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Kings of Leon - Only By the Night

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Caleb Followill - lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Jared Followill – bass

Matthew Followill - lead guitar

Nathan Followill – drums

 

The southern rock, garage rock, hard rock and blues band from Tennessee try to light the world on fire with their latest release Only By The Night. The band made up of three brothers and a first cousin has been on the scene since their first release in 2003. The EP featured 5 tracks, 4 of which would land back on the debut LP Youth and Young Manhood. The next album hit stores in 2004 titled Aha Shake Heartbreak then came back with Because of the Times in 2007. The latest installment of the band features a single that has hit #1 in 3 countries and a #3 in the U.S., while the album itself hit number 5 here.  The album begins with the track “Closer.” It begins with some cool effects on guitar and driving vocals. The track is a slow moving through its progression as the vocals carry the track to its end. While listening to it you can imagine just how it would look live, smoke and fog rolling in under the feet of Matthew as he plays the guitar then shifting to Caleb and his microphone for much of the remainder of the song. “Crawl” enters with drums and screaming guitars as well as a distorted/fuzzy bass. Its more upbeat then the opener, but offers up the same high echoing, psychedelic feel to it. In places it seems like it would have been perfect of the movie “Blow.” Next is single “Sex on Fire” which has been lighting up on the charts. As it begins it kind of sounds a bit like the SilverSun Pickups, but as it moves through the first section of the song it begins to hold its own. “Use Somebody” is a slower track that embraces vocals and lyrics as the focus. The smooth track stands out to me as one of the better on the album. It picks up a bit after the first set of lines including some back vocal sounds. “Manhattan” has faster lyrics and a cool sound to the guitars as they are boarder line funky that draws you attention. “Revelry” has a bit of a county/southern feel to it more than the rest. There are some sweet sounding drums (steel sounding if you will) that gives the song a step above some of the others. “17” is an upbeat sassy track that displays another side of the band as “Notion” adds in some keys to the mix. Its easy listening trend should get some fans to take the song and run. It reminds me of an 80’s power pop track with is spiced up with some crazy sounding guitar solos. “I Want You” begins funky with some more steel sounding drums and a touch of guitars. It really flares up when the vocals some streaming in. “Be Somebody” throws a nice set of drums in the mix then adds in the rest. There are some odd sounding vocals in places, coming in or leaving short of where they sound they should go. The album ends with the track “Cold Desert” with begins with a simple guitar and adds in drums a few second in. an elegant sounding track with a soft set of vocals and steady beat that doesn’t get in the way of the lyrics and vocals. Overall this album does have some bright spots, but lacks that key element to me to make it special and long lasting. It soft trend will entice listeners in coffee shops and internet cafes to sit back and enjoy, but someone looking to jam from time to time just place the album back on the shelve. I do think however, that they can write like no other. The lyrics are the high point of the album as well as the effects that they can and have added to their music. It is well orchestrated. A bit more flare to the tracks will improve it immensely.  

 

 

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

My favorite tracks:

Use Somebody, Manhattan

 

Track List:

1.      Closer

2.      Crawl

3.      Sex on Fire

4.      Use Somebody

5.      Manhattan

6.      Revelry

7.      17

8.      Notion

9.      I Want You

10.  Be Somebody

11.  Cold Desert

 

Website (s): www.kingsofleon.com, www.rcarecords.com

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