When I was beginning to shortlist some albums here, I was getting worried that I wouldn’t have enough. By the time I finished, I have possibly more than ever. 2008 was a great year for music it seemed again, but it could also be due to the fact that by 2008 I was officially a complete music-obsessive, determined to hear and appreciate as music as possible – I was sick of listening to the same albums and same kinds of music over and over again, I was ready to just go out there and LISTEN. That’s not to say I didn’t do that beforehand, I just feel I was almost on somewhat of a musical auto-pilot for a few years of Prog, Metal, Alternative and Electronica. I was ready to spread my wings, and give Indie and other genres I thought “low” of another chance. This list is really in no particular order.

1) Coldplay – Viva La Vida (Or Death and All His Friends)

And if you want a good example of my previous statement, here it is. Before this album, I didn’t enjoy Coldplays musical output due to just being prejudiced against the indie-pop genre completely, however I enjoyed a few of their singles a little. This album, however, changed that view completely for me. And it’s probably in no small part due to Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins’ excellent production here. I think they made Coldplay THINK about their music, and pushing their musical talents to the limit a lot more than they were used to. They could have stuck to their arena, “adult contemporary” and radio pleasing sound, but they didn’t, something that I respect them for. Sure, a few songs still have that quality, but to me it sounds a lot better and more mature. It sounds like they’re actually putting in effort! The fact that they incorporated some odd time signatures in songs like “Yes!” and “Lost”, pleased the Prog side of me, plus the great experimental ambience heavily influenced by Eno in many of the songs introductions like in “Violet Hill”, “Strawberry Swing” and the album opener “Life in Technicolor”, while still keeping songs that can get stuck in your head AND having great lyrics too makes this album a winner for me. I think they’re going to have a hard time topping this album, but I really would like to see them try and beat it, rather than just stick to the formula that made this album great.

2) Portugal. The Man – Censored Colors

Portugal. The Man are a band I feel have improved with every album, and this album is definitely no exception. Despite this being the first Portugal. The Man album I heard, it didn’t take me long to listen to their previous albums and see what got them up to this point; and while their predecessors were good, this one topped them all. Filled with great synth work, eerie vocal effects, catchy pop style melodies complemented by John Gourleys excellent sense of lyrical cadences and a great ‘jam’ sense throughout this album with the last few tracks of the album being gapless, proves that this band are willing to push the envelope in musical experimentation, without denying their talent at writing a good song in the process. Their addition of tour keyboardist/backing vocalist Zoe Manville on this album really added another angelic, beautiful lyrical quality to this album, with Gourley and Manville complimenting each others vocal stylings so well. I had the pleasure of meeting this band earlier in the year, and they’re so humble despite writing great music and beginning to build an even bigger fan base. An all round great album from great guys.

3) Kings of Leon -  Only by the Night

Coming off of what I feel was a slightly disappointing but still enjoyable 3rd album came Kings of Leon’s magnum opus. I’ve followed this band throughout their whole musical journey so far, and supported their every move, and I must say that this album is probably one of the top albums of the decade. Their sound is slightly darker, and they’ve almost entirely removed their ‘country’ and Southern Rock influences, but at the same time, they’ve developed a good alternative sound without completely drifting away from the band they used to be. You can tell with Because of the Times that they were starting to get a darker sound, but I feel that they didn’t fully make it come together, whereas here, they perfected it. The album opener “Closer” is a fantastic opener, haunting, great use of delay and equally haunting vocals about vampires really makes you ready for the ride. Of course, they’re best known for their Grammy winning “Sex On Fire” and the ever popular radio hit “Use Somebody”, but I feel that every song on this album is damn good, whereas with their previous albums a few songs on each album were just OK to listen to. I love this album very much, and you should too.

4) Nine Inch Nails – The Slip

Many of NIN’s fans are divided on this one, personally, I love it. Sure, he’s gone for a more ‘mainstream’ sound, but is that always a bad thing? I still consider The Fragile NIN’s best work, but I find this album the most enjoyable to listen to. Reznor released this album as a ‘name your price’ online release at first, again, a bold move, but Reznor is making a good point. He wanted people to listen to this album, because in the end that’s what it’s all about, letting others hear your music. On top of that, he also released it to his online community, separated into individual tracks, allowing unlimited ways of remixing by his very own fanbase. And some of these remixes that I have heard are pretty phenomenal. He’s got some great arena filling songs like “Discipline”, “Echoplex” and “1,000,000″, and some songs that trace back to his roots such as “Corona Radiata”, “Demon Seed” and “Letting You”. It’s hard to deny that Reznor is a hard worker, before this album he also released Ghosts I-IV, a collection of instrumental works all binded together to form a seamless album ingeniously (and is in the Honorable Mentions below.)

Yes, 2008 was a great year for music, and I really had difficulty reviewing just 4 albums. So, as a possible one off, I’m going to have a Very Honorable Mentions, and the usual Honorable Mentions. So here we go…

Very Honorable Mentions

Beck – Modern Guilt
Bon Ivor – For Emma, Forever Ago
Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Demians – Building an Empire
The Duke Spirit – Neptune
Foxy Shazam – Introducing
Lady GaGa – The Fame
M83 – Saturdays=Youth
The Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath
Minus the Bear – Acoustics
Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling
Russian Circles – Station
Shearwater – Rooks
Thrice – The Alchemy Index Volumes III and IV
TV on the Radio – Dear Science

Honorable Mentions

Amanda Palmer – Who Killed Amanda Palmer?
Apes & Androids – Blood Moon
Atlas Sound – Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Ben Folds – Way to Normal
City and Colour – Bring Me Your Love
Deerhunter – Microcastle
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
The Fall of Troy – Phantom on the Horizon
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords
Foals – Antidotes
The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 Sound
Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair
Hot Chip – Made in the Dark
Innerpartysystem – Innerpartysystem
Maybeshewill – Not For Want of Trying
Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I – IV
Portishead – Third
School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend

So, there you have it, 2008. We’re almost at the end of the list now, 2009 will be up before Xmas!

Iain

After weeks of anticipation, procrastination, and medication (“eczema sucks” sums it up rather well) my review of the latest album by Tennessee rockers Kings of Leon, 2008’s Only By the Night is finally here! I’ve held off on blogging long enough so I’ll get right into it.

I only heard about Kings of Leon this year, but as the old saying goes, “Better late than never.” How true it is. These guys are great! They are one of the best bands I’ve discovered this year and their most recent album is definitely a great way to get me interested in their music. They have a nice, raw edge to their music which you may not expect from the Nashville natives, considering how huge the country music industry is there. But these guys are one of the best bands I’ve heard in a while and the vocals remind me of a male Amy Winehouse (one of my favourite singers, love her or hate her…and I’m not joking, the raw vocals actually do remind me of her).

TRACKLIST:

1. Closer – 3:57

2. Crawl - 4:06

3. Sex On Fire – 3:23

4. Use Somebody – 3:51

5. Manhattan – 3:24

6. Revelry – 3:22

7. 17 – 3:05

8. Notion – 3:01

9. I Want You – 5:07

10. Be Somebody – 3:47

11. Cold Desert – 5:35

From emotionally charged songs of longing and heartbreak to raw and funky numbers, this album has got some thematic diversity which is something I value rather highly in an album. I don’t like listening to an album that’s all of one thing. Aside from the interesting vocal chops of lead singer Anthony “Caleb” Followill, the album’s lyrics are also very well-written and just work with the music behind them. I would love to see these guys live and I hope that opportunity comes very, VERY soon.

My favourite songs from the album would have to be “Crawl,” “Manhattan,” “Revelry,” and “Be Somebody” but the entire album is fantastic. Needless to say, I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for their older stuff, too. Despite my initial comparisons to Amy Winehouse’s voice, Kings of Leon offer a sound that, at least to me, is unique and refreshing. If you know of any other bands that are like them and just as good, please let me know!

Bottom line: one of the best albums of 2008 I think, and definitely one of my favourites this year. Pick up Only By the Night as soon as you can! Trust me on this one, you will NOT regret it! 4 1/2 Crowns of Solid Rock out of 5! Fantastic!

Here’s the music video for “Use Somebody,” courtesy of rub1kzcub3. This is actually the first song I ever heard from the band and after it was done I knew that I had to hear more from them! Enjoy!

- Opus

Rolling Stone has compiled a list of 100 Best Albums of the Decade, so I thought I’d weigh in on a few of their selections. Links to songs included!

1. Kid A (Radiohead): Okay, I have to admit that I have never hopped on the Radiohead bandwagon. However, now that this album has earned the number one spot on their list, I will definitely be snatching it up as soon as possible. If all the best people in the industry think there has been nothing better, it is at least worth a listen.

3. Yankee Hotel Foxtot (Wilco): Yes, yes, yes. Three of my all-time favorite Wilco songs are on this album, including my all-time favorite, I am Trying to Break Your Heart, so I whole heartedly agree with this selection. In fact, I’d put this album on my list of the greatest albums of all-time, not just this decade. I got to see Wilco live when I was in DC and ever since then, my listening experience with their albums has been on another level. Each song brings me something new.

14. The Black Album (Jay-Z): Jay-Z also earned the number four spot with “The Blueprint.” Two albums in the top 20? I think that speaks wonders for the artist that he is. Like many others, The Black Album is my favorite of his, with my favorite track being “Public Service Announcement.” Ask me sometime to rap this song for you and I’ll do it at the drop of a hat.

28. Fever to Tell (Yeah Yeah Yeahs): I saw the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs in concert and they bored me so much I actually left. Plus, two “cougars” got in a fight in front of me and one girl lost her shoe. Odd experience coupled with a poor performance doesn’t entice me to check out their records anymore.

53. Only by the Night (Kings of Leon): Each time I listen to this album, I pick a new favorite track. Someone once told me that they judge a good album by tracks five, eight, and the second to last. This is because anyone can make three great songs and a band will always pick something great for the last song. This song is a “five, eight, and second to last” album all the way.

56. Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend): I might get some flax for saying this, but I love this album. In fact, I even had Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa as my ringtone for awhile last summer. Was this album life changing? No. But it is fun to listen to and always cheers me up.

58. The Grey Album (Danger Mouse): Bump this album up about 50 spots and I’d be happy. Danger Mouse combined tracks from the Beatles’ White Album and Jay-Z’s Black Album to create Perfection.

63. 808s and Heartbreak (Kayne West): Get this album off the list.

97. Sky Blue Sky (Wilco): As a whole, this album is probably my favorite of Wilco’s. I can absolutely never get enough of the guitar solo at 1:28 in “You are my Face.” I remember driving around once after a morning of classes and continually pressing rewind so I could hear that transition in the song over and over. I love Wilco because their music feels so raw and real to me. “You are my Face” epitomizes that for me. “I have no idea how this happens to me/All of my maps have been overthrown. Happenstance has changed all my plans/So many times my heart has been outgrown.” I could also go on for miles about “Hate it Here.” Greatest break-up song, in my opinion.

Thoughts? Reactions? Think I have terrible taste in music and want to change my mind through a listening session? Please share! Nothing makes me happier than getting music recommendations.

Also, my music collection is your music collection.

Use Somebody- Kings of Leon

I’m Yours- Jason Mraz

1901- Phoenix

Treat Me Like Your Mother- The Dead Weather

Boom Boom Pow- Black Eyed Peas

today is going to be a long day. already looking forward to nighttime starbucks.

i woke up today and found out 3 of my favorite bands had been nominated for grammys. kings of leon, mgmt, and silversun pickups. of course this isn’t the first time for the kings (if only people had payed attention to them for the other 3 albums), but i’m beyond happy that silversun pickups are finally being acknowledged for their beyond fantastic, genius music. keeping my fingers crossed that they win!!

my favorite songs of the three bands:

kings of leon – charmer, it’s not my party, cold desert, taper jean girl, 17

mgmt – love always remains, the handshake, kids, the youth

silversun pickups – kissing families, little lover’s so polite, three seed, pretty much anything they do i will love.

peace xo

In these tough economic times, buying gifts for everyone you love is simply not an option. Most can only afford to send a text message on Christmas Day. 

However, the gift of music is a gift that keeps on giving and for only $3.99 you can stuff someone’s stocking with the Kings of Leon’s Only By The Night. Tomorrow only, the album will be featured as Amazon.com’s Daily Deal. So grab it while you can if you don’t already own it, which for the record, is almost criminal if you don’t. Buy it here.

yazının yayın tarihi: 06.12.2008

http://www.birgun.net/culture_index.php?news_code=1228521119&year=2008&month=12&day=06

Kings of Leon, -açık konuşmak gerekirse- beklediğimizden çok daha büyük bir çıkış yakaladı yeni albümleriyle. Grup ve son albümleri ‘Only By The Night’ son günlerde dünya müzik piyasasında pek revaçta. Hatta albümün ilk single’ı olan ‘Sex On Fire’ İngiltere listelerinde bir numaraya kadar yükselmiş durumdaydı.

Tennessee’li Caleb, Nathan, Jared kardeşler ile kuzen Matthew Followill’den müteşekkil bir grup Kings of Leon. İlk kez 2003 yılındaki ‘Holy Roller Novocoine’ adlı EP ile tanıdık bu dörtlüyü. Kıyafetleriyle, saçlarıyla sanki 70’lerden/80’lerden çıkmış gibiydiler. Üstelik vokal Caleb Followill ilginç bir ses rengine sahipti. Tuhaf bir tonda şarkı söylüyordu; fakat -nedendir bilinmez ama- bazı zamanlar, insanı sinirlendiriyordu bu ses tonu. Sonra alıştık, zamanla müptelası olduk. İlk albümleri ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ bizim gibi başkalarının da dikkatini çekmiş olmalı ki yarım milyona varan satış rakamlarına ulaştı. Ardından U2’yla, Bob Dylan’la aynı sahneyi paylaşıp; vakti zamanında tahayyül edilmesi bile zor olan başarılara imza attılar. Bu albümün peşi sıra gelen ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’ ve 2007’deki ‘Because Of The Times’ ile kendilerine saygın bir yer edindiler. Bu iki albümle ne kadar ‘sağlam’ bir grup olduklarını ve yakaladıkları başarının sadece günübirlik rastlantılarla açıklanamayacağını kanıtladılar.

2007 senesinde özellikle ‘On Calm’ şarkısıyla listeleri alt üst eden grup, çekildiği inzivadan yeni albümleriyle döndü. 2008’in ilk aylarında stüdyoya giren Kings of Leon, yaklaşık sekiz aylık uzun bir dönemden sonra dördüncü albümleri Only By The Night’ı yayımladılar. Albümün bu kadar geç yayımlanmasının sebebi vokal Caleb’in albümün hazırlanış sürecinde geçirdiği rahatsızlığı.

‘Only By The Night’ hayatın karanlık yanlarını anlatma çabasında. Hayatın daha çok görünmeyen/bilinmeyen yanlarıyla uğraşıyor. Hayat karanlıktır diyip hakkındaki pek çok şeyin bilinmediğini ifade ediyor. Soğuk bir kış günü insanın kendisini sorgulamasına sebep oluyor; açıkcası biraz tedirgin ediyor insanı. Grubun da söylediği gibi bu albüm, öncekilerden daha sert. Açılış şarkısı ‘Closer’, listelere hızlı bir giriş yapan ‘Sex On Fire’, Temmuz ayında internet üzerinden paylaştıkları ‘Crawl’ bu sertliğin bir yansıması olsa gerek. Aşk acısının sorgulandığı, kaderin ele alındığı bir albüm Only By The Night. Bireyi yalnız başına bırakıp geçmişiyle hesaplaşmasına vesile oluyor. İfade etmeye çalıştığımız şeyi, albümün kapanışındaki ‘Cold Desert’ fazla söze gerek bırakmadan anlatıveriyor yaklaşık altı dakikalık bir sürede. Tabiri caizse gitarın ağladığı, vokalin ağıt yaktığı bir şarkı ‘Cold Desert’. Üstelik şarkının kahramanının boynunda bir de ip var. Evet, intiharı düşünen birinin ballad’ı bu şarkı…

Rivayet o ki; Antik Çağ’da Romalı bir genarel kazandığı savaş sonrası şehirde gövde gösterisi yaparmış. Genarel şehri yürüyerek zafer sarhoşluğunu kutlarken arkasındaki köle ‘Memento mori’ demiş. Memento mori latince bir deyiş. Ve Türkçe’ye ‘ölmen gerektiğini hatırla’ şeklinde çevrilebilir. ‘Only By The Night’ tam da böyle bir albüm işte. Bazı gerçekleri çok acımasız bir şekilde dile getirip, karanlığa açılıveriyor bir anda. Ve Antik Çağ’daki o kölenin sesini duyuruyor bize.

Kings of Leon / Only By The Night / RCA Records

NOTION é novo clipe da Banda The Kings of  Leon a música faz parte do último albúm ONLY BY THE NIGHT lançado em 2008, a banda é formada pelos irmãos Caleb Followill (guitarra e vocal), Jared Followill (baixo), Nathan Followill (bateria) e pelo primo deles Matthew Followill (guitarra) a banda lançou em 2002 o seu primeiro EP, intitulado Holy Roller Novocaine, atraindo então a atenção da crítica inglesa. Durante toda a infância e começo da adolescência tiveram uma educação muito rígida, estudavam em casa, não eram permitidos assistir televisão ou ouvir música secular. Enquanto seu pai ainda fazia parte da associação religiosa, seus filhos faziam parte da banda da igreja, Leon Followill era um ministro viajante que percorria o sul dos Estados Unidos para pregar nas mais diferentes Igrejas e levava consigo seus filhos.

CURIOSIDADE:

“Leon” é o nome do pai e do avô paterno dos três irmãos e do primo, “Kings of Leon” é uma homenagem ao avô dos Followill.

Discografia

Ábuns de Estúdio

• Youth and Young Manhood (2003)
• Aha Shake Heartbreak (2005)
• Because of The Times (2007)
• Only by the Night (2008)

EPs

• Holy Roller Novocaine (2003)
• What I Saw (2003)
• Day Old Belgian Blues (2006)

Ligações externas

• Site oficial
• Kings of Leon no MySpace

El pasado 22 de octubre en el Palacio de los Deportes se presenció uno de los conciertos más esperados del año en México, aunque para muchos de los que asistimos, la espera fue mucho más larga, ya que los oriundos de Nashville no visitaban nuestro país desde 2003.

Como El Sonidero te informó anteriormente, The Features es la banda que ha acompañado a Kings of Leon en gran parte de la gira de su más reciente producción.
En el D.F. comenzaron su presentación de forma muy puntual con Circus, seguida de The way it’s meant to be.
La audiencia recibió bien los temas Whatever gets you by, Lions y The drawing board, extraídos de su último álbum, Some Kind of Salvation.

Mi canción favorita de The Features es The Idea of Growing Old, pero lamentablemente no la incluyeron en este setlist.  Después de interpretar Blues, Now you Know y The Gates of Hell, se retiraron con All I Ask y el aplauso de las más de 20,000 personas que esperaban emocionadas el momento de ver a los Followill en el escenario.

Aproximadamente a las 10:20 p.m. se presentaron con Crawl ante su audiencia chilanga después de seis años de ausencia. Un buen comienzo, aunque personalmente hay otros temas con los que hubiera preferido iniciar la velada. Para beneplácito de los amantes del famosísimo Only by the Night, le siguió Be Somebody.

Y después, un killer combo con cinco clásicos para consentir a los que estábamos familiarizados con los Kings antes de los Grammy, la ropa de diseñador y el mainstream: Taper Jean Girl, King of the Rodeo, Molly’s Chambers, California Waiting y Fans.
Definitivamente, uno de los mejores momentos de la noche, en el que muchos de los presentes parecíamos estar sincronizados al aplaudir, corear, o brincar para complementar las canciones.

A continuación, llegó el momento emotivo de la noche. Al interpretar Revelry, los celulares llenaron de luces el domo de cobre, lo que claramente conmovió a Caleb, el líder de la banda (algo que ha probado no siempre ser tarea fácil), quien comentó que eso fue ‘Lo más hermoso que ha visto en su vida‘. Acto seguido, interpretaron I Want You.

Después llegaron más temas para hacernos felices. Charmer nos hizo vibrar con sus poderosos riffs y el estruendo continuó con Four Kicks y The Bucket.

El oído entrenado de la audiencia reconoció Sex on Fire desde sus primeros acordes, y para quienes conocieron a Kings of Leon con ese tema, y asistieron al concierto con el único propósito de escucharlo, llegó el momento climático. Le siguió el más reciente sencillo, Notion.

Después llegó uno de mis momentos más esperados de la noche. Hora de corear la hermosa On Call. El público hardcore no falló en acompañar la canción con aplausos y retumbar los pies en el momento indicado.

Cold Desert mantuvo el mood emotivo, y Slow Night, So Long se encargó de traer la euforia de vuelta. Caleb nuevamente se dejó envolver por la emoción y se tiró al suelo al tocar las últimas notas de este tema, en un reto de intensidad con Nathan, el baterista.

Esto marcó el momento para el encore. Después de unos minutos, los Followill complacieron a quienes con gritos, porras, chiflidos y aplausos pedían más de ellos.

Knocked Up fue el tema que ofrecieron a su regreso. Le siguió Use Somebody, canción en la que las gargantas se unieron para corear y hacer segundas voces.

Caleb, Nathan, Jared y Matthew eligieron Black Thumbnail del gran disco Because of the Times para despedirse de nosotros, no sin antes agradecernos por ser el mejor público que han tenido en mucho tiempo y asegurarnos que volverán muy pronto. ¡Esperemos que así sea!

I bet you were expecting Emilie Autumn this week, considering the gushing I’ve been doing since seeing her last week.

But ha! I do know what variety is! And I’ve been trying to not completely OD on her music anyway, as I don’t want to grow tired of it. At least, not yet.

So here’s some Kings of Leon for your Friday listening pleasure.

“Use Somebody”

“Sex on Fire”

I should have listened to my writers. Why didn’t I do that sooner?

I have been playing this album non-stop for the past month. Actually, I’ve been playing the same 4 songs (with a little GaGa thrown in. she never hurt nobody.) on repeat at work for the past three weeks. Caleb Followill’s voice is hauntingly beautiful, especially in these songs.

Notion
Use Somebody
Closer
Sex on Fire

I haven’t heard talent like this from a vocalist since Amy Winehouse, and before her, I’m not sure what else is out there in the world of rock. This man needs to sing passionately at all times, because that’s when you hear the real music. Wikipedia tells me that it’s a band of brothers from a Pentecostal family — there ought to be some passion in there either way. And from the sound of this brilliant album, it looks like they’ve found it.

Kings of Leon is an American rock band, that formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999, consisting of brothers Anthony “Caleb” Followill (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ivan “Nathan” Followill (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Michael “Jared” Followill (bass guitar, backing vocals), with their cousin Cameron “Matthew” Followill (lead guitar, backing vocals). Each member of the family group is known by their second name as opposed to their first name.

The band’s early music was an upbeat blend of southern rock and garage rock influences but the band has gradually expanded their sound to include a variety of genres, including alternative rock.

Kings of Leon achieved initial success in the United Kingdom with nine Top 40 singles and also winning two brit awards in 2008. All three of the band’s albums at the time peaked in the top five of the UK Albums Chart, with Because of the Times reaching number one. After the release of Only by the Night in 2008 they finally achieved chart success in their native United States. The singles “Sex on Fire”, “Use Somebody” and “Notion” peaked at number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks, while the album itself was their first ever platinum-selling album in the US.

I currently own Only By The Night and plan on getting their other albums later on. From the album my favourite songs are Closer, Sex On Fire, Use Somebody, and Be Somebody. Give ‘em a listen.

La banda estadounidense será la encargada de abrir los esperados conciertos de Kings of Leon en Guadalajara, Ciudad de México y Monterrey, los próximos 20, 22 y 24 de octubre.

La agrupación originaria de Nashville que lanzó en 2008 su exitosa cuarta producción ‘Only by the Night’, visitará territorio mexicano después de seis años de ausencia, y ha elegido a sus paisanos para acompañarlos durante la mayoría de las presentaciones de su actual gira, después de firmarlos bajo su propio sello disquero Imprint.

‘Some Kind of Salvation’, el más reciente álbum de The Features, se estrenó en 2008, y muestra una clara evolución en el sonido de la banda, con temas como ‘Lions’, ‘Now You Know’ y ‘Concrete’.

No te pierdas a los Followill, que deleitarán a sus fans mexicanos después de una larga espera con éxitos como ‘Molly’s Chambers’, ‘Sex on Fire’, ‘The Bucket’, ‘On Call’ y otros en:

Guadalajara, Jal. – Arena Telmex: 20 de octubre
México, D.F. – Palacio de los Deportes: 22 de octubre
Monterrey, N.L. – Arena Monterrey: 24 de octubre

Kings of Leon came to the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs on Monday.

Southern rock quartet Kings of Leon rattled Council Bluffs with a genuine rock concert Monday night. Opening for Kings of Leon was White Lies, an alternative rock band from Ealing, West London.

Kings of Leon gained attention from mainstream radio with their Top 40 hit “Use Somebody.” The band’s latest album, “Only by the Night,” has sold over a million copies. But the Tennessee-based band—wearing plaid shirts, leather jackets and tank tops as they graced the stage at the Mid-America Center—look nothing like the chart-topping arena artists of today.

The stage setup was almost bare with only a few lights, monitors and a drum that donned white tape spelling “KOL.” Screams and shouts rang through the arena before the band even emerged. The energy was intense. When brothers Caleb, Nathan and Michael Followill, and their cousin Matthew took the stage, the audience accepted them with open arms.

Fans flooded the floor and most of the seats of the MAC to see the show. The crowd on the floor was packed so tightly there was barely room to move. Most of the fans on the floor were over 21, holding drinks high above their heads as they danced.

The 16-song set and 2-song encore focused on the band’s latest album, including all but two songs from “Only by the Night.” They also played old favorites for the fans like “Charmer,” “Walk Away,” “Slow Nights, So Long” and “On Call.” Fans pulled out lighters and cell phones for songs like “Cold Desert” and “Notion.” The crowd belted out the words to most of the songs, including radio favorites “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody.”

The band seldom stopped to take a break and talk to the crowd. The songs flowed together perfectly. Singer Caleb Followill apologized to the audience a few times, but the mistakes were small and went unnoticed to fans.

Kings of Leon gave an amazing live show. The guitar riffs wailed and rang as the bass vibrated the entire room with rock ’n’ roll perfection. Followill’s voice rang over the audience with precision. There is no doubt that this rock ‘n’ roll band is here to stay.

God-fearing, booze-swilling rise to rock stardom, Austin Scaggs followed the Followills from Tennessee to Australia, swilling wine and partying with huge stars like Chris Martin along the way.  RS also visited the Kings in their Nashville homes for an intimate tour of their private lives — watch the video, above — and managed to squeeze a few more facts and hilarious stories out of the foursome. Here’s 13 of the most enlightening:

1. All of the Kings go by their middle names. So what are their real first names? Singer Anthony “Caleb” Followill, drummer Ivan “Nathan” Followill, guitarist Cameron “Matthew” Followill and bassist Michael “Jared” Followill.

2. In their teens, the Followill boys threw parties at their dad, Ivan’s house. When Ivan deemed that the party was over, he put jalapeños in the microwave. The fumes burned peoples’ eyes until they vacated the premises.

3. In their earliest years evangelizing through the South with their preacher father, the family traveled in a Chrysler. “It would backfire,” says Nathan, “and we were so embarrassed that when we’d pull into a church, we’d have to kill the engine and coast into the parking lot.” Ivan could also backfire the car on command, say, when they were driving by a construction site. “The guys would literally drop to the ground,” says Nathan. “I don’t know how my dad did it. He was a man of God. He was gifted.”

4. When he was three years old, Jared would jump up on the arm of the sofa, unclasp the lock on the front door, and climb up onto the neighbors’ roof. Jared was also known around the neighborhood for riding his scooter, naked. “I’d wear a T-shirt, so I wasn’t completely naked,” Jared says. “I’d be casual, but naked from the waist down.”

5. When the Kings played Saturday Night Live last September, Caleb walked the backstage halls and took a moment to pause in front of a portrait of Chris Farley. Growing up, he was obsessed with the comic. “I knew I was going to be on Saturday Night Live,” he says. “I didn’t know that I’d be singing.” Nathan remembers the phone call he received on December 18th, 1997. “Caleb was crying his eyes out and he kept saying, ‘He’s dead! He’s dead!’ I was like, ‘What? Dad’s dead?’ “

6. Caleb was 14 the first time he smoked weed, in Henderson, Tennessee. “I was with [cousin] Peanut, and we were in a graveyard,” says Caleb. “I was like, ‘I don’t feel it,’ but when we got home I was eating a bunch of chicken tenders. Peanut said, ‘What the fuck, man, you’re gonna kill your buzz.’ That’s when I realized, ‘Maybe I am feeling this?’ “

7. The first great Kings song, according to Caleb, was “Wicker Chair,” which appeared on their EP Holy Roller Novocaine. “Trey Boyer would play guitar while me and Nate sang,” says Caleb, remembering their first gigs in Nashville. “One day he taught me a C chord, and that night I was playing it, and Jared came downstairs and sat in our white wicker chair. When Nathan wasn’t looking, I’d get stoned with Jared and we’d have a good time. So I remember writing the opening lyrics about Jared. ‘In your little white wicker chair, unsuspicious?’ And then I wrote the rest of the song about my dad.” (Caleb also said he wrote “Head To Toe” about Matthew, “Razz” about Jared, and “Go Fuck Yourself” about Nathan.)

8. On September 11th, 2001, Nathan and Caleb were in San Diego for a songwriters conference. They were staying with a friend of a friend, and early that morning, before heading to the conference, the boys smoked weed on the deck. They failed to properly extinguish the joint, leaving it accidentally smoldering. Later that day they got a call that they’d burnt the whole deck down.

9. When they were young, Matthew, Jared and their moms took a trip to New York City. “We got into so much trouble,” says Matthew. “I was peeing in elevators, lighting towels and throwing them into the pool. We were stealing cigars, smoking ‘em.” During that road trip, Matthew also went joyriding. “I stole the car and I drove it the wrong way onto a highway onramp.” Matthew also went to jail briefly (for about an hour) after he shot an old lady with a paintball gun. “When I look back on this stuff, it’s crazy. Was I possessed?”

10. Nathan’s favorite TV shows are Eastbound and Down, and “that new one with Glenn Close” (Damages). Caleb says he loves America’s Funniest Home Videos, and is well versed on all the Food Network shows. When Jared watches Oklahoma football games, he stands in one specific spot, at a 45 degree angle to the left corner of his flatscreen. When the team scores a touchdown, he does a shot of Patron. Matthew and his girlfriend, Johanna, like to watch movies in bed, each with their own set of headphones.

11. The Kings’ first gig ever was at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta, opening up for the Skeeters and the outlaw country star Billie Joe Shaver. (Coincidentally, Shaver stars in the film The Apostle. Caleb compares his dad to Robert Duvall’s character in that movie.) “That was one of the scariest moments of my entire life,” says Caleb. “We walked in and saw all the cowboy hats, and I literally said to the guys, ‘You fucking country it up. Tonight, these songs will be alternative country.’ And we fuckin went out there and people were takin’ their cowboy hats off, goin’ ‘Whooo!’ and fucking lovin’ it, even though we were dressed like the New York Dolls. When the curtains closed, it was like a 90210 moment, we all gave each other high fives.”

12. For their third album, Because of the Times, the Kings entertained the idea of a new producer. “We talked about everybody,” says Jared. “We went to dinner with Dave Grohl, and met with Brendan O’Brien.” They ended up sticking with longtime producer Ethan Johns.

13. Nathan’s favorite sexual position is “reverse cowgirl, with a braid.”

Alright!  Here’s my review of the shows I saw on Friday at the festival.  Yep, you guessed it; Saturday and Sunday to follow.  Also, stay tuned for another 10 minute vid edited by Seanningham, plus more pictures!

Most Disappointing Show:

The Knux

Yeah, they’re cool and all, and the album is definitely worth listening to, but the eccentric rap duo did not make a great impression at their first ACL appearance on the XBox 360 stage early in the afternoon.  The beef?  They only played for about 45 minutes and used lots and lots of backing tracks (including on vocals, which is a big one for me).  Also, they teased the crowd at the end by playing a few seconds of “Jump Around”, getting everyone excited, only to stop the song abruptly by leaving the stage.  The songs they did manage to play (in between chastising the crowd for not being loud enough) were pretty good, and the crowd responded well.  And it’s always cool when a band invites people from the audience onstage.

The Knux kept accusing us of being too high to get excited…honestly, I’m pretty sure they were too high to deliver a great set at the festival.  I’d check them out again if I had the opportunity to do so cheaply, but I was really disappointed by their performance.

Most Colorful Stage:

Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog delivered a solid set, albeit one that may have been a little too low-key for their time slot.  I left the show about halfway through to get a much needed spicy shrimp po’ boy.  In my defense, every song they played up to that point sounded nearly the same to my sun-drenched ears.  Dr. Dog wasn’t disappointing, but they didn’t wow me either.  I appreciated their sincerity…and the colorful stage of course.

Click on the jump to see the show I wish I’d seen all the way through, and my opinion on the closer, Kings of Leon!

Show I Wish I’d Stayed For:

K’Naan

K’Naan started out brilliantly by singing a song that he told us he’d just written backstage, inspired by the festival vibes.  After Dr. Dog, I was looking forward to a really high-energy show that would reinvigorate me mid-day.  K’Naan played a couple of slower songs, and I was convinced the show was going to be mostly acoustic, so I decided to head out halfway through to catch Thievery Corporation.  That was a bonehead error; I wish I’d skipped Thievery Corp and stuck it out with K’Naan for what I read was an amazing show.  K’Naan is an inspirational performer, and is slowly but surely rising up in stature, and he deserves all the praise he is receiving for having dedication that can be rare in musicians.

Show I Wish I’d Skipped:

Thievery Corporation

Was that obvious by the K’Naan review?  Anyway, nothing against Thievery Corp, but by the time I got there, you could barely see the stage, much less hear the music.  And what is it about the LIVEstrong/former ATT stage that attracts people who like to camp out in the lawn?  I guess they were waiting for Kings of Leon, but they were really harshing my buzz.  The only thing I could see was the screens which was the most interesting during the belly-dancing.

Best Show of the Festival, Period:

Andrew Bird

What can I say?  Bird knocked it out of the park once again, delivering in spades the single most impressive, emotional, and musically entertaining set of the festival.  Picking up mainly upbeat fan favorites from his swath of albums, he managed to have the notoriously sluggish late-evening crowd dancing, and included deeply moving tracks like “Effigy” and “Anonanimal” as well.

I heard numerous people talking about how great it was while he was still playing and even saw some tearing up.  It was the best performance I’ve personally seen of Bird’s, at least equalling the truly amazing solo show I saw last year.  Plus, props to C3 for giving Bird a great stage and a great time slot, worthy of his devoted fans while respecting his musical artistry.

Most Average Rock-And-Roll

Kings of Leon

We were further away from Kings of Leon than we were for Thievery Corp, but somehow we could hear better.  Huh, figure that one out.  The Kings of Leon ripped through songs from their hit album Only By The Night with no frills and practically no stage presence.  They play the songs ably, and they’re certainly a very good rock band, but I still believe they’re lacking something special that will propel them into great performers.  As a closer for ACL, the decision was probably made based on their current popularity.  All that said, there was no lack of audience considering they were playing against another currently-popular group, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  After the brilliant Andrew Bird show, I didn’t feel too bad leaving Zilker halfway through KoL, picking up Whataburger, and tucking in for the night.

Bem, do jeito que as coisas andam, logo não estranharei mais o “Goodnight Montreal”. Aqui estão dois grandes show que vi nos últimos dias. Um deles estará logo mais no Brasil. O segundo chegou perto, mas ficará para uma outra vez.

Franz Ferdinand (31/08/09 – Metropolis)

Ou “Bon soir, Montréal”, como preferiu Alex Kapranos. O vocalista do Franz Ferdinand conversou com a platéia na língua da casa durante o show inteiro, mas o público não cedeu fácil aos agrados. A banda vinha apresentar Tonight, álbum feito para a pista de dança, mas não se via muito mais do que algumas cabeças balançando. Nem as rimas dançantes de “No Your Girls”, música que iniciou o show, nem “Tell Her Tonight” e “Walk Away”, as velhas conhecidas que vieram em seguida, ganharam mais do que aplausos. Eita saudade do Brasil…

Parecia que o público, bem servido de shows nesta cidade, precisava ser convencido de que aquela banda merecia sua energia. E foi mostrando o que poderia estar lá no palco, com o ritmo lento a voz suave no início de “Bite Hard”, que eles quebraram o gelo. “Are you happier now?”,  canta Kapranos quando a música ganha a bateria e o baixo e vai crescendo até explodir no final do refrão, levando dessa vez a platéia junto.

O setlist, com as músicas mais aceleradas do quarteto, estava infalível para manter a empolgação (e, mais uma vez, fiquei sem “Eleonar Put your boots on”). Equilibrando bem os três cds, o Franz Ferdinand mostrou que todos os seus trabalhos caíram no gosto do público. No bis, “Jacqueline”, de Franz Ferdinand, e “What She Came For”, de Tonight foram recebidas as duas com a mesma, e muita, empolgação.

A apresentação completa o álbum Tonight . Os sete minutos de bateria e sintetizadores de “Lucid Dreams” fazem muito mais sentido ao vivo, como se a música encontrasse seu último elemento e finalmente se realizasse. Ao final dela, só resta no palco o baterista Paul Thomson (que outrora estava com uma máscara de leão…) e os efeitos. Enfim, o público segue sozinho em um bom clima de balada.

Bem, felizes os que conseguiram ingresso para o show na The Week!

Kings of Leon (16/09/09 – Centre Bell)

Enquanto que um show para 500 pessoas parece perfeito para o Franz Ferdinand, o som do Kings of Leon pede um estádio. A família Followill veio apresentar Only by The Night, álbum que, junto com Because of Times, veio para torná-los gigantes, apagando de vez as comparações com os Strokes e as raízes sulistas.  Quando vieram à Montreal apresentar Aha Shake Heartbreak, o segundo álbum, não reuniram mais de 100 fãs. Dessa vez, tocando praticamente apenas os dois últimos álbuns, eram 8 500 pessoas.

O espaço que fez a banda de abertura, os escoceses do Glasvegas, soar um pouco tímida, com exceção de quando tocaram uma versão com muita guitarra de “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” (Korgis), se mostrou perfeito desde a entrada da banda do Tenesse, com as poderosas notas que iniciam “Closer”. Nenhum instrumento soa tímido no ginásio que, logo mais, receberá o Dalai Lama. O destaque, incrivelmente,  fica por conta do baixista, Jared  Followill,  que, entre a voz metálica do irmão e a guitarra bem colocada do primo,  até mesmo carrega algumas músicas.

O sucesso de público veio junto a muitas críticas, e o vocalista, Caleb Followill, aproveitou para dar a sua resposta. “A lot of people out there are talking shit about the Kings of Leon. Them people can kiss my ass.” E depois admite: “we´re not trying to do anything different.” Bem, mesmo que não tragam grandes inovações, todos os aplausos são merecidos. Cresceram sem perder a qualidade. Ainda assim, muitos ficaram incomodados em ver que a banda chegou às rádios.

Mesmo que grande parte do público estivesse lá por causa do sucesso de “Sex on Fire”,  show inteiro é sequência de ótimas canções. Fortes, mas que não se resumem apenas ao refrão. Bate uma tristeza quando o Caleb arranca as cordas de sua guitarra anunciando o fim do show. Mas também uma prazer por ter visto uma banda desta década fazer um show de rock como este.

Ahora que se cumple mas o menos un año del lanzamiento del ultimo disco de Kings of Leon, titulado Only by the night, creo que es buen momento para dedicarles una entrada, ya que en la fecha de su publicación, todavía nuestro blog, no tenía ni visos de concebirse.

Pues bien, más vale tarde que nunca. Este grupo norteamericano, concretamente de Nashville, Tennesse, lanzó su cuarto disco en septiembre del año pasado, y desde entonces, no ha parado de recibir críticas positivas al mismo. Personalmente me parece un disco impresionante, que sin desmerecer a los tres anteriores, creo que los supera con creces.

El grupo esta formado por tres hermanos (Caleb, Nathan, Pared) y un primo de ellos Matthew, siendo el apellido Followill su nexo de unión y tomando el nombre del grupo de su padre y abuelo, ambos llamados Leon.

Ya con su primer disco “Youth and Young Manhood”, consiguieron hacerse un hueco en el panorama musical, al ser teloneros de bandas importantes como U2 o The Strokes, aunque su salto definitivo, ha venido con este último álbum.

Para quien no conozca nada de ellos, os dejo varios temas de su último álbum, empezando por la aclamada Sex on Fire y si os gusta, un poco más abajo esta el link de descarga de su último trabajo. Personalmente, creo que en directo, es una de las mejores bandas del momento. La voz del cantante es idéntica que en el disco, cosa que muy pocos pueden decir hoy en día.

Use Somebody

Manhattan

Closer

Si quieres descargarte el disco, pincha sobre la carátula de su último disco. (Nota)

By: Greg Swindasz

With three Grammy nominations and one award, a world tour, and a new album coming next year will the Nashville band-of-brothers be the next legendary rock band?

The Kings of Leon are by no means a new or upcoming band.  Their follow up to Only by the Night, which was the number one album in the UK in 2008, will be their fifth major studio album.  They have a huge international fan base; Kings of Leon also headlined the Glastonbury, which is the UK’s oldest music festival.  With all of this love and their constant playlist on the radio, it is hard not see to a very bright future.  However, they were not winners this weekend in New York.

Their majesties were nominated for Best Rock Video with “Sex on Fire” at MTV’s 2009 Video Music Awards.  ”We lost dammit, maybe next year.  At least we got to see the worst haircut since 1984 try to steal the spotlight from lovely Taylor Swift,” Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followill joked to Digital Spy after Kanye West’s actions on stage.

Their next album is expected in the late fall of 2010.  Guitarist Matthew Followill told BBC earlier this year that the next album could be “a little bit grungier.”  Caleb Followill also said about their new album, “We pretty much now can do what we want.  America has to sit back.”  This could be the start of a new sound for the band.  Who knows, their first four albums could be referred to as “the early years” on Wikipedia one day.  If they stay on their current course, rockers in 2050 might just have sex on fire and put it in their heart shaped box.