Sons of a preacher man, the Kings of Leon are traditionalists, renovators of abandoned guitar lines from classic rock radio, which they expertly refurbish into modern, stadium-ready anthems. For better and worse, they’re like the IKEA of rock — taking classic, clean designs and spitting out new versions that work for listeners who want to venture a bit afield but not too far.
At times, the Tennessee band’s old-fashioned approach can be exactly the element that surprises: The piano at the close of “The End” finishes on a bright key instead of a discordant note, which would be in keeping with the song’s somber mood. It’s unexpected within the track’s context, yet the choice can’t help but recall old radio optimism, when the likes of Brian Wilson or Elton John wanted little more than to coax a smile.
But that old-timey streak also gets them into trouble. Despite impressive energy, “Mary” is hampered by a preening guitar and a chorus that feels borrowed from a Monday night bar band.
The field at a glance: Despite the runaway success of Taylor Swift, one could argue that this award was Beyoncé's to lose. Her "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dance has become a globalphenomen. The song stood out in the marketplace -- its sparse rhythm in contrast to the retro electronics favored by Lady Gaga -- and cemented Beyoncé's status as a veteran pop artist with proven staying power.
Yet the song wasn't even in the running for record of the year. Instead, "Single Ladies" was submitted only for song of the year, and the Beyoncé song nominated here is the ballad "Halo." It's nice, but it didn't define pop radio. Nor does it carry with it the elegance of last year's winner, "Please Read the Letter" from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.
There're plenty of ubiquitous hits in consideration here. Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" was the song that launched the artist, and the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" was completely unavoidable all summer long. The cut even figured heavily in the Grammys' prime-time nomination concert on CBS in December. Kings of Leon's glistening arena ballad "Use Somebody" turned the once-scruffy Southern rockers into prom-friendly boys, and it's the kind of anthem that the more edgy "American Idol" candidates will be singing for years to come.
Rounding out the field is Swift's "You Belong With Me," a showcase for the artist's country-lite, good-natured hooks. Its messages of individualism come packed with plenty of easy-to-remember lyrical details ("she's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers"), and is the kind of song that makes Swift a role model worth championing, as well as the heir to Shania Twain's country-rock throne.
Sadly, our LOLcat music reviews have come to an end.
Don't cry! Kristyn Pomranz and Katherine Steinberg, the brains behind "I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL!," an off-Broadway production based on the popular blog about silly kitties with misspelled captions, bring us their last set of critical cat pictures.
Rock 'n' roll LOLcats give us their opinions on Muse, Kings of Leon and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
We can haz musik revyooz.
Muse
These English rockers put on a heckuva live show. And we tend to agree with the cats about their new album, "The Resistance."
What we said: "That arty intransigence often improves the band's music, as in "United States of Eurasia," which proceeds from a pretty piano-ballad intro to an Arabian-accented orchestral-rock climax. Occasionally, though, it can make Bellamy and his bandmates sound like the world's most successful sourpusses."
Click "continue reading" to see the rest of the kitties.
