Kings of Leon, Let's Bury the Hatchet...

Disclaimer: I apologize for my lack of contributions lately.  I've had a debilitating calf injury that has been holding me back for over a year, and finally, I had to succumb to it and take a break.  I have 6 weeks of rehab scheduled, and should be back on the trail in a month.  In the meantime, I've planned a few posts that I'll be making to keep this rolling.  Even though I cannot currently run, I still have a feel for how music would sound on a run, still listen to music while doing other workouts, and will NOT be creating a blog titled "Rehabbing with the Beat."  Without further adieu, let's get back to the Beat...

For those of you who know anything about me, you know that for the last few years, I have personally led a crusade against all things Kings of Leon.  I got so tired of hearing how their "sex was on fire," how they "could use somebody," that I had to lash out.  Bill Simmons (the Sports Guy) posted a time log about a recent trip to Vegas where he heard the song "Use Somebody" so much, that his once neutral opinion of them had turned to hatred.  This excerpt pretty much sums up my sentiments:

"Heading into this weekend, I wasn't for or against these guys. I had no opinion. Within 25 hours 
in Vegas? I hate them with every fiber in my body. We get it, Kings of Leon: You could use 
sum-BAH-dayyyyyy. Heard you loud and clear. And I understand you're hoping it's someone like you, 
someone like you, someone like you … believe me, I hope you find this person. Because if you don't, 
I'm going to kill everyone in a 25-foot vicinity. Now go away."

And a few hours later, he summed up my entire year after just 33 hours in Vegas:

You know that I could use sum-BAH-dayyyyyyyyyyyyyy! It only took 33 hours in Vegas for me to 
work up a hatred for Kings of Leon that rivals only the way I feel about cancer. 

So yeah, I hated them.  I even went as far as to create a facebook fan page called "Kings of Leon are the New Nickleback," find it here.  But I'm writing today to call a truce.  Many may find this hard to believe, after I have denounced them for so long, but a lot of things have come to light.  First came Joe at Groovin' High Records (my primary record store, Joe runs it and is the only employee there, I have given him the moniker "Wizard," based on his knowledge of all music, a consummate professional with a universe of knowledge), who constantly played the new album, Come Around Sundown upon my visits to the shop around its release.  Joe is also massively into Pearl Jam (my adolescent idols), and they too have endorsed and toured with KoL.  They have also toured with The Black Keys, Band of Horses, and Neil Young, all heroes of mine.  Other people had always told me, "Yeah, the new album sucks, but their old stuff is awesome."  I didn't care.  I was put off not only by the music, but also the people that were into it (see: Dave Matthews fans in the 90's/00's), that I couldn't give it a chance.  Even though a favorite band of mine who has enjoyed a similar vault to the top, My Morning Jacket, had released a string of amazing albums leading up to the somewhat disappointing and super-produced Evil Urges, I still could not give KoL a chance.

All of those facts are auxiliary next to the music.  After a summer of saturation, it was easy to hate everything about them (not to mention feuds with demigods Arcade Fire, requests at festivals for their own showers and bathrooms separate from all other groups, and the pigeon poop incident), the music was tired, and annoying.  However, WXRT (93.1 the second best station in Chicago), keeps feeding me a steady diet of Come Around Sundown, and it features some epic jams, remnant of U2, Pearl Jam, and My Morning Jacket.  The percussion drives and hits hard, pushing a workout to the max as the music swells and flourishes.  I caught a recent show on Palladia (an amazing Comcast channel), that documented their return for a show in their hometown of Nashville.  Maybe it was my sudden love for all things Nashville, but they didn't even come across as annoying.  They actually seemed like people I wouldn't mind hanging out with.  Despite reports of Caleb Followill improvising lyrics for this album, none are as annoying as "Sex is on Fire" or "Use Somebody," and take on a cryptic meaning like he knows something more than you (a great component of any great rock lyricist, you don't always understand, but you feel it, and you do understand that whatever it means, they are feeling it more than you ever could, and even if it means nothing, you're still convinced that it must mean something).

So yeah, Kings of Leon, let's bury the hatchet...for now, but I still won't be seeing them live anytime soon:

Kings of Leon-Sex on Fire (LIVE!):

Wow, can anyone believe that it's the first of April already?  What a significant day.  How time flies!  Happy April 1st everyone!