Kings Of Leon
Aha Shake Heartbreak

THE REVIEW

"Aha Shake Heartbreak" by Kings Of Leon is the follow-up to the good debut "Youth And Young Manhood", acclaimed by critics and objectively featuring excellent tracks like "Trani", "California Waiting" and especially "Red Morning Light".

To maintain continuity with the work done in the first LP, the Followills opted not to overturn the "magic formula" that brought so much success the first time around, and they return to the market with a single like "The Bucket", perfect in duration (two minutes and fifty-nine flat) and sound, indeed owing to the Strokes and the like but also splendidly catchy and nevertheless "suspiciously trendy".

Thankfully, K.O.L. aren't just about vintage guitars, and in the previous full length, they had already shown their capability by alternating upbeat drums and sharp guitars with beautiful, slow tracks steeped in the dirtiest seventies, where Caleb's voice could finally unleash its claws and scratch.

Here, they do it frankly in a less convincing manner, but that doesn't mean they are unsuccessful; "Milk", for instance, or the more straightforward "Day Old Blues", are good examples in this sense. Elsewhere, the "under three-minute rock 'n roll lesson" is well executed, especially in the amusing "Four Kicks" (a clear legacy from years of listening to Stones records in dad's car) and in the clearly Strokes-like "Velvet Snow" (the track that most recalls the modus operandi of the debut) and "King Of The Rodeo" (more deliberate and less instinctive, perhaps even more polished). The opener "Slow Night, So Long" is good but doesn’t reach the level of "Red Morning Light" (impossible) as it starts decisively but becomes too "messed up" towards the end, while the closing is entrusted to the dirty guitars of "Where Nobody Knows".

This "Aha..." is thus a good album, which confirms both the qualities and shortcomings expressed in the yet enjoyable debut and, by golly, it’s perfectly fine that way.