Southern Gothic Soundtracks: "Closer" - Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon consists of the Followills: Brothers Caleb (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Jared (bass), and Nathan (drums), and their cousin Matthew (lead guitar). The Kings are wild-eyed Southern boys, with the latter being born and raised in Mississippi, while the others grew up in Oklahoma and Tennessee. They are the three sons of a preacher man, and their nomadic childhood wouldn't be out of place in a Steinbeck novel.
Their father, Ivan, was ordained in the United Pentecostal Church, and they toured Oklahoma and the Deep South with him while he gave guest sermons at churches and old-school tent revivals.
The band's first album, Youth and Young Manhood was released in 2003, and showcased a sound rooted in Southern rock, garage rock, and indie rock, with blues influences. They were the love children of Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Velvet Underground, earning the nickname "The Southern Strokes" from music magazines.
They later moved toward modern rock, and released Only by the Night in 2008. It would become their most successful, rocketing the band to worldwide superstardom, and drawing comparisons to U2 due to its "big" sound. While OBTN is known for the gimmicky number one smash "Sex On Fire" and the lighter-waving stadium anthem "Use Somebody," it's the album's opener that steals the show.
Kings of Leon; (front to back) Caleb, Jared, Matthew, and Nathan
"Closer" is a haunting track about a 2,000-year-old lovesick vampire that settles into your bones and stays there. Caleb's ragged, anguished Tennessee drawl is the perfect vehicle for this eerie Gothic tale of longing and heartbreak. The song's atmospheric sound is anchored by Jared's reverb-heavy bassline, which is modified with an octave pedal, while the recurrent roars and ambient wails are created by Matthew literally yelling into his guitar pickups.
"Closer"
Stranded in this spooky town
Stoplights are swaying and the phone lines are down
Floor is crackling cold
She took my heart,
I think she took my soul
With the moon I run
Far from the carnage of the fiery sun
And it's coming closer...
Driven by the strangle of vein
Showing no mercy
I'd do it again
Open up your eyes
You keep on crying
Baby, I'll bleed you dry
Skies are blinking at me
I feel a storm bubbling up from the sea
And it's coming closer...
You shimmy-shook my bones
Leaving me stranded
All in love on my own
Do you think of me?
Where am I now?
Baby, where do I sleep?
Feels so good, but I'm old
Two thousand years of chasing
Taking its toll
And it's coming closer...
