Release Date:
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Artist:
Kings of Leon
The Dixie-fried garage rock on Kings of Leons debut came packaged with a great backstory: Three hairy young brothers (and a cousin) grew up traversing the rural South with their preacher dad but were ultimately seduced by the devils music. (Yes! Fear the reaper!) Of course, Europe ate it up and turned the Kings into, well, kings. Here in the U.S., where rednecks are about as exotic as cans of Copenhagen and gun racks, the reaction was more muted. Their second record will make it harder for the natives to resist. Aha Shake Heartbreak is what happens when four boozy hillbillies let loose on bohemia. The Bucket rumbles and struts, connecting the dots between hipster Brooklyn and white-trash Tennessee, revealing the fuck-you swagger they have in common. Similarly, Soft crosses the Strokes sharp, bouncy guitars with a hazy Allman groove. The songs arent exactly profound, but the way frontman Caleb Followill rolls lyrics like I hate her face but enjoy the company around in his mouth, then spits them out in a toxic snarl, is a reminder that attitude trumps profundity every time.