When Kings of Leon released Aha Shake Heartbreak back in 2004 they took a giant step forward. They harnessed the raw power and grit of their debut album Youth and Young Manhood and channeled its energy into well-crafted songs. Songs like “Slow Night, So Long” and “The Bucket” are raucous but still pleasing to the ear. Their newest album, Because of the Times is at times a chore to listen to. It’s not that the songs are bad, they’re just peppered with irritating touches that make you wonder who could have possibly thought they were a good idea. The album does have some very bright spots, but on the whole it just does not stand up to its predecessors.
Let’s start with the positive. Album opener “Knocked Up” is a Southern tale about a couple that “don’t care what nobody says, we’re gonna have a bay-beeeee.” The song recalls “Milk” off of the previous album, plodding bass, strong narrative, spoken/sung lyrics. It’s a great track— or at least it would be if they had cut it off before the seven minute mark. In their attempt to reach for something epic, they stretch themselves too thin and end up tedious.
They do succeed in their lunge for greatness on lead single “On Call.” It’s a sweeping, vague, and grandiose song that recalls U2 and Springsteen. Caleb Followill’s voice is perfectly suited for the percussive delivery of the line “I’m on call, to BE THERE.” It flows right into “McFearless,” a decent track that features wobbly guitar and worried vocals to create an impression of uneasiness. “Black Thumbnail” works as a Killers style rock song filtered through some Texas grunge.
But those are really the few standouts on the album. The bulk of the songs are forgettable one word-titled exercises in Southern alternative rock. The ones that stick out from that bunch do so for all the wrong reasons. “My Party” sounds like a shoddy LCD Soundsystem ripoff sung through a cell-phone. “Charmer” features a shriek to punctuate each verse that is actually painful to hear. “True Love Way” has the annoying habit of singing every word like it’s the last one, ruining an otherwise good song.
For as long as they’ve been around everything written about Kings of Leon seems contractually obligated to mention the Strokes. But while the Strokes used their third album as an opportunity to write more complex and interesting songs, Kings of Leon have thrown too many unnecessary ideas into a mix that was already quite potent. Artistic growth comes through experimentation, and there are some strong points on here that are worth discovering. I’m looking forward to see what they do with them on the next album, but for now I think I’ll keep listening to the first two. |