10 Most Overrated Indie Rock Albums Of All Time
3. Kings Of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood
The Followill boys’ debut record seems to have grown in stature through the sheer disappointment the majority of their follow ups have brought. Really, though, this is a band that peaked with track one of album one - it was all downhill from there.
Opener “Red Morning Light” promised an impossibly winning proposition, a southern Strokes with denims instead of leather and rural grit in place of high priced schooling. The record sometimes rises to similar heights - “Holy Roller Novocaine” is daft but very fun.
Elsewhere, though, Kings Of Leon sound a distinctly throwback act, and throwing back to soft rock excess rather than the sharp, Credence-esque rock they can sometimes achieve. “California Waiting” is radio friendly bland indie, and on the other side of the coin “Trani” sees the group emulating the boozy swagger of early ‘70s Stones without a shred of the unimpeachable songcraft of Jagger and Richards.
Between this record and its sequel Aha Shake Heartbreak, Kings Of Leon probably have a singular high quality album, but other times this supposedly real band of brothers (plus one cousin) sounds downright manufactured.