Kings of Leon return with more of the same
For better or worse, the Kings of Leon are one of the biggest
rock bands in the world. Their sound is universally acceptable.
It’s at times loud, other times angry and most of the time just
simple rock that sings about drugs and love.
And that’s the issue
– it’s just too basic.
Kings of Leon return with more of the same
For better or worse, the Kings of Leon are one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Their sound is universally acceptable. It’s at times loud, other times angry and most of the time just simple rock that sings about drugs and love.
And that’s the issue – it’s just too basic.
It’s boring music that really has no identifiable features. It’s a faceless example of rock with no passion.
They make the music to sell to the masses and not for any artistic credibility. In some songs, the band goes as far as copying their old songs basic sounds and rhythms. They rewrite their old songs simply to repackage them into a more commercially acceptable piece of music.
For their last record, Only by the Night, that concept worked beautifully. Let me clarify – it didn’t work musically, it was a mess of an album, but it worked commercially. Songs “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” were classic rock songs with swelling guitars and yelping choruses. The band wanted the songs to be so much more than simple rock – and the masses and MTV crowd ate them up. They were platinum-selling but non-critical hits.
Along the way to Only by the Night, the basic concepts of the band changed. Their early days were a mixture of blues and country rock. Combined with the singer Caleb Followill’s raspy voice, they were a band in their own world with an untouched sound. A song such as “Taper Jean Girl” is a perfect example of what the band could become. It was a glorious song that focused on a slow crawl, great drums and a wonderful hymn. But sadly, the band wanted to toss that sound and adopt a U2 and Green Day ideal of music: make it as big as possible and it will sell.
Now, there is nothing wrong with creating something that you can sell in mass quantities that allows you to fill stadiums and arenas. But there is an issue when that popularity comes at a cost to the quality of the work.
Kings of Leon used to be a band of good quality music, but today they are trying to create the best single or song to be sold on a commercial.
All of this makes the Kings’ new record, Come Around Sundown, a complete bore.
The band has certainly found its popular and comfortable niche. Almost all 13 songs stay within a similar formula. Songs start slow, with one instrument at a time and they grow big during the chorus but die quickly down. All the songs fluctuate between high and slow smoothly. No song has a jarring change to it – instead songs are relatively predictable.
The first single, “Radioactive,” turns into a hoe-down chant halfway through. The band sings in chorus, “It’s in the water,” referring to radioactive water. Yes, I know very original.
All the songs are titled simply, one word and some with the obligatory “the,” and all the choruses are basic repeats of the song title.
It’s rather lazy songwriting but coming from a band that recycles their old sound, it’s really no surprise.
Other songs copy other bands, such as the alternative jam band My Morning Jacket. The song “Mary” is a scathing copy of My Morning Jacket’s core sound of a country/rock anthem that has a soulful chorus.
It’s hardly original, but certainly not a bad or annoying song formula.
It’s what the Kings of Leon do best – stick with formulas that allow them to be as big as they can get. They aren’t a band that someone will hate but they aren’t a band everyone will love. For me, I would be fine never hearing another song.
And Come Around Sundown is nothing new for the band and for me that’s too bad.
Connor Ramey can be reached at [email protected]. E-mail him ideas for local bands to cover or albums to review.
