Though Milwaukee's Everyday Kings start their second album, Better Than Genuine, with a bit of Red Hot Chili Peppers-styled metallic punk funk, it takes manifold directions by the time its concluding tenth song comes to an end. Some Kings of Leon's reconstituted Southern boogie-indie rock comes through with two other distinguishing characteristics. First off, Steve Draganchuk's guitar is an unvarnished, gnarly beast of feedback emission derived as much from ’80s hardcore punk, as from stoner-friendly doom metal. Then there are the lyrics that sink into a world-weary post-grunge hangover, with singer Brian Millhouse Bentel lending them as much conviction as they require. Some words get weird and silly, with tales of matronly senior citizens of enormous bra size and surreal trips to a dentist's office. It may be difficult to get an exact read on Everyday Kings apart from their mandate to rock, but sometimes, that may be all that's required of a band.
Everyday Kings
Better Than Genuine (Cainable)