Just indie rock's cliche, brothers form a rock band, at this point in their career, Youth and Young Manhood was truly an expression of their southern upbringing. More geared towards a funky south guitar sound, KOL's first full-length release has a gritty, building block type vibe.
The first track "Red Morning Light", originally released on "What I Saw" EP, received a substanial amount of play in the U.K. and Australia. Other singles like "Molly's Chambers" and "Wasted Time" had respectable chart heights. One of the most popular tracks of KOL's career, is "California Waiting". Although the version on Y&YM is done a bit differently, with more of a rushed and laxed feel.
Other songs like "Trani" have a more open forum of blues, yet shined with an Indie Rock wax as the range of lead vocals are less handcuffed. On "Spiral Staircase", there's more angst in the Caleb's vocals, more drive in the instrumentals. One of the slowest tracks you'll find here is "Dusty", which begins with an acoustic ditty. Eventually this track foregoes any traditional song and resembles that of a improptu jam session turned track. For a quicker gunned pace, "Joe's Head" is one of those that will get stamped to your brain.
Probably the catchiest track is the name-sake of the preceeding EP release, prior to Youth & Young Manhood, Holy Roller Novocaine. This track shows KOL's earliest ability to write nominal hooks that allow their lead vocalist's unique sound to take the forefront. After a few minute silence, You'll also find the dedicated KOL fan favorite, the melodically diverse "Talihina Sky".
There's some obvious reasons as to why Youth and Young Manhood took off better over seas, as this album features a much less refined and slick production on both vocals and instrumentation. Sometimes less is more...
Track listing
1. Talihina Sky
2. Red Morning Light
3. Happy Alone
4. Wasted Time
5. Joe's Head
6. Trani
7. California Waiting
8. Spiral Staircase
9. Molly's Chambers
10. Genius
11. Dusty
12. Holy Roller Novocaine
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