Originally published in The Aquarian Weekly

October 15, 2008

Kings of Leon

Only By The Night

RCA Records

In 2007, I placed the Kings third album,

Because Of The Times, near the top of my

list of the best albums of the year. Only By The

Night is even better. This time out, the Kings

have made a somewhat more accessible

record without giving up any of the urgency

that informed their earlier work. While the pace

of this album is slightly relaxed compared to

the devastating onslaught of Because Of The

Times, none of the band’s immediacy has

been lost.

Caleb Followill remains one of the most

compelling frontmen on the scene. If anything,

he has stepped up his game, creating a slow

burning intensity that is insistent and harrowing.

He is joined by brothers Nathan and Jared,

and cousin Matthew to create a sound that

ranges from the desolate opener “Closer”

(Caleb says it’s about a lovesick vampire), to

the album’s incendiary first single, “Sex On

Fire.” There is more melody present than on

earlier efforts too, as demonstrated by the

“Use Somebody,” a plea for companionship

in a lonely world, and the emotional closing

ballad, “Cold Desert.”

For the second year in a row, Kings Of Leon

are going to be at or near the top of my yearend

list. It is a rare band that continues to get

better with each album. If the Kings are able

to continue this trend, their future is downright

scary.

In A Word: Fierce

Grade: A

—by Ken Shane