Kings of Leon – Only By The Night

Genre – Rock

Label – RCA

Quick Take: The Kings take one step out of the garage

Get it if: You want their best album yet

Don’t get it if: You’re susceptible to hype

It’s going to be difficult to keep my preconceptions from tainting this review. The word on the street is that all the touring with U2 has had an impact on Kings of Leon and that alone might be a bar-setting factoid depending on how you feel about U2. Personally, I’m a fan of U2 and having been unimpressed with previous offerings from Kings of Leon, I just had to give this one a spin.

The first thing that hit me was the relatively manicured production of the album. Really, the Nashville quartet’s garage sound didn’t have too far to go to consider it more polished. Many of the songs are a good match for Caleb Followill’s unmistakable vocals which can be perceived to go in many directions from soulful (Sex on fire) to epic rocker (Crawl) to a muddy squeal (Manhattan), depending on context. However, songs that feature the latter can get annoying. Back to the U2 comparison, sure, there are a few elements of echo-y, “Edge-like” guitar riffs, and rhythm grooves reminiscent of U2, but I would say any influence is positive and never overdone.

Their stripped down southern-rock sound which often drew comparisons to The Strokes, has given way to a more mature sound and I feel that the band has hit their stride. If you’re a fan, I think you will be happy with the band’s evolution. Overall, I approve of the new sound and the material on the album, being way better than their previous offerings. As decent as Only By The Night is, if Kings of Leon keep this direction, their best work is still yet to come.

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