04.16.07
It’s not for the cock, it’s for the royalty.
Kings of Leon- “Because of The Times”
There are some bands who make a dazzling, exciting debut album but struggle, and fail, to ever live up to these past glories. Kings of Leon could so easily have been, but are not one of these bands. Seeing the band grow from great garage rock first offering- “Youth and Young Manhood”, to the excellent yet vastly underrated “Aha Shake Heartbreak” and now to “Because of the Times” has been like watching Pete Doherty in reverse over the past five years.
“Because of the Times” sees Kings of Leon expand their primal, rootsy blues rock into a massive, epic guitar laden journey. Although stadium influences such as Springsteen and U2 often creep in, KOL are at never point compromising themselves or their credibility on this album. “Knocked up” is a brave choice for an album opener. Lasting a full seven minutes and built around a guitar lick that sounds like The Edge doused in Southern Comfort whiskey- the song sprawls and opens up like the unravelling of the plot to “Thelma and Louise”.
Many songs on “Because of The Times” use the classic KOL format but take it places no one could have ever imagined on first hearing “Molly’s Chambers” in 2003. For example, “My Party” has the power chords, the muted picking and the rustic drumming but it kicks all previous expectations for shit when the song opens up to sound like Nirvana covering Donna Summer at a disco in the 70s and having the time of their lives doing so.
As always, Caleb’s voice is brilliantly fucked up, sounding like an ancient vinyl cracking and flickering every now and then. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, his voice sounds like he was out all of last night drinking whiskey and smoking cigarettes. In other words: beautiful.
“Because of the Times” sees Kings of Leon at their creative best, not being scared of either creating deceptively simple songs (“On Call”, “McFearless”) or songs that twist and turn with unfamiliar, but completely welcome, flair (“My Party”, “Ragoo”). This is an album that gradually grows on you and gets under you’re skin- demanding to be listened to again and again.
Anyone who may be scared that KOL have mellowed out, calmed down and have just become one step closer to being the next Chilli Peppers- quit the moaning and don’t worry. Songs like “Black Thumbnail” and “Charmer” prove that they can still write thundering southern American rock tunes like no one else can.
KOL have stretched and pushed themselves on this album but never beyond recognition of their guitar rock roots. On “Because of the Times” they have created beautiful pop songs, dark, haunting punk and big, powerhouse choruses but most of all given anyone who expected pure repetition or a steep fall from grace a joyous dropkick to the face. Long live the excellent hillbilly kings!
http://www.myspace.com/kingsofleon -myspace
http://www13.cd-wow.com/detail_results.php?product_code=1857338- Buy the album