10/5/10

Kings of Leon | First Impressions of ‘Come Around Sundown’

Kings of Leon have had a big couple of years since their release of 2008’s highly successful album Only By The Night. That album brought this band from being one people could barely remember the name of, to a household name. Kings of Leon is now known for songs like Sex on Fire and Use Somebody of the Only By The Night album but it wasn’t long ago in Britain that the band was making musical waves with their older albums such as Youth And Young Manhood or Because Of The Times. These albums rung out to many people because of that undeniable rock feel to them which pulsated with charisma and personality that is usually reserved for the fleeting golden moments that very seldom come for most artists.
The release of Kings of Leon’s fifth album Come Around Sundown is distinctively more mature than any of the other offerings to come before it.  Come Around Sundown doesn’t have that streamlined feel to it that Only By The Night came to be known for, the new album is slower and the lyrics feel like they are coming from a happier place.  Especially when you put them up against some of the lyrics from Because Of The Times which could be best described as a drunken conversation with the lads after a bad break-up with a long time girlfriend.  One of the few real throwbacks on the new album, in terms of lyrics that are more reminiscent of tracks like Molly’s Chambers or Trani is Mi Amigo. In that track the refrain goes something like this “I’ve got a friend, helps me to get up again. Showers me in Booze, tells me I got a big old dick, and then she walks my ass home”. Classic Kings of Leon!   
With any Kings of Leon album it takes a bit of time to process and it’s important to wait until the third or fourth listen to pass any judgment.  If history serves any purpose it should tell us that albums from the Kings of Leon are loaded with gems that just need a bit of time to catch with the people who are listening. The real standouts from Come Around Sundown are Pyro, Mary, Back Down South and Mi Amigo


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