Album Review: Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

Kings of Leon – Only By The Night

Before this album I had an opinion about Kings of Leon. It was one of those “I don’t care what you say, I’m right, you just don’t realise” opinions. I loved the first Kings of Leon record Youth and Young Manhood. Loved it. I even went to see Kings of Leon play, have the t-shirt to prove it. Then the bandwagon arrived. I took a different road. One paved with discussions of “they used to be good. When they had beards”. I still miss the beards, but this, in my opinion is their return to form.

The last two records for me were “Kings of Leon are selling out. They’re just out to make money. Radio tripe, that’s what it is. Although I wouldn’t blame them for trying to make money. I’d sell out too if it got me loads of money and a bigger fanbase.” That bigger fanbase did not include me.

However, with Only By The Night, they may get me back. I can picture the discussions now. I won’t be saying “yeah I was wrong”, but instead “see, I knew they were good all along, just took them two mediocre albums to figure it out for themselves.” Amy and Shauna should expect to be involved in this conversation.

As for the songs. ‘Closer’: “Ha, I like the way a song called ‘Closer’ is the opener. I know, I know. Close as in closing a door, but it’s still amusing. Not their best song, and had me worried, it would be three in a row.”

‘Crawl’: “this starts off like one of those theme tunes. Gavin DeGraw’s One Tree Hill yoke or something. It’s nothing special. Had the mp3 for download on my blog a while ago. It’s not really a grower. Still sounds the same.”

‘Sex On Fire’: “Great song title. Just dripping with machismo. But you know that. Gives the guys a chance to show off their muscles. Yeah, I still miss the beards. Real bands have beards. Perfect single choice too.”

‘Use Somebody’: “Best song they’ve done since ‘Red Morning Light’, or actually half of the first record. God what an album. Oh and I hated that falsetto rubbish on the last album. Bloody yelps. Like Dave Matthews on ‘Louisiana Bayou’. But that “use” yelp works. Everything about the song works. Like a cross between Arcade Fire, Coldplay, U2, and Kings of Leon. But only the best parts.”

‘Manhattan’: “Yeah, I had heard this one before too. I remember at the time thinking that the riff was like something by Dave Matthews Band too, maybe ‘Old Dirt Hill’ or ‘American Baby’. Maybe they were listening to DMB on the tourbus. Which is never a bad thing. Yeah, when this was sent out to us bloggers I thought it was decent. Still wasn’t expecting a decent album though.”

‘Revelry’: “Woohoohoo. Whiney, slurred, no instant radio-hook. Yes, this is the Kings of Leon I remember. Maybe I should have a look for that t-shirt. Won’t iron it though. That wouldn’t be cool.”

‘17’: “Starts like some kind of Christmas deck-the-bells nonsense. I’m not the greatest fan of it. It’s the kind of stuff they had on those last two albums. Alright, but nothing special.”

‘Notion’: “Yeah, a Heineken please. Oh someone requested Kings of Leon. Thanks DJ, play something a bit more lively. No-one will dance to this. No, nothing from Because of the Times. Dull. Oh sorry barman, I wasn’t minding. I was too busy giving out. Five forty? You’re kidding me. For one pint?”

‘I Want You’: “It’s alright, I suppose. I like the bass riff. Nice and neat. Could be why it’s just alright though. There’s no rawness. Guess that’s what happens when you shave.”

‘Be Somebody’: “These songs which have “somebody” in the titles truly are the best tracks on the album. Maybe if they made a concept record called Somebody, that’d be their masterpiece. The bridge is just so great. It’s like classic rock. Maybe even classic pop. Did someone just put on Rick Astley?”

‘Cold Desert’: “Should’ve been a tune called ‘Opener’, about a can opener, or something. Would’ve been amusing. Well for me at least. Ah they should’ve ended better. On a high. Switch this an ‘Be Somebody’, that’d be better. Well maybe not, people might just switch it off after ‘Manhattan’, and ‘Be Somebody’ needs to be heard. Just turn it off after that.”


“Yeah, so mine’s a Heineken. What’s yours?”