How the fuck are Kings Of Leon so popular?

[Rich]

I like Kings of Leon! And the Killers new album!

Fuck all you guys, how can you not like them? Are you like, human?

Maybe.... MAYBE... through that all too human trait of everyone being just a teency, weency bit different and that they have a different taste in music and don't like the Killers because they are actually what I think boredom would sound like if you could make it in to a pure sound/noise

But I am on the liking KoL bandwagon, I find them inoffensive and nice to listen to, would never claim them to be one of my favouriter bands but every now and then its awesome to have a listen to Youth and Young Manhood, and I have actually really enjoyed the new album and actually liked Sex on Fire from the first time I heard it on the radio in the summer, I thought it was the KoL's equivalent to Stereophonics' Dakota, just a good song with a good driving guitar riff that enables people to shake their respective bootys or shout their lungs out should they be so inclined.

Edited December 5, 2008 by Rich__H

[METALMAN]

So, I went out and got Only By The Night cause I was curious to find out what the hell the popularity was all about.

After a couple of listens, it seems alright. Nothing fantastic, but probably will be sitting idle in my CD collection in a few months.

That's their worst album. You should have bought Because of the Times.

[Turbo Yannis]

I've been wondering the same thing as well. I remember when Sex on Fire first started playing in late October by me, and I REALLY liked what I heard. Then I went to Youtube, heard THIS and decided to write them off as "One-Good-Song-Wonder" and ignored them.

Fuck off, Charmer's brilliant.

If you decide to write them off as a, as you put it, One-Good-Song-Wonder, then you're a bit of a twat.

[Lowerdeck]

So, I went out and got Only By The Night cause I was curious to find out what the hell the popularity was all about.

After a couple of listens, it seems alright. Nothing fantastic, but probably will be sitting idle in my CD collection in a few months.

That's their worst album. You should have bought Because of the Times.

Noted.

I only picked up OBTN because it was new and on sale and I'm looking for good new music (got a thread up for that)

[VinnyT]

Well, I read through this (surprised at the response to my post) and tried out a few more songs.

Ok, they're not a "One-Song-Wonder" (although anyone else I've showed Charmer to laughed and though it was a supposed to be a joke) I found a few others songs to be alright, but nothing to make me want to go out and grab their albums. It's not horrible, but I can't see my self getting to much into them.

Edited December 5, 2008 by VinnyT

[Turbo Yannis]

I don't get how people could see Charmer as a joke. Yeah, Caleb sounds different from usual with the screaming, but it doesn't sound stupid :/

[tristy]

When I was at NIN on Halloween this year, as I was leaving, some girl dressed up as a witch was handing out condoms that had an advertisement for the Kings of Leon show that was a few weeks away.

They can't be that bad obviously

[Hobo]

What I always wondered was how a song that I've always assumed was about sexually transmited disease became so popular.

[Mr Evil Guy]

I like Kings of Leon! And the Killers new album!

Fuck all you guys, how can you not like them? Are you like, human?

Maybe.... MAYBE... through that all too human trait of everyone being just a teency, weency bit different and that they have a different taste in music and don't like the Killers because they are actually what I think boredom would sound like if you could make it in to a pure sound/noise

But I am on the liking KoL bandwagon, I find them inoffensive and nice to listen to, would never claim them to be one of my favouriter bands but every now and then its awesome to have a listen to Youth and Young Manhood, and I have actually really enjoyed the new album and actually liked Sex on Fire from the first time I heard it on the radio in the summer, I thought it was the KoL's equivalent to Stereophonics' Dakota, just a good song with a good driving guitar riff that enables people to shake their respective bootys or shout their lungs out should they be so inclined.

Maybe.... MAYBE... That was all a set up to a joke and I don't give a shit what you guys think.

Posters these days, I tell ya.

[Dan]

Killers are great, they where bad-ass at Leeds fest.

[YI]

Killers are great, they where bad-ass at Leeds fest.

The guitarist is a right dickhead though.

[Colly]

Really? I've not seen a decent Killers live set yet, ditto Bloc Party which is even more saddening. At least I can fall back on their albums, rather then just having to loop Hot Fuss and that B-side I really like and always forget the name of...

Back on Kings of Leon, I think the major thing for them is the fact that they're the only indie band who appeared in that 02-03 spell to actually follow their first ace album with not only a second ace album, but also a third, unlike The Futureheads, Maximo Park, Editors, Killers, Kaiser Chiefs et al (Juries out on Franz Ferdinand, slowcoaches). In fact earlier on this year (before Sex on Fire) I was pretty much championing them as my favourite band in the world simply on the virtue of not releasing a single bad album, and amazing live shows (rivalled only by the Cribs, as always...). I'm actually not as impressed with the newie, but then I probably haven't given it enough of a listen and I have already established that I adore Be Somebody (not Use Somebody, the new single which is okay).

Best KoL song remains Joes Head, superb driving riff finished off by some Southern boy schizo vocals at the end.

And why did it get so much attention while if it were an Editors song it'd chart at #24? Don't Editors get enough airplay based on shagging Edith Bowman? I like Editors as much as the next man, but they're a poor mans Interpol, lets not even bring Kings of Leon into the equation.

[Dan]

It might have just been me.

I was high as shit and pretty pissed for most of the weekend but we'd had a lot of Killers & Bloc Party on in the car so I really enjoyed both bands at Leeds, well what I can remember of them with Bullet For My Valentine inbetween.

And back onto KoL.

I've been listening to the album over and over a bit and I'm really enjoying it, the opening four songs are fucking ace but the whole album is actually a really good, varied listen.

Closer is one of the best songs I've ever listened to by anyone.

Edited December 8, 2008 by Version Dan

[GhostMachine]

All I'm going to say is that "Sex on Fire" is one of the worst songs I've heard in a while.

[FireDoughnut]

Go to a smelly indie/rock/cheese/student club at 1.30 am over the weekend and just watch... It's the new Mr. Brightside, which was the new Take Me Out...

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Which was the new Wonderwall...probably...

[FireDoughnut]

Probably.

[Matt]

No, this isn't a "I FUCKING HATE THEM...WHY ARE THEY SO POPULAR AND _____ ISN'T" thread...this is a serious, they come across as the 'blandest form' of indie-rock, I mean I really like a few of their songs (not big on the new one that followed "Sex On Fire"), but I honestly cannot comprehend why they've taken off and other bands haven't. They're not overtly charismatic, they're not particularly good looking, their lyrics aren't amazing, a lot of their tunes (even singles) aren't that memorable, and they do sound 'generic' at times...I just don't get how they take off and say, a purely random band like say The Young Knives, flounders. I'm not complaining about it...I just...honestly can't wrap my head around what makes them so 'special'.

Because they are just that.

[TheTruth]

Am I wrong in thinking that EWB was in love with KoL a few years ago?

[Matt]

A quick search of "Leon" says you are indeed wrong.