PopMatters Review of Kings of Leon... Reviewer Disses Vedder
bdgavin
Posts: 123
Kings of Leon
Because of the Times
(RCA)
US release date: 3 April 2007
UK release date: 2 April 2007
by Vladimir Wormwood
Geography has an interesting place in popular music. It is, naturally, a factor in any sound musicians make. It is integral to the formation of sounds whether or not it is acknowledged. Many will do all they can to escape their geography, only to use it as a form of authentication as they finally settle up in New York or LA. Some will adopt new space as their own. It is interesting that it continues to have a spot in an increasingly global music scene. Are we merely paying it lip service anymore? Are there sounds that do not make it to certain parts, or sounds so unique to certain areas? Do musicians, and their more judgmental critical counterparts, invoke geography as easy shorthand despite its waning significance? Such is the initial line of questioning listening to the neo-Southern-rock of Kings of Leon’s new album Because of the Times.
Southern rock is sort of a redundant genre and yet no one seems unclear on what it represents. Is not all of rock ‘n’ roll music born of the American South? And yet the stomping swagger and sweaty grit of some supersonic country are what specifically come to mind. For fans of Kings of Leon there is no worry that the boys have abandoned this approach. Yet this album sees them play a number of rewarding twists on that template.
The first track “Knocked Up” fades in and out like a glimpse of some ongoing narrative. The bass and drums shuffle along while the guitar scrapes out angular Edge-isms (U2). The vocal and lyrics are a lonesome combination of resignation and resolve. “I’m gonna be her lover” sounds as bleak and foreboding as the instrumental accompaniment. It is an introverted way to open the album. It’s even a little bit scary, but with a hint of genuine and tenacious love buried somewhere within. It is really one of the finest points of the new album and its success is indicative of the finer things to be found here. It is expertly positioned economy of sound and vision. In which it is sparse in both respects and yet richly compelling. Despite a litany of cliché imagery and seven minutes of very subtle variation “Knocked Up” is fascinating. There is a gripping, cinematic quality to this story you’ve probably heard before. There is a beauty to the stubbornly blunt approach to complex issues.
While a meditative and sprawling opener may be a strange choice, Kings of Leon up the intensity with the ferocious “Charmer”, a scathing track borrowing heavily from the Pixies school of paranoid shriek. Caleb Fallowill even tears out his best Frank Black yelp so often that even listening starts to hurt. As is so often the case with imitation the full-halt, bass-bridge sounds almost more Pixies than the Pixies ever did.
And in these songs there is already an indication of why this new album is so interesting. The stomp and swagger are still the basis but now they are cut with some worried punk awareness. The result, when it works, is a frail undercut to self-assurance. It would be easy enough to abandon or deny the pregnancy of “Knocked Up” (a guitar-driven “you say you got my baby an’ I know it ain’t true") and yet here they opt for stark vulnerability. Its something like Joy Division, lost in the American South, hoping to get by as a bar band. And yet, thankfully, the record does not seem to acknowledge its peculiarities but pummel and slash forth.
The better two-thirds of the album rocks on in this style. That is not to say that it becomes boring as there is vast room for variety where southern grunge and echo-y post-punk intersect. “On Call” is mid-tempo sweetness which picks up a tasteful guitar annotation to its melody. “McFearless” grits its teeth through fuzz-bass and a reminder of how the wah pedal, while oft associated with slinky funk, can sound absolutely brutal. Although he is almost invariably mixed into the fray, Caleb Fallowill’s vocals display competent range and a penchant for bright melodies. At his best, the chorus of “Black Thumbnail”, he sounds like another growling instrument.
“My Party” is the energetic high point of the album. After a somewhat clumsy guitar intro Jared and Nathan Fallowill (bass and drums respectively) pop and lock-down with blistering funkiness. The seconds of pre-chorus are enough to make all the other neo-new-wave posers turn green. Add the crushing, angular rhythm guitar and finally a band figured out how to cop that noise in a style which is fresh and pays more tribute than it rips off. When the full band returns to the exuberant chorus the guitar crackles along and you will dance. Have mercy how you will shake!
Following that magnesium burn a cool down is all but necessary. The Kings follow suit ably and sweetly. “True Love Way” and “Ragoo” allow for a more vocal driven approach. Caleb can really croon on these. There are shades of Eddie Vedder in his delivery but comes off far less annoying. He is a more tactful Vedder, the Vedder of “Red”. “Ragoo” has such a lithe, delayed guitar riff that its heavy handed chorus is totally forgivable. Vocals and other guitar play around this initial figure for the verses and the barely audible keys on the fade-out are a pretty touch, a brush with beauty.
And all of a sudden the energy seems to go all out of the album. It’s a tough disappointment after being right along for what has been a very tight ride. From “Fans” on the whole band deflates. Everything gets repetitive and uninspired. “Trunk” sounds promising at first with a little funk a la “Riders on the Storm” but it quickly loses this soul facsimile. Nothing has been genius, but they got by on the simplicity of their energy for so long and without that, well there ain’t much. What is really unfortunate is that the padding comes together all at once. Had some of these less invigorated tunes been parsed out across the album, the overall effect would still be outstanding. As it is there’s the outstanding album and its sluggish coda. Rather than expanding the whole, this seems like obvious filler, thrown together after the fact. It would have been so easy to trick me into thinking this thing was about flawless. Even the flaccid nonsense of “Camaro” could pass if following “My Party”.
So it’s tough to call this one. If it were only the first eight tracks this would probably be the best album I’ve heard in 2007. So, Kings of Leon have created some very excellent rock music. It moves around enough in eight songs to defy easy category. Then again Kings of Leon are guilty of one of the cardinal sins of rock; filler for filler’s sake. And this has to diminish some of what they accomplished. So much of the fun of the sound was making the most out of simple, economic rocking. And then, in the grand scheme, they lose their sense of economy to attain the standard album length. Frankly I’d be pleased as punch with an eight-song Because of the Times. The Because of the Times EP. Because of the Times, with stupid bonus tracks. That’s how I want to remember this album.
RATING: 7/10
Because of the Times
(RCA)
US release date: 3 April 2007
UK release date: 2 April 2007
by Vladimir Wormwood
Geography has an interesting place in popular music. It is, naturally, a factor in any sound musicians make. It is integral to the formation of sounds whether or not it is acknowledged. Many will do all they can to escape their geography, only to use it as a form of authentication as they finally settle up in New York or LA. Some will adopt new space as their own. It is interesting that it continues to have a spot in an increasingly global music scene. Are we merely paying it lip service anymore? Are there sounds that do not make it to certain parts, or sounds so unique to certain areas? Do musicians, and their more judgmental critical counterparts, invoke geography as easy shorthand despite its waning significance? Such is the initial line of questioning listening to the neo-Southern-rock of Kings of Leon’s new album Because of the Times.
Southern rock is sort of a redundant genre and yet no one seems unclear on what it represents. Is not all of rock ‘n’ roll music born of the American South? And yet the stomping swagger and sweaty grit of some supersonic country are what specifically come to mind. For fans of Kings of Leon there is no worry that the boys have abandoned this approach. Yet this album sees them play a number of rewarding twists on that template.
The first track “Knocked Up” fades in and out like a glimpse of some ongoing narrative. The bass and drums shuffle along while the guitar scrapes out angular Edge-isms (U2). The vocal and lyrics are a lonesome combination of resignation and resolve. “I’m gonna be her lover” sounds as bleak and foreboding as the instrumental accompaniment. It is an introverted way to open the album. It’s even a little bit scary, but with a hint of genuine and tenacious love buried somewhere within. It is really one of the finest points of the new album and its success is indicative of the finer things to be found here. It is expertly positioned economy of sound and vision. In which it is sparse in both respects and yet richly compelling. Despite a litany of cliché imagery and seven minutes of very subtle variation “Knocked Up” is fascinating. There is a gripping, cinematic quality to this story you’ve probably heard before. There is a beauty to the stubbornly blunt approach to complex issues.
While a meditative and sprawling opener may be a strange choice, Kings of Leon up the intensity with the ferocious “Charmer”, a scathing track borrowing heavily from the Pixies school of paranoid shriek. Caleb Fallowill even tears out his best Frank Black yelp so often that even listening starts to hurt. As is so often the case with imitation the full-halt, bass-bridge sounds almost more Pixies than the Pixies ever did.
And in these songs there is already an indication of why this new album is so interesting. The stomp and swagger are still the basis but now they are cut with some worried punk awareness. The result, when it works, is a frail undercut to self-assurance. It would be easy enough to abandon or deny the pregnancy of “Knocked Up” (a guitar-driven “you say you got my baby an’ I know it ain’t true") and yet here they opt for stark vulnerability. Its something like Joy Division, lost in the American South, hoping to get by as a bar band. And yet, thankfully, the record does not seem to acknowledge its peculiarities but pummel and slash forth.
The better two-thirds of the album rocks on in this style. That is not to say that it becomes boring as there is vast room for variety where southern grunge and echo-y post-punk intersect. “On Call” is mid-tempo sweetness which picks up a tasteful guitar annotation to its melody. “McFearless” grits its teeth through fuzz-bass and a reminder of how the wah pedal, while oft associated with slinky funk, can sound absolutely brutal. Although he is almost invariably mixed into the fray, Caleb Fallowill’s vocals display competent range and a penchant for bright melodies. At his best, the chorus of “Black Thumbnail”, he sounds like another growling instrument.
“My Party” is the energetic high point of the album. After a somewhat clumsy guitar intro Jared and Nathan Fallowill (bass and drums respectively) pop and lock-down with blistering funkiness. The seconds of pre-chorus are enough to make all the other neo-new-wave posers turn green. Add the crushing, angular rhythm guitar and finally a band figured out how to cop that noise in a style which is fresh and pays more tribute than it rips off. When the full band returns to the exuberant chorus the guitar crackles along and you will dance. Have mercy how you will shake!
Following that magnesium burn a cool down is all but necessary. The Kings follow suit ably and sweetly. “True Love Way” and “Ragoo” allow for a more vocal driven approach. Caleb can really croon on these. There are shades of Eddie Vedder in his delivery but comes off far less annoying. He is a more tactful Vedder, the Vedder of “Red”. “Ragoo” has such a lithe, delayed guitar riff that its heavy handed chorus is totally forgivable. Vocals and other guitar play around this initial figure for the verses and the barely audible keys on the fade-out are a pretty touch, a brush with beauty.
And all of a sudden the energy seems to go all out of the album. It’s a tough disappointment after being right along for what has been a very tight ride. From “Fans” on the whole band deflates. Everything gets repetitive and uninspired. “Trunk” sounds promising at first with a little funk a la “Riders on the Storm” but it quickly loses this soul facsimile. Nothing has been genius, but they got by on the simplicity of their energy for so long and without that, well there ain’t much. What is really unfortunate is that the padding comes together all at once. Had some of these less invigorated tunes been parsed out across the album, the overall effect would still be outstanding. As it is there’s the outstanding album and its sluggish coda. Rather than expanding the whole, this seems like obvious filler, thrown together after the fact. It would have been so easy to trick me into thinking this thing was about flawless. Even the flaccid nonsense of “Camaro” could pass if following “My Party”.
So it’s tough to call this one. If it were only the first eight tracks this would probably be the best album I’ve heard in 2007. So, Kings of Leon have created some very excellent rock music. It moves around enough in eight songs to defy easy category. Then again Kings of Leon are guilty of one of the cardinal sins of rock; filler for filler’s sake. And this has to diminish some of what they accomplished. So much of the fun of the sound was making the most out of simple, economic rocking. And then, in the grand scheme, they lose their sense of economy to attain the standard album length. Frankly I’d be pleased as punch with an eight-song Because of the Times. The Because of the Times EP. Because of the Times, with stupid bonus tracks. That’s how I want to remember this album.
RATING: 7/10
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Comments
They are a fucking record company creation. No one ever heard of them until they released a debut album with great 'critical' acclaim.
This band is a creation derived from Payola.
The album sucks and the band sucks.
Horrible, just horrible.
Some die just to live.
http://www.myspace.com/thelastreel http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19604327965
This is the funniest thing I have read in a while.
naděje umírá poslední
you have what is easily their worst and least developed album. the second is fantastic and Im loving this new one as well...but still, you GOTTA pick Aha Shake Heartbreak(the 2nd one) at the very least
soulsinging-i sort of agree with you on that, but i love a lot of brit music, especially bands like oasis, blur, and the verve who probably fall into the category that you're talking about. but of course edved and pearl jam are the best anyway haha
Some die just to live.
i like a lot of brit music too... hell, i DO like the simths at times, pussy vocals or no. but their press has it in for american bands in general. they hate anyone who sings with soul. if you sound like you're half assing it (the strokes) they think it's some sign of restraint and assume it equals talent, while people who pour their all into their singing are perceived as histrionic. the brits are too prim and proper for honest emotional expression.
There is no fucking way that they are the product of record company manufacturing.
---
London, Brixton, 14 July 1993
London, Wembley, 1996
London, Wembley, 18 June 2007
London, O2, 18 August 2009
London, Hammersmith Apollo (Ed solo), 31 July 2012
Milton Keynes Bowl, 11 July 2014
Greatest.
Post.
Ever.
lmao
You make a good point, although I do like quite a bit of British music (though mostly older stuff along with a few 90's bands) they tend to favor pussy bands like Morrissey and The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Pulp, etc. Not to mention all those queer bands they have produced this millenium that are just clones of each other.
Summerfest 2006
"Why would they come to our concert just to boo us?" -Lisa Simpson
yeah, in that sense i DO see why the british press spends so much time inflating the myth of oasis. they're the ONLY band with balls to come out of that country since the rolling fucking stones.
except mean call on Morrissey. androgynous? ever seen anyone less like a woman? Morrissey is sexless, and a fucking brilliant songwriter. FACT.
LOL! Post of the year!
-Tom Waits
Ive actually read that they were. I think they are great, so not trying to be critical, but I do remember reading an article in the Tennessean (the local Nashville paper) a while back that indicated that they were kind of a creation of a label.
I don't know how he can call "my party" the high point of the record though.. I think that's far and away the worst song on it.
http://www.wishlistfoundation.org
Oh my, they dropped the leash.
Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!
"Make our day"
hell, i know i don't.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
uhhh... androgynous means sexless dude. and i said i do like some of the smiths tunes. but they're still kinda wussy. i like snow patrol too at times. balance is good. thus the critique of the brits: no balance due to no balls. thus why i love liam gallagher, it seems to me he's the only pair of testicles left in the uk.
though i've not had a drink in over 2 years, im quite happy to learn i can still achieve the drunken rant effect
liam gallagher is a prat.
it ain't that he's got balls. it's just that he has a mouth of him that has no filter.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
it takes balls to speak with no filter. i dont know a single other brit who's not afraid to sing about having fun and the good things in life. these days, they're all crying in the rain while exploring the inner depths of their own broken hearts.
gosh conor, you make that sound like a bad thing.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
not in moderation, but when it all you do...
Funny that Vedder was mentioned in the article because i think he sings Slow Night So Long better then Caleb.
THANK YOU!!! finally!!!!
i am guilty into buying kings of leon's first album, and then when they were rolling stone's little hollywood whores, i realized that they were not genuine at all.
how are they rolling stone's hollywood whores? i'd never heard of them until they opened for pearl jam... and the liner notes say they write their own songs. so im not sure i follow. i didnt know my ears were owned by rolling stone... that's a bummer, cos i dont even READ it!
i totally agree. he didn't even mention arizona and its the best song they've ever recorded imo. its funny that my party is the only track i routinely skip. black thumbnail is the shit though. not sure why but it kind of reminds me of lyla by oasis.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I now own all three of their cds, and have listened to them more than pj over the last 6 months.
The reviewer was entitled to his/her opinion...MY opinion is that what they said is horse shit! Love Arizona, Fans
dont like My Party.
Dont care if its manufactured, isnt most things these days?
Like what YOU like, hate what YOU hate, leave me to do it too!