 Kings of Leon have, over the last few years, transcended from being dubbed the ‘Southern Strokes’ to being set for global domination with their unique sounding alternative rock.
The Tennessee clan of 3 Followill brothers and 1 cousin, have received high acclaim from critics and fans alike and are the embodiment of what rock music is all about, with their rasping vocals, angry bass lines, signature guitar hooks, pounding drums and lyrical tales of sexual debauchery and nights out.
Through each album, we have witnessed the progression of a band who have musically developed into songcraft masters of epic proportions. KOL introduced themselves to us with their debut 'Youth & Young Manhood' in 2003, an album packed full of raw talent, potential and musical treasures including 'Mollys Chambers' and 'Genius'.
The band revealed a more sensitive side with their second album 'Aha Shake Heartbreak’ in 2004 through softer songs like 'Milk' and 'Day Old Blues' whilst still maintaining the raw energy found in their debut album. Album three, ‘Because Of the Times’ released in April 2007, acknowledged the bands development and showed off their new expanded sound gained through touring with the likes of Bob Dylan and U2.
KOL have gone from strength to strength since releasing Youth & Young Manhood, and now just five years down the line, whilst riding high at the top of the UK singles charts for the second week running, the Followill clan are releasing their fourth album 'Only By The Night' a potential Number One which looks destined to become a favourite amongst fans both old and new.
‘Only By The Night’ picks up where ‘Because of The Times’ left off and immediately it becomes apparent that frontman, Caleb has a new confidence in his voice. He exchanges his usual almost incoherent southern drawl to deliver clear and soulful vocals over the atmospheric leading track, 'Closer' which launches with an echoing synth line developing into a rock song of epic proportions.
 Onto 'Crawl' The USA’s opening single which will probablly become the UK’s second single. It’s one of the darker and rockier tracks of the album with its distorted guitar, punchy bassline, thumping drums and wailing chorus......."..you better learn to crawl before I walk away.."
Next up we have the glorious ‘Sex On Fire’ the bands first UK Number One Single, a rousing track which is on a par with classic KOL tracks such as Y&YM’s Molly’s Chambers with it’s syncopated guitar and bassline overlayed by Caleb's powerful tones.
‘Use Somebody’, written by Caleb when he was feeling lonely on the road, stands out as one of the true gems of the album. A slow burning ballad in the style of ‘On Call’. Opening with haunting ‘woah ohhs’ over the crashing symbols, this is a colossal sounding track which will be immense in the arenas the band will be filling on their upcoming tour. Caleb’s soulful vocals shine out in the quiet moments which build up with the prescence of pounding drums and guitar. Definitely another potential single with this one "...You know that I could use somebody...."
The hook-laden uplifting track, ‘Manhattan’ highlights how tight-knit the band has become. It's filled with atmospheric guitar tones from Matt and howling vocals from Caleb.
 The next three tracks are more mid tempo. ‘Revelry’ is a smooth song filled with lovelorn lyrics offset by wailing guitars, more ‘wo ooh ooh’s’ and a bass hook reminiscent of ‘Genius’.
The following track, ‘17’ opens with clashing drums and bells which sound almost Christmassy before the howling guitar riffs storm in, building up to a harmonious chorus singing the praises of a girl “...oh you’re one in a million...” The combination of a commanding bassline, jangly guitars and piano makes 'Notion' a very catchy melody, the 'Fans' of the album. ‘I Want You’ is another slow-burning melody fuelled by a Pixiesque bassline overlayed by a range of subtle guitar hooks and cow bell which becomes engrained on the brain. Another potential single.‘Be Somebody’ opens heavily with pounding drums and swooning guitars that increases in tempo as it leads into a chorus with spiralling bass and powerful vocals “.....Given a chance I’m gonna be somebody....” The album closes with the intensly emotional ‘Cold Desert’ a light tempo melody which winds the album down with some lovely guitar playing.
KOL have been influenced by the bands they’ve toured with like U2, Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan which has encouraged them towards a more stadium driven direction as did performing headlining slots at festivals like Glastonbury. The band were keen to come up with some big songs to play at big venues and they haven’t disappointed. ‘Only By The Night’ is an ambitious album, which reveals a new side to the band who have once more delivered a medley of songs which are passionate and truly original. Technically 'Only By The Night' is the best of the four albums and will put them up there with the greats where they belong. This is partly due to the production process of the album during which the band were encouraged by their long-time producer Angelo Petraglia, and Jacquire King, (who mixed Aha Shake Heartbreak) to get involved with the experimental process and were given the freedom to explore all of their ideas. 
Tracklisting:
Closer
Crawl
Sex On Fire
Use Somebody
Manhattan
Revelry
17
Notion
I Want You
Be Somebody
Cold Desert Want to know more? check out the following links.... Kings of Leon: Band On Fire Kings of Leon Official Website Kings Of Leon Myspace Words by: Sarah McGlue - Audiotube Newsdesk |
