The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 21, 2003, Page B5, Image 17
CD REVIEWS
Family-based Kings ’
debut album shows
group’s upbringing
“YOUTH AND YOUNG
MANHOOD”
Kings of Leon
out of
BY CHARLES TOMLINSON
Till'] (i.VWKOOCK
At first glance of the album
cover, the band looks a great deal
like Stillwater, from Cameron
Crowe’s film “Almost Famous.”
But on Kings of Leon’s debut,
“Youth and Young Manhood,”
the band sounds more like Tom
Petty and modern-day garage
bands such as the Strokes.
The band members are all
family — three of them are
brothers, and the bassist is a
cousin. They were all raised in
the church, where they learned
to play instruments while their
father was a Pentecostal minis
fpr
The vestiges of the band’s up
bringing show up on the debut al
bum, released Tuesday. Their fa
ther, Leon, exposed his boys to
the rock ‘n’ roll of the day, and
now they have a deal with RCA
so they can blast their rowdy mu
sic for the world to hear.
Songs such as “Spiral
Staircase,” however, sometimes
sound like a bawdy gospel hymn
with handclaps in the back
ground. The Kings also show a
mastery of lazy, bluesy rock on
such tracks as “Dusty.”
In the spirit of such acts as
Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers, the band does
just enough to support the vocals
as a centerpiece. Drummer
Nathan Followill locks every
bass drum beat with cousin
Jared Followill’s bass lines.
Whenever Nathan changes
rhythms, Jared follows, and vice
versa.
Vocalist Matthew Followill
sings in a devil-may-care drawl, |
but he shows more creativity
with his vocal range on “Youth
and Young Manhood.” He does
his best imitation of Bon Scott on
speed during the final chorus of
“Joe’s Head” and on “Spiral
Staircase.”
Four of the five songs on the
band’s “Holy Roller Novocaine”
EP, released earlier this year,
return on,“Youth and Young
Manhood.” The band re-record
ed all but one of those songs,
“Molly’s Chambers,” for the
new album. Those songs, pow
erful and tight on the EP, sound
even better after their recent
facelifts. But on the Kings’ new
album, they take away the
swelling drama of “California
Waiting,” the EP’s catchiest
track, by playing it at a much
faster clip.
“Youth and Young Manhood”
was crafted by the capable hands
of producer Ethan Johns, who
has recorded and toured with
Crosby, Stills and Nash; Ryan
Adams; and Counting Crows.
He’s the son of legendary pro
ducer Glyn Johns, who pro
duced Led Zeppelin and the
Who, among others.
While Kings of Leon haven’t
done anything sonically that
hasn’t been done before, they’ve
released a solid full-length debut
that alt-country and Southern
rock fans will eat up. It’s fun rock
‘n’ roll worth checking out.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com
Rock band samples
society to produce
enjoyable sound
“THE IMPOSSIBLE LEAP IN ONE
HUNDRED SIMPLE STEPS”
From Monuments to Mars
out of
BY MICHAEL ARDAIOLO
TIIKOA.WKCOCK
Every once in a while you
buy a CD on a hunch, maybe af
ter hearing a song on a sampler
or someone makes a recom
mendation. After listening a few
times, it becomes the CD you’re
most proud to own. From
Monuments to Masses’ “The
Impossible Leap in One
Hundred Simple Steps” is one
of those albums. This album,
made by an anti-imperialist trio
from Oakland, Calif., involves
the listener in a revolutionary
riot.
Not only is it technically and
artistically well done, but it
makes the listener reflect on the
surrounding society.
Vocals are very rare; instead
the band uses samples from po
litical speeches, interviews, tele
vision, radio and even “The
Matrix.” Don’t let that stray you
from the album though. The
samples blend flawlessly with
the music, at some points using
the tonal quality of speaker to
fill a jazz rhythm or a hardcore
breakdown. From Monuments
to Masses, on Dim Mak records,
pushes the listener to celebrate
art and culture, combining
drum machines, guitar loops
and samples to pull it off. Each
song contains its own unique
personality, which keeps the al
bum from becoming redundant.
For example, “Sharpshooter,”
the nine-minute opener reflects
on Sept. 11 and television’s por
trayal of the incident.
This record is good for any
one who enjoys rock ‘n’ roll mu
sic, political or not. It is truly
worth paying $12 to be able to
listen to it over and over be
cause with every listen, there is
something new to be heard.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockmixeditor@
hotmail.com
August 27,2003
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f/o Cover Charges
Enjoy live music Tuesday through Saturday
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Call 803-771-7262 or visit
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Located in the l/Tita at
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[rust
I WELCOME! TO MY PARTY
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