So, the Kings of Leon have a new single, which I heard today, and a forth coming album this fall. Having been a fan of the Kings of Leon for years, I am weary of how the new release will sound, given all of the success they achieved through Only By The Night. Of course, to date, I have enjoyed all of their albums, and have embraced all of the sound changes the band has had. Often times though, when a band has a smash hit, the artists will adapt their sound to be more like the major hit in order to continue moving massive quantities of records. This happens frequently, and my favorite example is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who had huge success with Under the Bridge, and have continued pumping out poor quality ballads ever since. Under the Bridge is a great song, but it's not the sound the band always did well (that sound is funk), which is why the attempts at recreating this sound have been less enjoyable for a "true" Chili Peppers fan (however,the songs sell massive amounts of records, and bring in loads of money for the band). Bands that fall victim to this are known as "sell-outs", and there's nothing a true fan hates more than a sell-out.
My fear is that the Kings of Leon will become sell-outs, and try to recreate Sex on Fire, or Use Somebody throughout the entire new album. Both tracks are great, but it's nice to see a band grow and develop, as the Kings of Leon have done on all of their records. With this in mind, I approached the latest single (Radioactive) with caution.
Immediately, the track begins with a great rhythm guitar riff. The riff is almost more like a bass line than anything. A higher pitch, lead guitar starts in soon after, and the song is off to a great start. The sound is not at all a sell out. It's very much the Kings of Leon I love. The deep, single note rhythm guitar, the harmonious lead, the drums carrying the driving tempo are all exactly the way I've enjoyed the band over the past couple albums, only a little different. The difference is subtle, not so much a change, but a sign of growth, improvement, development. When Caleb Followill begins to sing, I noticed the largest change in the band. I'm not sure how I'm feeling about it at this point, but it seems the recording studio was trying to make him sound Eddie Vedder-ish. I really enjoy Eddie Vedder, and Pearl Jam, but Caleb's voice is his own, and shouldn't be tampered with or encouraged to be anything that he isn't. Granted, it sounds good with the song, I hope the whole album doesn't go in that direction. Even with great music, a change in the singers voice be enough to deem the band a sell-out!
I loved their new song when it first came out. They stayed true to their sound, but I have to say I'm already sick of radioactive. There's not much there. I judge how good a song is by how long it takes me to get sick of it. This song is just good on the surface, there's no real depth to it. I don't know if you heard, but apparently they came into the studio with the music written and he just sort of made up the words on the spot- thats what I heard on the radio anyway.
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