Kings of Leon: "Come Around Sundown" album review.

Kings of Leon: Come Around Sundown

(RCA: 2010)

               The Followill brothers (and cousin) that make up Kings of Leon have found themselves at a crossroad. Fans of their earlier work have had no hesitation in voicing their discontent with what they see as the sellout of an immensely talented indie southern rock band. Yet their last release, Only By The Night – mainstream though it may be – shot the Tennessee group into unmatched global spotlight and success.

                Lead singer and song-writer Caleb has struggled with both the criticism and the success very publicly, one minute on a strong defensive that his music hasn’t changed; the next openly shunning the fan base that supported him from the start for which he now, apparently, has no need. On 18 October, the Kings of Leon dropped their latest release, Come Around Sundown, an album much anticipated by fans old and new.

                Come Around Sundown, to the dismay of the old, surely foreshadows a continued path down sold-out stadiums and screaming teenage fans. The album is laden with anthem-like vocal hooks and radio-rock guitar riffs, definitively stamping Kings of Leon with what many have called the “U2 Effect”.

                But mainstream doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, and in this case, it’s not. Come Around Sundown may not have the grungy, garage-rock sound of Youth and Young Manhood, nor does it have whimsical lyrics about erectile dysfunction that fans came to love in Aha Shake Heartbreak, but it does represent yet another powerful release by a band that has proven to be brimming with rock.

                Come Around Sundown has a huge sound. “The Face,” stands out as a slow-rock power ballad that conjures images of stadium crowds swaying on rhythm with thrown backs heads singing full-force into the sky. “Radioactive,” the band’s first single from the release, throws the listener into a face-paced, guitar-driven chorus where Caleb seems to question the band’s origins and its future, “When the road is called up yonder/ I hope you see me there.”

               

                The album is not without the Tennessee twist that has defined the sound of their earlier albums. “Back Down South,” features a twanging country guitar riff combined with tambourine quarter-notes and Caleb’s trailing raspy vocals proclaiming, “I’m going back down south now.”

                Come Around Sundown is sure to be another hit album for the Followills, there is little question about that. What will be interesting to see is how the band handles that success. When Caleb and his family lament over their fame and riches, it’s tempting to want to shake them and say, “You’re famous. Get over it.” As it is equally tempting to say their nostalgic, soured apostles, “They’re famous. Get over it.”

The Kings of Leon’s music has changed, no doubt, but does change really have to be such a bad thing?

Sufjan Stevens: "The Age of Adz" album review

Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz
(Asthmatic Kitty Records - 2010)

Fans of Sufjan Stevens have been on their toes for another state concept album since his 2005 masterpiece, Illinois. While I was never keen on his early experimental and electronic records, Stevens' 50 State Project - one album for each U.S. state - launched his music to the top of the "most anticipated" list for me and many others.

When The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album followed a year later, it seemed that Stevens was so full of musical ingenuity and a burning desire to combine research with melody that even a b-sides release could leave listeners glued to their headphones. Perhaps it was naivety, perhaps it was simply wishful thinking, but there was a window of obsessive fandom where I really believed that there was hope for all 50 albums.

That bubble was burst in an interview with The Guardian in 2009, when Stevens said, "I have no qualms about admitting that [the 50 States Project] was a promotional gimmick."

The Age of Adz, Stevens' latest album to be officially released on 12 October, puts to rest any concern among fans of Michigan and Illinois that his music will suffer the same fate as the remaining 48 states.
Adz combines Stevens' early experimentation in electronic mixing with the beautiful song-writing; quiet, melodic vocals; and varied instrumentals of his State albums. Stevens' lyrics are deep and thoughtful, exploring questions in his own life, his past loves, his faith, and his grasp on reality. While listeners won't get an adventure about the dark secrets of infamous American serial killers, as they did with Illinois, Adz takes you into Stevens' mind as he reflects on his own skeletons. The result is an absolutely mesmerizing package of songs that, through his trademark haunting vocals, leave the listener stricken with emotion. The Age of Adz is Stevens' best work yet.

The opening track, "Futile Devices" introduces the album with a soft and repetitive guitar riff, shortly followed by quiet, echoing vocals. It's immediately clear that those expecting a return of the bouncing horns and fun instrumentals heard in Illinois and The Avalanche can dash any hopes of a "feel good" record. "Words are futile devices." Stevens' sings as the short, two-minute track cuts out.

Subsequent songs suggest new musical influences in Stevens' writing. Mixed, rythmic bass lines reoccur across the album; some reminiscent of Stevens' earlier experimentation, as can be heard in "Too Much"; while others pulse heavily and walk a fine line between electronic and hip-hop, like those in "I Walked". "Get Real Get Right" features a hook recorded in robotic vocals that had me immediately drawing parallels between it and Kanye West's "Stronger". Even as he plays on the edges of different genres, Stevens remains careful not to alienate fans of his eerie voice and thought-provoking lyrics by maintaining softer, melodic vocal accompaniment throughout.

The title track, "Age of Adz", personifies the perfect marriage between the old Sufjan and the new. Metrical pulses are combined with dancing violins and fleeting horns that, together, create an emotional tension, which is finally released by a lone guitar and Stevens' quiet singing. He questions the value of his life and to what he has amounted. Instrumentals and emotions rise together as Stevens apologizes for being "consumed with selfish thoughts/ It's only that I/ Still love you deeply/ It's all the love I've got" with almost-angelic choir accompaniment as the song winds to an end.

"I Want To Be Well" suggests Stevens' uncertainty with his subconscious and grip on reality. It's a dark and fascinating song as he questions his "twisted thoughts" and pleas to get better. The refrain, repeated over and over, sings, "I'm not f*cking around/I want to be well".

While The Age of Adz is not what advocates of the 50 State Project were hoping for, it surpasses expectations of quality music on every level. The 11-track, 80-minute album has not a single low point. There may never be a New York or a California on the way, but Stevens' talent for inspiring music is far from lost.