A Step Too Far
Standfirt
Is this the dawn of a new period for the Kings of Leon or is the sun coming down on their career. Strum looks at the new album, their career so far and whether this is a step too far.
Article
With Kings of Leon’s new album ‘Come Around Sundown’ they’ve changed their style yet again to a more ‘rock country’ style and we’re wondering whether this could be a big mistake. With the huge success of the last album, maybe they should have stuck with what made them who they are today. Have Kings of Leon taken it a Step Too Far?
American band Kings of Leon, including brothers Caleb, Nathan and Michael Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill, formed in Tenesse in 1999. They started off with their music influenced by an upbeat blend of Southern rock and blues. Brought up in a religous background the boys got involved in the choir and were playing instruments from an early age. However they were still able to listen to rock music, their dad often played it to them while they hit the road. The band spent most of their youth travelling round the states with the brothers father, Ivan Leon Followill,, who influenced the bands name.
Their style of music gradually changed to a more alternative rock sound, which gained them initial success in the US. In 2008 all three of the band’s albums were in the top five of the UK Albums Chart.
After their 3rd album ‘Because of the times’, people began to wonder whether the Kings of Leon could actually get any better. Their 4th album ‘Only By The Night’ didn’t fail to deliver what the fans had been waiting for. Landing in 2008 ‘Only By The Night’ was undoubtedly the indie-rock anthem for summer in the form of ‘Sex On Fire’, the explosive track grabbed everyone’s attention and kept them hooked until the very end and is still getting considerable airtime today. As Chris Jones from the BBC says “Their sound has had a good five years to grow from post-adolescent indie to full-blown, manly stadium glory”.
In an interview on Kings of Leon.com when asked about what ‘Come Around Sundown’ means Nathan Followill says “I see it as come around sundown, we’re about to get down” but could this mean literally? Down in the charts?
Whether you’re a fan or not, you will know that Kings of Leon have dropped their new single ‘Radioactive’ but the video isn’t quite what we expected.They seem to have dropped their rock ‘n’ roll, fags whisky and cocaine filled videos and gone with a more laid back style involving BBQ’s and fishing.
The Radioactive video is cheesy with a gospel feel, but does that mean we have to hate it? The song takes the band’s sound in a new direction while at the same time takes the band back to their roots. Since the band have gone mainstream they had to change their style to appeal to more people, maybe this is a style we’ll learn to love.
Thursday 25 November 2010
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Article Research
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that formed in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee in 1999, consisting of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ivan Nathan Followill (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and Michael Jared Followill (bass, backing vocals), with their cousin Cameron Matthew Followill (lead guitar, backing vocals). Each member of the family group is known by his middle name (second given name) as opposed to his first given name.[1] The band's early music was an upbeat blend of Southern rock and blues influences, but it has gradually expanded its sound to include a variety of genres and a more alternative rock or arena rock sound. Kings of Leon achieved initial success in the United Kingdom with nine Top 40 singles, two BRIT Awards in 2008, and all three of the band's albums at the time peaking in the top five of the UK Albums Chart. Their third album Because of the Times also reached the #1 spot. After the release of Only by the Night in September 2008 they achieved chart success in their native United States. The singles "Sex on Fire", "Use Somebody" and "Notion" all peaked at #1 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks. The album itself was their first ever platinum-selling album in the United States. It was the best-selling album of 2008 in Australia, being certified nine-times Platinum. The band's fifth album, Come Around Sundown, was released on October 18, 2010.
The three Followill brothers spent much of their youth traveling around the Southern United States with their father, Ivan Leon Followill, a United Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, Betty-Ann, who taught them when they were not in school. Caleb and Jared were both born in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. They all attended Mount Juliet High School. Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "While Leon preached at churches and tent revivals throughout the Deep South, the boys attended services and were occasionally enlisted to bang on some drums. They were either home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools at this time. Except for a five-year period when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee, the Followills' childhoods were spent driving through the southern United States in a purple 1988 Oldsmobile, decamping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach."[2] When the boys' father resigned from the church and divorced his wife in 1997, the boys relocated to Nashville and embraced the rock music and lifestyle they had previously been denied. While there, they met songwriter Angelo Petraglia, who helped the siblings hone their songwriting skills and introduced them to the musical influences of Thin Lizzy,[3] Rolling Stones and The Clash in particular. Six months later, Nathan and Caleb signed with RCA Records, who insisted that the duo recruit more members for the band before launching their career. The band was formed when cousin Matthew and younger brother Jared were asked to join. They named themselves Kings of Leon in honor of Nathan, Caleb, and Jared's father (Matthew's uncle) and grandfather, who were both named Leon.[4]
In an interview with Billboard, Nathan Followill described how the band was formed. "When we signed the deal [with RCA], it was just me and Caleb. The label said, 'We're gonna put you a band together', and we were like, 'We don't want to be Evan and Jaron. We're going to buy our little brother a bass, he's a freshman in high school. Caleb will teach himself the guitar. [Matthew] played guitar when he was 10. I'll play the drums, I played in church when I was little.' They said, 'All right, we'll come down in one month and see you guys.'" Later in the interview the brothers admitted to "kidnapping" their cousin Matthew from his hometown in Mississippi in order for him to join the band. They told his mother that he was only going to be staying for a week and just never let him go home. "We locked ourselves in the basement with an ounce of marijuana and literally spent a month down there. My mom would bring us food down", added Nathan. "And at the end of that month the label people came and we had "Molly's Chambers", "California Waiting", "Wicker Chair" and "Holy Roller Novocaine".
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39793921/ns/today-entertainment
The three Followill brothers spent much of their youth traveling around the Southern United States with their father, Ivan Leon Followill, a United Pentecostal Church preacher and their mother, Betty-Ann, who taught them when they were not in school. Caleb and Jared were both born in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. They all attended Mount Juliet High School. Nathan and Matthew were born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "While Leon preached at churches and tent revivals throughout the Deep South, the boys attended services and were occasionally enlisted to bang on some drums. They were either home-schooled or enrolled in small parochial schools at this time. Except for a five-year period when they settled in Jackson, Tennessee, the Followills' childhoods were spent driving through the southern United States in a purple 1988 Oldsmobile, decamping for a week or two wherever Leon was scheduled to preach."[2] When the boys' father resigned from the church and divorced his wife in 1997, the boys relocated to Nashville and embraced the rock music and lifestyle they had previously been denied. While there, they met songwriter Angelo Petraglia, who helped the siblings hone their songwriting skills and introduced them to the musical influences of Thin Lizzy,[3] Rolling Stones and The Clash in particular. Six months later, Nathan and Caleb signed with RCA Records, who insisted that the duo recruit more members for the band before launching their career. The band was formed when cousin Matthew and younger brother Jared were asked to join. They named themselves Kings of Leon in honor of Nathan, Caleb, and Jared's father (Matthew's uncle) and grandfather, who were both named Leon.[4]
In an interview with Billboard, Nathan Followill described how the band was formed. "When we signed the deal [with RCA], it was just me and Caleb. The label said, 'We're gonna put you a band together', and we were like, 'We don't want to be Evan and Jaron. We're going to buy our little brother a bass, he's a freshman in high school. Caleb will teach himself the guitar. [Matthew] played guitar when he was 10. I'll play the drums, I played in church when I was little.' They said, 'All right, we'll come down in one month and see you guys.'" Later in the interview the brothers admitted to "kidnapping" their cousin Matthew from his hometown in Mississippi in order for him to join the band. They told his mother that he was only going to be staying for a week and just never let him go home. "We locked ourselves in the basement with an ounce of marijuana and literally spent a month down there. My mom would bring us food down", added Nathan. "And at the end of that month the label people came and we had "Molly's Chambers", "California Waiting", "Wicker Chair" and "Holy Roller Novocaine".
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39793921/ns/today-entertainment
Wednesday 17 November 2010
Planning Production
In todays lesson we were asked
FRONT COVER IMAGES:
FRONT COVER IMAGES:
- The main image of my music magazine will be a female posing as an artist
- I will also have a barcode on my front cover
FRONT COVER COVERLINES:
- Interview with the artist on the cover
- Upcoming gigs
- Newest indie artists to hit the UK
- Your latest band gossip
- Gig of the week
- WIN
CONTENTS PAGE: The title for the contents will be ‘Contents’ to make it clear that it is the contents page.
Regular content:
Pg 2 - Editor’s letter
Pg 2 – Subscribe today
Pg 3/4 - Fan’s forum (letters)
Pg 10 - Competitions
Pg 15 - Quizzes
Pg 21 - Upcoming gigs
Pg 22 - Live reviews
Pg 33 - Band news
Pg 37 - Gig guide
Pg 41 - Feedback
Pg 68 - Your emails
FEATURE ARTICLES:
Pg 6 - VIP tracks
Pg 9 - The Killers
Pg 17 – Up close and personal with the Kings of Leon
Pg 25 - Newest artists to hit the UK
Pg 36 – Coldplay reveal all!
Pg 41 – Posters
Pg 44 - Feedback
Pg 53 - Album reviews
Pg 58 - Gig of the week
Pg 62 – Exclusive V fest goss!
Pg 67 - Interview with Alex Turner
Pg 79 - Your latest band gossip
IMAGES FOR DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD:
· COLOUR SCHEME:
- Black
- Red
- White
·
Production plan
In todays lesson we were asked to make a publication plan for the production of our music magazines which would include the title and sytle of the magazine and the content the magazine would include.
TITLE:
POSITIONING STATEMENT: love life love music
FREQUENCY OF PUBLICATION: Fortnightly
PRICE: £2.30
DISTRIBUTION: Newsagents and supermarkets
RATIONALE: The approach of the magazine is from the reader’s perspective. The magazine will give the readers an in sight as to what is going on with their favourite bands. This will be done through interview and upcoming gigs.
STYLE: Informal style so that the reader feels involved. Simple colour scheme so that it’s easy on the eye and not too overcrowded. The images will be the dominant feature of the magazine front cover.
REGULAR CONTENT:
· Editor’s letter
· Fan’s forum (letters)
· Competitions
· Quizzes
· Upcoming gigs
· Live reviews
· Band news
· Gig guide
· Feedback
· Your emails
FEATURE CONTENT:
· Vip tracks
· The Killers
· Kings of Leon interview
· Artic Monkeys interview
· Newest artists to hit the UK
· Feedback
· Album reviews
· Gig of the week
· Interview with Alex Turner
· Your latest band gossip
HOUSE STYLE:
Coverlines: Arial Black and Arial
Headlines: Calibri (Body)
Standfirst: Arial
Captions: Calibri (Body)
Features first paragrapg: drop capital
News first paragraph:
Body text:
Colour scheme: Red, White, Black, Yellow
Thursday 4 November 2010
Questionnaire results
In todays lesson we were asked to record some of our answers from the questionnaire results and present them as a audio clip.
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Questionnaire Results
In today's lesson we were asked to present our questionnaire results as a powerpoint presentation so that it is easier to view. I will be looking back at these results when i decide on my publication plan. This is to ensure that my magazine includes what my target audience would like to see as a reader.
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