Dinosaur Pile-Up- Growing Pains

Dave Grohl disciples from Leeds bring the rock.

In interviews around their inception in 2007, Dinosaur Pile-Up frontman Matt Bigland talked of the importance of a Foo Fighters show to their creation, and it’s their influence that saturates their hard-hitting and thrilling debut album.

Born from the ashes of Bigland’s former band Mother Vulpine (mixing QOTSA riffs with dance beats), Dinosaur Pile-Up have drawn favourable comparisons with Biffy Clyro, but really their music is a lot harder than that, lacking the softer touch the Scottish band carry on tracks like Mountains (attempts on tracks like Hey You fall a bit flat).

As well as the work of Mr Grohl, the band cross-breed the grunge-indebted sound of Nine Black Alps with the pop hooks of Ash. At no point do Bigland and his charges (bassist Harry Johns and drummer Steve Wilson- though as the album cover suggests, this band BELONGS to Bigland) wear these influences with any kind of subtlety, but the results can be utterly exhilarating.

The opening one-two of Birds & Planes and Barce-loner is a violent gut punch and one of the best starts to a rock record in recent memory. Mona Lisa, similarly, is bracing and may just turn out to be one of the best hard rock tracks of the year; whilst Love To Hate Me shines with its start-stop quiet-loud dynamic and malevolent glee of the line, “I’m the one who scares your mother...”

On other parts of the album, they’re a band caught between two stools. The production is muddy suggesting an attempt at a low-down and dirty album, but the choruses are arena-sized and Bigland’s vocals seem to be aiming at a larger stage. It’s muddled.

With any luck, their songwriting and ability to use a more original voice will come as they develop. But make no mistake: this is an exciting, smart and at times explosive career birth.

3/5

Essential Tracks:

Mona Lisa
Birds & Planes
Love To Hate Me

Kings of Leon- Come Around Sundown

On album number five, the Followills are stuck in a rut…

Kings of Leon have had a revelatory couple of years. Fourth album Only By The Night saw the strongest shift yet away from their Southern-fried Strokes sound to songs epic in scope and chorus.

Singles Sex On Fire and Use Somebody were the biggest of 2008 AND 9, and global stadiums beckoned. In traditional indie style, the band stomped around like petulant teenagers, bemoaning their new fans and clearly uncomfortable with this new level of success. Surely this should be their Kid A moment.

What’s most surprising about Come Around Sundown is that it further explores the stadium rock of its predecessor. Lead single Radioactive is the most ambitious piece here, carrying guitars that would make The Edge weak-kneed, while jarringly pleading, “It’s where you came from”. Aside from being unable to get that absurd video off the brain, it all just feels a little half-arsed, and herein lies the problem.

It starts in enough style though. Come Around Sundown follows the tradition of Kings starting albums with a bang. The End has stadium ambition in heaps, but Matthew Followill’s guitar work is at its most swampy and interesting here.

From here, it tumbles sharply downhill, leaving a once exciting band resting hopelessly on their laurels. Tracks like Mary and The Face are plodding-paced dirge. They feature impressive and technical guitar work, and a strong rhythm section in Jared and Nathan, but it all lacks the excitement of the band at the best.

The absolute nadir is Back Down South. It is at least brave as a trip into Good Ol’ Southern country music. Brave, yes, but utterly toe-curling. Clearly aiming for an artist like Loretta Lynn, but ends up far closer to Billy Ray Cyrus gone soft, all with a hideous “Come on down and dance/If you get the chance” lyric by Caleb.

No Money, Birthday and Pony Up bring the album back in line with Aha Shake Heartbreak-era greatness, all dirty guitars and debauched, filthy songwriting (“Come on legs and pantyhose/You look so pretty with your bloody nose” from Birthday).

But the cavalry arrives far too late. The success of previous albums and singles guarantees that this will be an enormous, global record, but this remains an album that Caleb Followill and family could have made in their sleep.

2/5

Essential Tracks:

The End

Birthday

No Money