Kings of Leon Put the Pedal to the Meddle and Take the Reins of Their Sound
by Dustin Allen
For a Southern trad-rock four-piece that stiff-armed their way out of the cheap seats of Nashville to mainstream success against a throng of dime-a-dozen bar buskers, Kings of Leon certainly took their time before finally headlining their own tour. Having opened for the likes of Bob Dylan, U2 and Pearl Jam since "Holy Roller Novocaine" pushed them into the spotlight in 2003, this band of brothers (and one cousin) has been tucked under the wings of more than a few musical giants.
"As opposed to us being proud and hiding behind that," singer/guitarist Caleb Followill tells the Scene, "now it's our time to go out there and take everything that we learned and really do our show the way we want to do it."
Each successive release has gained the band even greater momentum, hitting yet another career peak as last year's Because of the Times landed them a spot on the coveted main stage of the Glastonbury Festival in support of Oasis. For their most recent studio foray, Only by the Night, however, the Followill clan opted for a much more self-contained production. By keeping label execs at arm's length while piecing together the album's 11 tracks, and allowing for a more liberal dose of creative energy from individual band members, Kings of Leon have decidedly taken the reigns of their sound.
"With this one, we really wanted to be a lot more proactive with it...and let everyone have a chance to experiment and do what they wanted," says Followill, who introduced the songs to RCA and close friends only after they'd been meticulously laid down and mixed. "Little did we know, when they all came in, they'd be shocked, but in a good way."
Within a week of its release last month, Only by the Night had reached No. 1 on the U.K. charts, as did its lead single, "Sex on Fire." Within earshot of the layered sonic landscapes that set Because of the Times apart from the pure-blooded American rock that defined their early sound, this album, their fourth, pushes that aesthetic even further, allowing for trial-and-error experimentation and a newfound love for effects.
"This record is the first time I've even touched a pedal," Followill says.
However much they insulated themselves from outside input, though, their influences hang neatly on their sleeves. "Crawl" opens with a gritty riff beneath a jangly rhythm guitar that sounds lovingly lifted from Achtung Baby, while the anthemic reverb-and-chorus yells supporting "Use Somebody" would appease any Oasis fan.
"We still have the camaraderie of a band that's been doing this for a while," Followill says, "but we also have individual influences that, I think, fill up this record."
That recently discovered solidarity extends well beyond any one record, as Kings of Leon seem to have found a firmer band dynamic that will—as experience standing alongside legends has taught them—lend them the longevity they hope for.
"This is definitely how we'll make our records from now on," he says.
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Re: Embarrassing Retro-'90s Package Tour Ambitiously Headed for Bridgestone Arena Aug. 6
@K "... you probably wouldn't recognize rock if it hit you in the face." If…
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Re: Embarrassing Retro-'90s Package Tour Ambitiously Headed for Bridgestone Arena Aug. 6
Solid pun, though — "rock" as in music and "rock" as in a stone.
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Re: Embarrassing Retro-'90s Package Tour Ambitiously Headed for Bridgestone Arena Aug. 6
K, U mad.
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What kind of self-righteous asshole writes crap like this? Not everyone reduces music to social…
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