" vibe going when the chorus hits. "Taper Jean Girl" kicks in with a funky intro and the song is good. So far, the best track of the album. "Pistol of Fire" is the type of gritty funk rock song that I hope there's more of. "Milk" is a probably my favorite down tempo track of the band thus far. It's a great track, but what makes it is the break down about three minutes in. "The Bucket", another single I've never heard, is about dealing with fame at 18 as one of the members had. "Soft" makes me want to dance due to the eruption of soul that comes at you. I'm zoned out until being awakened by "Four Kicks", the third single of the album. It's a song that you can see being in a movie in either a chase/rush scene or even a crazed montage.
Skipping to "Rememo". This track, like "Milk", is a kick ass down tempo song. It's simple, but still feels like a journey. The last track, "Where Nobody Knows", is a great finish and lyrically my favorite of the album. To me this album is highlighted by the down tempo songs. I appreciate the expansion of music in this one, but unlike the first album, there are a few tracks on this one that feel disposable. They all can't be winners and I'm not soured or anything. It'll be interesting to see if they recapture the awesomeness of the first album.
Because Of The Times (2007)
We start the third album off with "Knocked Up". I would assume it has nothing to do with the movie of the same title. The opening builds up and the tempo reminds me a lot of a U2 song. That fades into vocals that sound like the band is playing inside of a cave. Then eventually the song turns into almost a hard rock song. It's all over the place. Snarky comments aside, I like the 7:10 long track a lot because of its buffet of noise. I could do without the puberty squeal screams of "Charmer". It takes you out of the mood of what would have been a cool song. I could see myself skipping this track in the future. "On Call" starts out like an 80's synth ballad and builds to something that sounds like a polished grunge tune (is that an oxymoron?). I really don't know how to take this song. This album seems really experimental within the classic sound they're exploring. It's the hardest of their classic rock styling so far. In "Black Thumbnail", it almost feels like a hard rock version of a Skynard song. Anything, but that! "My Party" is straight out a dance song, but it rocks. This is the best song on the album thus far and it's not because it feels the most "together". "True Love Way" is an interesting track. I read that it's inspired by the belief of watching the movie "Lost World" with someone is the "true love way". With that in mind, it animates it to be a story. "Fans", one of those singles I've missed, has to have the most strained vocals I've heard in a long time. I know this is going to sound bad and REALLY harsh, but the first thing that came to mind was "It's like Joe Cocker taking a shit." We skip to "Trunk", which has a good start for what could be a redeeming track. On any of the other albums, I'd not be this excited for the song as much. On this album, I don't want it to end. "Camaro" starts off with me holding on and thinking "this isn't bad", but then it kicks in to a very disposable track that I've already forgotten. The last track "Arizona" is pleasant, but doesn't hook you into it all. It ends the weak album with a weak fade out. If this was the only first impression of the band then I'd of ran away and never looked back. While I can appreciate experimentation, the whole concept only works when it's providing something good. The vocals sound overly exaggerated and musically it sounds more like B-Sides from a "Doors" cover band. It's not horrible, but compared to the second and especially the first album it's not the same band. This album was like three steps back for the band. It sounds like the soundtrack to a 1980's Bruce Willis comedy. Normally when a band puts out two albums so close to each other, the second one is almost completely different than the last. That's what I'm hoping for as we move on.
Only By The Night (2008)
This is the bands most commercially successful album to date so hopefully a lot of people aren't wrong about it. I really like the intro to "Closer" and it turns out to be a good track. The chorus reminds me of a "3 Doors Down" song and that's never a good sign. Still it maintains a higher grit to it and doesn't quite cross that line of "lame". "Crawl" is really different than anything the band has done before and I like it. It REALLY sounds like a U2 song though. Like to the point, where it makes Coldplay sound like something original. I still like it, a lot in fact, but the style is so different than the band's other material that it stands out. "Sex on Fire", a single from the album that I guess is fairly popular, feels like something from the first two albums. "Use Somebody" sounds like it should be on "Grey's Anatomy" or covered on "American Idol". For those keeping track at home, that's not a good thing. We skip to "Revelry", like "Use Somebody", is fodder for those three or four Mike's Hard Lemonades into their night of partying. The album just falls apart from there. With each track being just as blankly disposable as the last. The album mercifully ends with "Cold Desert", which should of just been called "Frozen Turd". I can see why this album is the most commercially successful of the bunch. It's flat out lazy commercial rock. The "dirty funk" of the first two albums peaks its bad ass head around a little on the album with the first two tracks, but for the most part it sounds like faux-substance Midwest USA bar rock. It's better than most of the others and has a tad more essence, but it's a far cry from the rawness of their early work. It's Nickelback with an alcohol problem.
The Verdict: I have unfairly put aside "Kings of Leon" in way of my own stubbornness. I start off with a negative view in my head and quickly do a 180. I loved what I heard. While listening to the first two albums I found that musically they are really dirty gritty blues rock fused with the honesty of grunge. I dug it a lot. Then the third album starts and I experienced another complete 180. So I'm pretty much back to not caring about them. It's as if they sold out as quickly as they could. I love the soul of the vocals, but they come off a bit abrasive at times. I for one, like abrasive in small doses, but for some reason this voice jars me out of the music at certain times. Musically, I'm a big fan but the vocals are what make things a bit "eh". Basically, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I like the first album a lot, the second a little less, the third is not good, and the forth is not much better. They went from the gritty blues rock band to a filthy commercial rock band bordering on easy listening. I can see the band has taken a new direction, but sadly it's the wrong way. It's like they went from being Whiskey to Zima's within half a decade. I'm glad I missed the boat on the early albums because to have to experience the third and forth as a fan would probably be heartbreaking. Instead, with a straight listen of the four albums it was like ripping off a band-aid. Overall, I liked what I heard on the early albums most. I respect and appreciate what they're going for. It's not what I would say is my "cup of tea". There are a few tracks that I like a lot and would put on playlists and hope to hear again. Still it's not a band that I'd go out of my way to hear, but I do hope our paths cross again…a bit farther down the road. I'd be interested to see how they develop in another five years and support them in their pursuit to rock out.
If in fact they actually choose to ever do so again.
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