Vince Griffin is a tremendously talented musician.
Because i spent so much time driving last week, I had a chance to go back and really listen to some new music on my iPod. Not just play a tune for background music, but really pay attention to all of the details. I’ve decided that Kings of Leon deserve more respect than I have given them in the past… That The Black Keys are the band that most resonates in my soul (mostly, I mean, there are exceptions)… That Bloc Party’s live performances are incredibly consistent with their studio productions. And finally that the two new bands (new to me at least) that have really impressed me are the Heartless Bastards and Bear Colony.
In the interest of personal integrity, I’ll admit that I may be biased because I’ve known Vince for the last dozen years. He’s quirky, moody, independent, and now I can add: creative beyond my imagination. When I learned that Vince had penned the lyrics and recorded the lead vocal I was truly shocked. I knew that he had written much of the music and driven the production. But I gained a much greater appreciation for Vince’s musical prowess now that I knew the words in heart as well as the music from his soul.
From an early age Vince could play any instrument that was made available to him. Drums, Percussion, Guitar, Bass, Upright Bass, Piano… Those are the instruments that I’ve seen him play, and I’m sure that there are others. Then there is the physical side of his creativity. As a visual artist Vince is reckless and inspired.
We Came Here To Die is a rich and mature album, and it makes me very proud of Vince to see the road his career is traveling. I don’t think that I’ll be able to give the album a proper critique, so I’ll let SPIN and All Things Go and LocalList work their magic.
And with that…
I am out of words now.
Tags: bryan jones, little rock, music
kings of leon=good, although the new album isn’t as good as the first two.