Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night

Band Members
Caleb Followill - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Jared Followill - Bass
Matthew Followill - Lead Guitar
Nathan Followill - Drums

KingsOfLeon.com
Myspace.com/KingsOfLeonFans



CD Tracklisting
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


Kings of Leon step up their musical game with the release of their new record and produced a selection of heartfelt songs that demonstrate their skills and styling as a band and the growth they’d made since 2007’s ‘Because of the Times’.
Hitting back towards their southern roots and taking hold of the uniqueness and power of Caleb’s vocals the four piece family band are set to break their indie scene into more mainstream crowds while retaining a sound that is genuinely cool.
‘Sex on Fire’ is the first release and is a taste of the more refined tone of the record as a whole with cleaner cuts to their dirty rock image scoring their first number one in the UK and signalling good times for the band and the album.
Every song has a purpose to it; ‘Revelry’ is short but sweet and ‘Be Somebody’ shows a darker shade of sound that haunts and commands with each verse.

Kings of Leon have been around for a while and I’ve enjoyed much of what they’ve done to date but with each record they’ve improved and found a way to make what they do sound new and yet familiar. There isn’t another band that sounds quite like them and this only makes them interesting as they don’t produce instant hits just for the sake of it; they make music they like and enjoy and now it’s paying off. It’s not only the style of the album that sold me but also the clever touches that make it interest such as the fading in and out of the final track, ‘Cold Desert’ as the music comes back for one last gasp before leaving completely.

This will be one of the records of the year as Kings of Leon step up to the plate with a fresh and defined sound that had been glimpsed at in previous records but had yet to be settled with; until now. From track to track you can hear the work that has been put in but nothing sounds forced at all.

Anyone will be drawn in and seduced by the beauty of ‘Only by the Night’ and I doubt there will be anyone that doesn’t find this a record to own and share.


Review by Laura Heath


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