the Kings of Leon- Only By the Night

Never hit tab on facebook.... a wonderful lesson I learned while writing this note. So now that I'm typing this the second time you won't get the briliance I once had prepared for you thanks to the ridiculous fact that if you hit tab on facebook it aparently sends you back to the previous page....I first heard The Kings of Leon while working for American Eagle. Every couple months they change out a disc of about three hours of songs for (sometimes) a new batch. When you hear the same songs over and over again some grow on you and you decide to go check out the artist. The Kings were one of the many bands I ended up checking out because of their selection. The are also one of the only ones I still listen to. Mainly because of their growth from album to album which is a quality that seems so rare these days. When I first heard the kings they were unlike any band I was listening to at the time. They had this great southern sound with catchy songs and great musicianship. Nevermind the fact that I couldn't understand the lyrics or make sense of the ones I could understand. It was just a fun band to listen to, no need for lyrical depth.With their new album Only by the Night out only a year or so after their previous release I wondered what kind of album they could really make in that short amount of time. Many bands have turned around right after a succesful album and released crap to make more money. So my immediate reaction was well they found success over in Brittain with Because of the Times so the must have decided to cash in on their success there. I'm about three full listens into Only by the Night I can honeslty say it's not what I expected. It's even better than Because... For the first time on a Kings album the lyrics make sense (for the most part). You can understand Caleb Followills vocals. I actually have always enjoyed Calebs southern draw and his vocal stylings. It's one of the things that makes the band unique, but he adds clarity to his melodies and really puts a lot more touch on his annunciation. The sounds are more polished but not in a "studio" way. Their evolution from a southern rock band to one of the best indie bands out there has been etched by spacey delay ridden guitars and great melodies. The Kings of Leon are emerging as one of my favorite bands. Strictly based on their ability to grow with each record and not getting in that rut of making the same album or songs over. "Use Somebody" for sure has to be their second single for sure. This song has the ability to cross over to multiple tastes in music and could really put them in a place to gain some momentum here in America in addition to their huge success in England and abroad. I'm not going to go through the album track by track because well, I've accomplished my goal of having something to do at work. So, my suggestion is that if you were on the fence about The Kings of Leon, or you have never heard them. Then go check out Only Because of the Night because dare I say... I think it might be my favorite album of 08.

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