I guess it’s “delayed chart-toppers”, or at least delayed coverage of them.
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[4.40]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine: It sounds old because it is, released in their native South Africa back in 2011 and slowly, slowly creeping out into the rest of the world over the next few years, finally reaching the States this spring. It sounds old because Kongos are their father’s sons, recycling the heavy-footed stomp of John Kongos’ 1971 hit “He’s Gonna Step On You Again,” a record built on a loop of African rhythms in a fashion not at all dissimilar to the nagging “Come With Me Now.” The sons don’t sound as mad as the father: in ’71, the percussion, fuzz guitars and chants escalated in a circular menace; in ’11, the tension dissipates via cleanly modulated verses, an incongruously dreamy pre-chorus and a silly Riverdance bridge. This cross-cultural choose-your-own-adventure reads weirder than it plays but perhaps every generation gets the John Kongos acolyte it deserves: a quarter century ago, the Happy Mondays twisted “Step On” (and “Tokoloshe Man!”) to their own purposes, a feat that seems all the more imaginative when compared to the earnest Kongos, a band who makes the cardinal mistake of taking their ridiculousness seriously.
[4]
Alfred Soto: This recent alternative chart number one uses the Franz Ferdinand staccato-rhythm too late, and besides, they got the wrong amps.
[3]
Josh Langhoff: THIS is that song that sounds like “Boy in the Bubble”! I dunno about alternative fans, but you can see why this resonates with AAA radio listeners. It’s got an opening homage to a beloved ’80s touchstone, wicked blues guitars, a four-on-the-floor stomp that may be derived from South African house but sounds awfully Mumfordy, Brit-rock in the vocals (not just the bridge but the singing in octaves), plus gigantic drumming and hooks for days — like, who, the Foo Fighters? The vague and annoying placeholder lyrics fit the bill. But who listens to those?
[7]
Patrick St. Michel: It’s awfully shouty and I’m predispositioned to disliking them because Cape Town is my preferred South African city, but “Come With Me Now” offers more of a bite than what those mopey Mumford-esque bands give the world. Yeah there is an accordion, but the way the guitars slap up against it give the whole song a doomed pirate-shanty vibe that reminds me of one of my favorite South African songs. Plus, the fit in a surprisingly pleasant Coldplay-imitating break.
[6]
Megan Harrington: Oh, how edgy! An old blues riff!
[3]
Scott Mildenhall: Probably the best way of framing any given song is to envision the advert it would be best placed in. It’s also the laziest, but in this case the advert would be a standard trailer for ITV4. Repeats of 70s cop shows, the occasional low quality import and Europa League football, all to the strained strains of this. It’s truly Dennis Waterman rolling unconvincingly over a Ford Cortina: trying too hard to sell something that clearly isn’t as exciting as wished.
[4]
Anthony Easton: Completely anonymous semi-indie rock, somewhere between the soundtrack for a new McDonald’s hamburger and a entry range compact car.
[3]
Brad Shoup: You know, enough people bought Graceland; someone’s nephew had to’ve heard sexual menace.
[5]
Katherine St Asaph: What would happen if you replaced both Black Keys with the AWOLNATION singer cloned four times (one clone taught, Matrix-style, blues guitar)? A question I never expected to ask, let alone answer positively.
[6]
Mallory O’Donnell: Never follow KONGOS to a second location.
[3]