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EDIT INFOKings Of Leon - Youth & Young Manhood
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Album Details
- Artist: Kings Of Leon
- Album: Youth & Young Manhood
- Label:
- Year of Release: 2003
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2011-07-17
RecommendJust indie rock's cliche, brothers form a rock band, at this point in their career, Youth and Young Manhood was truly an expression of their southern upbringing. More geared towards a funky south guitar sound, KOL's first full-length release has a gritty, building block type vibe.
The first track "Red Morning Light", originally released on "What I Saw" EP, received a substanial amount of play in the U.K. and Australia. Other singles like "Molly's Chambers" and "Wasted Time" had respectable chart heights. One of the most popular tracks of KOL's career, is "California Waiting". Although the version on Y&YM is done a bit differently, with more of a rushed and laxed feel.
Other songs like "Trani" have a more open forum of blues, yet shined with an Indie Rock wax as the range of lead vocals are less handcuffed. On "Spiral Staircase", there's more angst in the Caleb's vocals, more drive in the instrumentals. One of the slowest tracks you'll find here is "Dusty", which begins with an acoustic ditty. Eventually this track foregoes any traditional song and resembles that of a improptu jam session turned track. For a quicker gunned pace, "Joe's Head" is one of those that will get stamped to your brain.
Probably the catchiest track is the name-sake of the preceeding EP release, prior to Youth & Young Manhood, Holy Roller Novocaine. This track shows KOL's earliest ability to write nominal hooks that allow their lead vocalist's unique sound to take the forefront. After a few minute silence, You'll also find the dedicated KOL fan favorite, the melodically diverse "Talihina Sky".
There's some obvious reasons as to why Youth and Young Manhood took off better over seas, as this album features a much less refined and slick production on both vocals and instrumentation. Sometimes less is more...
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on 2012-01-14 CharlesMartel Said:
Given the turmoil which has recently engulfed the Kings of Leon, now seems like an appropriate time to review their debut. After all, this is the Kings of Leon before the hype grabbed hold of them, and the four boys from Tennessee became the focus of the degree of attention they could never have anticipated when they started out. Or could they? I hate to say it but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Kings of Leon were, at least in part, a product as much of the fevered imagination of some record company executive as they are of their own making. Either that or they were in it for the pussy.
However, I doubt that started when this album was released. Perhaps everyone thought it was time for a seventies southern rock revival or something because listen to this for too long and you can pick out Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers without too much difficulty. That is not to say that " Youth and Young Manhood " is in any way like either of those outfits, and that for one very simple reason. You see, no matter how good and how famous the Kings of Leon became, their debut is stunningly awful.
Let's be honest here, the finest moment on the album is the two-note "Molly's Chambers" . Now when Question Mark and the Mysterians did a two note song called " 96 Tears" it was endearing in its simplicity. Not so for " Molly's Chambers ". If you compare this with their later work then you would find it hard to conceive how both could be the product of the same group of people. And yet, the musicianship displayed here is well below the level which appears on their later, hugely successful albums. And yet, most of the tracks on this album all sound generically similar, which makes for a rather difficult listen. And if there is an emulation to Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Allman Brothers, it certainly does not show with this release.
Whatever the Kings of Leon have become, they could never have envisaged it when they started out with this. Yet along the way they have emerged as the leading lights of a sort of retro-sixties-country-southern rock which has captivated many. They are hugely popular in Europe, less so in the States. I wonder why that is? Could it be that many Americans see through the facade to what lies behind, whereas we Europeans do not? Whatever the reason, this album is a huge disappointment to anyone who came at the Kings of Leon through their later work and expected to find something in a similar vein with their debut.
Rating: 3/10
