11 Reasons Kings of Leon Are the Greatest Band Ever

In honor of this week’s release of their new album, Mechanical Bull, here is a list of reasons why Kings of Leon are just the best. Ever. Of life. For always.

1. The Makeover

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I know, I know, it’s all about the music. And that’s true. But these days, image plays a big part in music as well. And these boys started off looking like this:

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And just before breaking into the big-time, some publicist got a hold of them and turned them into this:

Here's a napkin to wipe the drool off your chin.

2. They're All Related

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The band is made up of brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill, and cousin Matthew Followill. They named the band after their grandfather, Leon.

3. The Music

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"They don't really look like my kind of band," you might be mumbling to yourself. Oh? Really? You think so? Ever heard Sex on Fire? How about Use Somebody? Yeah, the song that won the Grammy for Best Song, thankyouverymuch.

And those are just the commercial singles. Pretty much everything they've recorded is amazing and should be put on musical display in a museum somewhere.

4. The Album Covers

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Look at these covers:

They're all artsy enough to seem innocuous, but also have enough sexual innuendo to make teenage boys around America giggle.

Bonus fact: all their album titles have exactly 5 syllables (Youth and Young Manhood, Aha Shake Heartbreak, Because of the Times, Only by the Night, Come Around Sundown, Mechanical Bull).

5. The Drama

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Like any good band, there’s drama, even among brothers (and a cousin). A few years ago, front man Caleb Followill staggered onto the stage at their Texas performance (purportedly drunk), sang three songs, then told the audience he felt sick and was going to go backstage, throw up, have another beer, and come back out and finish the set. He walked off stage and never came back. The band cancelled the rest of their US tour after that, citing "exhaustion" as the reason. There were even rumors they were going to break up. The worst part? All that happened one day before they were supposed to come play in my town! And I had amazing seats!! Needless to say, I suffered a mild depression for a good six months after that.

6. They Clean Up Nice

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Seriously. Just look at them!!

7. Caleb

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His amazing voice. His writing. His guitar-playing. His attitude. His beard. He’s pretty much perfect in every way and can do no wrong. Even if he came onstage and announced to the world that he eats newborn kittens for breakfast every morning, he would still be perfect.

8. Nathan

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The eldest member of the group, he's kinda like the glue that holds the band together, being the voice of reason and tough love when need be. Since he's an amazing drummer, he’s naturally a party animal (just look at all that fantastic ink!), but he’s also level-headed, pragmatic, and funny.

9. Jared

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Kick-ass bassist and the youngest of the group. (Don’t tell Caleb, but I have a secret crush on him.) He also helped form (and is part of) the phenomenal Smoke and Jackal. He’s kinda cocky, too. But that’s okay. Because Kings of Leon.

10. Matthew

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Watch and listen to this guy shred that guitar. Amazing. And even better live. He's the quiet, mysterious one of the group, which every band needs, of course.

11. They're Adorable

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Awwww...