Arcade Fire show the Kings of Leon how to make it big gracefully

Arcade fire show the Kings of Leon how to make it big gracefully

by Asher Kenton

Type of Article: Analysis

The success stories of Canadian based art rock group Arcade Fire and American southern Rock quartet Kings of Leon can be charted along a similar timescale. Both started out around the turn of the century (KOL in 1999 and Arcade Fire in 2003) and released successful albums on independent labels which gained them a medium-sized but intensely devout following. Both then toured relentlessly and gained a larger following, culminating in both of them sub-headlining the famous Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2007 (on different days). They have also both gone on to further mainstream success; attaining number one albums in the U.K. and getting the chance to headline Reading Festival on their next time around (KOL in 2009, and Arcade Fire this year). However, with regard to how they grew in stature, the two bands differ vastly. Arcade Fire’s most successful record, the recently released ‘The Suburbs’ is if anything a stripped-back version of their sound, yet with enough substance and bite to receive rave reviews from virtually every section of the media. Meanwhile the Kings of Leon’s latest record, the 2008 released ‘Only by the Night’, featured a depart from their garage Rock sound into something more accessible; hooky choruses and catchy lyrics gained them a lot more radio airplay, but isolated many of their early fans, and left them highly regarded by few musical institutions aside from perhaps the NME. Although achieving mainstream success after Kings of Leon (and arguably they still aren’t as big) Arcade Fire have done so on their own terms, a remarkable achievement considering the current trend towards more accessible tunes in pursuit of commercial gain which can be seen in the recent upsurge in popularity of Muse and Biffy Clyro to name but a couple of culprits.

            Kings of Leon’s success has come at a price. They themselves admit to disliking mega-hit ‘Use Somebody’. “I was embarrassed by it. I thought it was sappy. By the time it was finished, I was like, 'That's not going on the record...' But everybody was like, 'You gotta put it on there.' So we did." said lead-singer Caleb Followill (Access Showbiz 2009). Therefore, their success has been marred by their willingness to concede to commercial pressure. Brother and Bassist Jared Followill also concedes that their songs have been over-played, “I thought 'Use Somebody' was a good song, but it's hard to f**ckin' like it when you hear it 90 times a day” (Access Showbiz, 2009); this is an opinion shared by some of Kings of Leon’s longest-serving fans who didn’t enjoy Kings of Leon’s new sound. This feeling of dissatisfaction mirrored by the band and their long-serving fan-base all came to a head during the band’s headline set at Reading Festival last summer; a moment that should have been a peak of the band’s career and a highlight of the festival season. Many punters came to see Kings of Leon solely because they knew the bands two radio-friendly hits, ‘Use Somebody’ and ‘Sex on Fire’, thus the atmosphere was somewhat flat. This infuriated the band, who openly criticised the audience, "I thought this was supposed to be the loudest crowd in the world?" and later stormed off stage, throwing their guitars on the floor as they left. This left those fans who had mostly enjoyed their set, including their older songs, with a bitter taste in their mouths, to say the least. Although only partially their own fault, this was the result of attaining a more commercial sound: a delight for the record company, disappointment for their fans.

            While ‘Only by the Night’s success was fuelled by some positive reviews by journalists, others felt they had traded in their authenticity for cash. The New York Times claims, "There was a time, not long ago, when Kings of Leon made music redolent of garage rock and Southern grit, all snarl, wriggle and yowl. But while "Only by the Night," the band's fourth album, gestures vaguely in that direction, its sights are set on far grander vistas." (Mahalo – Only by the Night Reviews).  Meanwhile, PopMatters claim that Kings of Leon are no longer original but that ‘Use Somebody’ is just, “another run-of-the-mill mainstream indie amalgam”. Thus indicating that Kings of Leon have lost some of their charm and respect amongst musical institutions.

            The same cannot be said of The Arcade Fire, who are slowly but surely gaining the respect of critics throughout the world. The NME declares ‘The Suburbs’, “pretty much perfect”, while the BBC argue that,  “The Suburbs is their most thrillingly engrossing chapter yet; a complex, captivating work that, several cycles down the line, retains the magic and mystery of that first tentative encounter. You could call it their OK Computer. But it’s arguably better than that”. This on top of the praise received for former albums ‘Funeral’ which made it to number 5 on the Guardian’s top Albums of the Decade and ‘Neon Bible’ which came 4th in Rolling Stone’s albums of the year chart. ‘The Suburbs’ therefore seems to have cemented Arcade Fire’s position as one of the most respected and talked about bands in the world today.

However, unlike many bands, they haven’t searched out a more commercial sound but simply recorded the music they wanted to hear. The result is a more stripped-back affair than the dramatic and perhaps overblown ‘Neon Bible’ (2007). ‘Month of May’ alludes to the driving, guitar chug of Queens of the Stone Age while ‘Deep Blue’ sounds like The Beatles’ melodies fused with David Bowie’s ambition. Furthermore, ‘Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)’ references Depeche Mode yet captures the alluring charm and grace of singer Régine Chassagne. This level of song-writing has led to widespread praise. The Guardian argues that, “The Suburbs' pleasures are subtle ones – the sudden lurch in rhythm that disrupts the drivetime rock dynamics of Modern Man, the delicate drift of Half Light I”. Far from search out success, Arcade Fire’s confidence in their own song-writing and ability to know where to use subtlety and simplicity are what is gaining them such respect and success. Lead singer Win Butler himself has stated that while he is usually is sick of the songs by the time an album is released, on this occasion he is only excited at the reception they might get. And this makes sense, for ‘The Suburbs’ isn’t an instant-hit album but rather one that grows on the listener over time as more is revealed upon each encounter. It’s also 16 tracks and over an hour long; hardly pruned into a commercial package like so many albums. This makes sense of course, as Arcade Fire are still with their original independent record label: Merge Records. Therefore, they have attained their success whilst keeping their artistic control and integrity well and truly intact. A remarkable feat in an industry that is so desperate to make a profit it is afraid to take risks or try anything new or unfamiliar.

Therefore, while the Kings of Leon’s success has come at a price to both the band and the audience, Arcade Fire have the world at their feet as they graduate from cult success to one of the biggest and most important bands in the world today.