This is essentially the subject that lead me to start a blog. My housemate suggest a blogspot may be the most appropriate place to vent. I've never been one to expel strong opinions, however, here I go...
I remember the day I bought Kings of Leon first album, Youth and Young Manhood, and it was genuinely exciting day, and for one reason and another I seem to have remembered it very well. But one of the overriding feelings that day was one of sheer exhilaration. The stripped back southern guitar tones, effortlessly cool baselines and the almost incomprehensible vocals that passionately spat stories of, well, youth and young manhood, at you. It was the best thing I had heard in years.
Fast forward five years to the release of Only By the Night. I now find myself listening to Kings of Leon in half rate clubs across the town. As for the music itself it appears over produced and soulless. Singer, Caleb Followill, appears to have just fallen out of Topman, while Jared, the bass player is sporting a very boy bandesque quiff. Now, for me, image does not make the band, but it does certainly change the way the band are perceived. Indeed, at the birth of Kings of Leon, they wore clothes, that ridiculously didn’t fit them, and had hair and moustaches, which quite frankly made them look like a bit like King Charles I. However, they won over my affection, the affection of many others. They had all the ingrediants of cool, but at the same time were not. Which as a result, in my eyes, made them even more cool.
The video for break through single Molly’s Chamber screams retro cool, while the new video for latest single Use Somebody seems to imply that Kings of Leon are in fact the love child of Bon Jovi and Busted. In fact, for some extra homework, check out the video for Who's David by Busted and compare it to the video for Use Somebody. Not identical, but it is difficult to ignore the similarities.
Anyway, I feel like I’ve typed for too long about sometime that really doesn't matter. I will now stop and try to think of sometime meaningful to do. I have vented. I still love Kings of Leon. I hope you've enjoy my first post, after all, I didn't want this to be wasted time...
