Youth & Young

Sitting in my air conditioned apartment, listening to the new Constantines MP3 while talking to a friend on Instant Messenger, I finally realize that the future is here; where's the promised Soma, Huxley? Ironically, primitive rock n' roll has made a comeback, and while it can't mess with all the profoundly innovative hip-hop cloning, some of it has managed to actually be worthwhile.  

The Kings of Leon have a great idea, just as The Strokes did two years ago: take something old, liven it up a bit, make it safe and look as cool as humanly possible. While Is This It wound up to be a deserving classic, the Kings' Youth & Young Manhood's fate relies almost entirely on the amount of gas left in the garage genre. Another throwback.

Uncordial snare rhythms, fuzz guitars and throaty vocals; yep, everything's just in place. Earlier this year the Kings released their somewhat polished Holy Roller Novocaine EP to almost no ears; six months later the Followill family tree has re-recorded four of the original five EP songs, added seven new tracks and hit the mark with the fickle British press. Hailed as "The New American Classic," Youth & Young Manhood is met in America with high expectations and probably a pretty nice tour van. Producer Ethan Johns took a different route with his "aww shucks" production for Youth, giving the band a live feel as opposed to the radio-ready sound of their Novocaine EP or the intricately layered Gold of Ryan Adams.

Too easily described as a 70s southern rock/Strokes hybrid, the Kings of Leon manage to be a little more than they seem. Just a little though. The sex-charged family slams through each track as though they are trying to singlehandedly prove that it's okay to embrace the southern genre, despite its perceived racist themes. No confederate flags here, just beer, greasy hair and some young, young boys far too naive to really understand what their lone mustaches imply. Really though, mustaches? We get it already.

"Happy Alone" taps into the style points often resurrected by Rhett Miller & Co., while "Molly's Chambers" may have been written by Julian Casablancas. As with their EP, "California Waiting" again manages to be the big winner. Youth & Young Manhood is a endearing album from a dense group of young Gap models that only gets more charming with each listen. The Kyngs lack the power ballad skills of Lynyrd Skynyrd (the band they are too often compared to), but they hit hard with the three-minute, radio-friendly twang absent in current radio playlists. For what it's worth, Youth is a semi-fresh breath of air.   7/10

Written by G. William Locke