Kings of Leon have always been an acquired taste. A taste that, until the beginning of this year, most people still weren’t used to. Then suddenly, they were signed up for every festival going. On top of that, they sold out three nights at the Brixton Academy. Not one, but three. An impressive feat by any band, especially one that, two years ago, were just another indie band who weren’t doing too bad. Obviously the people popping along to check them out at Brixton had heard something everyone else hadn’t. And that something turned out to be Kings of Leon’s new album. Now, I’ve checked out Kings of Leon’s previous albums and apart from a couple of stand-out tracks, there’s very little really to rave about. But their forth outing, Only By the Night is truly something to shout about. Or possibly buy tickets for. It really depends on how vocal you are.

Even from track one, ‘Closer’, you can tell there’s something special about this album. A simplistic guitar riff draws you in and once the drums drop, it feels as though you are standing in the middle of an arena listening to the band alone. And I think that’s the point of this band. They aim to fill stadiums and yet at the same time feel personal, as if Cable’s relaxed yet passionate vocals are directed at you and only you.

Yet it’s not just Caleb’s dark vocals that are the appeal of this album. The rest of the band, despite not having epic solos, hold their own. The bassist, Jared Followill, and drummer, Nathan Followill, are a real strong backbone holding everything together, while Matthew Followill (yes, they are all related, it’s not just a huge coincidence) really makes the songs with his simplistic, catchy and occasionally slightly too U2-esque guitar riffs.

So is there anything bad about this album? Well, the main criticism is directed at Cable’s vocals, which is understandable seeing as he’s not exactly a conventional singer. But if they’re to your taste, then this album really is verging on flawless.

Image appears courtesy of wikipedia.org