New Project

Back in 2003, a little band by the name of Kings of Leon dropped their first album and made their presence known to the world. I, at the time, was eleven, so their presence was still unknown to me as I was likely listening to Avril Lavigne or some other atrocity. But I caught on eventually and fell in love with the band of brothers and that cousin of theirs, along with the four albums they've released to date. Looking back, though, it is surprising how I first regarded Youth and Young Manhood, the stellar debut from the boys; I was indifferent. It didn't rub me the wrong way but I didn't fall in love with it either-- not upon the first listen anyways. Now it has grown on me so much that it's made its way into my top 5 CD rotation, a coveted spot all the CDs in my car WISH they could be in. And nothing is better than driving down the road singing in your best "Caleb voice" to Joe's Head. Nothing.

I come to you now, ready and willing, if not eager, if not frothing at the mouth, to share with you Youth and Young Manhood. This is when the boys were hairy; before they were superstars screaming about fiery sex; before they played The Today Show; before they grew up. I still love them now, but oh my, were they hot when they first started out (in the musical sense.. though in the physical sense, as well). So, I'm going to scour youtube (my favorite hobby) and find, track by track, the best live performances of these songs. It'll be fun. And it will help me kill so much time I could spend doing something progressive. But here goes...


Everybody loves Jools Holland.



Red Morning Light is the staunch, dirty, southern, energetic opener and a classic example of the boys' style 6 years ago; Caleb's mumbling and growling almost incoherently through the lyrics, not allowing you to hear how dirty they really are; Jared's about 16 and always seem to be brimming with energy and excitement; Matthew gives facemelting solos; Nathan's singing just as heartily as Caleb in his southern drawl. The boys were brand new to bandhood-- it seems that Matthew was a little rusty on guitar, and Jared didn't even know how to play bass, yet they certainly came together pretty quickly. The haphazardness of their Youth and Young Manhood songs only add to the excitement, really, and these songs really wouldn't work if they were clean. I mean, Caleb's talking about an individual who "couldn't take it on the tightrope, no you had to take it on the side," and then they apparently give all their cinnamon away. You can't see that music being crystal clear and snazzy and sharp; although they are pretty sharp, in the sense that their music is so tight (seriously, they are amazing amazing amazing live performers... and I would like to see them sometime SOON).

So please, take some time, watch this three minute segment; remember this is only a sample for there is much more dirtyness yet to come.