Kings Of Leon is Overrated

The Severed Hand

I know I'm going out on a limb here with all of the KOL love in The Pit lately but I keep listening to "Because of the Times" hoping it will catch on and it never has. They were pretty good at Lolla and I'm wondering, does anyone else thinks they are overrated?

Red Lukin

I love their cd's, but not a huge fan of them live. They don't mix it up live, and they basically play the song exactly the same as the cd.

Overrated? I don't think so. I mean in Toronto they didn't even sell out a venue that holds 2300 people, so for a band as talented as them I wouldn't say they are overrated.

upina2001

I never really cared for KOL until I saw them live at Lolla either. However, i think any bands' true form comes from a live show. Studio albums, anymore, can be kinda dissapointing, once you feel the energy from any band in a live environment. I feel the same way about My Morning Jacket. Much better live than an album, & they do replicate their sound very well as well.

IE: Pearl Jam--I can tell you that 5 of the 11 shows I have been to are better than ANY Pearl Jam studio album.

The Severed Hand

Red Lukin wrote:

I love their cd's, but not a huge fan of them live. They don't mix it up live, and they basically play the song exactly the same as the cd.

Overrated? I don't think so. I mean in Toronto they didn't even sell out a venue that holds 2300 people, so for a band as talented as them I wouldn't say they are overrated.

Great Point, I thought they may have been more popular than that. I guess reading posts on here exposes me to a little bit of a more artistic audience.

DaytimeDilemma

Highly overrated. I might even have to throw the word "suck" in there too.

stu gee

They make up my top 5 bands along with PJ, Mogwai, Soundgarden and Radiohead. Love all their albums and they've been brilliant both times ive seen them live. I dont think they are over rated but then again im a fan. If you arent a fan of a band, you might say they are over rated. Quite simple!! lol

soulsinging

The Severed Hand wrote:

I know I'm going out on a limb here with all of the KOL love in The Pit lately but I keep listening to "Because of the Times" hoping it will catch on and it never has. They were pretty good at Lolla and I'm wondering, does anyone else thinks they are overrated?

i dunno, i never really rated them all that high. i love their new album and think it's one of the best of the last year. but i don't think it's anything ingenuous. just got a lot of great songs on there and i love the sound. i dug their set at lolla too.

i think if you're going by here though, you're going to find every band that opens for pearl jam is over-rated. either that or under-rated. you don't get an even keel. you've got the people who will praise them to high heaven becos ed likes them enough to ask them to open, or the people who will say they were the most atrocious thing ever and cannot believe they ruined their pearl jam show (lookin at you sparta and sleater-kinny).

DaytimeDilemma

soulsinging wrote:

you've got the people who will praise them to high heaven becos ed likes them enough to ask them to open, or the people who will say they were the most atrocious thing ever and cannot believe they ruined their pearl jam show (lookin at you sparta and sleater-kinny).

Sparta's first album is great...since then they've sucks.


But S-K were freakin' amazing. One of the best PJ openers ever. It's too bad they had to open for PJ though...I don't expect 80% of PJ fans to get that kind of music.

stu gee

Never even knew kings of leon opened for pearl jam anyway. First i heard of sleater kinney was admittedly on this board but again, didnt know they had supported pj. Never heard of sparta.

soulsinging

DaytimeDilemma wrote:

Sparta's first album is great...since then they've sucks.

But S-K were freakin' amazing. One of the best PJ openers ever. It's too bad they had to open for PJ though...I don't expect 80% of PJ fans to get that kind of music.

i only know one s-k song. it's not bad. but she should never sing with ed on songs meant for a deep growling rock voice. she ruined fortunate son. granted, i feel the same about ben harper. an artist who may be fine in their own right, but just do not complement with ed well.

i've never heard a sparta album. all i know is i saw 2 sets of theirs and could not identify a single distinct song in either... it was 45 minutes of continuous noise and screaming that bled from one song to the next without interruption or distinction.

dharma69

The Severed Hand wrote:

I know I'm going out on a limb here with all of the KOL love in The Pit lately but I keep listening to "Because of the Times" hoping it will catch on and it never has. They were pretty good at Lolla and I'm wondering, does anyone else thinks they are overrated?

Not I. I have and have had full appreciation and a lot of love for KOL since before they set foot on a Pearl Jam stage.

One of the things that I appreciate is the remarkable growth from the first album to the third; the sound is still distinctly KOL, but the execution and the expanse of the sound is rewarding as a lover of music. They were so raw 3 years ago, especially on stage, but now they're starting to act like they own the stage that they stand on every night. And then there's old boy's incredible vocals that are an instrument unto themselves.

And sure there's currently a lot of KOL love in here. That tends to happen when a band's heavily on tour.

JSBE

soulsinging wrote:

she ruined fortunate son.

that was 4 years ago. let it go!

PJ Pook

It's funny b/c PJ fans can be really critical of the opening acts. I have always taken a lot of heat for the simple fact that Sleater Kinney and Kings of Leon are in my top 5 bands. And no, it's not b/c Ed likes them. I'm not a big fan of other supporting acts like Sparta or the Buzzcocks.

I have seen KOL a few times and they sound pretty much the same as their albums. The difference from live to studio doesn't vary too much. Where as with PJ the interaction with the crowd is more than I have ever seen at any show. Every time I walk away from a PJ show I realize how much they put into their shows. I have yet to see a band that gives so much live. Go to see a lot of the bigger bands and setlists rarely vary and there is never much talking besides the same things that are said night after night for every show.

KOL & SK are very unique sounds and I understand that a lot of people don't care for it. All I know is I can't get enough of them.

PJbauer88

i agree. their music is pretty good, but the dudes voice/lyrics are unbearable to me. i only respect them because pj does, which is pretty stupid. at least im being honest

dharma69

PJbauer88 wrote:

i agree. their music is pretty good, but the dudes voice/lyrics are unbearable to me.

More often than not, that's always where the rub is...his voice. It's a unique thing. A girlfriend of mine who hated KOL's sound from day one went the extra mile and willingly listened to Because of The Times in it's entirety (complete with song-by-song editorial comments) just to see if she was missing something that she might like. She liked the guitar, loved the bass, loved the drums. But still could not stand Caleb's voice.

And I can dig that because I cannot tolerate the sound of Social Distortion or Smashing Pumpkins due to the voice that represents them.

itsevobaby

upina2001 wrote:

I never really cared for KOL until I saw them live at Lolla either. However, i think any bands' true form comes from a live show. Studio albums, anymore, can be kinda dissapointing, once you feel the energy from any band in a live environment. I feel the same way about My Morning Jacket. Much better live than an album, & they do replicate their sound very well as well.

IE: Pearl Jam--I can tell you that 5 of the 11 shows I have been to are better than ANY Pearl Jam studio album.

so 6 out of 11 pearl jam shows were worse than a studio album??

i know what you're saying though, a live gig shows the true essence of a band

soulsinging

JSBE wrote:

that was 4 years ago. let it go!

i've tried, but that sound is still echoing through my worst nightmares

facepollution

dharma69 wrote:

Not I. I have and have had full appreciation and a lot of love for KOL since before they set foot on a Pearl Jam stage.

One of the things that I appreciate is the remarkable growth from the first album to the third; the sound is still distinctly KOL, but the execution and the expanse of the sound is rewarding as a lover of music. They were so raw 3 years ago, especially on stage, but now they're starting to act like they own the stage that they stand on every night. And then there's old boy's incredible vocals that are an instrument unto themselves.

And sure there's currently a lot of KOL love in here. That tends to happen when a band's heavily on tour.

You took the words out of my mouth.

I've been a fan since their first Ep came out a few years back, and the progression from the first album to this latest one is incredible. What I truly love about them is that they have a vibe all of their own. Sure there are some obvious influences, but they are instantly recognisable, unlike the millions of boring indie bands that are popular at the moment.

Strangely enough, I only got to see them live earlier this year at the Reading Festival. I thought they were amazing, check out this version of the song Fans from their set, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it: http://youtube.com/watch?v=SiHZxxBg0oU

rhcpjam1029

woh woh woh. they rock my socks. bottom line. and what you gonna do about it brother!?!

moho

damn straight

brain of c

soulsinging wrote:

i only know one s-k song. it's not bad. but she should never sing with ed on songs meant for a deep growling rock voice. she ruined fortunate son. granted, i feel the same about ben harper. an artist who may be fine in their own right, but just do not complement with ed well.

i've never heard a sparta album. all i know is i saw 2 sets of theirs and could not identify a single distinct song in either... it was 45 minutes of continuous noise and screaming that bled from one song to the next without interruption or distinction.

you can't ruin fortunate son. it's a shitty song. i was pissed they played it in buffalo '03. they could have played one of their own songs i didn't get to hear.

Paint Ed Big 10

The Severed Hand wrote:

I know I'm going out on a limb here with all of the KOL love in The Pit lately but I keep listening to "Because of the Times" hoping it will catch on and it never has. They were pretty good at Lolla and I'm wondering, does anyone else thinks they are overrated?

I love KOL and don't think they're overrated at all. They're the only current band that I absolutely love. They are so talented it's crazy. I saw them live twice and the shows were amazing. I haven't been so moved by current music in a long time. Because Of The Times is a wonderful album for such a young band. I agree with Dharma69 that they keep growing as artists. I think they're geniuses and make amazing music. The growth from album to album is what's most important. That's a sign of a good band--they keep growing and trying new things. Also, I'm a fan of them, so I'm really biased. It also helps that every band member is really hot--especially Caleb

i like matt.c

I like them. I think that they are all really talented. Jarred is an awesome bassist.

soulsinging

brain of c wrote:

you can't ruin fortunate son. it's a shitty song. i was pissed they played it in buffalo '03. they could have played one of their own songs i didn't get to hear.

i was at that show too... sick show. and fortunate son was a bit weak that night, but the next night it kicked ass. and it's a kick ass song. i don't know what you're smokin, cos the dude digs his creedence!

Paint Ed Big 10

i like matt.c wrote:

I like them. I think that they are all really talented. Jarred is an awesome bassist.

yes he really is. And Matthew is an awesome lead guitarist.

Redmosquito26000

I too cannot stand the voice of the lead singer for KOL...as I also cannot stand the voice of Sleater Kinney...I gave her a chance...but its like nails on a chalkboard.

Paint Ed Big 10

Redmosquito26000 wrote:

I too cannot stand the voice of the lead singer for KOL...as I also cannot stand the voice of Sleater Kinney...I gave her a chance...but its like nails on a chalkboard.

so are you comparing Caleb of KOL to Sleater-Kinney, or were you just freely associating the two?

pjoasisrule

The vocals really kill this band for me, dont see what all the fuss is about. I even love just about every band that is considered a similar artist to them. They should have been the ones opening for BRMC.

LukinFan

The Severed Hand wrote:

I know I'm going out on a limb here with all of the KOL love in The Pit lately but I keep listening to "Because of the Times" hoping it will catch on and it never has. They were pretty good at Lolla and I'm wondering, does anyone else thinks they are overrated?

No- I love them! This is my fav album by them.

nuzpaper

first time i saw or heard them was at lolla and I thought they were good

Enume Cell

Great band. Very suprised by the development on the last album. Some bands would take 10 years to write an album like that.