Reviews (page 4 of 8)
I know a few of their songs from the singles, but I was never much of a fan. This one won't change that, I don't like that blues tinged sound. Not that all their songs are like that, but even the other ones are ok but just don't do much for me. The singing style grates on me for sure.
Two Kings of Leon albums in a row. I was surprised that I knew some of these songs but still such a snooze fest. Why this album is on this list I have no idea but at least this one maybe had one or two more hits.
COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY.
The music is fine (if slightly boring). What the hell are those vocals?
Crap
Mouef
There is nothing really wrong with this album, apart from (possibly) the track Milk. It’s the incoherent mumbling over crunchy garage rock that you expect from KoL. It lacks any real inspiration or innovation, but it’s not terrible. No idea why it’s on the list. It doesn’t inspire, it’s not culturally significant. It’s possibly better than Only By The Night, but it’s still pretty mediocre
It was fine. They all can somewhat play instruments. The singer has an interesting voice and delivery at times, although it does get tiring. Overall, not the worst album on the list but far from the top. Very meh.
Thought this was pretty solid. 3.9
it had some great and some horrible songs
Interesting. Rot with so much emotion.
Classic rock for epic bacon IPA millennials. A standard issue southern rock rolling stones cover band who heard the strokes first album and jumped on the trend to become, somehow, arena filling corporate indie stalwarts. Too bland to be bad, they're the buffalo wild wings of 2000s hipster rock.
Literally didn’t even notice it starting or it ending
altogether uneventful
Definitely my favorite KOL album. I got into this one around 15 years ago or so, whenever the band really blew up with the hits off of Only By The Night. I think this album is primarily a celebration of debauchery, a subject I was into at the time. I felt a connection to the brothers Followill and their cousin, as I’m also a preacher’s kid who couldn’t wait to let loose once I left home. Slow Night, So Long was probably an intro to the band for many people, and to me it’s the ultimate KOL song even if Sex On Fire and Use Somebody were major hits. From there, the album doesn’t necessarily have major highlights for me, but it’s a consistent listen without any major stinkers. KOL has embraced mediocrity for a while now, but this album is a fun drunken romp.
Ooft. I thought I liked Kings of Leon... I remember back in high school, jamming out to "Use Somebody" and "Sex on Fire" and feeling like this was a pretty cool band for cool people (which I was most definitely not). This album was dreadful. So much amazing, culturally significant, high quality and varied music got left off this list - whole artists that by all rights should have been represented and just aren't - and for what? This? At least with some of my other 1 star albums I can see why one might make an argument that despite being quite bad they hold some musical significance or do something that warrants hearing once from a purely educational standpoint - you know, it's not enjoyable but at least I feel I've gained some intellectual value from hearing it. Not this one. Sorry.
I saw a (professional) review that described this bands previous album as NYU meets lynyrd skynyrd or something to that effect. I, like any red blooded American love lynyrd skynyrd, got excited and listened to said album. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that this professional music writer had obviously never heard lynyrd skynyrd. Double my disappointment when this album sounded exactly like that one. Not a bad listen. Just very uninspiring, and it has no business being on any bucket lists. At least not with a trio of battling guitars.
Sort of blends in with all of the other garage indie rock of the 2000s, but not completely forgettable. Taper Jean Girl and Four Kicks were solid tracks. I do think it's a bit more raw and interesting than their later albums that received more attention. The production is a little hit or miss and the vocals tend to get lost in the mix. Very down the middle OK album.
Better than I expected
The big two zero zero. Album 200 is here I wish I had a better 200th. The music is fine like actually the production and music sounds really good but his voice just ruins this whole record for me. It’s not good at all
Niet het beste van Kings of Leon. De nummers die ik ken staan blijkbaar op een ander album
Aptrist amerikansk rock. Orkar ens inte bli upprörd hur usel sångaren är. Jag orkar knappt lyssna överhuvudtaget faktiskt Helt meningslös musik
Amerikansk indierock igen - helt utan usp. Det är för mycket av den varan på den här listan. Förstår inte på vilket sätt detta skulle vara en omistlig skiva att lyssna på innan jag dör. Här finns inget jag känner behov av att lyssna på igen.
Vet inte riktigt vad detta bidrar med till rockhistorien. Det rockas på utan att beröra det minsta. Som så mycket annat inte uselt, men definitivt inte bra. Desto fler album vi haft med desto tydligare blir det att 00-talet utgör ett svart hål i musikhistorien. Inget vi behöver göra bäst i att glömma så fort vi kan. Det löser det på egen hand.
Ordinär rock med Lynyrd Skynyrd- influenser. Någon gnutta Credence tycker jag mig också höra. Men mest låter det som Foo Fighters. Menlöst. Ingenting som tilltalar mig.
It's okay background music, doesn't really hold my attention, though.
The only thing that sucks more than the way this was mixed was the singer of this band. Taking terrible lyrics and taking them to the absolute extremes of grating. I couldn't wait for this to end.
I only knew the billboard chart kings of Leon before this . This early southern garage rock stuff is awesome.
This was pretty decent. A lot of it kinda runs together for me, but it's kinda light and poppy. It's hard not to like at least some of it.
Between 2 and 3. Good southern rock, but nothing too original.
Wait, are there multiple Kings of Leon albums on this list?? Is that necessary? It sounds exactly like a Kings of Leon album. Which isn't bad, but doesn't blow me away either. I thought Only By The Night was better overall.
Some people call it alt rock. I call it good music
[7/10] I know you don’t talk like that in real life dude
Didn't know this band is as big as it is. This was not that great in my opinion. I only enjoyed some of the instrumentals on some of the tracks.
Really annoying vocals.
In my review of Only By Night by Kings of Leon I stated that I liked Aha Shake Heartbreak more than Only By Night. That has not changed, though I do recall enjoying Aha Shake Heartbreak slightly more than this. Still, this is what I think of when I think of Kings of Leon. The lead singer has a similar cadence on many of the songs and there is a more garage-rock version of the Strokes type of sound coming out of the speakers. This is what would happen if the Strokes were from the South and I do enjoy this less mainstream version of the band. This may be my favorite Kings of Leon album, which makes it sound like I am a huge fan of the band, which I do not consider myself to be. Regardless, I think this should be the Kings of Leon record that should be heard to get a feel for what the southern version of early 2000's garage rock sounded like.
before they turned into overproduced arena rock
I've never liked Kings of Leon really. Mostly due to the singer's voice. If I had to describe it, it's like a particularly itchy wool sweater. Just irritating and unpleasant. I didn't mind the songs themselves though.
# Album Name: Aha Shake Heartbreak # Artist: Kings of Leon # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Wait, this isnt the album with sex on fire?! Thats rather surprising. I assume its lingering on here somewhere if this thing is on. Very good album from the kings of leon. Some solid singles too. Doesnt quite hit a 5 for me. # Top Tunes: KotR / Taper jean girl / milk / bucket / 4 kicks # Would I listen to it again? Yes
One digs KOL – for the rough edges and raffishness, the quality of the vocals, which sound purely rock, ancient and primal, plus the melancholia that drapes nearly every song, including the bangers. The later records have always seemed unfairly maligned – they don't seem overproduced or slick, or not any more than the excellent hooks merit. Southern-friend Strokes has always been right, though one has a strong preference for KOL, of reasons of authenticity, especially relative to the fully contrived Strokes (though perhaps one has a pro-South bias, being Southern oneself). Best cuts: opener, "Taper Jean Girl," "The Bucket," "Soft," "Day Old Blues" and "Where Nobody Knows." They were really a breath of fresh air, weren't they? And how all three KOL records got axed, one has no idea.
Cool guitar rock that sounds more indie than I anticipated. I can see why they're well-liked by many. Probably not going to return to it but nevertheless enjoyed it while it played.
I can't sing. At all. So I never thought I could be a front man in a band. Turns out you can if you just go for it! You just will sound like shit.
3.5
Forgot about these guys. Fun.
How the fuck is this even on here? 3 songs in and I’m checking to see if the album is over yet. I somehow made it to 7 songs and regretted every second of it. Fuck this
Album was fine. Vocals were garbage. The band has more potential that they didn't meet.
I love the instruments and the idea of this album. The voice, I just cannot get behind. What was he thinking? Was he thinking? No idea, but it just gets annoying because the songs could be amazing, 5/5, but instead we get this disappointment
A band I’ve heard of, and know a couple songs that got popular from their 2008 album, but I didn’t recognize a single song off this album by name. Not sure I’m crazy about or really connecting with any of these songs. The vocal style made it hard to understand what the singer was saying and I’m normally a big lyrics person. Bucket was the catchiest. I did a second listen with lyrics, but a lot seemed sexual/gibberish in nature. Again, nothing that really resonated with me to make me want to explore this band or listen again.
This was the last decent album by Kings Of Leon
They hadn't yet devolved into being an absolutely irritating listen quite yet with this album, but they were well on their way. A few decent tunes here but mostly a sea of mediocrity.
I wouldn't turn it off. but I also would not turn it on.
Kings of Leon are really hit and miss for me, they do have a handful of albums I genuinely do like, but this is one of many that just do nothing for me. They just don't quite seem to be able to consistently capture what they are capable of, and ultimately this ends up coming across as bland and dreary.
Never been a band I got tbh. It was ok.
What? How many songs do they have called —- on fire? This thing opened on a solid 3/5 but the back half was so weak, borderline terrible. Reviews are saying there used to be three kings of Leon albums on the list??? I like it when J Roddy Walston and the Business do it but even then I wouldn’t put it on the list. Soft and razz might be the worst b2b on the list so far. My wife wants me to give this a 1, but I’m hittin a 2. Day old blues? Terrible.
Enjoyable
Im an ultra-casual Kings of Leon fan and have never listened through this album. Being their second, it is very much proto-Kings of Leon and I think they get much better on their next few albums. This is still pretty fun, though I am a little surprised this made the list. The singer is often hard to understand and pretty annoying in places but most songs are catchy. The album is a few songs too long. All in all it's an ok listen, there's some repeatability here but too many things are not good enough to really give this more than a 3 in my book. Standouts were "Taper Jean Girl" "Pistol of Fire" "Rememo" and "Where Nobody Knows"
this shit’s boring
I think I really just don't like Mr. Leon's voice. I have tried to listen to them before and I just couldn't get into it. I like the instrumentation quite a bit, but the whole thing came off as abrasive in a bad way. The album also opens up with lyrics about "she's 17 but i forgot lol" or something like that and it gave off a weird vibe idk.
I feel a bit befuddled as to why this one is on the list... I enjoyed and still enjoy 'Only By the Night' when it first came out, and I consider that to be an album a billion times better than this one. I don't really see why critics like this album so much. It is fine. It is a good rock album. It is nothing revolutionary. I think KOL are a band that are actually served by overproduction on finished products, which seems to be the main difference between this and 'Only By the Night.' I give it a "meh."
Again, sonically, musically, melodically, rhythmically, I really dig these dudes. But goddamn that guy’s voice kills me
King of the Rodeo The Bucket
Decent enough.
Started out pretty good save for the annoying singer but then absolutely LIMPED by the end.
Maybe I’ve heard enough of their stuff on this list already but I did not care for this.
5/10 - I don’t understand why this album is on the list. The other kings of Leon album at least had some very popular songs while this one I dont think had any. So it was like the other album just worse. I liked how he used the percussion instrument that looks like a frog or a fish where you rub the mallet over the bumps in the first song
3 kings of Leon albums is just so fucking ridiculous
I get the hate (kinda) but I will always have a soft spot for KOL. The soundtrack to my college years.
Very occasionally I think it would be quite cool to be in the Kings of Leon. Far more frequently I think about how epic it would be to have been the pigeon that shat directly into the singer’s mumbly mouth. All style, little substance.
I think besides the fact that the vocals are... not great these guys' sound just could benefit from having more ENERGY or lighting a fuse under their ass, letting loose just something to make their music so much more exciting than it is on this record where it feels wayyy too restrained for its own good.
The songs are relatively short at least.
I think i have this album. Let me check.....I do. It's not bad. I like the music but his voice gets old pretty quick. My desk smells like blue cheese dressing.
Good alternative band. Good sound, and songs.
(No reflection on the merits of the album. Just doesn’t do it for me.)
Fine. A bit forgettable.
All I've ever heard from them was the massive hall effect vocal country-fried alt rock stuff that made it to popular rotation. This is better than that. It's almost punk in spots. I won't say I love it but I enjoyed it.
slightly annoying but not bad per say
I only know of this band as a one hit wonder from the album that came out after this album. The music is ok. The singer's voice is an affectation and bad. At least when other singers adopt a singing voice it is not to the detriment of their songs. Listening to this makes me really hope that there is a Black Crowes album on this list.
This list of albums is padded heavily with huge singles that are in otherwise dud albums. If there's one thing I'm taking away from this 1001 album project it's how blatantly critics pander to flavors of the week.
This must be their best album. But still not a great one.
Great sound. Liked the bucket. Did not really remember any other song
I don't get the hate for Kings of Leon at all. Sure, they sold out and went after playing arenas, but we can hardly blame them for that. Before then their first 3 albums were fire, and demonstrated a fast development from straightforward high energy southern rock to more interesting song structures. Whilst this isn't my favorite from them, and it's definitely pretty testosterone-driven, there are some great songs here and no skips for me.
Not sure why so many people are hating this, I rather like the hill billie sounding singing and slapdash musicianship! This is the album before their brief brush with super stardom I guess? Anyway I enjoyed it.
Really good album - love their later stuff, but it’s clear they are finding their way with this one.
++: Taper Jean Girl, Pistol of Girl, Milk, Razz, Four Kicks, Rememo +: King of the Rodeo, The Bucket, Soft, Day Old Blues +-: Slow Night, So Long, Velvet Snow 5,5/10
No wonder I hadn't listened to this album before, not good... They definitely had a slump on this one.
not my stuff
Feels very interesting, parts feel a lot like some 'slacker' music like pavement, built to spill and modest mouse, mostly in terms of the guitars. parts of the vocals also feel a lot Stooges-esque, but I'm not entirely sure I like this dude's voice, I do think it does work well in some places, even if its not technically a good voice, a bit like Iggy Pop I guess. The guitars and general instrumental stuff is quite amazing in most places. Favourite songs: milk, the bucket, soft, four kicks, where nobody knows. Overall around 6/10
Favorite: Day Old Blues I like this more than I should for how much I like his voice. I really enjoy the music itself but don't enjoy the vocalist the second I start paying attention. I think it grew on me a little the more I listened but I struggled to understand anything he was singing and it was very nasally. When this guy swears I can't take it seriously.
As this is no longer in the current book, I'd say it was correct to be removed. The singer's voice is annoying, and the music and production are mediocre at best.
Well, that’s an unusual voice! Sometimes I enjoyed it, some of the time it jarred a little. On the whole a solid album that I enjoyed listening too.
instrumental: 8/10 vocals: 6/10 a solid: 6.5/10
There is no reason for this to be on this list.
Yikes.
Lowkey incoherent.
It's fiiine, but they're not my little pogchamps. More like average grey faces
"Two brothers and a dream....to deliver the BEST artisan burgers imaginable" stop-and-clap hipster drivel. Waste
Favorite Track:Taper Jean Girl
Southern rock before they became Southern U2, nostalgic listen! It's a little more than fine, and a little less than good.
the lead singer’s voice is genuinely infuriating. i was busy starting kindergarten in 2004. what the hell was going on. “i can’t get off, soOoO sawwwft”
Good
rockiger country oder landeier-rock? egal, für mich kein highlight, keine entdeckung.
Rock, na ja.
I like how this album is a little more raw than their newer ones, but not liking his voice on this one.
in fairness to the haters, his voice is VERY annoying
They heard Queens of the Stoneage and decided to be the opposite, by making shitty unmemorable music.
This was pretty good, nothing that really stood out though. I like the font and the picture on the album. Still this only gets 3 stars.
Couple of OK tracks.
I really enjoyed this! Earthy and gritty
238/1089 - This is the second best American rock band with three brothers and a cousin that I've heard! The first is The Beach Boys.
I almost forgot how good Kings of Leon were in the old days before they became a more straight up pop band. I love the stripped down garage rock vibes on this record. 4.5/5 #184
hate the way the vocals sound but the album is fine regardless
High 3. Really quite good.
okay i know Kings of Leon have a few good songs, but none from this album…this album was not it for me. The vocals, i could not stand it. Lyrics are okay, and everything else was fine.
Its alright, didnt feel all that special to me. Favourite Song: Soft
this is a 2 on a bad day and a 3 on a good one
I can see why this is on the list, but nothing about it really grabbed me. I can also see why Kings of Leon did very well in the UK, the overall sound of this album is reminiscent of English rock. I didn't really hear the southern rock influence that the wiki describes either.
I just had another Kings of Leon album last week, surely they didn't even merit one album on this list, but two? Come on... This one is more of the same. I think Kings of Leon are kind of like Nickelback - they found one sound that masses of people liked and just stuck with that to keep selling records. I mean Nickelback gets a lot of shit but they sell tons of records and I think that applies here as well. I can't really put my finger on why I don't like this - the music isn't bad, the vocals are but not off-puttingly so. It's just...plain. This album is the equivalent of lightly toasted dry white bread. Some people like that because it doesn't challenge you in any way. I did appreciate some of the bass lines and the drums are really well played. I wouldn't ever really listen to this on purpose though. 2/5
Decent
They've not aged well. Sounds amateurish in 2025.
Meh.
3+
Gosto da sonoridade "natural" do disco, principalmente do instrumental e também gosto do vocal personalíssimo de Caleb Followill. O álbum tem uma primeira metade mais rica em termos de composições e interpretações, caindo para um rock mais básico na segunda, infelizmente.
I previously listened to Kings of Leon that had come up during this exercise. I enjoyed this album a lot. It is rock with an indie sound, but the songs are good. I would listen to this again for sure.
Nostalgia good actually mid
Nothing special
Good stuff
4/5
Another band that was beloved by many that I just can't groove to.
pussy voice destroyed it
Over-rated and forgettable. Outside of this project I've heard of these guys, but never listened to them. Within this project, this is our third album by them. While the other two were not bad, but completely unremarkable, this one is actually bad. The very best this album has to offer is completely watered down imitations of better bands, and tracks like Day Old Blues and Four Kicks are plain annoying.
I liked it except for Day Old Blues which sounded like my baby was talking
Not a complete crap.
fuck me it started off good and just fell off a cliff, days old blues is the worst song ive listened to off this list so far
I know some people love this band but I find them very bland and the guys voice is nails on a chalkboard to me. I don't think they're a bad band but i find them painful to listen to.
Somehow even more obnoxious than the more commercial Sex On Fire/Use Somebody sound that was later to come, an unbelievably shit band
How did this album make it onto this list? I ask myself this question especially when it's by a band that didn't exactly invent rock ‘n’ roll and that I know has recorded at least two significantly better albums. “Aha Shake Heartbreak” sounds as if someone had deleted Angus Young's tracks from AC/DC's Powerage. I mean, I like it when the guitars leave enough space for the bass, but here the sound sometimes falls apart. That really shouldn't be the case with a 21st-century production. It sounds like a talented high school band with an above-average singer—which isn't too far from the truth, and you can't blame Kings of Leon for that. But I'd really like to know what was going through the editor's mind.
I think a lot of the ingredients that shot them to stardom are here, but they just haven’t come together into that something special just quite yet - that’ll come in their next album, Only By The Night. THAT album is 5 stars, but his one is a little more difficult for me to score. I like it, but I don’t love it. I want to give it a 4, but that feels like a reputation score more than an accurate reflection of how I feel. I was excited for this album and I’ve been a bit disappointed. A 3 feels low, especially considering some of the other stuff I’ve given a 3 lately, but therein lies my biggest issue with not having half stars.
more kings of leon? aight, that's fair, i suppose. similar sound compared to the last one, but it's a lot louder and crazier when it wants to be, some of the tracks are, i mean. this one is fine. i think it's just getting to the point when the app spams you with similar artists/albums, and it's an artist that has VERY similar sounding songs. it's more of the same compareed to the last album. i like variety when i listen to music, so i was a little less interested in this one. oh well, sucks to suck. not really suck, just... eh.
It's Kings of Leon, they had that one good song that was used to advertise around 40% of all products world wide until we all hated it.
A beautiful listen as always, some bands just have a sound that takes off and does its own thing
Boring but had some cool guitar moments
This was THE band for jock-adjacent dudes who were also friends with punks. I didn’t totally hate it. I liked a few songs and then a few annoyed the shit out of me.
Pretty cool guitar, honestly enjoyed more than I’d like to admit
you did nothing wrong but frankly you did nothing right. i don't know that i enjoyed much.
Very good album by a great band
Unfortunately not for me. Good bluesy guitar notes but the voice got annoying after a bit.
insanely good
I like some of the later stuff, even revisit it from time to time, this...I won't
Really disliked this one. They have one decent song and it wasn’t even on this album. The whole was a blend of garbage lyrics and pretty ok musicians
I love the Kings and this is very good - I let it run twice. But they have made much better stuff on later disc's.....
not suuuper impressed. would’ve liked the album more if i actually liked the sound of Caleb’s voice, but once i dislike the lead singer’s voice i can’t unhear it (especially in “soft”, yikes). the rest of the band is alright but not super memorable. favorite song: four kicks (exclusively for the guitar)
they are fine musicians and song writers but for me - meh.
Kings Of Leon is not really my thing.
Ik heb een haat-liefde relatie met Kings of Leon. Bij de eerste twee en de laatste albums denk ik: cool! Alles ertussen, kak! (sorry Sex on Fire, jou zing ik enkel mee op een beschonken avond). 3.4
I've never liked Kings of Leon, and this album confirmed that.
Did they forget to write endings to these songs
In a very specific way, this bothers me more than Napalm Death. Then again, it doesn't hurt to listen to it.
Okay.
nah.. couldn't figure out what they are trying to be... Christian rock? Rock? Either way...nope
Enjoyed, but nothing grabbed me. Not sure I liked the vocals. Interesting, pleasant, some familiar elements (eg drum intro to Taper Jean Girl!) Would need to relisten to see if more taken?
sleazy gross indie rock sex songs that all sound the exact same and the singer sounds like shit
I'm a big Kings of Leon hater. Always have been. But I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Very 2000's rock. The Strokes, White Stripes. Lot's of energy, but still not as iconic as those bands.
This was so far the definition of an average album on this list and listenings. Nothing to complain about really, but also nothing to get excited either. So a 3 out of 5 in the most average way and I am not really looking forward to hear it again. I was a little surprised, how stripped down this record sounds compared to later albums of the band. Sometimes even rawish for them. But overall the record feels like it was being created with the brakes on the whole time, very moderately. I could not hear any individual or Independent sounds and rather a band that still needs to find its own style. Highlights: I liked „Four Kicks“ the most, which stood out at least a little bit.
Snappy, brisk, and fun
The first album that got me into this band!
Lead singer’s voice was terrible
My first thought upon seeing this album this morning was “wow, I didn’t realize that Kings of Leon were around as early as 2004!” I quickly learned that there was good reason for that. Not only does the vocalist have an awful, grating voice, it doesn’t even sound like he’s singing in English half the time. Also, while I recognize that it can be hard to write horny music without being completely cringy, this band did NOT stick that landing at all. Yikes
Ah was pleasantly surprised by their last appearance on the list so ready to see how this goes… 13 songs 37 minutes! Classic KOL sound (mainly vox) and felt a bit rougher than previous album on the list. A familiar sound and feel but felt so much more empty and lacking compared to the other fuller songs and production. few good tracks but otherwise pretty meh.
Best one from list (pf better;))
I suspect I am not unlike many boomers who grew up in a musical era where the diversity of the music, and the quality of the artists, was so extraordinary. We had rock, hard rock, heavy metal, Motown, soul, folk, blues, southern rock, garage....it's been a challenge to find in today's era worthy successors to the musical artists of our youth. This band is tolerable, not great, but the music is listenable at least.
He has such a unique voice
If one of the most interesting things about your record, such that it makes the first para of the wikipedia page, is that it uniquely has a parental advisory sticker, it may be that your record is not very interesting. There should be a setting to skip the dropped-in-later-editions items.
ok...
This was a quick and pleasant listen, just like some albums should strive to be. The style was definitely on the lighter side of my preferences but it went by quick. Without any songs that necessarily stood out, it was a well-balanced experience from start to finish which will earn it 3/5.
I like old Kings of Leon. They have better albums though. The two following this were better. The Bucket is the stand out song. 3/5.
Quite liked it.
First time hearing this band other than the song they had on Guitar Hero. Really liked this. Reminds me of the Meat Puppets a little.
This is a weird one. I do like it even though at times it sounds like a less talented and charismatic Strokes. I don’t get the lads lads lads vibes a lot of reviewers are mentioning at all, maybe that’s an American thing. It would also be better if you could make out what he is saying. I remember when they broke through and there was a lot of publicity around them being 3 handsome sons of a pastor (and their cousin, sorry Matthew) and I honestly think that accounts for a lot of their success. 3.5 and have eventually decided to round down because there isn’t anything particularly memorable about this
Pretty catchy tunes.
I've always really liked this band. A lot of their stuff sounds the same, but that sound is so distinctly them. While their newer stuff doesn't catch my attention, I like their older stuff a fair amount
Kings of Leon getting not one but TWO albums on this list is wild. I could kind of get the other one just due to how big Sex on Fire is, but there's no excuse for this. It's not good.
questi so bravi, gradevoli
Whining 80% of this record. Not obnoxiously but still….
3 Kings of Leon albums on this generator, and not one of them is their best album- Because of the Times. This one is just fine, Slow Night, So Long and The Bucket being the best tracks, but do you really need to listen to it before you die? Doubtful. 3 Stars. Onto the next two.
En skiva jag lyssnat svinmycket på. Älskar soundet. Tycker det är melodisk och varierande. Återkommer då och då till KoL. En annan skiva (because of the times) är en given femma, den innehåller svårt många bra låtar. Detta album är dock jävligt bra men tror nog inte det är en femma i slutändan. Hoppas bott kommer.
Riktigt bra och solid skiva men utan att egentligen innehålla någon låt som man verkligen älskar. De flesta låtar är fyror och en och annan trea smyger sig in också. Ändå en stabil fyra i betyg.
Enjoyable all the way through, worth revisiting. 3.5/4
Really good but not my favorite of theirs.
Ok
A classic alt-garage-southern rock album. Literally every song on this album is worth a listen on repeat.
6/10 Solid 00s indie rock. Some nice tunes, but there is only so much KoL I need.
Can’t take a whole album of this guys voice, but they do have some good sounds and good songs.
36/1001 Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ❎ At the time, I listened to this album on the strength of The Bucket and Four Kicks, but quickly lost interest in the band after. On this listen, the mumbling vocals with the bluesy-country-garage rock does absolutely nothing for me and at the end of the day, they all feel the same.
quite bland
Naw dog
This was a tough one to get through which is disappointing because the music itself it genuinely really good and deserving of a much much higher rating. Unfortunately, the lead singer and some questionable lyrics make this album nearly unlistenable. The vocals are barely consistent while sounding forced and stretched in a way that is difficult to understand. Though the instrumentation is superb, it's not enough to overshadow just how bad this wanna be mountain inspired voice trys to be. I know (and like) some songs by Kings of Leon, and though the sound is always distinct it doesn't always sound this overdone and overpowering. Podium: 1. Four Kicks 2. [TBD] 3. [TBD] I think the band, who has some insanely talented members, would be better off if they found a front man who wasn't fronting so hard. If I could just rate the sound of the music, I'd be closer to 4 or even 5 stars, but unfortunately the only things I'll remember is the ear piercing vibrations of a voice that sounds like it's pretending to be something its not, coupled with otherwise mediocre lyrics. For these reasons I give Aha Shake Heartbreak by Kings of Leon 1/5 stars
I bet their dads loved George Thorogood.
Has some rewarding songs here and there but I couldn't say that the recording overall was very bright. That's the style of this band anyway.
Psh
Absolutely terrible
Better than the previous KoL albums I have heard, I think the earlier bluesier stuff is a bit more listenable. Still I couldn't image anyone being particularly excited about this
Man idc about this, one of the worst bands post 2000 alongside cage the elephant
Rock. Die Musik ist ja nicht so schlecht, aber der Sänger kreischt so komisch herum.
It was cool
This album makes me appreciate how far we've come. I can now just turn on my streaming service of choice instead of having to turn on the radio and be subjected to this shit.
Both the melody and the voice of the singer aren't interesting in the slightest
Based on some of the other reviews, I didn’t expect to like this at all, but I didn’t think it was too bad. I didn’t love the vocalist’s sound, but found it tolerable, as opposed to some of the other reviewers. Milk was really the only song that I just plain disliked. Anyway , this album gets three stars.
I like this more than I would have thought going into it. It sounds very much of its time. Razz is the first real miss. The back half of the album is not as good.
I went through a Kings of Leon, Young the Giant phase between 2008-2015…sort of following on from Black Crows/Counting Crows a decade earlier. This album is on brand. Less polished and “smaller” sounding than Only the Night which I think is the better album. The vocals are annoying in spots (Day Old Blues) and the album sort of becomes boring and melts into the background as it goes. 2/5
Sorry a bit on the boring side!
Highlight is “The Bucket” but this album is definitely trumped by later Kings of Leon albums.
This is the second King of Leon album I’ve gotten so far in this project, the other one being Only By The Night. I have to say, in comparison, this album doesn’t nearly come close to bringing as good as the latter, but that’s not to say it’s a bad album. I did enjoy it, I just had my expectations too high. The lead singers voice is much different in this album, it seems like he got some sort of vocal coaching between the releases. And it’s part of the reason this one isn’t getting 5 stars like Only By The Night. His groan-y voice kind of ruins it for me. I will give it a solid 3 stars for the great instrumentals. Standout Songs: King of the Rodeo Milk The Bucket Razz Velvet Snow
The music was mildly interesting but the singer was absolutely TERRIBLE! The lyrics largely centered on horny teen aged stuff and did not vary much. I ended up not finishing this album.
Boring
Shit album from a shit band. Im happy to hear this band has consistently been obsessed with 17 year old girls no matter how old they get. Fucking creeps
I know this band gets a lot of bad reviews sometimes, but this has fond memories for me. I also still think their take on southern Rock holds up pretty well. It's not deep, but it's fun and energetic.
⭐️ ½
Fine
I didn't know that Kings of Leon could sound like this. I don't know what the sound was, but it almost felt a little more western. As always with rock, I like the slow tracks a lot. The build up on Day Old Blues was a joy. I think it shows that you have good musical talent. Milk was something else.
Monotonous songs and the singer's voice is absolutely dreadful. Not entirely unlistenable, though.
Yup that's alt rock. Also, why does he sing like that?
Kings of Leon’s sophomore album starts off with 6 consecutive absolute bangers with my favourite being the opener Slow Night So Long, this is a pretty big improvement on Youth and Young Manhood
An unexpected delight. I forgot that I have a relationship with this album. I used to listen to it quite a lot in the 00's. Great guitar led songwriting. Some excellent bass writing. These guys were so much better before they learned to sing in English
najdraži
I liked the first album that was in the list better, which I listened to about 2 weeks ago. The singer just seemed to be making up a lot of the words. I still don't know why we needed TWO of the Kings Of Leon albums in the list. The first one had a lot of different styles to it, this one felt very same-y. NEXT.
When I listened to Only by the Night I said I would save a 5 for this album. But it's not that good. These guys brought a new style and energy to rock music, but it's still a little raw and all over the place. Lead vocals in particular are a little screechy and they're still figuring out melody on this sophomore effort. I really think their next album (Because of the Times) is when they hit their stride. But they were starting to figure out here and there is a lot to like. Of the rockers I particularly like Slow Night So Long, Taper Jean Girl, Pistol of Fire, The Bucket, Four Kicks, and Velvet Snow. I kind of like King of the Rodeo and Razz. Of the softies, I like Milk and Day Old Blues. It's between the other two of their albums on this list, a 3.5, but I'll round up because I genuinely like this band.
Ok, this is my third Kings of Leon album, and my initial reaction to seeing it pop up was that the 1001 people really tried to make Kings of Leon a thing. Three different album attempts, all removed from the 1001. I gave the previous albums a 2 and 3 and initially thought this was going to be a 3, but gotta admit it really grew on me. Even Day Old Blues, which annoyed the crap out of me the first time I heard him repeating "day old day old day old" got caught in my head and I even started to dig it. So, I think I'm going for the 4. Still too weird to go higher, but this album is a good bop. Favorite tracks: King of the Rodeo, Pistol of Fire, The Bucket, Where Nobody Knows (Wiki says it's a bonus track, but it's on the UK release which came out first so I'm including it).
I knew I liked Kings of Leon, I didn't know I loved Kings of Leon. The voice moves away from human and into instrument, it blends and meshes so perfectly into the folk/rock guitar and bass. Almost every song has some harmonic moment that makes you look up and say 'Neat!'
The instruments played in this album were fine. The musicians did their part. So who was the weakest link? In my view it was the singer. I had trouble understanding what he was singing. He was mumbling. He needed to enunciate the lyrics more. Overall, it was okay. It’s not something I would want to listen to again. 3
I always skip over this band. Waaaaaaay too much hype for the sexy fire song. I also have a jarring memory of walking through this absolutely massive beer fest in Berlin. It spanned several train stations worth of city and had 20 stages or something ridiculous like that. Anyway, one of those stages had a cover band, and they were playing the above sexy fire song. It was really not what I wanted to hear in Berlin, and introduced nagging thoughts of homogenization of culture which equals big bummer. I did have an amazing Austrian cherry beer though, and holy hell are "Christmas Market" mushrooms the best drunk street food ever. Beats currywurst IMHO. So, this album was very solid. Track one directly riffs on Joy Division, and Peter Hook in particular. That gets you a star in my book. I was particularly impressed with the bass player throughout actually, and it appears the band is too as they let him run on a lot of the tracks. It is a record of easily digestible, good time jams that would be perfect out on the boat deck when you are in the middle of the lake on a hot day, swimming and crushing cans. It did have a weird tinge for me though. Right from track one, Adam Sandler crept into my head, and for pretty much the duration of the record I could only think about him singing every track. Haha. 3.5 stars
An okay album, I liked Soft the most.
Musically, I found this album interesting and solid. But it seems to me that the lead vocalist is just checking a box. It's as if an imposter is on vocals, and he is trying to be engaging while knowing all along he's a poser. 3/5 mostly because the music is solid.
Uh, no.
2-3 enjoyed the rock
Faded into the background
It's a Kings Of Leon album, and it doesn't have "Use Somebody", or "Sex On Fire" on it. I found out it's hard to like these kings aside from their big hits(this really is a "No Kings" Summer). Favorite Track: "Rememo".
To me this album is pretty boring, nothing stood out. Songs sound very similar and are easily forgotten. Not even a catchy beat or surprising vocal run, nothing of interest to me. I wouldn't care if I never heard this album again, it did nothing for me.
This was already high up on my list of favourite indie albums before this. It's just so good. Could listen on repeat forever!
I like this one. Always liked Caleb's unique vocal style and musically it is really done well also. Everything fits and great pacing. 5 Stars
I loooove this album so much ! I stole this from my step dad when I was 13 and fell in love. I haven’t listened to this in like 10 years but hearing these tracks again reminded me of how perfect this album is. Every song is 10/10 but something about Milk gives me shivers
This isn’t for me - 2/5 Vocals are grating, idk if they were revolutionary at the time and I don’t care if they were. Standout track: - Soft 2.5/5
Kings of Leon før min tid. Dette blir spennende. Nostalgi
Aha Shake Heartbreak is the second album from Kings of Leon, a band from Tennessee that became successful in the UK, then Australia, and eventually in the United States. The band was formed by three Followill brothers, Caleb, Nathan, and Jared, and their cousin, Matthew Followill. Their early work is southern rock in a garage rock style, and they add the transitions and tempos or alt rock. This is a good collection of raw, edgy rock songs. They lack the polished-production of the band's later, very successful pop songs, but these song have a brash energy that's closer to the Black Keys than their later work.
This precedes all the Kings of Leon songs I've actually heard before by two albums. I'm dubious, especially since the songs I'm familiar with fall on my husband's side of our music taste Venn diagram, but okay. Oh. This is worse than I thought it would be going in. Why? Why was this deemed a necessity to hear?
I just hate it.
Enjoyed but not over the moon
Initially I thought this was going to be another mediocre album. Alas, there was something off centre about it I quite enjoyed.
another boring ass kings of leon album
Bär emot att ge en trea till dessa dryga jävlar.
3rd Kings Of Leon album. Not very different from the rest...
3/10 not good, this. Fairly competent if derivative music, terrible vocals. Can’t get past that. Baffling these guys hit ir big and staggering that they are 2/1000 albums I must hear. Best: Taper Jean Girl
I’ve heard this album before, such a goodie. King of the Rodeo still one of my fav KoL songs
Not too bad! I liked Milk. But the others I’m are not too sure.
Despite not a lot of standout songs it was still a pretty enjoyable album. Makes me like the band more and that’s always a successful album in my eyes. Feels very representative of their sound, though I will say I’m missing whatever it is that kicked Sex on Fire into another level. This album could use a shot of tabasco
Very interesting to hear the King of Leon because they got pretty over-produced (in my opinion). It reminds me kind of like, The Doors, in their stripped down and almost frantic style, but slightly updated for the times. Not sure I would ever go back to it, nor did anything really stand out. I don’t think this necessarily put me in the camp of being a fan of KoL, but I am more interested in their musical journey now
I remember liking this album back in the day, but coming back to it now, it really doesn’t age that well. I really like his voice and their vibe, but his voice on a slow song is just not it. It’s a soft 3 for me but probably could be a 2. Hi! Geege here! I saw them live once and they rocked, but the lead singer was forgetting lyrics. Which was sad. I’m a stickler for lyrics. Anyways. This album isn’t their best imo. V repetitive.
Forgot how hard it is to understand the lyrics on this album. Regardless, Taper Jean Girl and The Bucket will always remind me of driving around in my old Milennia with the windows down without a care in the world. Still not my favorite of their albums, but not a band I’ll ever complain about coming up on the list. A solid three all around.
Did we really need this Kings of Leon album? It feels really disappointing after already listening to Only By Night. None of their big hits are on here. His voice is extra whiny. There are only a few melodies that I actually enjoyed. At least it was short.
2 sterne
VERY hard to understand the singer as of now good for background listening but the song milk is very good as well as some others like Taper Jean Girl. Very catchy song and instrumentally quite good. I wish i could understand the singer more but that’s his style yk. I do hate day old blues though its just very annoying. Had potential to be good with the acoustic intro but it became REALLY annoying. Like a 7/10
Fine but nothing jumped out at me. Better than Dirty Projectors though...
I'll shock you by not absolutely panning this. It was serviceable enough, but I don't think there is anything here that would suggest they would go on to be a huge festival headlining behemoth. Just pretty run of the mill garage rock. I maintain that Because Of The Times is the only truly worthwhile album they've made.
2nd Kings of Leon album in a month on here. Starting to get pissed off. Is it the worst music ever? Definitely not. But do we really need both of KOL’s first two albums on this list lol?
3.7 Ahhh, I haven't listened to this since my uni days. Nice to revisit. One of those bands I liked more because other people did, but I could/can see the merits. It's downfall comes with too many weak tracks dotted here and there, the last two in particular which sees the album peter out with a wimper. However, the first two track combo, coupled with the best White Stripes song that wasn't written by the White Stripes (four kicks), see it over the line for a decent score.
It's a rough, raw and pretty concise album. They're pretty fun, and a couple of songs are kinda melancholic, but overall it's a nice garage rock record. Instrumentally they're pretty average for the genre, the arrangements are nice, but the biggest highlight for me was Caleb Followill's singing. His delivery is super raw and he breathes life into most tracks, although he could use a bit of polishing in that department. The best songs for me were "Milk", "Day Old Blues" and "Soft" (which is pretty funny too).
A couple of good songs; otherwise, frankly not that enjoyable.
Never have understood the popularity of this band, the vocals sound like they are being sung by the “Oh Long Johnson” cat
Best Song: The Bucket There are bands and albums that you think of and can put yourself right where you were when you listened to it. This band is associated with very painful memories with me so, no matter how good they may be, I will have a hard time disassociating from them. That being said, this band sucks. 1/5 for their annoying, mush mouth, wannabe Chris Robinson lead singer. Music isn't terrible but it's hard to listen to without douchey singing, "ayyooo" or something else pompous and douchey over it.
The droning!
How did they make it so big? It's not like they are terrible but it's not very original, not a very interesting sound, not particularly good vocals or guitar play, not very unique (except maybe his voice, but unique like, when someone says you've done something unique because they don't want to insult you)
Amazing to think that people thought these Okies were cool 20 years ago. Mad props to those pigeons in St. Louis who shit all over these guys.
3/5
Kings of Leon are a weird band. Fun fact, my first ever concert was a Kings of Leon/ Black Keys co-headliner tour that my dad took me too. Anyways, Kings of Leon is a band where I never complain if one of their songs comes on shuffle but this is the first time I've ever listened to a full album from them. It was a good listen but I don't think I'll ever go out of my way to listen to it again. 7/10
I was in highschool when this album came out and was insecure enough to pretend to like it to fit in more better with my friends. I must have given listening to this album a good go back then because I remember a surprising amount of these tracks. They all suck. A bunch of too-cool-for-school impressions of various pop genres performed by middling musicians in a way that feels like they have actual disdain for the music they're playing. Kings of Leon were a band that ultimately had no impact on the musical landscape. They were trendy as hell for a few years, which is undoubtedly why they're on this list. Fair enough, but living through their popularity once was enough for me.
Oh, this one is so boring! I like some things from Kings of Leon, but this album is so background your brain ignores it completely. 2⭐️
Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004) Score: 3.5/10 Favorite Track: “The Bucket” This album should have been way better. The songs work on paper, the production sounds clean and full of texture, but the execution misses the mark. The biggest problem is the vocals. Caleb Followill’s voice is so grating that it turns decent ideas into something genuinely hard to sit through. It is not just a stylistic choice that did not land. It actively pulls the whole record down. What keeps this from landing in the bottom tier is the production. The guitars are crisp, the drums hit with purpose, and the rhythm section holds things together well enough. “The Bucket” stands out as the one track where everything connects. But overall, it feels like strong production trapped under a voice that never lets the music breathe. It was a struggle to finish.
Fun but not super fun. I actually like his weird voice. I like the indie vibe with a southern rock twist. I feel like it's a bit unique. My biggest critique is a lot of the riffs are really simple and kinda boring but there are some that work pretty well.
I've heard Kings of Leon described as "the Southern version of The Stokes," which I think is fitting. This record kind of has those palm muted punchy guitar riffs and fuzzy vocals, but then it has that really charismatic / playful style of singing and playing that you hear in a lot of southern rock and country. Especially at a time when indie rock was at peak levels of pretentiousness, this kind of breaks down that barrier and is a little more approachable. I like almost every song on this, but a lot of them kind of blend together and start to sound the same. I think this is one that you need to repeat listen to kind of break down those nuances. This was fun! I'm a sucker for all things 2000s indie.
By the time of Aha Shake Heartbreak, Kings of Leon were surely looking as though they could become the frontrunner standard bearers of the Noighties rock revival, with its short but sweet, all killer no filler collection of stompers. And there is plenty here to enjoy and take note of as the songs find its way around one's ear and settles itself in there, making them hard to forget. Aha, aha. Favorites: Slow Night, So Long, King of the Rodeo, Taper Jean Girl, Pistol of Fire, The Bucket, Soft, Day Old Blues, Rememo.
It’s ok
The music is maybe a bit above average, but nothing special. Who thought having this guy be the vocalist was a good idea? Is he trying a fake accent or just intentionally mumbling everything? I had to pull up the lyrics to understand what he's singing. They also need a new songwriter.
Their Heart is in the right place.
This album has a different sound than “Only by Night,” which I reviewed earlier. But it’s still mid, at best. Very repetitive, within its own sound. This album may be more misogynistic than that other album — I can’t remember (which says something). I’m sure there are great albums (5s) with lyrics that are even *more* demeaning, but the lack of nuance in the repetitive delivery of the not-so-good vocalist renders these offensive lyrics really just offensive. I’m annoyed that KoL has two albums in this list. I did not *need* to hear this or the previous album. This is a 2.
It Was OK. Un par de canciones buenas
I got Only By Night earlier and that was probably the worst album I've recieved so far. This album being actually decent has surprised me more than any album so far.
their first two albums got a pretty bad wrap (by critics), and I hated everything they released since this album as much as the next person. I still think it's underrated. I forgot how much i enjoyed this when it came out, so it was fun to revisit. must-listen before I die? definitely not.
These guys STINK And this is their best work
Solid start to finish but nothing made me hit repeat.
decent record, first kings of leon album i’ve heard, it’s strange hearing the vocalist sing a song that isn’t use somebody, i enjoyed it overall, good stuff
Full of energy.
I'm sorry, I'm not a fan. I don't believe there should be a second Kings of Leon album on this list. Again, they are good at their instruments. Solid album, but I just don't vibe with their style. It isn't for me, but it doesn't have to be. They are successful for a reason. This album was going to get a 3, but track 9 dropped it to a 2.
I tried to like this. The band is pretty much fine, but I cannot get past ol' boy's voice. It's so squeaky and sounds painful.
Millennial music that I couldn't really get into
Kind of a frustrating album. It becomes somewhat listenable about half way through but even then, the unintelligibleness of the lyrics and horrendous garage band vocals pulled me out of nearly every song. It’s almost comical how bad it gets at some points. For me the only thing keeping this from being a 1 is the instrumentals. They aren’t without critique, but it is maybe the only redeeming aspect of this album. The Bucket, Rememo and Four Kicks are standouts.
Yeah that's not it chief
Enjoyable, but in a kinda generic mid-2000s way.
The heck are these reviews? One review starts with the sentence "Good music." then drops a 2-star bomb on us. And the top 6 upvoted reviews are all 1 or 2 stars. Seems people can't handle old-school rock or weird vocals in the 21st century. This album is solid – and I say that as somebody who's never heard any of their material. I gave some of their biggest hits a listen after finishing Aha, and all of them drew a complete blank. So I'm not comparing this to their later material. Aha Shake Heartbreak is good, short, sweet, punchy. Not particularly memorable, but good hooks (especially in my 3 chosen key tracks, Taper Jean Girl / The Bucket / Soft). Slower tracks like Day Old Blues and Milk to mix up the pacing a little bit. Listen with headphones and talk an empowered walk while listening to this record. It vastly improves the sound. The singer sounds like he isn't putting much effort in. Sluggish drunken drawling doesn't usually do the job. The instruments, which are almost aggressively human-sounding (much unlike most popular music from the Kings' contemporaries), generally make up for the vocals. Great bass and guitar playing, though pretty simple. Straightforward drum patterns. I reckon you wouldn't get much out of this album upon a second or third listen; this is a problem the White Stripes have as well. I'm not claiming the Kings of Leon are bringing anything new to the table. But if they sound good and I enjoy essentially every track, they're getting at least a 3. Then +1 star for the energy and the willingness to put out a relatively acoustic album in the electronically-charged atmosphere of 2005. (It'd be even tougher to make it big with a sophomore album like this in 2025.) And -1 star for the singer. 3/5 Key tracks: Taper Jean Girl, The Bucket, Soft
God, I really just don't like the lyrics on this thing. When they're not overly sexual to the point where it feels perverted, they make genuinely zero sense, like I'm listening to a newborn try to repeat something I said in front of its face a thousand times. The music itself starts off decent but turns to uninteresting and eventually annoying.
2.5
Not a huge fan. They are an Ok popish indie mainstream country with good musicians but nothing put of this world. Just good easy going tunes to relax and have as a background. All sound alike but are likable