922 Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times (2007) 

Studio Album - Rock

About the Act:

Kings of Leon are an American band, formed in Nashville in 1999, and made up of three brothers and a cousin. They have had significant success, it would seem more so in the UK than in the US, but certainly in both. Their best-known song in the UK is "Your Sex Is On Fire"  They have released seven studio albums to date.

About the Album:

This is their third album. It got some great reviews, and topped the UK album chart.

My History with this Album:

None, although I have been aware of Kings of Leon in the distance somewhat.

Review:

So up until today I have lumped Kings of Leon in with a load of other rock bands that emerged about the same time, in the naughties (or a bit earlier) like Artic Monkeys and Snow Patrol and Elbow and Kaiser Chiefs and even Coldplay and the Manics. I never really paid attention to them. 

In some ways this album reminds me of early U2, or even early Simple Minds, it has this raw energy, even when they are doing quiet songs. There is an open-ness to the music, jangly guitar, a bit like U2 but slightly heavier, groves that give a feeling of rolling onwards, and the whole has a feel of being slightly frayed at the edges, raw (I used that word before), as if it is only just under control and wanting to burst out - kind of dirty. Mostly the music is made up of bass, drum, two guitars and vocals, essentially what they are as a band, and the whole thing sounds like it could have been recorded live almost, there is little evidence of overdubbing, and there is that unconstrained quality. The vocals are quite gritty and dirty at times, certainly Caleb Followill (for 'tis he who vocalises) has a rock voice, full of power and grit and not sounding accurate or clinical. Very expressive. The guitars, as I have said, are for the most part jangly, and textural rather than soloing or tune-like, open arpeggios abound. This is both Caleb and also Matthew Followill, the cousin. On bass we have Jared (Followill). He is brilliant. He uses a lot of different and often quite dirty bass sounds, and a lot of high fretboard work. There is a lot of music in which the bass is quite workaday, but here it is not only well brought-out in the mix, but unrelentingly interesting, grooves, melodic lines, textures, just really great bass. Finally, on the drums, there's Nathan, and he is doing the drum equivalent of what Jared is doing on the bass - interesting, expressive, often quite complicated, but always feeling human and natural. And these guys play well together, giving a coherent whole that feels spontaneous, but I suspect is just very well crafted.

Sometimes the fact that I am a musician myself has an impact on my listening and my enjoyment of music. I admire well-done music, and this is what has really drawn me to this album. If feels raw (again) and energetic, but it is deceptively complex at times, with some tracks having some challenging grooves and textures. 

Lyrically it is at times interesting, at times forgettable, and fairly typical snapshots of life, with occasional more unusual tracks. For me, though, it really is all about the music, and I loved it. In fact I think the biggest weakness is the album title, which I keep forgetting.

8/10

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5xA2glxPh2OjEvvKiZXbR8

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4DC445F770AA502E

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Because_of_the_Times