Kings Of Leon
Only By The Night

THE REVIEW

In the UK lions, in the USA... well, you get it, right?

Strange fate, that of the Followill gang. Exactly what happens to characters like Robbie Williams, just to name one; but here we are in the rock domain, and it's a different story. The music of Kings Of Leon has been so far a delightful blend traveling from garage to southern rock, along the wide highway of melodic pop rock.

However, it happens that the guys go big for this new "Only By The Night," including entrusting the video for the new single "Sex On Fire" (already a big hit, of course) to a director usually linked to pop (?) music like Sophie Muller. Beware of prejudices, they usually say; well, then at least let's dissect.

Let's get right to it: this "Only By The Night" sounds great, few mental masturbations. "Closer" is an overture that quickly sets the right atmosphere, with Caleb immediately making it clear that he has reached full vocal maturity, and the guitars buzzing delightfully. The issue is that the strength of a masterful album like the previous "Because Of The Times" was precisely the "dirt" of certain sounds and the lesser quest for perfection in the arrangements and structure of the tracks. In short, the immediacy is missing. Take the following "Crawl" for instance: here the sound is much rougher and harsher, but the formal melodic pursuit is a bit too insistent. "Use Somebody" can even be labeled as "radio-friendly," listening to it, you might believe you’re hearing Snow Patrol instead of the American band; I repeat, it's not (always) a bad thing, but from the Followills, you always expect something more.

In short, soft atmospheres abound, and the gritty edge of tracks like "McFearless" is replaced by "finesse" such as "Revelry," "Manhattan" (sustained by an interesting groove shaped by the electric bass), "Seventeen" (tons of falsetto), and similar ones. All very nice, but where has the grit gone?

The guys continue to manage, this is undeniable. But next time it will be better to "get their hands a little dirtier," because the risk of flattening out is just around the corner.

The new U2 will be better sought elsewhere.

Key tracks: "Crawl", "Use Somebody", "Be Somebody", "Cold Desert"