Only By The Night

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Already on course to be one of the year's biggest sellers, IOnly By the Night/I has sealed Kings of Leon's unlikely position as Britain's favourite American rock band. The Followill brothers (and cousin) have always been tagged as part of a southern rock tradition of family bands such as the Allmans and Lynyrd Skynyrd, a label they vehemently refuted. But the skinny lads certainly looked like a classic rock act, even as they took musical inspiration from indie contemporaries The Strokes and eighties new wave acts such as The Cure and New Order. IOnly By the Night/I is effectively a sequel to 2006's terrific iBecause of the Times/i, their third record and the first where they nailed their own sound, a striking amalgam of bluesy vocals and post-punk primitivism. In comparison iOnly By the Night/i consolidates rather than advances their style. The appropriately incoherent "Sex on Fire", already a chart topping single, is catchy but sounds lightweight next to songs like the fierce "Crawl" and the stadia-ready "Cold Desert" and "Manhattan". The dissonant, almost amateurish "17" is most out of place, though Caleb Followill still bawls it with the same passion he brings to even the clumsiest couplet. More notable are several sparse romantic pleas that often borrow licks from classic Southern soul. The yearning "I Want You" is little more than its title, but it certainly convinces, while "Revelry" and the vulnerable "Use Somebody" show signs of impending maturity. IOnly By the Night/i's simplicity certainly has a wide appeal. i--Steve Jelbert/i

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Customer reviews

review by: al_e_b date: 2009-06-19 rating:
A Lame Effort - Sort It Out
I think the Kings Of Leon are great - getting only better up until 'Because of the Times'. This album starts promisingly with the suitably moody opening track, the second is good too. but then the album nose dives horribly into poppy nonsense that is maybe aimed at the american market. I hope they can get back on track...

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review by: date: 2009-06-18 rating:
Kings of Leon review
I wasn't a huge fan of the earlier work of Kings of Leon but have loved their most recent hits which are featured on this album and purchased it based on these. I have not been disappointed by the rest of the album, it may not be what their original fans expected (or even wanted) but as with all groups they have evolved over time and this has brought a new audience to them who have appreciated their change in style and I'm sure they won't have lost too many of their original fans in the process. Sex on Fire is by far the best single I've heard in a long time, I have a feeling it would be worth paying to see them just for the atmosphere when they played this as it's meant for a far bigger audience than me and my cd player.

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review by: hickman date: 2009-06-13 rating:
Like a poor U2 Album
First of all i used to like the band i feel the first 2 albums were great and still do. However, the rot set in with the last album and with this one they have completely lost the polt. If you are new to the band and you like this i would stay clear of the first 2 albums as this sounds nothing like it. This sounds like U2 on a bad day and is very bland they have gone for a wider audience with this and as a result we get soft rock middle of the road songs. I cannot understand the 5 star ratings for this a once great band gone to the dogs.

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review by: date: 2009-06-10 rating:
Brilliat Album
This album is great, so if you like Kings of leon I suggest you buy this. The songs vary from soft rock to a bit more heavier stuff that you can bounce around to. Excellent purchase!!!! (0:


review by: date: 2009-06-05 rating:
good but not great
I have loved the Kings of Leon ever since I first heard them back in 2002, and I hate reviews which are written by those 'long time listeners' who say that once a band becomes famous, their stuff isn't as good as their early albums - but this album genuinely isn't. There's a couple of great tracks and it's really well produced, but you can hear and feel their transition from raw, passionate, knock your socks off rock to a big, polished, stadium band. I still love them, but honestly believe the earlier albums to be better and Young, Youth and Manhood to be the best ever.

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