Release Date:August 19, 2003 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping:International shipping available Condition:Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
Amazon.com Already tagged with the unfortunate critical label of "southern-fried Strokes," the full-length debut by the brothers Followill (Nathan, Jared, Caleb) and cousin (Matthew Followill) may well have its roots in their itinerant evangelist father Leon blasting his sons with relentless doses of `70s rock as they traveled the South from one preaching gig to the next. But the way the Kings channel sources as disparate as Led Zeppelin's "That's the Way" into "Joe's Head" or the Who's "Circles" into their ""Molly's Chambers" seems almost subconscious; after a decade of bands trying to reinvent the rock wheel, it's refreshing to hear one content to gleefully pry it loose and send it spinning in their own peculiar directions. As with all the great ones, deconstructing the Kings' sound doesn't get you far: singer/guitarist Caleb perpetually seems to be rolling one too many syllables off a lazy, Southern tongue while his haystack-haired brothers and cousin chug maniacally along like some lost, recently re-tooled '60s garage-psych-rock legend. In the end there's not an ounce of the Strokes' latent pop culture self-consciousness in the Kings' intoxicating sonic haze--just the restless, often bittersweet noise of one of the most original bands to hail from Dixie since R.E.M. --Jerry McCulley
Customer Reviews:
Rockin awesomeJune 2, 2008 Brandy Tanner(Cape Cod) SO glad I bought this. AC/DC meets the Avett Brothers. The universe's answer to Bon Scott's death by misadventure.
Cocaine Roosters Raise a Holy RuckusOctober 24, 2007 J. Allen(Nashville, TN USA) Sort of like binge-drinking with friends and staying up all night to see the sunrise, these songs evoke rare moments when the visceral absurdity of the world is illuminated with elegant, manic clarity.
Like Kurt Cobain, there are several moments where the singer is more interested in the sound of his throat cracking or shredding to pieces than forming neat and pretty words. Either you can surrender your ears to this sort of thing, or you like your songs a little more predictable and digestible.
KOL are all about FREEDOM, freedom from coherent speech, freedom from technical proficiency, freedom from standard song structure. Their songs are the musical equivalent of clips from David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino movies. And maybe a couple of Japanese Ninja movies.
But unlike any other garage/punk act out there today, their music has the pervasive underlying machismo and confidence of a legendary classic rock act. I guess it's a Southern thing that people from New York drown in neurosis to emulate.
To the untrained ear, these guys seem unschooled and musically naive and the songs seem basic, but these guys are geniuses when it comes to subtle tweaking of standard pop/rock arrangements. If you're a musician, you'll find several moments of saying "Oh, that's clever..."
Long story short; this isn't an AC/DC album, it's not a Modest Mouse album. It's definitely NOT a Strokes album. If you're thinking about buying this cd, I promise Kings of Leon will change your life. They're HUGE in Europe, and they changed my perspective on this art form. They're one of THOSE bands.
its kings of leonMay 17, 2007 nah(TN) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
do i really need to say anything more? One of my fav disks by one of my fav bands.
SIMPLY SUBLIME (not the band, the definition)January 22, 2007 best music man(SANDY, UT USA) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
New different sound that picks up some great influences - Strokes meet the Velvet Underground meets the "I don't give a @#$% what you think of my music" creativity of Jeff Buckley.
These guys are an open channel and both albums are must haves. Listen over and over - you'll get it.
If you don't understand this band or Caleb's phrasing - you were probably one of the people who thought Jeff Buckley's Grace album was crap.
This is the band to watch for the next decade. Enjoy.
OK if Your Like it BasicDecember 11, 2006 Strat Man(Shelton CT) 2 out of 12 found this review helpful
Very basic rock and roll. I get the impression that these guys barely know how to play their instruments, and their singing is not particularly "schooled" either.
If you're looking for some simple rock, with a touch of folk here and there, this might be for you. Sort of Bob Dylan meets The Strokes.
Some of the tunes are quite engaging. But on the whole, it all seems sort of trite.
