Music Review: Kings of Leon's Only by the Night

I like my rock and roll to come from the groin and from the gut.  I want it to sound like split spleens and crotch grabbing, like raw spit, pavement, and gravel.  The Kings of Leon have always been that, and they still are.

A lot of people are going to accuse KOL of going soft, trying to appeal to teenage girls, and selling out.  The only reason I say this is because I've already read such comments all over the web.  I dismiss these people's opinions.  These people are the same people who will at every age wish they were back in high school or college.  These people are neurotic bores; people whose tastes, experiences, likes and dislikes do not evolve.

All the rest of life is growing legs and crawling onto beaches while these fish refuse to leave the salt of the sea.  I thank KOL for becoming amphibious and leaving the weak to go belly up in the ocean.  If the weak want to stay in the water, then they can drown without ever knowing anything different than what they've always known.

Each album KOL makes has been a progression that no one saw coming.  I like that; progression keeps life interesting, especially when it's done with confidence and perfection.  Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak are shots of whiskey, wild nights, and debauchery.  Because of the Times is still all of that, but shows the wear and tear that comes with always standing on the edge of a brawl, with lines like "I'll still be running from the demons in my head/ I'll be that person till my dying day/ I try so awful hard but I can't change." 

Only by the Night first appears as a break from what KOL have done in the past, but in truth, they haven't changed; they can't.  All they've done is become more self aware of their perfections and their flaws, and they expose both on Only by the Night, which is a good thing.  This band of wanderers have become a lot heavier emotionally and more open with their thoughts, which explains why the tempo of the songs has slowed since Aha Shake Heartbreak and also how Caleb Followill's southern yawp has become more clear and precise, more open in his declaration that no one wants to wander the night alone:

You told me you loved me, that I'd never die alone

Hand over your heart, let's go home

Everyone noticed, everyone has seen the signs

I've always been known to cross lines

I've never ever cried when I was feeling down 

I've always been scared of the sound

Jesus don't love me, no one ever carried my load

I'm too young to feel this old.  ("Cold Desert")

Some roles in life become harder to play with time: the wanderer, the vagabond, the ship without an anchor, the weather vane, the loner, and  this album helps us see to that and to deal with it.  These songs have the potential to age well, just like the band that created them because they touch on everyone's search for meaning, companionship, and love.  These are honest songs.

"I Want You"

Interview with Caleb about recording "Cold Desert"