"Come With Me Now" by Kongos

KONGOS (spelt "K" for Cool, "O" for Awesome, "N" for Knowledge, "G" for Jenius, "O" for Artistic, "S" for speling): Bass Guitarist/Vocalist Dylan Kongos, Guitarist/Vocalist Daniel Kongos,  Percussion/Vocalist Jesse Kongos, Keyboardist/Accordion player/Vocalist Johnny Kongos

Hey guys, Lia here with a rousing and popular Alt song that's guaranteed to make you want to pull out that dusty leather jacket and take your Harley out for a spin (at least that's what it makes me feel like doing)!

Kongos's hit "Come With Me Now," despite having been released in 2012 (granted, it was in South Africa), has zoomed up the Alternative charts in the past couple of weeks. Kongos, a South African alt band, have been around since the release of their eponymous debut album, KONGOS, in 2007. They're also all brothers, a family act like one of my top ten favorite bands, Kings of Leon! Another claim to fame, besides their band, is that their father, John Kongos, was a popular singer/songwriter in South Africa in the '60s. Some of their influences range from Muse (eep!) to Kasabian.

This song has a very distinct sound inspired by Kwaito, a South African music style that is similar to house music but with more accordion and a South African flavor to it. They really make the sound more approachable to people, though, mostly because they also grew up not only in South Africa, but also London. I can hear a bit of Kings of Leon in this song too, mostly in the powerful guitar slides and overall rock feel of the tune. "Come With Me Now" makes me super nostalgic about the days where I used to wear a lot more plaid and studs than I do now, when I dreamed of Docs and midnight excursions. Listening to it while I'm driving in my car gives me such a feeling of freedom. They've really hit a certain emotion that has obviously resonated with a lot of alt listeners. Also, their thump-y rhythm and catchy chorus is so infectious!

Although, to be honest, I wasn't too impressed with this song on first listen. It sounded like a foreign Dave Grohl copycat singing to weird folk-y rock music. In short, I was put off by the lilting accordions and the generic rock voice, the battling heavy guitars and even heavier beats. I've grown to like it, but it's still not a favorite. I admit it is catchy and full of emotions, I recognize that these are really talented guys, and I respect how popular they've gotten, but the song isn't something I'd search out. If it was playing on the radio, I wouldn't change the station, but I wouldn't get that excited, either.

All in all, a decent song that panders to people like me who love rock and alternative music that is a bit rebellious and wild, a bit out of the box. Maybe that's why I'm not such a fan (although I do sorta, kinda like it!). It's a bit too 'love me, I'm cool and like a lot of the songs you love, but a bit different.' And that's okay to be different, but in this case, I don't think it's different enough.

Lyrics: 

"Come With Me Now"

Come with me now
Come with me now

Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna take you down
Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna show you how

Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna take you down
Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna show you how

Afraid to lose control
And caught up in this world
I've wasted time, I've wasted breath
I think I've thought myself to death

I was born without this fear
Now only this seems clear
I need to move, I need to fight
I need to lose myself tonight

Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna take you down
Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna show you how

I think with my heart and I move with my head
I open my mouth and it's something I've read
I stood at this door before, I'm told
But a part of me knows that I'm growing too old

Confused what I thought with something I felt
Confuse what I feel with something that's real
I tried to sell my soul last night
Funny, he wouldn't even take a bite

Far away
I heard him say (Come with me now)
Don't delay
I heard him say (Come with me now)

Far away
I heard him say (Come with me now)
Don't delay
I heard him say (Come with me now)

Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna take you down
Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna show you how

Afraid to lose control
And caught up in this world
I've wasted time, I've wasted breath
I think I've thought myself to death

I was born without this fear
Now only this seems clear
I need to move, I need to fight
I need to lose myself tonight

Whoa, come with me now

Whoa, come with me now
I'm gonna take you down
Whoa, come with me now

Rating: 2.5 RECORDS 

Photo: Wikipedia

Information: Wikipedia, lifeofarockstar.com