The Followill boys, as in Caleb, Nathan, Matthew and Jared are still going strong as ever. The Kings fourth album ‘Only by the Night’ captures a more mature sound, yet still enchants fans with every turn it takes. The boys from Tennessee have a sound all their own. By this I mean guitars that will drag you through mud and full bodied wreckage. Caleb’s unique, strained “tried singing the second I woke up” voice is among the best in rock ‘n’ roll since Jimmy Page or Kurt Cobain. Opening track Closer grabs your attention with a guitar intro that eerily resembles the sound of a beeping heart monitor in a dark hospital room with a drum beat that fits the part while Caleb croons over a women who ”Took my heart/I think she took my soul”. Next in line Crawl is steely and intense. The multi-dimensional follow up track Use Somebody makes clear that Caleb is advertising his heart on is sleeve and that tone is kept throughout the album. The fourth track Sex is on Fire, is addicting; the voice, the poppy bass line and the galloping drum keeps an insanely melodic hold on you. Anyone who has sabotaged a relationship only to realize what they’re now missing can relate to Revelry, where Caleb admits “Just know that it was you all along who had a hold on my heart/but the demon in me was the best of friends from the start’. Cold Desert wraps up the album takes you on a slow drawn Dylan-esqu ride where he sadly weeps “Jesus don’t love me”. The Kings have introduced new sounds with this album. Keyboards and woozy background vocals are the icing on the cake. The Kings of Leon are running like a well oiled southern rock, tight jean wearing ass kicking machine. Oh yeah, and not to mention the album comes with a bonus disk including seven live tracks all from previous albums. If this isn’t enough to blow your mind, I’m not sure what will.
A+
2 comments:
A poor man's Black Rebel Motorcycle Club wanna-be covers band. No real sense of their own identity. All about the sound, but not about the song. No soul. Generic movie soundtrack music. Patrick Swayze comeback?
This album really showcases Caleb's brutally honest voice. We listen to the cracks and texture and can relate. Each song capitalizes on his uniqueness. If the music is fitting of a film soundtrack then more power to them. "Because of the Times" broke them into the mainstream and "Only By The Night" should solidify their much deserved appraise. P.S. -Impressive Review-
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