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Written by Jesse Macht Thursday, 20 April 2006 11:04

Merciless crunchy cyclical guitar riffs, softly combatant drums, recurring pocketed bass lines, and soothing slurring vocals, reinvent what the Kings of Leon accomplished on their first record with a more mature approach.

“Pop culture may be the only place where even bad ideas are recycled,” wrote Steven Mirkin of Variety magazine. Mirkin ripped the Kings of Leon’s Aha Shake Heartbreak and live show at The Roxy last month in L.A., with no remorse, commenting further that the Kings of Leon are just “regenerated ’70s stoner rock.” Not all agree, being that the kings of today’s rock ’n ’ roll, U2, have just signed the Kings of Leon to open on their upcoming tour, much to the chagrin of Variety’s Mirkin.

Producer Ethan Johns once again records the band completely live with no overdubs. This gives the Southern rockers the organic ability to translate what their homegrown rock ’n ’ roll is all about. Merciless crunchy cyclical guitar riffs, softly combatant drums, recurring pocketed bass lines, and soothing slurring vocals, reinvent what the Kings of Leon accomplished on their first record with a more mature approach. They have taken a step back from their first endeavor, adding more texture, rhythm, and melodic choice to a sound that defines their style.

“Milk,” an experimental song for the Kings as compared to their previous work, shows off Caleb Followill’s vocal and lyrical tenderness. Followill displays courage by inviting us to be one on one with his anguish as he calls out like a wolf to the full moon to “kill me.” His garbled, yet soothing crooning, “heartbreaking” tone, and lyrics remind his audience how some strive to survive in a muddled world, similarly like his voice.

Musical madman Jared Smith (of L.A. band Vagenius, new opener for Kings of Leon) also pointed out that “Milk” was the standout track on ASH, breaking new ground for the band. He was touched to hear a man croon about the “hourglass body” of a “girl who will bartend your party” in such a delicate, humbling, and poetic manner.

While Youth and Manhood, the Kings’ debut LP, introduced the band, the second solidifies the band as a staple in today’s rock scene, and is looking to shake its way into your record collection ASAP.

—Jesse Macht