Album Details

• Artist: Kings Of Leon
• Album: Come Around Sundown
• Label: RCA
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2010-10-24

  A lot of expectations are set, due to the last album's success. Two songs, one hook on track five “The Face” and six “The Immortals”....say it all about the Kings Of Leon writing ability. While I'd consider these to be the weakest of the two songs next to each other, they still find a way to combine each track's experimental melodies. The backbone chord of "The Immortals" verse, mirrors a Police meets Explosions In The Sky.

    It's really the diversity of these 13 tracks that makes this album so intriguing. Track four “Mary” combines a form of the first Pop/Rock, now charming in Rockabilly. Lead man commands a confidence through the speakers, this song, if any is evidence of their always very smooth rendition of simple rock turned pleasurable.

         While surfing the web a few weeks prior to the release of this album, I found “Pickup Truck” live from a show that summer. God bless the fellow fan as I saw this coming to be a stronger, more bearable softer side of the K.O.L. in advance. Sort of like the way Don Henley/Peter Gabriel takes your attention, this song has melody that won't leave you once exposed. "Just so you know I was thinking of you".  A definitive bass line that is repetitive but not boring, and a wondrous trance of guitar melodies.

 “Back Down South” quickly became a favorite on their most recent (2010) tours and will now possibly meets its future on the radio, if they dare. The following track “Beach Side” has a cocky and retro-melody that sits well with it's fast paced bass-line and clear-as-a-bell lyrics. “No Money” is another of the few upbeat tracks here, and all writers should be credited for changing up the speeds on this record. The following track “Pony Up” manages an imprint without particularly impressing with fancy hooks or emotion. “Birthday” features Caleb's signature howl, with energy but without effort.

   “The End” is the beginning, and quite honestly the beginning is in the end. I guarantee you this is the type of song to ward away the old school fans. Chock full of rhythm, bass and groove, but without real K.O.L. aggression.The choice of “Radioactive” for the first radio single didn't match the expectations of the recording to follow Only By The Night. In hindsight (six album spins) it seems perfect, as the song speaks, 'in all their glory' while the album speaks different volumes of many genres.

Country, Alternative, Punk and Experimental Acoustic, the Kings Of Leon are more than just a good story of three brothers and a cousin from Tennessee, they're a melding of musical minds.

Speaking of below the Mason-Dixon line, “Back Down South” will seem like a cover of many, but it's truly their own, and even worth a $40 ticket to their next show.  Seeing “Back Down South” as a single, is not an irresponsible, moonshine induced scowl.  Perhaps after "Pyro", if that little sticker that comes on the plastic wrapping is any indication.

         But the song that probably would garner the most attention is “Mi Amigo”, subtle and refreshing with it's Country twinged Rock of Soul. And yet, Caleb uses this recording to make that album statement, in years past it's been about the size of a black fellow's penis, this year, it's about the size of his. This horn enhanced 4:06 echoes as a top five track in their five album collection for it's confidence.

                  It's almost as if this is what Lynyrd Skynyrd should have progressed into. While I admit, this isn't nearly as groundbreaking as I was hoping for... yet, again, the Kings of Leon have matured...

User Reviews and Comments

on 2012-04-25 hstisgod Said:

couldn't agree with you more on this KOL album, HOWEVER, I dont see this tantrum of a band rushing to record any new albums. I could be wrong, but I believe we've seen the last of them for a while if not for good.
Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2012-04-25 jill88 Said:

KOL's attempts at a hookier sound left me kind of cold...I felt those songs never really reached their peak I thought they would.

If I hadn't have given the album a second or third chance, I would have probably ditched it after my first listen.
But it sounded like a decent album and after multiple listens, I grew to appreciate most of the music.
So in saying that, a lot of people comparing this to their previous release will probably be thoroughly disappointed after the first listen and trash this album here, but I tried to get the most perspective I could on this album before I shared my thoughts.

"The End" is probably the only radio friendly song they can squeeze out of this album, which is fine by me because anyone near a radio or television in 2008 and 2009 could NOT escape "Sex on Fire" or "Use Somebody"!
Thinking the band would revert to their "Because of the Times" sound was obviously misinformed, once finishing the album.
I couldn't even compare it to "Only By The Night" because the hooky sound they had then is pretty absent this time around.

I am looking forward to their next album because I have a good feeling they will come back with a vengeance with the sound they attempted to create for this album, but didn't really achieve.
Rating: 8/10

Review:

on 2011-06-30 Bertman Said:

Kings of Leon

Come Around Sundown



I'm puzzled by the new Kings of Leon CD, "Come Around Sundown." It opens with a snooze of a track called The End. I'm thinking if this is the best foot they have to put forward, then this is will be a tedious listen indeed. But "Radioactive", the second track, has a niggling and persistent guitar riff which'll burrow itself in your auditory canal like that space bug in Star Trek II. Perhaps this CD will turn itself around?



But alas, no. The rest of the CD is a hit or miss mixed bag of rock where they try not to sound too much like anyone else and succeed. But nothing memorable really leaps off the disc either. The band is stuck in between second and third gear. They seem to want to jam out on some calculated and expected School of Rock 101 moves, but forgo them. It's a pity, because even something clich? might be more memorable and give the listener something to latch onto.



The guitarist apparently just discovered a digital delay and reverb effects pedal on sale at Sam Ash, as he overuses them every chance he gets. None of this is flat out bad, but, it's not any good either. A lot of this reminds me of Roger Waters solo material. I'll give you a moment to think of some RW solo songs you like . . . . .



You'd be better off downloading the tracks you like, which in my case are Beach Side, Radioactive and No Money. I keep waiting for Kings of Leon to live up to their much ballyhooed hype. This CD doesn't help bring me any closer to thinking they deserved their Grammy.




Rating: 5/10