Kings of Leon are an American rock group whose music is closer in spirit to indie-rock than to the mainstream sensibilities of American contemporaries like 3 Doors Down. Kings of Leon have enjoyed more commercial success in Europe than they have in America. Still, the band’s albums command a decent amount of critical acclaim and, starting in 2008, respect from the Recording Academy in the form of Grammy nominations.
Kings of Leon are made up of members of the Followill family: three brothers (singer Caleb, bassist Jared, drummer Nathan) and a cousin (guitarist Matthew). The band formed in 2000 in Tennessee, putting out their first EP, Holy Roller Novocaine, three years later through RCA. Novocaine established the band’s sonic building blocks: Caleb’s sandpaper-gritty vocals, Matthew’s unvarnished guitars and a swinging rhythm section that had a swampy, stormy vibe to it. Novocaine contained a few songs that would soon reappear on the band’s full-length debut.
Appearing about six months after Novocaine, Youth & Young Manhood revealed that Kings of Leon were extremely confident with Southern rock, particularly the lazy grace of prime Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Black Crowes. Whether it’s the stoned sunniness of “Dusty” or the bar-band rock of “California Waiting,” Kings of Leon eschewed mainstream accessibility for a hard-edged sound whose old-school qualities drew comparisons to other retro-leaning bands of the time like the Strokes and the White Stripes. Manhood failed to even break the top 100 of the Billboard album charts, but the band began attracting a loyal audience.
2005’s Aha Shake Heartbreak came out in the U.K. several months before its debut in the United States. If Manhood suffered because of the band’s debt to their influences, Aha Shake Heartbreak felt looser and more assured, expanding into country-rock without giving in to tear-in-my-beer clichés. “The Bucket” managed to get some attention on the American charts, but Kings of Leon’s lack of mainstream success was at least partially due to the fact that the group’s lively songs were simply too understated to cross over to large audiences.
Kings of Leon got considerably more adventurous and interesting on their third record, 2007’s Because of the Times. Though still playing Southern rock, Kings of Leon had evolved into an edgy, moody band, and on the brooding love song “On Call” they showed an ability to absorb modern-rock influences organically into their sound. Because of the Times resonated with a new urgency that the band’s earlier retro-rock albums had rarely shown. They remained an indie favorite – Kings of Leon still couldn’t secure much of a foothold on American radio, although Because of the Times did go to the top of the U.K. charts.
Kings of Leon started making headway commercially with 2008’s Only by the Night. The dynamic, moody album got the nation’s attention with two blockbuster singles, “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody.” In addition, Kings of Leon also landed their first three Grammy nominations at the end of 2008 – for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Album. The band won the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals Grammy for “Sex on Fire.” Then on January 31, 2010, the band won three Grammys for “Use Somebody,” including Record of the Year.
