Only by the Night | Kings of Leon

Only by the Night | Kings of Leon | Absolutely Fantastic!!!!

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Only by the Night

	Only by the Night Kings of Leon Rca, 2008 average customer review:based on 91 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

YES! YES! YES!

Okay so im not normally a fan of rock & roll but ive been feeling to listen to music thats a little more edgy than pop & r&b lately.. I began to explore the indie & alternative rock music scene, primarily UK artists such as Muse, Keane etc.. I was on amazon's UK site browsing for rock music when 'Only by the night' came up as one of their best selling albums and the reviewer mentioned that Kings of Leon is one of the UK's favorite American rock bands. I was intrigued and decided to check the album out. When I received the CD i was blown away! The lead singers voice is so raw & full of SOUL! And the guitar harmonies jesus! Are these guys siamese triplets? The guitar sounds just blow my mind, the syncronicity between the vocals & the background musical harmonies is truly amazing. Its nice to have an album where every piece that is played - be it drums, bass, lead guitar or vocals stands out as being brilliant while no one really shows up the other. I also love the southern flavor to the music. This album is well balanced and fresh and edgy and has a nice rawness to it. Im a fan tracks like Sex on fire, 17 and Manhattan but truly I love them all! Its the first album i've heard in a long time I want to listen to over and over again :D Overall 5 stars! :D

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Absolutely Fantastic!!!!

I'm deeply hurt that some people are giving this album poor reviews. This is by far the the best album I've listened to in the past few years. This is the 1st KOL CD I have purchased after seeing them Live a few times. I can't imagine that their other CD's could possibly be better than this one but I am sure as @#$% going to find out! I have referred several friends to this album and have heard nothing but extremely positive comments. They may have changed their style according to some long time fan reviewers but this album falls nothing short of spactacular!! I was listening to 'The Black Keyes' Catch and release, which is also a great album, almost every song, when I got my hands on this CD which I could tell was better after one listen. (No offense to Black Keyes but this album rocks). Trust me, just buy it.

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Great Album

This is one of my new favorate CD's to rock out to in my car, all the songs sound different but mesh well to create a great sounding album, deffinately check it out....

Super Good

This is one of the best groups to come around in awhile. Great musicians, great song structure.

Superb Southern/Indie-Rock Album; 4 Stars

It is safe to say that Kings of Leon "bring the heat" on their fourth LP, ONLY BY THE NIGHT. The band sounds `tight' and the popularity in the U.S. of the band which has already achieved acclaim in Europe is finally growing. The soloing is top-rate and the timbre (sound) of the band is awesome; this band could truly be the next big thing. One thing is for sure, the Followill boys surely should be proud of themselves with this brilliant addition to anybody's collection.

The album opens both mysteriously and brilliantly with "Closer". While Kings of Leon ultimately chose "Sex on Fire" as their first single, "Closer" with its catchy hook and its inherent southern rock vintage sound would have made an awesome first single as well. Instantly, the listener knows they are taking part of an epic adventure throughout ONLY BY THE NIGHT.

The Kings play with distortion against a sick drum groove on the equally alluring "Crawl". Here, the souped-up sound of Kings of Leon would make anybody bob their head. The songwriting is top-notch and Followill's vocals are well nuanced with a great bluesy inflection. Again, "Crawl" would have been an equally capable first single.

"Sex on Fire", the great first single, is by far the definitive track of ONLY BY THE NIGHT. It is easy to see why this track is a Grammy Nominee. Followill has never sounded better and the songwriting seems to come over as extremely authentic here.

"Use Somebody" continues a string of hits, hence thrusting the momentum of ONLY BY THE NIGHT to loftier heights. "Manhattan" has a more "chill", lighter feel than the previous four tracks. Even so, Followill howls and screams with all his brilliant vocal inflections in such a refined manner that it would make Lynyrd Skynyrd proud to hear a band like Kings of Leon keeping the ideals of southern rock alive so brilliantly. "Manhattan" is clearly one of my favorite tracks from ONLY BY THE NIGHT.

"Revelry" is solid and enjoyable as well, if a shade less enthralling than the previous five tracks. Even taking a hit in quality (a slight one at that), the background vocals are lovely and the music made by the band is phenomenal. "17" has a `symphonic' southern rock introduction that instantly grabs the listener's attention. Followill's vocal falsetto here is lovely and the fills where the vocal lines break make this rock feel truly authentic. That's the thing with a band like Kings of Leon - you can just hear and tell there is a certain authenticity and devotion that not all bands have. There's a distinct "it" factor.

"Notion" keeps within southern Rock spirit (I even hear a touch of piano) with yet another solid track. "I Want You" is solid, if a little less enthralling than the very, very best. Again, the atmosphere that the band creates musically is always on-point, even on a slower, more relaxed tune like the lengthy "I Want You". "Be Somebody" isn't bad, but falls slightly short of the quality of the forefront of the album. Closing track "Cold Desert" starts out piano and constantly crescendos in. This track is a bit slower and more subdued, not totally unlike "I Want You". Followill vocals sit atop the subtleness of the arrangement making for quite a fine listening experience to send off one of 2008's greatest rock albums.

Essentially, I highly recommend Kings of Leons' ONLY BY THE NIGHT to all rock fans, no matter what your preference. This is one of the years very best rock efforts and highly deserving of a Grammy award (even if they are going against the ubiquitous Coldplay and Metallica's critically lauded DEATH MAGNETIC). In my opinion, I give this album 4 stars.

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