Rocktober Album #1: Kings of Leon – Youth & Young Manhood (2003)

Long before you could hear "Use Somebody" in a Subway, being sung along to by a thirtysomething mother of three (as I heard yesterday), Kings of Leon were a relatively unknown group of Southern garage hard rockers who relied more on hard, dirty riffs than radio-friendly drowsy melodies. (This is not to say that I don't like their newest album – "Sex On Fire" is one of the best songs in the last couple years – but it's my least favorite of their four albums by a long shot.)

Kings of Leon's debut album, Youth & Young Manhood, came out in 2003 to critical acclaim from those who listened to it, but it was not an ubiquitous record in any sense of the word. I think I stumbled upon it after reading something about them in Rolling Stone in the spring of 2004. I bought the album and have loved it (and the band) ever since. Hell, when Kings of Leon opened for U2 in May 2005, I think I was the only one in the United Center who was more excited to see Kings of Leon than U2. I think I was also one of less than a hundred in the United Center who even knew who they were. My how times have changed.

But I digress. I think Youth & Young Manhood is definitely the most energetic of their four albums, probably stemming from the fact that the oldest guy in the band at the time was 24 (and the youngest was 17). Caleb Followill's vocals are sloppy and often seem to run together, which I like. The guitars are reasonably frantic, and the rhythm section is where it needs to be. All in all, the songs are straight-forward, booze-soaked, good-time rockers. But most importantly, underneath the raunchy guitars and sometimes indecipherable lyrics, the songs are catchy. You could tell that this band had something, even if they hadn't fully figured it out themselves at that point.

Here are the songs:

1. Red Morning Light. The album starts off with a fast-paced riff, which sets the tone for the whole album.
2. Happy Alone. Another knee slapper, with a nice Southern-tinged guitar solo and a screeching chorus.
3. Wasted Time. Caleb's vocals on this one are awesomely sloppy on this one, which is another straight-forward rock song with a steady, driving beat.
4. Joe's Head. This is a catchy song about a guy who kills his woman and best friends when he finds them in bed together.
5. Trani. This is a slow screamer about bus station skanks, drugs, and some chick with a dick. Sounds a lot like Panama City.
6. California Waiting. Kings of Leon were often compared to The Strokes early on, which I don't think was a fair comparison because I didn't really hear the similarities, and I thought both bands were great in their own ways. That said, I think parts of California Waiting sound very Strokes-y, particularly the guitars. Caleb again melts into a state of panic by the end of the song.
7. Spiral Staircase. This sounds very Southern rock-ish to me, like if Lynyrd Skynyrd had tried to sound like the Sex Pistols. It's fast-paced, with wicked riffs, and generally kicks ass.
8. Molly's Chambers. The title is taken from the Irish folk song, turned Thin Lizzy classic, "Whiskey in the Jar." I've always like the line, "Just another girl that wants to rule the world at any time or place."
9. Genius. Another good, raucous rocker.
10. Dusty. This is a bluesy, slower song. The beat and guitars kind of remind me of "The Jack" by AC/DC.
11. Holy Roller Novocaine. This is probably my favorite song on the album. It's got a driving, yet muted, beat that guides you from a relatively low-key verse into a foot-stomping chorus. If I remember correctly, it's about the charlatanism and hypocrisy of traveling evangelical ministers, which the guys in the group were familiar with, as they traveled with their father/uncle throughout the South for much of their youth.
12 (hidden track). Talihina Sky. I love hidden tracks. This one, which comes about four minutes after " Holy Roller Novocaine" ends, is a slower, almost country-sounding song, with a nice piano accompaniment. Unfortunately, Playlist.com did not have this one.

An interesting note: If you have seen the Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear conjoined-twin laugh riot Stuck On You, then you have heard several songs from this album ("Holy Roller Novocaine," "Molly's Chambers," and "California Waiting").