Kings Of Leon, Belle & Sebastian albums; Blood Red Shoes live
Blood Red Shoes: good fun and lots of promise
Kings Of Leon—Come Around Sundown…This album is very chill, which will disappoint those who prefer the band’s harder stuff. Their “Radioactive” is currently the most played song on alternative radio and that track is on the hard side, relatively speaking. This is a quality album that requires an enhanced level of attention but I don’t feel it’s a career highlight for the band. My favorite track is the more stripped-down “Mi Amigo”, which revists the feeling of mid-decade Kings albums. Other track tips include “Mary”, “Pyro,” and “The Immortals”.
Belle & Sebastian—Write About Love…These popular Scotts return with their first album in four years. It’s consistently strong all the way through, although it doesn’t contain quite as many infectious hooks as previous album “The Life Pursuit”. I love the tracks “I Want the World to Stop”, and “Write About Love”, and also recommend “I’m Not Living in the Real World”.
Brighton, UK’s Blood Red Shoes hit the Bootleg Theater in LA Monday night, as part of a quick US introductory tour that will include several CMJ gigs. This two-piece consists of drummer Steven Ansell and guitarist Laura-May Carter. They come straight at you, without many bells and whistles such as bridges in their songs. They share lead vocals and both sing in the same register. Ansell is not only a great drummer, but he’s funny. They’ve got great energy, some good songs, and lots of promise. Their UK buzz is justified and it will be fun keeping an eye on them.