Advertisement
Kings of
Leon started out as preacher's sons forbidden to listen to
anything but church music and turned into the new gods of dirty
Southern rock & roll. Austin Scaggs traveled around the world
with the band of brothers for Rolling Stone's new cover
story, on newsstands now. Here's a guide to the hard-rocking,
hard-living Followills' best tracks — click here to listen
along: 
"Molly's
Chambers"
The dirty, flirty riff-chugging mess of a debut single that got the
Followill boys dubbed the "Southern Strokes" (ugh). They had it, we
wanted it. Fire up the General Lee.
"Happy
Alone"
Their 2003 debut
Youth and Young Manhood's bounciest tune. Caleb
babbles about dancing around in your high heels and cherry lipstick
and Lord knows what else as he conjures the spirit of Jerry Lee
Lewis' heathen boogie and the Velvet Underground's depraved punk
rock. Great gutbucket guitar solo too.
"Trani"
A heartwarming codeine-mouthed tale of hick-boy hookers hanging
around the Greyhound Station going down on whoever's got a bump of
coke and a smoke — not exactly Newt Gingrich's vision of life
in the New South. The Exile On Main Street guitars and
slow-burning swagger make it menacing. Caleb's empathetic singing
makes it kinda tender.
"The
Bucket"
On the band's 2005
Aha Shake Heartbreak, Caleb's singing matured (or
regressed, depends on your perspective) into an unintelligible
moonshine 'n' madness grumble that sounded like he got up every
morning and poured axel grease on his pancakes. This rumbling
ramble tamble jam is an excellent case in point.
"King of the
Rodeo"
Aha Shake Heartbreak's ode to a "cowgirl king of the
rodeo" is one of their punchiest blurts of Dixie new wave —
it's wound tighter than a goose's ass and it flips and twists like
a possum in the bathtub. A masterstroke of Southern
Strokesness.
Advertisement
"Knocked
Up"
The band's great 2007 record
Because of the Times opened with the story of Seth
Rogen and Kathryn Heigl as seen through the eyes off two small-town
fuck-ups on a cannonball run away from the scolding parents and
judging world that's trying to tear them apart. It's seven minutes
long, the guitars explode like backfiring V8 engines and when Caleb
sings "I don't care what no one says we're gonna have a bay-bee"
he's a perfect mix of righteous outlaw and proud pappy.
"Charmer"
Pixies-style bass wonder-thud makes nooky with saturation strike
guitar and Caleb screeches like he's getting goosed by the Beast
Master himself. When he sings "she's always looking at me" about
the West Virginia lass who's crushed his soul he sounds borderline
psychotic and borderline awesome too.
"On
Call"
Atmospheric guitar churn, wham-bam drum thump and Caleb yowling
with all the sweetness a real man can stomach about how he's "on
call" for your affection like some hillbilly love doctor.
"Sex On
Fire"
The single from last year's
Only by the Night is a lithe, liquid shot of Southern
grunge ecstasy. Note: the phrase "hey, your sex is on fire"
probably works for these dudes but don't try it at next time your
closing the deal on some booze-loosened accounts manager at Buffalo
Wild Wings.
"Crawl"
Only By the Night pumps their sound into stadium rock.
This sticky-grooved rocker suggests Pearl Jam as apocalyptic
fire-breathers, raining holy wrath down on the "crucified USA."