Kings Of Leon - What happened? continued (Come Around Sundown)

Now what can I say about this album?  Again I must stress I am a fan and I do not want to attack, merely profess my disappointment.

New Album: Come Around Sundown

First, I am not going to go through the album song by song, I’ll leave that to the NME.  But I gauged the album by marking each individual song out of ten.  There are thirteen songs on the album; therefore the final score was out of 130.  The worst song on the album was ‘Mary’ that scored a meagre 3/10, its borderline as feeble as ‘Use Somebody’ from the previous album.  The best song was ‘Back Down South’ which I gave 8/10.  Now this is perhaps generous but from the evidence of the album there are few songs that measure against this one.  I saw this song as a glimpse of the quality and sound that we know they possess.  At a similar pace to ‘Fans’ from Because of the Times, the song takes a really classically country sound that I enjoyed.  But my gratification may be bias, I did not enjoy the majority and this is the background from which ‘Back Down South’ is to be considered.  Not ‘best of a bad bunch’ but ‘best of a dreary bunch’.  Other songs like ‘Radioactive’ and ‘No Money’ are nothing more of mediocre. But other than these I scored the album 69/130, which is hardly encouraging.

The drummer, Nathan Followill mentioned during an interview on the set of the making of the Radioactive video (which is very peculiar, almost Michael Jackson ‘Heal the World’ territory) that this record is “nicer”, and that as a result their Grandmother thinks they “will go to hell slower” than before.  If such a weak and inoffensive record results in a meeting with Lucifer then I guess we all have eternal damnation to look forward to, even St. Chris Martin.  

Lucifer....

But honestly to me it sounds like an album of rejected songs, b-sides which never made the cut from previous albums or single releases.  With very few stand out tracks the album is nondescript; ‘Back Down South’ shows glimpses of quality but there is a lacklustre tone that is prevalent throughout the album.

I should not really comment on the quality of the lyrics because although they are a little shoddy, I remember a conversation with a friend who told me that “no one really knows the lyrics to the early songs.  If you sift through websites you will find differing examples.”  I would have to agree with him, the raspy punk shrill sometimes distorted the words beyond reckoning but then that was part of their charm.  But briefly the first song on the album The End is poor, the second verse for example:

“I see you in the evening 

Sitting on your throne 

And praying with the fireball, 

And posted it up against the wall 

I just wanna hold you 

Take you by your hand 

And tell you that your good enough 

Tell ya that it's gonna be tough” 

Now I know this is only one song but it is a flavour of the albums lyrical content.  There is nothing that holds you, nothing that connects to the fan.  It is all just a little generic and as a consequence a little drab.  It makes you wander when you receive plaudits from a musical legend like Bob Dylan for a song like ‘Trani’ from Youth and Young Manhood during their tour together then surely you are doing something right.   So why have they strayed so far from this kind of sound?

Bob Dylan: Kings Of Leon supported him in 2006

Similarly to the previous article, an underlying theme of confusion runs through this piece as Come Around Sundown does nothing to respond to this, but instead increases the amount of questions.  It is something that can’t be explained in words, other than to say I find it all rather bewildering.

Kings Of Leon will always retain a special place for me.  Although as you can see I am not a fan of the two most recent albums, I have grown up with Youth and Young Manhood; Aha Shake Heartbreak and Because of the Times and they are genuine quality that will be affectionately remembered for years to come.  As a result I have hope, perhaps nothing more than a fool’s hope but nonetheless I am confident that someday we will witness greatness from the Followill’s again, triumphantly reclaiming the title of “one of the great American bands of our times” (NME).

Kings Of Leon – What’s happened?

What has happened to Kings Of Leon?  Now this is not a rant and a rave about Kings Of Leon ‘selling out’, far from it.  Their choice to pursue a more marketable sound is fine; it is their job after all.  Although in their quest to become the “world’s biggest band” (Doherty, The Fly) it does beg the question, why have they decided to ignore or dismiss the sound of their previous works?  The sound that made them unique.

As a fan of Kings Of Leon the release of Only By the Night in 2008 was a disappointment, but my optimism stayed true and I hoped that this was a mere detour on an otherwise glorious journey.  With songs like ‘Be Somebody’ and ‘Use Somebody’ not to mention probably the strongest song on the album ‘Sex On Fire’ (which reveals a lot) it felt like they wanted to cement their place at the top whilst their headliner performance at Glastonbury 2008 was still fresh after the success of their third album ‘Because of the Times’ (2007).  My thoughts were that they just wanted a bit of money and fair enough, they deserved a bit of cash.  They obviously rushed the album and they produced it themselves, this made me respect the producers Angelo Petraglia and Ethan Johns a hell of a lot more. 

The reason why Only By the Night and new album Come Around Sundown are even more bitter to swallow is because of their third album Because of the Times (2007).  Now, here we must briefly take a look back at their first two albums Youth and Young Manhood (2003) and Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004). 

Youth & Young Manhood, released 2003

Youth and Young Manhood was met with universal acclaim for its fast paced drug taking raunchy indie-punkness, dripping with country sweat from the bible belt of the US.  Songs like ‘Red Morning Light’ and ‘Molly’s Chambers’ were genius, making the drink laden crowds go wild.  But then there was also the slower, more classical country infused songs like ‘Trani’, ‘Dusty’ and ‘Talihina Sky’ which showed the intelligence of their writing capabilities.  They could make a slow song without changing their unique sound, a skill which seems to have disappeared.

Aha Shake Heartbreak, released 2004

Aha Shake Heartbreak followed a year later, the sound had developed and it had matured.  Again met with acclaim they still had the raw sound of their first album with songs such as ‘Slow Night, So Long’ and ‘The Bucket’ showing a band that had allowed their progression to occur organically, not rushing to release after the critical success of the first album.  The band received plaudits from fellow artists such as Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan.

Because Of the Times, released 2007

Now the most important album in the Kings Of Leon story was their third.  Although not my favourite, Because Of the Times released in 2007 was a great album.  The word ‘great’ is banded around too much but Because Of the Times truly was.  It was a departure from the sound that blasted around the small venues, fast paced and ludicrously fun into a more considered and anthemic sound mixed with powerful hard hitting rock songs like ‘Charmer’, a band at the peak of their musical competence.  It was this album in which Caleb’s voice became an instrument within itself, showing the outstanding distinctive sound he can produce.  Barry Nicholson wrote in the NME that the album “cements Kings Of Leon as one of the greatest American bands of our generation”.  It was hard to argue, although I have never had the urge to do so.  ‘Knocked Up’ and UK Number 1 hit ‘On Call’ saw the band slow down the tempo and not be afraid to look beyond the 4 minute song.  ‘Black Thumbnail’ and ‘My Party’ paid homage to classic American rock but with an originality never heard, they truly were an accomplishment in song writing.  ‘Fans’ is a song that I label with personal poignancy.  It was an expression of appreciation to the fans of the UK:


               “All of London sing

   'Cause England swings the extra love the tales I bring

      You know the rainy days they ain't so bad when you're the king

                               The king they want to see”

But since the release of Over By the Night and Come Around Sundown I have looked at ‘Fans’ as a farewell.  The end of a journey with the Kings Of Leon I knew.  A moment of irony.  ‘Fans’ was a thank you to all who had travelled with them, those that had joined the journey on the way, those who had packed the small smoky (remember those days) venues.  But it was also a goodbye, this was where that journey ended, came to a crossroads one way heading to Bridlington Spa the other to the MEN in Manchester.  They capped off their year with a deserved headline slot at Glastonbury in 2008.  Kings Of Leon mark 2 were on the way. 

Headlining Glastonbury 2008

Now I will not attack the band like so many have, saying they have “sold out” or “forgotten about those that made them” because frankly that is moronic and childish.  Instead, I want to put forward what I recognise as a band that has craved recognition in their home country for so many years.  Breaking America has always understandably been an issue for the band, they have always enjoyed success at a decent level in the UK but in the US they consistently went unnoticed and it clearly had an adverse effect, they are a very American band that could not make it in America.

Only By the Night, released 2008

Only By the Night saw a change, a rejection of the sound that had elevated them into the mainstream proper.  An album that’s significance is in its marketability, it is full of radio friendly singles like the worldwide smash hit ‘Sex On Fire’, anthemic songs that would not be amiss on a Coldplay record such as ‘Use Somebody’ and ‘Revelry’.  Songs that by their very nature left me confused and wandering if I had purchased the correct album or if I had picked up a Killers CD.  This may seem a little contentious but I was genuinely disappointed and upset by what I heard.  It had become an album of lazy song writing aimed toward mass audience sing-along’s and it breathed homesickness.  They had been touring almost non-stop since the release of their first record and this was rushed because of the unexpected commercial success of Because Of the Times and their Glastonbury headline slot.   The only genuine positive I take from this album is that it genuinely shows the quality of Caleb’s voice, it really is fantastic.

But what has come from this album is worldwide fame.  Only By the Night went platinum in twelve countries including x7 in Australia, x5 in the UK and finally the elusive United States.

This new fame seems to have had an odd effect on the band.  Seeing them on Later with Jools Holland on the 5^th November 2010, they seemed uncomfortable under the spotlight when being questioned by Jools.  They were shown footage from their first ever appearance on the show seven years previous, all long hair, beards and youthful.  But looking at Caleb he looked embarrassed.  Was it embarrassment due to their appearance or perhaps the change in style and quality of their music?  He seemed uneasy in front of camera, unsure of answers.  Perhaps I am reading too much into it, but I see a band that are uncomfortable with mainstream success, which was highlighted when it was reported that Caleb’s house had been broken into whilst he was away on tour.  Wealth and fame has its downsides.

Come Around Sundown, released 2010

Come Around Sundown has just been released and I will give my verdict following a proper listen, but if ‘Radioactive’ is anything to go by its an improvement but hardly groundbreaking.  Indeed, Jared the bass player has said of the album “we could have sold out so much more” (Guardian.co.uk review).  Things bode well...

The birth, struggle and resurgence of German Jazz

The impact of jazz during the 1920s was in accordance with much of northern Europe.  After the defeat of Germany in WWI by the British and French and with the arrival of the United States on the world stage, they brought Jazz from across the Atlantic and it fast became popular in the UK and France.

Germany had suffered heavily as a result of the war.  Political uncertainty and crippling economic reparations stunted creativity in many aspects of life, but particularly in entertainment as investment dried up.  By 1924 the introduction of a new currency saw a resurgent economy and investment in the arts began.

Right to Left: Louis Armstrong; Duke Ellington; Paul Whiteman.

By 1926 Jazz was beginning to be broadcast over German radio.  By 1930 African-American jazz legends like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington had become popular.  The proclaimed “king of jazz” Paul Whiteman enjoyed particular success in Berlin and as a result live jazz sessions were broadcast over the radio.   The sound was fast becoming recognized as the modern direction of music, classical German composers like Paul Hindemith and Kurt Weill began to incorporate jazz into their own musical compositions.

The 1930s saw a profound change in Germany with the rise of National Socialism.  The Weimer Republic had had a somewhat ‘liberal’ attitude toward jazz but German society had deep rooted racial problems that had survived from their colonial past, particularly toward African-American musicians.  By 1932 jazz began to receive derogatory criticism from a growing far-right nationalist society left bitter by their defeat in WWI.  Those that listened to jazz began to be targeted as having a lack of ‘morality’.  Despite this the popularity of jazz grew across the rest of northern Europe.

Adolf Hitler, the leader of the fascist Nazi Party.

By 1933 National Socialism had anchored itself in German society and as a result the backlash against non –German entertainment began.  The Nazi’s banned the broadcasting of jazz on German radios, partly due to its African roots and also because the majority of prominent German jazz musicians were of Jewish origin.  The freedom of expression that jazz provided was seen as dangerous by Nazi Party, so anti-jazz propaganda broadcasts began to appear in their stead.  As a result many jazz musicians left the country due to increasing xenophobic harassment throughout the emerging racist society.

Anti-Jazz Nazi Propaganda.

Despite the anti-jazz campaigns, Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minster of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda resisted an outright ban until 1935.  By 1937 jazz musicians stopped at the borders of Germany when touring through Europe.  In 1939, as Germany geared up for war the ban of jazz on German radio extended to foreign radio stations, listening to jazz became a crime under the totalitarian state. 

Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

But despite such efforts it was clear that the Nazi’s would be unable to completely eradicate this phenomenon, Goebbels attempted to use jazz and radio to aid the war effort.  His propaganda machine set in motion the production of jazz songs that contained anti-American and British lyrics and had them aired across the US, Britain and Canada.  His intention was to use the songs to undermine the Allies war effort and morale of its people.

Nazi sponsored jazz; Charlie and his Orchestra.

By 1943 resistance toward the Nazi’s had begun to show.  The so-called ‘Swing-Jugend’ (Swing Youth) had emerged throughout Germany.  They were a youth movement that chose freedom of expression through their love of Jazz, people would listen and dance to jazz in defiance to the Nazi regime.  This became so serious that many of the ‘leaders’ of the Swing-Jugend were rounded up and sent to the concentration camps.  Ironically, despite the attempt to destroy the ‘sub-human’ and ‘immoral’ musical genre, jazz drummer and guitarist Coco Schumann and jazz pianist Martin Roman were forced to play jazz to the SS officers during some executions at Auschwitz.  Even those hardened Nazi’s had succumb to the beauty of jazz despite it being in the most despicable and horrific places in human history.

By the end of the war jazz once again flourished much like it had in the early 1920s, a resurgent genre that even to this day shows no sign of letting up.  Jazz has a place in Berlin and Germany; it was born following a turbulent time in German history and flourished for a decade.  The Nazi’s attempted to destroy it and use it as a weapon and failed in both.  Germany would remain divided for three decades but jazz flourished in both East and West, to sample the direction of German jazz in the future Germany’s largest Jazz festival: JazzFest Berlin is held annually.

The Mythology Of Pre-War Blues

During the 1960s the rediscovery of pre-war blues was driven by the emergence of popular white British bands such as The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac and Cream.  They were drawn to the raw and soulful sound of blues and performers such as Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy.  As a result of the interest in the 50s blues scene, naturally people sought to learn about those who had influenced their own musical influences.  As a result, artists such as Robert Johnson, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Patton and Blind Lemon Jefferson from the pre-war blues era, the 1920s were revived into popular culture.

The point of this short essay is to determine whether the mythology that grew around blues after its rediscovery is perceived as a good or a bad thing. 

I have been reading a book called ‘Escaping the Delta’ by Elijah Wald.  Wald argues that the myths that surround blues are damaging and that it is ignorant of people to believe that blues musicians were anything but people searching for stardom.  Indeed, anyone with the slightest knowledge of blues music would already know this.  Just take Robert Johnson’s life, drugs, drink, women, and death.  He was clearly not the wounded wonderer singing about life on the plantations and how his woman left him.  Clearly it was a career path, remember it is America; the American dream has always been alluring vision no matter the race.  But Wald spends much of his time dispelling the myths that surround various blues musicians, of which the most famous is Robert Johnson.  Many people have heard the story about Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil in exchange for the skill to play the guitar, or even the song ‘Cross Road Blues’ which is often erroneously linked with the story. 

Robert Johnson

Although the truth behind blues music is far more ‘conventional’ than the myths suggest, why should the myths be pushed aside?  Without these myths the music would not have taken the same impact among its 60s followers. 

Despite my own knowledge of pre-war blues music and the life of its various musicians, when discussing Robert Johnson with people I often tell them about the mythical ‘Selling his soul to the Devil’ story and just to add to it that there have only ever been two pictures discovered of him because people find it interesting, selling his soul to the devil is obviously not true and it would be foolish to think otherwise.  But there are others Blind Lemon Jefferson who began playing during Prohibition (1920 – 1933) on street corners and then in the Juke joints of the day, he employed future blues guitarist T-Bone Walker as his guide and refused to play on a Sunday; Blind Willie McTell who wandered the southern states busking on street corners; Son House, a man of god who could not resist the temptation of the blues, he also allegedly shot and killed a man (in self defence) and was jailed for 15 years; Mississippi John Hurt recorded music prior to the Great Depression, but after the label Okeh Records went out of business he returned to Mississippi and obscurity working menial jobs, rediscovered in the 1963 he had a short time of success before his death in 1966 ; Blind Willie Johnson was a victim of his stepmothers rage, blinding him at a young age by throwing lye in his eyes and he remained poor for his entire life, he became a preacher before his death; Charley Patton, the first showman of the blues, this guy played the guitar around his head and behind his back just like Jimi Hendrix would do in the 60s; and Lead Belly, blues and folk musician, a man who fought the establishment through songs expressing anti-racism, classism and discrimination in general, a fiery temper landed him in jail for stabbing a man, but a future friend of folk legend Woody Guthrie and a big influence on Bob Dylan. 

From top left: Blind Lemon Jefferson; Charlie Patton; Mississippi John Hurt.
 From bottom left: Son House; Blind Willie McTell; Lead Belly.

There is form of oral tradition at the heart of the blues, many of the original songs had been derived from songs passed down from generation to generation.  There is no harm in continuing this process.

The rediscovery of the blues and the myths that surrounded it helped to cement it in the psyche of the young generation of the 60s.  It was about the wanderer the ‘beat generation’, the idea of freedom that defined the decade and some of the most influential literature, On the Road by Jack Kerouac that inspired a generation.  It also tapped directly into the political spectrum of the decade with things such as the Civil Rights Movement, many of the blues musicians that had grown up suffering the prolonged aftermath of the abolition of slavery, born into a simple existence of plantation life.  The Dockery Plantation in Cleveland, Mississippi gave birth too many of the great blues musicians, Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker.  The link to these days can be heard through the anguished soul in the voices of Blind Lemon Jefferson or Blind Willie McTell.  Bob Dylan even wrote into his song Blind Willie McTell from his Bootleg Album Vol. 3:

“See them big plantations burning
Hear the cracking of the whips
Smell that sweet magnolia blooming
see the ghosts of slavery ships
I can hear them tribes a-moaning
hear the undertaker's bell
nobody can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell”

The blues was perceived to be connected to the race problems in America that were still at the forefront of American politics during the 1960s.

The importance of the mythology behind many of the great pre-war Blues musicians certainly helped many to be rediscovered that would have otherwise been lost to time.  Although the truth is different, the mythology entices people in and helps one of the most influential and significant musical genres and the accomplished musicians that created it endure.

For those who have an interest in pre-war blues, check out a new musician born to American parents but from Australia called C.W. Stoneking.