|
|||||||
Kings of Leon: Stadium Ready
Southern rock icons, Kings of Leon have finally hit their stride with their new album, Only by the Night. With each album stronger than the last, this latest offering delivers their defining entrance into stadium rock. Up until this album, their success has been confined mostly to the UK, Ireland and of course that centre of excellent musical taste, New Zealand. When Kings of Leon supported Radiohead at a festival in New Jersey the response was lukewarm. “It was like everyone was there for Radiohead. We didn’t get much love from them,” claimed singer Caleb Followill in a recent interview. The next gig was the UK’s Glastonbury festival at which they headlined. “It was like night and day.” So if Kings of Leon are now empirically in the building, what is it about this fourth album that brings them beyond humble indie-rock and into stadium rock category? There’s the instant impact. Three of the best songs are right up there in front. With their powerhouse sounds Closer, Crawl and Sex on Fire are some of the strongest rock songs around. True, as the album journeys on, a touch of ‘sameness’ starts to creep in; you might need to listen a few times to really hear the later songs on the album. The power-head of steam that the first three generate seems to be a little hard to maintain. But persevere; there are other more subtle gems in there. Relentless touring, as the Kings of Leon have been involved with for much of the last five years, has its advantages. There’s a confidence about this album; a coming of age. They offloaded producer Ethan Johns, who had worked on the last three albums and along with friend Angelo Petraglia, produced this album themselves, building on their love of live performance. As Caleb tells Real Groove magazine, “We actually accomplished that by still doing things basically live and not having a bunch of extra stuff on there. For the most part it’s just four instruments playing and a voice or two voices.” Another striking feature of the album is the clarity of Caleb’s voice. Previous albums have had some criticism over the way he has held back vocally. However, the last album and even more so this one, have seen him develop a certainty that at some times has him sounding almost as if he’s channelling an ‘inner Lemmy’. And it works. The lyrics, written in true rock and roll fashion, while under the influence of heavy pain-killing medication following shoulder surgery, are intense, direct and personal. Only by the Night defines Caleb Followill as an unmistakably great songwriter. The instrumental side of things is no less great. Matthew Followill’s lead guitar sound is massive and worthy of the stadiums they are well and truly ready for. And a thundering rhythm section made up of Jared Followill on bass and Nathan Followill on drums keeps the pace cracking along and the walls of sound pounding. Their experiences playing arenas not only in support of last album, Because Of The Times, but also while opening for U2 in 2005 and Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam in 2006 and 2008 have certainly had an effect. But the band haven’t forgotten their small venue, indie-rock roots. "We definitely wanted the songs to sound good in a 15,000-seat venue, but we also wanted them to have the kind of intimacy that would get the point across at a club show for 300 kids," Nathan says. So for a new-kids approach to good old-fashioned rock, Kings of Leon have joined the ranks of the CD must-haves. Don’t miss this album. 
|
|
