Hot on the heels of the musical juggernaut that was ‘Sex on Fire’, comes another slice of anthemic indie rock from everyone’s favourite flavour of the month, Kings of Leon.
‘Use Somebody’ won’t have people flooding onto the dance floor like its predecessor did, and doesn’t quite possess such an instantly catchy chorus, but nevertheless it’s another sure-fire hit for the band.
Caleb’s soulful vocals soar throughout the track and his heartbreaking declaration that “I hope it’s gonna make you notice someone like me” perfectly demonstrates the genuine emotion that he brings to all of Kings of Leon’s songs.
Yet there is a sense that the song could well be another step by the band towards the stadium rock stylings of U2 or Coldplay. The song is soft and gentle musically and seemingly tailor-made for maximum accessibility. Of course, this need not be considered a bad thing per se, but one does have to wonder whether, without Caleb’s unique vocals, would the band be considered as ‘hip’ as they are now?
The band have clearly chosen to embrace their position as rock’s next big thing, at the expense of their southern bluesy sound of their previous work. As a result, this single is enjoyable, if not fairly timid. It’s a solid effort from one of the bands of 2008, but it won’t please most of their older fans.
