Kings of Leon: no novocaine needed to withstand these holy rock ‘n’ rollers

Holy Roller Novocaine

Kings of Leon

RCA Records

With a…

Holy Roller Novocaine

Kings of Leon

RCA Records

With a mix of classic rock flavor and a past spent in the Pentecostal Church, a young rock band from Tennessee is set to take on the rock scene with full force. Kings of Leon use classic rock influences (e.g. Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Bad Company) as well as their experience living on the road and going from church to church with their Pentecostal evangelist father, to make an EP of five fresh songs.

Three members of the band are brothers: Caleb (lead singer, rhythm guitar), Nathan (drums) and Jared (bass) Followill, plus their cousin Matthew Followill (lead guitar). Formed early last year, the band played without a bass player until Jared learned to play during the summer. Their years of playing in churches have allowed them to be relaxed and unafraid to make mistakes while playing.

Each song is a song of meaning; Kings of Leon make every attempt to let the listener feel the emotion in their songs. For example, “Holly’s Chambers,” the opening track, has a classic rock sound that is about the girl that you shouldn’t let get away, if she comes along don’t let her go.

“Wasted Time,” another classic rock-like ditty, is about people hiding from who they really are and “California Waiting” is a light and sunny song with creative and catchy lyrics such as “I’m going so fast and I can’t slow down/ It’s hard to get up when you’re spinning around and round/ I’d give you the news but nothing has changed/ I’d sing you a song but they blew it away/ All wrapped up in a stupid ass game.”

While “Wicker Chair,” a moody and melancholy track, is about seeing someone self-destruct, “Holy Roller Novocaine,” the final track, brings a blues-y feel into the rock sound. The band brings every element of a great sounding album into this EP and hopes to carry the same quality and sound into their full-length, which they are currently recording.

With a garage-rock style brought back from the ’70s, Kings of Leon is a band that will make their mark on the music industry and is definitely a band to watch out for.