Customer Reviews

BECAUSE OF THE TIMES [Vinyl]

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

....this is the finest work this young band has released to date. Many fans are still confounded by the new direction and richer, heavier sound of this LP, but before you cry fowl, listen. I mean really LISTEN. The Kings have improved thier chops and arranging so vastly that they scarcely sound like the same band that made "Youth & Young Manhood" and that's a good thing, it's called growth. Listen to the newfound confidence in Caleb's voice on the first single, the gorgeous "On Call" or his parched yelp before every verse on "Charmer", or what an airtight rhythm section Nathan and Jared have become on barnburners like "Mc Fearless" and "Black Thumbnail". Witness Matthew's spacey guitar atmospherics on the opener "Knocked Up" and tell me you aren't impressed with the simple beauty of it. This LP may take a few spins to soak in for some listeners but instead of comparing it to the last 2 releases, spend some quality time with..."Times" and spin in repeatedly, back to back about 6 times and the beautiful clattering will unfold and bless your ears like never before.

It takes balls to start out your third album, which is anticipated to become your true commercial breakout, with a seven minute meditation on impending fatherhood with the delightfully tacky title "Knocked Up." So much for anyone daring to think Kings Of Leon have sold out for commercial success. They may get it anyway.

The band can play and the arrangements show off their strengths despite some fairly oridinary songwriting. The basslines on "Knocked Up" and "On Call," the wall of sound buzzing guitars on the distinctive "McFearless," "Black Thumbnail" which rocks out on the edge of chaos but holds it together, the mix of electric and acoustic guitar on "Fans" and the chiming guitars on the ska-influenced "Ragoo" all show Kings Of Leon at their best. But "True Love Way" and "Trunk" go nowhere and "Camaro" is a rocker any band could have done.

Still it's nice to find a band that is as hard to pigeonhole as Kings Of Leon. They are edging towards stardom on the strength of the things they do best and not because some tastemaker has declared them flavor of the week. Just like bands used to have to do before MTV. When it comes, they can say "We earned it."

I don't know how Kings of Leon at one time was (mis)labeled "the Strokes of the South". Maybe it was due to the short length of their first 2 albums (clocking in at about 30-35 min.). Yes, the band relied on quick guitar hooks and riffs, but there is a sea of difference with the KoL sound and the Strokes. Kings of Leon's 2005 album "Aha Shake Heartbreak" was a breakthrough album for the band in many ways (among others, bringing it mainstream success in the UK). It was one of my favorite albums of 2005. Now comes the highly anticipated new album.

"Because of the Times" (13 tracks, 51 min.) is a curious affair. It is immediately clear that the sound is darker and less accessible than on KoL's previous albums. I cannot make heads or tails of the first 2 songs, and generaly skip straight to track 3, "On Call" (first single), which starts an incredible string of no-miss tracks, all the way through track 9. "McFearless" is complex yet draws you in (it somehow reminded me of the Twilight Singers' searing sound, as it dis on "On Call"). "Ragoo" mizes it up with some reggae undertones. "Fans" is a tribute to the band's fanbase in the UK (with a great line like "These raining days aren't so bad when you're the king"). I rate the tracks 3 through 9 sequence 5 stars. After that, it drops off again, with "Camaro" as the lone remaining highlight. There are just a few too many mediocre spots to rate this album more than 4 stars. I just LOVE that middle sequence of 7 songs that form the heart of the album, but the rest is not up to that same level.

Kings of Leon are much bigger outside the US than they are here. This album crashed in at No. 1 on the British charts, and KoL are HUGE there. I don't think this album will do the same for them in the US, but then again stranger things have happened. I certainly would love to see them achieve greater success here--the album entered the Billboard 200 at 25, a career-best. Live the band is a force to be reckoned with (reminding me of My Morning Jacket's steady climb to one of the best live bands out there), and I can't wait to see them when they come here to Cincinnati next month.

A couple of disclaimers:
1. I have not followed Kings of Leon but am familiar with their more popular stuff. I bought this as a starting point to explore the music.
2. I'm over 50 (just barely).
I enjoyed roughly half the music on this CD. The other half I found to be noisy, inaccessible, and at times annoying.

If you're reading this review, you probably know to some extent who the Kings of Leon are - a relatively young indie-rock band out of Tennessee whose appeal is said to come from equal parts youthful energy and wisdom-beyond-their-years.

Their debut was a southern-fried scramble of distorted guitars and yelping vocals that seemed to delight in its own unholiness. On Because of the Times, the guitars are still distorted, the singer's still yelping and the themes aren't necessarily wholesome - see 'Knocked Up', in which singer Caleb belts "She don't care what her mama says, no she's gonna have my baby" - but at times there's a beauty to the arrangements that's almost divine.

That's not to suggest that the band has forgotten to rock, though, because they haven't; in fact, at this point in their career the band has the musicianship to back up their ambition, and the result is some of the most fulfilling rock you can hear on the indie scene today.

If you like either of KoL's previous two albums, you'll love this one. If you're looking for an introduction to the Kings of Leon's work, this is as good a starting point as any.

this album is amazing. Kings of Leon is a trully genius band, and this new album is no exception. it's been stuck in my cd player for weeks, and it's jamming to it is probably the only reason I make it through work every day. don't pass it up.

I can understand the harsh reviews however, I disagree.

When I first got the album I listened to the first minute or so of a couple random songs and quickly banished it from my player. Not because I hated it necessarily; it just wasn't the kings as I was used to them.

Honestly, it was the first two songs, "Knocked Up," whose lyrics I thought were too derived and repetitive for a seven minute song, and "Charmer," where the lead has little screams speckled throughout his singing, that threw me off.

I sat on the album for nearly a month before listening again.
And I loved it. The band is *very slightly* edgier in certain places, like Charmer (which I now like and find the screams a nice touch) but really, they're just experimenting with what they've got and have produced another wonderful rock album which, though it may be a bit more complex to perform, is still, simply great music and most definitely rock (someone earlier said they were trying to be alternative... No. Definitely not. That is the exact opposite of what I'm hearing. Not that I don't like some alternative, just no).

Highlights:
The third track, "On Call,' is a marvelous divergence from the first two albums. It sounds like rock with ambiance, if that makes any sense (none of the other songs have this same sound, except maybe "Trunk" a little, and don't think by "ambiance" I mean elevator music or something, cuz I don't).
I also love the song "Black Thumbnail," which is more of a return to their older stuff in that everything about the singer's voice screams southern swagger. Thumbnail is tied for my favorite track with "Ragoo," whose often-plucky guitar sounds so great coupled with the bass (I'm really bad at technical music descriptions, not being a musician by any stretch) and that tinkling piano as the song trails off with the echoed vocals? Perfect. Best last 30 seconds of a song ever. Also like "The Runner" quite a bit, can't put my finger on why, though. Its hard to choose a favorite.

4.5 stars.

These young men grew up fast,being thrown in the spotlight early on because of their family ties (3 brothers and a cousin) and their sheltered childhoods spent tagging along as their preacher-dad traveled the Southern bible-circuit, eventually drinking himself out of the ministry.

They quickly picked up on the best of musical influences (From the Rolling Stones to Joy Division) and started playing their own brand of raw rock n' roll, living the lifestyle and singing about all the things that they were taught were evil and the Devil's work. Their first album was unpolished, but they sounded different than the slew of other "new rock" bands trying to copy the Strokes' formula for success. They still had the ability to rock with abandon while throwing in their own Deep South perspective.

The second album, "Aha Shake Heartbreak", expanded on that sound, and this time the attitude was rowdier. But they still weren't afraid to buck the norm and throw in unconventional touches such as yodeling!! Caleb Followill's voice in itself is an anomaly, standing out among the crowd of jaded, flat-sounding vocalists and the screaming-at-the-top-of-their-lungs emoting that the hordes of Emo-clone bands were popular for.

With "Because of the Times", KOL have matured from the extensive touring and braving the massive arena crowds opening for U2, who were impressed enough by their poetic-swagger to hand-pick them for the first U.S. leg of their "Vertigo" tour, and Bob Dylan felt the same way as he picked them to open for his recent arena tour. They haven't lost the attitude - but have retained their individuality. They continue to thumb their noses at sticking to a formula for success, taking risks like opening the CD with "Knocked-up" and using the simple lyrics and repetitive phrasing of "On Call."

It took me about three listens to fully grasp the subtleties of each song, but they have each taken hold in my brain and have not left my car CD player in weeks.

Seeing them live recently, (at Coachella on the Main Stage) it seemed like they got off to a slow start, but by the time they kicked in with "My Party" they played like a runaway train. The time before, when I saw them in a much smaller venue, I had the opportunity to meet them after the show and found them to be very polite and of course, full of that Southern Charm.

I'm hoping they last a long long time and continue to mature and rock -- and stay true to themselves!

I saw the Kings open for U2 in Phoenix two years ago. As I sang along and tapped my feet with every song, I got the distinct impression that those around me thought I was crazy. By the end of the set, many in the arena were booing. Caleb Followhill (the lead singer) praised the Phoenix crowd, saying that it was the best he'd experienced on the tour- and he was being sincere! I could only imagine what the band had been subjected to previously. Obviously, those who'd come to see the pop-rock mastery of U2 that night were not ready for the raw, youthful, indie sensibilities of the Kings. I expected their next studio album to be much poppier (a-la recent U2) and more polished in order to win over those scores of fans who'd spurned them during their tour with U2. But, the kings are real rock artists. They do things their way. The sound of "Because of the Times" is an in-your-face assertion of their independence and integrity. They clearly play the music that THEY want to play, not what record companies, radio stations, and mainstream fans want them to play.

Now, to my review.

The very first time I listened to this album, I must admit that I was a bit dismayed. Each song (except for the stuck-in-your-head-for-hours catchiness of "On Call") sounded like it was cobbled together from half a dozen outtakes and demos- a Frankenstein's monster of disonance and failed promise. I kept thinking, "if they had just changed the chord progressions a little bit here" and "if they had tried a different key there." I was sooooo disappointed. It took me a few days to muster up the courage to play the disc again. But I did... and I liked it. The next time, I liked it even more. This album is one that keeps getting better with each successive listen. The melodies are there. The soul is most definitely there. One just has to be patient. This really is a strong album. It won't be a commercial success, but it deserves every ounce of critical praise it receives. The Kings won't sell out (at least, they didn't here). They will, however, rock out.

This album is not a masterpiece, so I can't give it a five-star review. But, it is a very good rock album- one of the best of 2007.

I pre-ordered this CD because I fell in love with KOL after seeing them on TV for about 1 minute. That was several years ago and I have been enjoying the first two albums and sharing them. Yesterday I listened to this new release and even though the music is great, the song writing is not as dynamic. It seems like the boys have mellowed out and slowed down their music. Maybe it is just a phase. I will not give up hope.--53 year old who loves music.