Maybe I’m getting older, or maybe my taste has changed since the last Kings Of Leon release, but when their new album turned up at TLOBF towers a few weeks ago I couldn’t have been less interested. Which is strange as I clearly recall listening to A-Ha Shake Heartbreak for the first time 3 years ago and claiming it was the greatest record I’d heard in years. In hindsight maybe that was a slight overreaction (I’m prone to the odd bout) but its gritty, sexually charged southern rock n roll ticked all of my boxes and, to a degree, still does. The problem is, a lot has changed in the musical climate since then. They just don’t seem as important anymore. Ultimately I think it comes down to the fact that three years ago the UK charts were still dominated by throwaway pop which meant that bands like Kings Of Leon and The Strokes were something to believe in. Now you can’t hide from long haired guitar slinging upstarts gracing the cover of NME whilst hailing them this weeks “saviours of rock n roll”. Its all getting a little bit boring and tiresome.

So Kings Of Leon have had to mix things up a little and Because Of The Times is without doubt their most mature and thoughtful album yet. Their coming of age record if you will. Drafting in long term producers Ethan Johns and Angelo Petraglia, this set of songs sees the band exploring avenues they’d only hinted on in previous releases. Things start well with the slow burning, 7 minute “Knocked Up” with Caleb Followill’s trademark snarl over lines like “I love her like no other”, sounding tender and vulnerable. “Charmer” is Bleach-era Nirvana let down only by the ball busting yelps made after each line is sung. “McFearless” and “Black Thumbnail” are as full on as KOL have ever been and sound all the better for it, although they are lacking in the sparkle that made tracks like “California Waiting” alight indie disco dance floors the nation over. Half way through the album things start to take a turn for the worse. “Ragoo” is the most upbeat and jaunty the band have ever been but it fails to convince, “Fans” sounds like an outtake from A-Ha Shake Heartbreak and “The Runner” is a painful gospel workout. Maybe the latter half of the album needs a little more time to sink into the consciousness but I can’t help but thinking the band simply ran out of steam.

So its not quite the masterpiece the brothers Followill obviously set out to create, but it’s certainly a bold move that achieves a variable degree of success. There has always been filler on Kings Of Leon records. Its just a shame they saved it all for the last six tracks. A little more quality control could have seen this as one of the albums of the year.
69%

Links
Kings Of Leon [official site] [myspace]