Music: Kings of Leon, Only By The Night

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Kings of Leon seem to pull from a lot of musical influences on their new album, Only By The Night. On some tracks, like the opening song “Closer,” the Kings sound a lot like Radiohead, particularly like the band’s 90s hit “Creep.” On other tracks, such as “Manhattan,” the guitars are more reminiscent of Coldplay’s “Fix You.” Either way, Kings of Leon have chosen their influences wisely, and this album, their fourth, is by far their strongest.

The two standout tracks on Only By The Night are the first single, “Sex On Fire,” and the track that follows it on the album, “Use Somebody.” Both songs are catchy and well structured. As an added bonus, lead singer Caleb Followill’s voice—which on other tracks can come across as grating and scratchy—is at its best in a solid wail and strong falsetto.

The band hasn’t managed to fix all its kinks, though. Most tracks are too long and a bit self-indulgent. The Kings’ lyrics could use some of the same inspiration they put into their music. Most songs are about booze, girls and all-night partying. Nothing is particularly insightful, and the songs are not even all that unique from each other, which makes for a boring listen.

But the Kings are indeed heading in the right direction, and doing so in the style of some of the greats in current popular music. If they focus as much on lyrical content as they do on guitar riffs, they could move into a whole new stratosphere with their next release.

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