You've definitely heard this album before, from the Stones, Neil Young perhaps. Yet there's something in it that keeps you from quickly dismissing it. It's that infectious mix of jangling guitars, emotional vocals and a drumbeat that feet seem to unconsciously know how to tap to. It's Wilco with a little more dirt; Widespread Panic minus 20 minutes.
Not quite country, not quite garage, Kings of Leon fall somewhere in between, and on their new EP Holy Roller Novocaine, they move from blues to honky-tonk to straight-ahead guitar rock with a sense of comfort rarely seen in bands this young. The Southern quartet, composed of three brothers and their cousin, slide easily through the five tracks with lead singer Caleb Followill's Nashville drawl spanning sad whines and authoritative fast-talk.
The middle track "California Waiting" is the highlight. Although it's a bit of an anomaly on the album with its slower pace and somber brightness, it immediately brings to mind a younger Jeff Tweedy with an upbeat melody and lyrical sadness. The song comes in lightly with a delicately twangy guitar riff and ends powerfully with a driving drum beat and hypnotic refrain "Can I get back my lonely light?"
The rest of the album hits upon different variations of the same alt-country style. "Wasted Time" is an intense rockabilly exercise built around rapid-fire lyrics and a mumbled, repetitive chorus. "Molly's Chambers," the first track, is a funky garage tune about a girl who's "got it" and apparently doesn't mind giving it away.
Though only five tracks long, Holy Roller Novocaine is not short on talent. With the impressive disc, Kings of Leon seem to make a promise that they are destined to make good on in future albums.
- Andrew Galanopoulos
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