Kings Of Leon
- Only By The Night (2008)
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Kings Of
Leon
Tracks
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
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By
Sean Lynch
If "Youth & Young Manhood" and "Aha
Shake Heartbreak" are the albums you have blaring at the start of a
party, and "Because Of
The Times" is the album blaring well into the night (when
drunken friends stand arm in arm singing the chorus to On Call)
- then "Only By The Night" must surely be the album which plays softly
in the background when everyone has just about passed out or gone home.
It's 4am music. It's soothing, it won't make you vomit and it sure
as shit will add to the ambiance of a post party haze. It's as
opposite the musical spectrum from "Youth" as you could possibly get,
but for some reason, it's a totally appropriate step for Kings of Leon
to take.
That said, after eleven tracks of Muse-esque
base (as heard on the single-ready Crawl),
effects heavy vocals and moody blues - you can't help but yearn for
something a little less "mature" and a little more... well... fun.
There is no denying that first single, Sex On Fire, is a
gem of a song. It's epic, it's almost erotic in a way and it's
quintessentially KOL. But that's where the fun ends, as for the most
part of "Only By The Night" the brothers Followill have served up what
can only be described as an audition tape to feature on U2's next tour.
Now, I'm all for good music being accepted by the masses - but much
like Eskimo Joe
(yes, I know it's not a fair comparison - but bear with me) but why
does acting all dark and moody seem to speak to those within the
mainstream.
The Joe were a perfectly upbeat, yet credible, band for their first two
albums. But then they adorned themselves with leather jackets and the
charm evaporated as the album sales soared.
The same seems to be happening on "Only By The Night".
Use
Somebody is far too clean. And while it's bound to have
it's play count high as hell on every Grey's Anatomy fans
iPod, it almost feels like another band. In fact, that might be the
major flaw here - it's far too epic ballad friendly.
Yes, songs like Manhattan,
Revelry
and I Want You
are great - but very samey. You can just picture the cigarette lighters
(now days, it's more likely to be mobile phones) raised high in the air
as these moody stadium ballads have the teeny bopper crowds in awe.
But it almost seems a bit wanky.
Be Somebody tries to inject some energy, but ultimately
just sounds like a reject from an old Noiseworks album.
My rants of a rabid 'Classic KOL' fan aside, "Only By The Night" is a
very solid album and will cement the guys as one of the major rock acts
for the next decade alongside the likes of Foo Fighters
and Green Day
(who have both made that mainstream cross over and have never fully
recovered).
Once again, the saviour of any of the album's weak points are the
sublime vocals of Caleb Followill. His croaky bursts of magic are
unlike anything else within the industry - and it has to be said that
this is the guy that is saving KOL from becoming just another
tight-jeans-wearing-one-hit-wonder.
A good album, that could have been a great one, had the tracks been
broken up and spliced throughout the Kings of Leon's next three albums
(you know the drill, four moody ballads and six upbeat rock ditties per
album). But it is what it is.
And what it is... is perfect... but only by the night.
RATING:
4 out of 5
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