“Most of Caleb’s vocals on the first three recordings were sung as part of the basic tracks,” continues King. “He is an incredible singer, but one of the things we wanted to explore on this last record was being able to fine tune, and finesse, his vocals over the basic track a little bit more. Everything was going down at once and in hindsight Caleb wished they happened a little different. To correct that on these sessions we didn’t record any vocal more than three times and what it then came down to was what take we wanted to use.
“The growth you are seeing is the band wanting an opportunity to experiment on this record,” King offers. “They are becoming sonically adventurous and I think their best work is still in them. Based on their track record for the past four albums I feel they are in a position to take a big step after this record. I have seen them grow, and I can tell you the new album is tremendous. They just keep finding new things within themselves. All of that rings true. The Kings Of Leon have greater records to make.”
“Every record we make has a stigma,” as the conversation shifts back to Followill. “You have your whole life to write your first record, so it better be amazing. Then you only have six months to write your second record, so it better be amazing. The third record is your make or break album, so it better be amazing. The forth recording has no pressure associated with it because you have just made it that far.
“This record was fun man,” says Followill in conclusion. “We were doing it at home in Nashville where we got to sleep in our own beds and were able to rub on our Asian girlfriends every night.”
Catch Kings Of Leon on Sept. 23 at Webster Hall in NYC, the same night they will release Only By The Night. For more information including discography, tour dates, and pictures of their girlfriends you can visit their website at kingsofleon.com.
Photo Credit: LEGO
