Anyway, here's this week's review, of Come Around Sundown, Kings of Leon's highly anticipated follow-up to their 2008 hit record Only by the Night. KoL have been mainstays on the UK charts since 2002, but it took a wave of smash singles from Only by the Night to garner support for the familial quartet from Tennessee (three brothers and a cousin). That record netted them two Grammy awards, and after a slew of major festival appearances they were back in the studio to record their 5th proper album.
Unfortunately, it appears the hype and increased expectations have taken their toll on the band. Come Around Sundown feels like a re-hashing of what made Only by the Night so popular, but with even less creativity. I wasn't a big fan of Only by the Night, but I still listen to the first two songs from that record, and I feel like those two tracks showcase the band at their creative peak. Sundown also starts off with a flourish, with the energetic foot-tapper "The End" and the new single "Radioactive," but even those songs feel stale. This album has no flow and very little change of pace, it's just the same songs over and over again. The vocals are, as usual, an issue as well. Anyone who has heard Caleb Followill's singing voice knows that it can grate on you after a while, and that is still the case here. I don't hold it against him because it's definitely hard to change the way your voice sounds, but it makes it that much harder to enjoy the music.
And enjoying the music is hard enough as it is. All the songs just blur together, so much so that I have to keep looking at the tracklist to remember what song I'm listening to. By the 5th track I am dozing off, and there really isn't much end in sight for an album that is almost 50 minutes long. Pretty average by typical standards, but far too long for this album. Lyrical themes are pretty standard for KoL; southern life, parties, and failed relationships.
There are a few bright points though. The upbeat 'Beach Side' features a neat little slide guitar lick and is fairly catchy, and 'Pony Up' definitely has some engaging bass/guitar interactions. However, these are just a couple good spots in an album that is bogged down with too much 'been there, done that.' And until the Followills have a few more creative bursts like the one they had when they wrote 'Closer,' I have a feeling the rest of their career will feel like deja vu too. 2.1/5.
Songs of the Week (some stuff I've been listening to more than is healthy this past week):
Local Natives - Who Knows Who Cares (VIDEO NSFW) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAHD6WQSBWo
Sleigh Bells - Kids - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bcLWZY7kAQ
BIG K.R.I.T. - Viktorious - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnJ3kf8KYaU
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