Only By the Night is to be officially released September 20.
Slotting in at 42 minutes with 11 tracks, the Kings' new album is more mellow than BOTT but there are plenty of Southern rocking moments, as well as a liberal dose of country, a big influence for the Followills. Caleb's vocals are noticeably clearer and cleaner, although it is still hard to make out many of the lyrics, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
The opening track, "Closer" is truly an epic opening, it begins with a spacey synth riff and ghostly screams in the background, soon vocals come in and the song builds up with rhythm guitar to start the album off with a bang. After "Crawl" and "Sex on Fire", which are unchanged from earlier releases, comes the much anticipated studio version of "Manhattan". While definitely a great song, it lacks the punch of the live version, and comes off a bit lacking.
"Use Somebody" and "Notion" are perhaps the staple pop anthems that fans were dreading, but they still retain enough Kings to be appreciated, and Caleb's whine is possibly the thing that saves them. "Revelry" will be a track that grows on listeners, with both Matthew and Jared contributing fills aplenty. "17" sounds like a poppy christmas carol, with backing "oohs" and bells.
"Be Somebody" is one of the stand-out tracks, the pounding drums and "Milk"-esque guitar alternate with a melodic chorus, and it ends with a rocking breakdown that is sure to get the crowd bouncing live. "I Want You" has a bassline similar to "Charmer" and a cowbell; it could have been interesting but ends up a bit irritating. "Cold Desert" ends the album, it is a slower melodic song but is powerful enough in an "Arizona" or "Trunk" way to be memorable.
This album has been heralded as "the album that will set Kings of Leon apart from other bands." Does OBTN do this? The short answer is no. There is no doubt that there are some killer tracks, some to satisfy old fans, some to widen the audience and appeal to a more mainstream demographic. However, comparing this release to the rawness and passion of their earlier work, Only By the Night falls just short. The whole is perhaps less than the sum of its parts. But thats not to say the Kings' have not produced something great. Any band would have trouble living up to Because of the Times. Every track on the album can be enjoyed, and the Kings of Leon will undoubtably continue to be the Southern success story they have been for the past few years.
sick!
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