Kings of Leon have sold out - and I am quite glad they did. What I like about Only By the Night is Kings of Leon let you know where they stand. These guys know they're way cooler than Daughtry or Hinder so they don't waste any time worrying about whether you think they're cool. Instead the band looks beyond the apathy of indie rock and instead draws influence from those rockers of time's past who didn't stop believing and wanted you to show them what love was. There is no greater moment than on the unashamed power single, "Sex on Fire," which is brilliant in its earnestness and lacking any hint of pretension. The rest of the album has a difficult time measuring up to the electricity of "Sex on Fire," but its not for a lack of trying. Crying out for "someone like you" on "Use Somebody," it is clear the band is moving past that garage blues sound they built their name around. Only By the Night is a bigger album in its scope - epic tracks built for arenas. When bands shift to these U2/Colplay-like goals, such bids for commercialism are often viewed as contradictory to what the band actually stood for. In the case of Kings of Leon, they turn this sonic growth into an experiment - one that is overall successful.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Album of the Week: Only By the Night /
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon have sold out - and I am quite glad they did. What I like about Only By the Night is Kings of Leon let you know where they stand. These guys know they're way cooler than Daughtry or Hinder so they don't waste any time worrying about whether you think they're cool. Instead the band looks beyond the apathy of indie rock and instead draws influence from those rockers of time's past who didn't stop believing and wanted you to show them what love was. There is no greater moment than on the unashamed power single, "Sex on Fire," which is brilliant in its earnestness and lacking any hint of pretension. The rest of the album has a difficult time measuring up to the electricity of "Sex on Fire," but its not for a lack of trying. Crying out for "someone like you" on "Use Somebody," it is clear the band is moving past that garage blues sound they built their name around. Only By the Night is a bigger album in its scope - epic tracks built for arenas. When bands shift to these U2/Colplay-like goals, such bids for commercialism are often viewed as contradictory to what the band actually stood for. In the case of Kings of Leon, they turn this sonic growth into an experiment - one that is overall successful.
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1 comment:
Yours is one of the only positive reviews that I have read. I haven't much listened to their new album, so I can't give an opinion, but I'm glad to see you swimming against the current.
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