Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon released Only By The Night on RCA in the United States on September 23rd. As we ran a post on the prior album I decided to follow up with this one. Looks like most of the critics are giving it more than a passing grade. NME 7 out of 10, rolling stone 3 out of 5 and spin gave it 4 out of 5 and put them on the cover. Pitchfork slams the band with a 3.8 out of 10. The reviewer who slams the album states: "But even the move from "southern Strokes" to "southern U2" is way better in theory than in practice-- these are the same clunky Kings of Leon songs, just now presented in an incredibly weird context." Take a listen for your self these guys seem to be getting alot of press on this one and are attempting to make the move to mainstream.


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Wikipedia:

Kings of Leon is a rock band made up of three brothers and their first cousin from Tennessee, USA. The band performs a mix of southern rock, garage rock, hard rock and blues, and have released four full length albums. The group's name is derived from Nathan, Caleb, and Jared's father and grandfather, both named Leon.[1]


History

Holy Roller Novocaine and Youth and Young Manhood

Kings of Leon's first release, The Holy Roller Novocaine EP came out in 2003. Four of its five songs would later be released on Youth and Young Manhood, with the songs "California Waiting" and "Wasted Time" being remade. The EP also contained the B-side "Wicker Chair". All the songs were co-written by Angelo Petraglia.
Their debut album, Youth and Young Manhood, was a success, particularly outside the United States where they were dubbed one of the driving forces behind the so-called "new rock revolution" by the European press. Their stakes rose when they were chosen by popular rock bands The Strokes and U2 to tour with them. According to Jared, the title of the album was taken from their father's Bible. All songs were again co-written by Petraglia, who also contributed guitar and co-produced the album with Ethan Johns. The songs "Molly's Chambers", "Red Morning Light", and "Holy Roller Novocaine" were used in various video games, movies, and TV advertisements and "Holy Roller Novocaine" was used in the the films Stuck on You[2], and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby [3]. The first single, "Molly's Chambers" became a minor hit overseas.

Aha Shake Heartbreak

Main article: Aha Shake Heartbreak
The band's second album Aha Shake Heartbreak was released in the United Kingdom in October 2004 and in the United States in February 2005. Building on the southern-infused garage rock of their first album, the album broadened the band's domestic and international audience. "The Bucket", "Four Kicks", and "King of the Rodeo" were all released as singles, with the "The Bucket" rising into the Top 20 in Britain. "Taper Jean Girl" was used in the 2007 thriller movie, Disturbia.[citation needed] The band also garnered accolades from several of their rock peers, including Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, Bryan Adams, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Kelly Jones of Stereophonics, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Radiohead, and Bob Dylan[4]. The band toured with Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan for much of 2005 and 2006. The album was produced by Angelo Petraglia and Ethan Johns with Jacquire King handling the recording and mixing duties.[citation needed]

Because of the Times

Main article: Because of the Times
In March 2006 Kings of Leon were back in the studio, working on their third album. Drummer Nathan Followill told NME: "Man, we're sitting on a bunch of songs right now that we wish we could let the world hear!". The band's third album was titled Because of the Times, which may be a reference to a large UPC ministers conference of the same name held in Alexandria, Louisiana that the brothers often attended.[citation needed]
The album was released on April 2, 2007 in the UK, and a day later in the US. NME said that the album "cemented Kings of Leon as one of the great American bands of our time"[citation needed] and Entertainment Weekly called Because of the Times "an epic wide-screen movie of a CD and the band's best to date."[5] Another reviewer described Because of the Times as, "an accomplished album of unbelievable beauty and familiar, loveable grit. Kings of Leon is maturing wonderfully and with patience, not forcing anything musically or lyrically that doesn’t sound natural."[6]
After this album was released, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead admitted he was a fan, adding them to a list of Radiohead's favorite acts. He said, "I don't get jealous when I see other bands, but when I see them I think, 'Man, I'd love to be in that band'. They're young...they remind me of... the Bunnymen or something like that. They're growing, they're evolving... They're amazing players, the drummer, he's amazing. They're all great but he's really special."[7]
The album debuted at #1 in the UK and Ireland and entered the US charts at #25, selling approximately 70,000 copies in its first week of release. The album was preceded by the single "On Call", which became a hit in Britain. The album showed a clear evolution from the band's previous work, as the band's trademark dirty, southern-fried swagger was replaced with a more mature, polished sound. Other singles from the album were "Fans" and "Charmer." The album was produced by Angelo Petraglia and Ethan Johns.[citation needed]

Only by the Night

Main article: Only by the Night
In early 2008, frontman Caleb Followill confirmed to UK magazine NME that the band is working on tracks for the fourth album. In an interview Jared (the band's bassist) said the next album will "rock harder", and that they are "ready to tackle their southern roots...again." Recording began in February 2008, when the band completed its 2007 tour. The album was produced by Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King.[citation needed]
In the June 2008 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, Caleb discussed how he believes his pain medication (which he took after a fistfight with brother Nathan) inspired him to write some of the "most beautiful" songs, so much that he's claimed he is "proud track-by-track." Caleb also cited little known Royston Vasie as the next up and comers and most likely to support them on their Australasian tours. The band have already debuted three new songs entitled "Crawl", "Sex on Fire" and "Manhattan", which can all be found on Youtube. Other titles to emerge include "Closer", "Use Somebody", "Revelry", "17", "Notion", "I Want You", "Use Somebody" and "Cold Desert".[citation needed]
They have announced that they will be touring Ireland and Great Britain with their new album material in December 2008. This is following headline sets at T In The Park in Perth and Kinross, Scotland and Oxegen Festival in Co. Kildare Ireland in July, V Festival in mid-August and the set they performed headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2008. In September 2008, they performed on the BBC2 TV show Later with Jools Holland.
The song "Crawl" from this album was released as a free download on the bands website on July 28th. On August 5, 2008 the first single "Sex on Fire", which was written about frontman Caleb contracting a sexually transmitted disease, was being released on their MySpace page and subsequently released to radio.[citation needed] Sex on Fire was then released as a single to download in the UK on the 8th September achieving their first top ten hit and first British number 1.
On September 20, 2008, Kings of Leon performed on Saturday Night Live with James Franco as guest host. They performed two songs from their latest album, "Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody". Three nights later they again performed on The Late Show with David Letterman.
On September 28, 2008, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1, with sales of over 220,000 copies. [8]

Background, influences and style

Jared, Nathan and Caleb were born in Tennessee, while Matthew was born in Oklahoma. Matthew is a cousin to Nathan, Caleb and Jared. The brothers spent much of their youth travelling around the South with their father, Leon, a traveling United Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, who taught them when they were not in school. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "While Leon preached at churches and tent revivals throughout the Deep South, the boys attended and were occasionally enlisted to bang on some drums. They were home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools. Except for a five-year stretch when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee, the Followills spent their childhoods driving through the South, camping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach."[citation needed]
Although it was rumoured their father was defrocked, in an article for Q Magazine in July 2007 Leon himself stated "I was not defrocked, I was forced to resign."[citation needed] After various jobs, the brothers moved to Nashville in 1998. They formed a band in 2000 with their cousin Matthew. The band claim that their music is influenced equally by their religious upbringing and Jack Daniel's. Brothers Nathan and Caleb originally sang country music and later moved to playing rock and roll. They worked for a brief period of time with label and management group Pistol Creek Productions. They spent their time with this label mainly singing at rodeos. They also were members of the West Tennessee Mass Choir for a short time.[9] Nathan, the eldest of the brothers, graduated from Christian Life Academy (a private school that is now defunct) in Henderson, TN. Caleb dropped out mid-senior year to pursue country music.[citation needed]
They were introduced to Nashville-based, Emmy-nominated singer/songwriter/producer Angelo Petraglia, who had previously worked with artists such as Patty Griffin, Emmy Lou Harris, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Brooks and Dunn, and Be Your Own Pet. Petraglia would prove very important to the band, moving them in a more rock-oriented direction and co-writing many of their songs. Eventually Petraglia and the two Followill brothers went to NYC along with manager Ken Levitan. They played for nine labels in two days, the two brothers singing, accompanied by Petraglia on guitar. Out of the nine auditions they got four offers and ended up signing with RCA records. They returned to Nashville and began writing what would become their first album, Youth and Young Manhood.[citation needed]
In an interview Caleb Followill cited Neil Young and Bob Dylan as some of the band's early influences. Caleb also stated though that "...because of the way we [the band members] grew up, we were really sheltered from music and we didn't know that much...", going on to say that the significant musical influences have only been in very recent years.[citation needed]

Members

Caleb Followill (born Anthony Caleb Followill, January 14, 1982) — (lead singer/rhythm guitar) Brother to Jared and Nathan and cousin to Matthew.
Matthew Followill (born Cameron Matthew Followill, September 10, 1984, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) — (lead guitar/backup vocals) cousin to Caleb, Jared and Nathan.
Jared Followill (born Michael Jared Followill, November 20, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee) — (bass guitar/backup vocals/synthesizer) Brother to Caleb and Nathan and cousin to Matthew.
Nathan Followill (born Ivan Nathaniel Followill, June 26, 1979 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) — (drums/percussion/backup vocals) Brother to Caleb, Jared and Cousin to Matthew.

Touring

"Nacho" Christopher Mitchell Followill - (keyboards/synth)

Discography
See also: Kings of Leon discography
Youth and Young Manhood (2003)
Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004)
Because of the Times (2007)
Only by the Night (2008)

Notes
^ Leahey, Andrew. "Kings of Leon". Allmusic. Retrieved on February 5, 2008.
^ Stuck on You (2003) - Soundtracks
^ [1]". Retrieved on July 01, 2008.
^ Kings of Leon Overwhelmed By Bob Dylan-Starpulse Entertainment News Blog
^ Collis, Clark. "Because of the Times". Entertainment Weekly, March 30, 2007. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
^ Harper, Alana. "Because of the Times". Okayplayer.com, 2007. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
^ Radiohead to debut 'In Rainbows' live in the US?". NME, November 19, 2007. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.
^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7640893.stm
^ Bao, Amanda. "CD Reviews". Daily Californian, April 02, 2007. Retrieved on February 05, 2008.

External links

This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations.You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (September 2008)
Official website
NME Artist page featuring news, reviews, videos, and photo galleries
Rolling Stone article


Kings of Leon