Reviews (page 6 of 7)
My collar's blue but my neck is red. Been workin' real hard tryin' to keep my family feddd
these guys love u2! sex on fire is a good song. cold desert is a pretty good closer. the rest is weak as fuck (drums sound so bad throughout) and i just don't like the singer's voice. not as bad as i thought it would be but ugh
no. fuck no. motherfucker. fuck you. i hate the english. 2. proto greta van fleet. "Y'All2" - ian cohen. "people who listen to 'dear alcohol' by dax" music - me.
2.5 stars. I don’t get why Kings of Leon is on this list once, let alone twice. Sex Is On Fire and Use Somebody were popular enough when they came out, but I wouldn’t call this an album you should listen to.
I did not dislike this as much as the previous Kings of Leon album. But I still did not like it. I just do not like the vocals.
First Listen: Already familiar with Closer. Love the eerie vibe they create, the massive, roomy, drums, and the crescendo towards the end. Outside of this song, I only know Sex on Fire and Use Somebody, so I'm interested to hear the rest of the album. Crawl's fuzzy bass is cool but this might be the most truck commercial music I've heard in a while. Sex is on Fire is kinda dumb. Probably my least favourite from the songs I heard beforehand. I do really love Use Sombody, especially the breakdown in the second verse. The oowaooo chorus does feel like an YA movie adaptation song. Manhattan has a nice break from the in your face punch that were the opening four. I wish the lead singing could bring it down a bit, little but of an Imagine Dragons scream effect with this guy, but I still mostly enjoy the song. The bass is doing some cool things, and the drums got a cool latin rhythm. I don't know if it's the production, mixing, or mastering, or all of the above, but I really wish the slower cuts could breathe a little bit. Every thing feels in your face, and it takes away from a song that would otherwise be a nice cut. 17 is exactly what I was afraid it'd be about. Also, musically, the worst so far. Fuck the church bells YAAYYY SHES 18 NOW!!! Drake type beat. Oh I think ive heard Notion before as well. I might be crazy but this kind of reminds me of early Arcade Fire. The bass playing on this album is consistently doing something creative, while serving the song. I Want You is a slog to get through. I like tracks that stay in the same place dynamically, but the melody/instrumentation/vibe doesn't earn that. I'm a sucker for tom grooves. All the tension they built up in the verse was thrown away with that fuckass chorus. It's like the stuck two unfinished songs together. Unlike I Want You, Be Somebody could've sat in that tom groove for a while and still have been a solid, tense song. Cold Desert is a nice closer. OVERALL: I didn't really enjoy the bulk of this album outside of the singles and maybe one or two tracks. I think they're at their best when building tension, but as to whether or not they pay it off in a satisfying way is another question. The mid-2000s squashed mastering takes away from what would be really nice slower tracks. Probably won't come back to it in full. 5/10 T3: Closer, Crawl, Use Somebody
Ugh. I'll give it a chance I guess. I hate Sex on Fire. I hate Use Somebody. I haven't heard the rest. Some good songs but some real stinkers too, and I don't like his voice at all. 2/5.
The music is fine. The instrumentation and arrangements are also fine! The singer and the lyrics leave me ambivalent to the album as a whole.
what did he mean by your sex is on fire
I find it hard to really judge this on it's own merits because I love the first two albums. This is such a departure, in a negative sense, and I really don't like it.
Some bangers obviously (Sex is on fire is just iconic) but overall the album didn’t wow me. Pleasant enough listen but some of the songs were a bit same-y to me
My first reaction on seeing today's album was "ugh". I don't really care for Kings of Leon, mainly because I once had a downstairs neighbour that would loudly play Sex on Fire OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER again for the entire year I lived above her. While I didn't hate this listen anything even remotely close to that year's experience, it still didn't really do anything to endear me to Kings of Leon. It's paint-by-numbers for rock music.
This is one of THREE KoL records on this list. I would love to have a chat with the person who said, yup, everyone on earth must hear these three KoL records before they shuffle off to Buffalo. This is AI generated music before AI. A paint by numbers “70s rock” album. It was definitely the soundtrack of 1000 dentist’s offices in 2009. If beige had a sound, it would be KoL
Sex on Fire is so good. Too bad about everything else.
2,5. as músicas quase todas iguais, but nostalgia doesn't let me be a complete hater porque a liz criança adorava use somebody.
This sounds so generic.. and i think it feels generic because just alternative pop and rock is so overused in media that i associate it with that
boring
Were these guys ever influential, relevant, or important enough to even warrant 1 entry in a list of 1001 albums to hear before you die? I mean they got tons of radio play, the singles were unavoidable for a year or two after they were released, but they always just felt like a derivative, general rock band. A bit like a bluesy U2 or a watered down and poppier White Stripes. They're not a bad band, they just don't really bring anything special to the table.
ни о чём
No Harry Belafonte, no Tool, a huge lack of Blues and Jazz, WAY to much electronica, and this album. It's not even that it's bad. It's not offensive like some of the more odd albums on the list. This album is just there, taking up space. It's lawnmower music for Dads that want "rock" that they don't want to listen to. They just want music to be on when doing yardwork or fucking around in the garage. It's forgettable. I know because I thought I hadn't heard this before and hit the stupid Sex on Fire song that was everywhere and realized I've heard this entire album and forgot about it. It's fine, just shouldn't be on the list.
Ho hum 2
This album is where KOL and I parted company back in the day. Edgy as a satsuma, firmly formulated to fill arenas full of teenage girls, shame that they fell off so sharply after 3 great albums but you can’t blame them for wanting to be successful. 2.3
This album was where I got off with The Kings Of Leon. Loved the first three records and was pretty disappointed when they shifted to this more commercial sound. Sex on Fire was everywhere for ages, and not in a good way. More like in the 'everyone in my platoon has crabs' kind of way. 1.9/5.
Highlights: Crawl, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody I didn't expect a lot from this record since I have a pretty solid belief that this is just airtime friendly slop music. The notion was correct, as it was quite a challenge to get to the end of the record. It wasn't so terrible as it was just mid and unamusing. It's very two dimensional and cheap. Not worthy of being amongst the "essential" records. Yeah, it has famous singles, but it's veeeeeery meh. Especially after it shoots its load in the beginning and starts crawling towards the ending. And holy moly was that a disgusting transition from Use Somebody to Manhattan... Who does that?
IK WIL SEKS MET DIE KALEEEEEE Less offensive than the last one, but boring.
WOOOOOO IK WIL SEKS MET DIE KAAALEEE ja dat. waarom staan er meerdere kings of leon albums in deze lijst.
If the opening track wasn't so good this would be closer to a 1 star.
Alternative songs were often said to be sung in the key of "AR" as a method of describing the swallowed and growly approach to vocalizing some bands took at the time (STP, AIC, et al.). I don't know what key Kings of Leon sing in but it runs me wrong somehow? Too arch?
I get why this is on the list but it’s like watching the Ant Man movies
Shallow, insubstantial, and you really have to like the singer's voice; I don't. This is another one of those albums that nobody will remember, just like the singles, even if they were once successful. I'd never heard "Sex On Fire" before, and that says something. Okay, Kings of Leon aren't my favorite bands, but fine, there's much worse garbage out there. So, 1.5 stars, no, definitely not two (even though it says so here).
His singing style is too grating and 'swingy' for my ears but I do like certain parts of the instrumentation. Not bad, not good overall.
I bet their liveshows whip, and this album has pristine production, but it is just so solidly mid-aughts radio that it doesn't do much for me. Respect for the droning and rhythmic guitar. Huge disrespect for "17." Another statutory alt-rock ballad, how groundbreaking. I found the opener "Closer" & the last two tracks "Be Somebody" and "Cold Desert" to be the closest to my speed, but even so, they washed over without doing anything interesting and pretty unimpressive lyrics. Well, maybe that weird fakeout fadeout at the last 2 minutes of runtime counts. But OK. 2 more of these KoL albums to go on this list for some insane reason.
Typical “nice guy” rock…you know, the guys who pretend to be deep and evolved but are actually kinda just pervy.
This didn’t age super well for me but I liked it when it came out. Still like Revelry.
I really enjoyed Kings of Leon's first album when it came out, but in listening to this one, which has a couple of massive hit songs, I can't help but feel it all sounds a bit dated. It was kind of a slog to get through.
This album was held up by the singles, nothing much else to see here except the off kilter boring first song or the off kilter quirky interesting closer. The singles are only just ok
eh fine. i don't really like his voice
Didn’t hate this one as much as I thought I would. 2.5
Groupe inconnu. Quelques morceaux sympa ('Crawl' et son riff de basse, 'Be somebody' plus dynamique, 'Manhattan'), mais rien de bien marquant par ailleurs. Les morceaux sont plutôt mous, j'ai fini par faire autre chose en gardant l'album en musique de fond. Pas sur d'avoir envie de l'écouter de nouveau. =>2/5
2.4 Today is a great day. Today is the last time I will ever willingly listen to Sex on Fire. God is great I am quite familiar with this album, I liked early KOL but its one of those bands I started to dislike once they became popular. Had the CD in the car but only really put it on because it was there and I didn't want to listen to the radio.
One or two good ones, the rest just didn't impress.
This is a band that had run it's race already but still churning out the same "middle of the road a bit indie a bit rocky" stuff. Sex On Fire has been played to death, and I'm done with this. Not necessarily bad, but just a band that overstayed their welcome.
There are the classics on this album that are good, as well as a couple of good ones I didn't know (Closer and Crawl). It's not amazing though and not something I would go back to. Strong 5/10
A few ok songs but nothing to give it a higher rank
Eh. I suppose this should be here. But there’s more interesting stuff released that year. 2.3 stars.
not completely soulless, but make no mistake, this is selling out
This has no business on this list
Natural evolution of dad rock
No one needs to hear Sex On Fire either for the first time or again before they die. This is mostly just fine if not kind of annoying in parts. Playlist track: Manhattan
I thought I would enjoy this more, but not so much.
These guys are the fucking worst ⭐️⭐️
KOL aren't a bad band, but with success comes expectation and pressure to churn out the hits. This album is what happens, middle of the road dirge which loses the edge and energy that made it cut through in the first place.
Ik heb al jaren Een kop zonder haren Ik ben ze verloren Heb ze afgeschoren. Net als een magneetje Meiden zeiden, Hoe heet je? Wat doe je vanavond? Ik wil je vanavond! (Zingen!) Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale Cassiere's, agentes Van net achttien lente's Maar ook nonnen van tachtig Die vinden het prachtig Door kleintjes en grote Word ik nagefloten Ze willen maar één ding Roepen maar één ding (Één, twee, drie, vier) Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale Het is ook wel logisch 't Is ook kaal waarvoor ik kies Ik wil daaronder Geen haar, geen gedonder 'k Heb geen zin in een oerwoud Een bosje is echt fout Ook ik wil geschoren Compleet kaal geschoren. (Kom op dan!) Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale (Springen!) Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale (Nog een keer!) Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale Jeeeeheehoooooo Ik wil seks met die kale Jeeeeheehoooooo ik wil seks met die kale
I found the songs on "Only By The Night" to be, at times, over sentimental and pseudo-sophisticated. To be sure, the album has its bright spots: it features lots of good hooks and melodies, and the production quality is first-rate. It's just that so much "alternative" music from that era has long since become tiresome.
Much worse rock on the radio in the mid-aughts
Passable soft rock album from the 2000s. Until the song 17, hits. Just why?
All sounds the same. Bad love songs with messy lyrics.
Dull. Sex on Fire is overplayed but still a great song and you can see why it was such a hit. Opening track is also cool, but the rest of the album is just bland and hasn’t aged well
I mean ya some good songs but idk surprised it made it on this list
This 'decidedly not indie' album had so much airplay of it's middling singles that it's all just water off a duck's back. Sex on Fire stands out because despite being overplayed, it's still fun. The rest of the singles get progressively worse and a lot of the other tracks sound like filler to my uneducated ears... Probably most telling is that all 3 albums by the group have fallen out of the book version of the project.
Lotta songs about blowjobs on here.
Caught myself enjoying ‘Sex on Fire’ today, which I usually despise due to very poor drunk karaoke attempts and very mediocre singers in bars butchering it. It is actually an alright track when it’s performed by the guys who made it I suppose. It’s a pretty fun easy indie rock record, screams 2000’s. Doesn’t push any boundaries and isn’t at all experimental. That being said, it is a very enjoyable listen. The lyrics are intended to be your sing alongs classics and to potentially get more radio play is my guess. The guitar is very mellow and chilled, creates a nice ambient feeling to the record. The drumming does what it needs to do. The voice is pretty great, and I feel like the album was built around Caleb Followills voice. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it is amazing but we know from previous records that the rest of the band have good technical capabilities, it would’ve been nice to hear more from them on this record. Favourite tracks are: ‘Use Somebody’, ‘Revelry’, ‘Notion’, and ‘Be Somebody’.
So much music from the 2000s just feels so sterile. Use Somebody is quintessential “Target Rock”. It’s not bad, very un-offensive and safe, and it accompanies a walk through Target to find some nice throw pillows. Sex on Fire is a very overrated song. Very boring. A couple of the deeper cuts were kind of cool. I liked the opening track and the singers vocals. Manhattan was a cool vocal performance as well. But the whole record just kind of lacked an edge or something to make it stand out. Bumping down an extra star for how creepy a couple of the songs were. 2/5
Boring
Bland alt indie rock
I mean it’s leagues better than the other album by this band I got, but it’s still pretty average - this is around a 2.5/5 rounded down for me
The opening song Closer is very good, the next one is a bit of a Bullet the Blue Sky rip-off but it's catchy after that it's really just sub-U2/Coldplay snoozefest.
Transports me back to 2009, when I hated it. Not as bad of a listen as I was fearing but it is still tough to listen to it all, with so many overplayed tracks. Starts and finishes with nice tracks. 2.5.
This is the second or third Kings of Leon album I’ve listened to now. I think I’ve realized that while they play well I’m just not interested in their musical sensibility. I find it a bit dull
Fairly average 2000's indie rock album. Surprised I recognized a track on here, but there were other songs that sounded very similar to it. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again
Is the only reason this is here because of Use Somebody
meh, yup that's kol for ya
Meh. Nothing special. The singer's voice grew more and more annoying the longer the album went on. 3/10
I was fearing the worst here, so it could only end up being better than expected. Sex on fire is still an awful song that rock stations only play so they can say they also play modern rock. The other songs ranged from bad (17) to pretty enjoyable (the opener, Closer). It's not really bad music, but it's very milquetoast and wholly generic because of it. The singing is a bit hit or miss, it does work for some tracks. Not an album I'd listen to again, but I'd be lying if I called it one of the worst albums on here.
Just okay.
Overwrought late oughts rock. 1.5/5.0: Bad
One of these guys had something to do with the Nashville Food & Wine Festival. Weird.
2.5
Workmanlike
I can't say that I was crazy about this one. Kings of Leon are pretty dull all in all. It was so inoffensive that it almost became offensive. Listenable if nothing else.
This is #day453 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my final album from 2008. Pretty terrible year, judging by the selection on this list. Now, this... is an okay pop-rock album; at times, overly generic and radio-friendly, which makes me wonder again: is this the kind of music you need to hear before you die? Also, those vocals… What strikes me more is the fact that there are three fucking albums by this band on the list. Three. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day454.
Commercial music. Coldplay if they were as bad as people say they are
It’s not a “bad” record. I think for a casual listener, this scratches the itch of being unique enough to feel “indie” or “alternative” about your music taste. But, it’s… really an ok record. It’s got a few glossy production tricks, and a some interesting highs here and there (Crawl is SO close to being cool), but really, am I going to put this on again? Maybe if I need “something I can ignore”, as Rob Gordon once put it
This feels like something I should like, but I have this mental block with certain groups over things they can't necessarily help. These guys remind me a little of Mumford and Sons in that, with both, I find the lead singer's voice gratingly earnest in a way that feels arch, like he thinks he's hot shit. It's a turn off.
The epitome of "meh." I never understood why this blew up the way it did. Its arena-ready anthems are self-apparent, but the singer sounds half asleep and there just seems to be nothing differentiating these guys from a hundred other bands just like them.
Not as bad as their other album on this list, but not great by any stretch of the imagination. Loses a star for the creepy ass sing about underage girls.
Rock without any new ideas. Pleasant enough, but not vital to moving the craft of songwriting, the craft of production, or even the genre of rock forward. Best thing about this family band is the drumming and percussion of Nathan Followill. Favorite track: "I Want You" Honestly, after listening to more than 650 albums on this list I can say that the British music press has shit for taste. Not one of Kings of Leon albums belongs on this list. You booted Sting's Ten Summoner Tales for 1 more Kings of Leon album? Seriously?
I have always liked this album however 17 is so gross, point deducted for that.
Its fine. I didnt like it when it came out and I like it more now but not really all that much more. Feels over produced like alot of radio bs. The vocals I cant stand except when it gets a little country in the middle somewhere. I think that style is much more suited to this vocal technique. But still not that great. Sex is on fire is the only song worth much here and mostly for novelty and nostalgia to be honest. Use somebody still stinks like the first time I heard it. The ohs sound like they are coming out of a bar 2 blocks away. Its weird and not very pleasant. Its whatever though. Good enough to not make me angry but nothing more or less. Kinda unmemorable
Not a fan, song #2, crawl, is good, one more comma just cause.
I cannot decide if it’s a good or a bald album. For me It’s a mixed album. Half of it are catchy songs including the singles. Others are pretty forgettable songs. In general a regular album that can catch you at some moments.
It’s okay, I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either. Low 3, maybe a 2
Ah yes, the Kings of Leon. I remember when they were the Next Big Thing. I bought one of their albums but I don't think it was this one. (According to Google it was two albums before this one) and enjoyed it for about a year. I saw them at Bonnaroo one year and they were fine but it was memorable mainly for the power going out mid-song and they continued playing acoustically and finished the song. Of course I couldn't hear it from the roughly a mile away I was. As these guys got bigger (and then enormous) I was less interested in their sound. By the time this album came out I had moved on entirely. Anyway, let's see how I feel about this one in 2025... I remember hearing ABOUT "Sex On Fire" a lot back then but this song doesn't sound familiar to me. I guess I was really tuned out of popular music in 2008-09. "Use Somebody," however, did make its way to my ears quite a bit. (Funnily, though, I could have sworn the name of the song and what was sung in it was "Be Somebody," which is obviously incorrect but is the name of ANOTHER song on this album.) This is... OK, I guess. I liked "Notion." Some of these lyrics are creepy for a band of dudes in their late 20s, particularly "I Want You." I guess they were singing to their audience but it still sounds creepy to me.
Trallvänliga hitar men blir irriterande efter ett tag
Önskar att jag hade sluppit spendera tid på det här albumet.
Inte riktigt fattat grejen med detta gäng.
Yeah, just kinda bland. Like a piece of bread with nothing on it: it kills the hunger, but meh. It started kinda strong, but quickly faded into a mush of songs that you can't really tell when they end or begin. Even the hits are (now) overplayed and not very good, imo. You listen to it, but there are so many alternatives for "soft rock", why Kings of Leon?
I found it quite boring and safe
No need to rehash what’s already been said... this is boring, generic, and painfully bland. Hard to believe these ass clowns managed to have three albums on this list.
Mid level radio rock.
3 Kings of Leon records? As good as the rest of them.
Track 1: Closer - fine, but boring, slow start to album, grew on me by the second listen Track 2: Crawl - forgettable, pretty generic Track 3: Sex on fire - overplayed but great stadium song Track 4: Use somebody - ^ Track 5: Manhattan - again, grew on me on second listen but sounds like all the early tracks of this album, i like the baseline Track 6: Revelry - slightly stronger, more vulnerable Track 7: 17 - boring, not many opinions on this track Track 8: Notion - Track 9: I want you - slightly different to the other tracks, breaks it up a bit Track 10: Be somebody - starts picking up the tempo Track 11: Cold desert - fairly boring, very lyrically simple, weak end to an album Not very lyrically impressive, fairly solid album, most of the tracks are super similar, hard to comment on each track as they sound so similar. although 'Sex on fire' and 'use somebody' break it up, good stadium songs. Album starts picking up at the end slightly in tempo with 'I want you' and 'Be somebody' gave up commenting on each song halfway through as they all end up merging into one. would describe this album as safe and accessible. Quite hard to decide on a stand out track from this album, obviously Tracks 3 and 4 have been massive hits, Favourite song: 'Revelry' or 'I want you' After 2 listens, would rate 4.5/10 Album cover: more of a fan of the fractured green/owl cover than the red and back ink spot version. Both covers very evocative of 2008.
the hits are good but they're already overplayed for me, the rest is hard to listen to
We've all heard Sex On Fire and Use Somebody, but this isn't even this band's best album, let alone one I need to listen to before I die.
I knew the two songs from this album that were everywhere at the time. The back half of the album was a chore to get through.
his voice makes me want to cut 6 lanes without signaling
The opening track made my hope go up: Electronica mixed with rock with a southern raw voice? But then it went downhill. The songs make use of building up emotions without any actual idea. It’s paint by numbers. I never got Sex on Fire. Use Somebody is good. In Switzerland we say Göschenen-Airolo for something you hear but doesn’t stick - it’s a tunnel: The car goes in one end and comes out on the other and is happy to be out.
Went in skepitcal- this album confirmed my feelings. Not a big fan- the songs were a mish-mash of over emotional sappy ballads, but also musicially boring songs that seemed to go nowhere. Plus- the singer is often unintellible. Overall- not for me
Ok.
There is 0 fucking chance that this band needed 3 goddamn albums on the list. This is the best one of the three but god do I loathe this band.
This was middle of the road for me.
This really is the baseline for mediocrity. Even the top two tracks have reached the level of just annoying...
The band itself isn't bad... but his voice. Woof. Nails on a chalkboard.
Singles are alright but otherwise this feels derivative and boring.
just a whole lot of meh
It started quite well, and I thought that the lesser known songs ware as good as the hits. After having listened to the entire album, I'd say that's probably true but they're all not for me. What can I say, it's not BAD, but it's all a bit cliché American Rock Band. Very predictable. I don't like the voice and singing style (Use Some-bodeeaaa). So a harsh 2 it will be.
“Indie” rock bought and paid for by record label executives. Technically sound musicianship, well written songs and well produced. But not an ounce of soul anywhere on this album. I don’t look forward to hearing again the next time I visit a dentist’s waiting room.
Man, I just don’t care for this band.
Could’ve gone my whole life without listening to this tbh
Ha! Very surprised to see this on here...As much as I used to love this album, it certainly hasn't stood the test of time, nor does it stand out above the rest of really great music that came out around that time. He's got a right grating voice too doesn't he, that was quite a typical vocal quality circa 2010s. I still enjoy it, I'll happily listen to it, it's worth more than 2* but just not on this list.
Bloody awful. Silly old rock racket. Songs about Sex on Fire and shagging 17 year-olds make for painful listening.
yeah no
wydm this band has two songs with over a billion streams. theres no fucking way. ok i recognize one of the songs, but i've never heard sex on fire its just more mid alt rock get this bs outta here. can we ban rock artists from singing about 16-17 years olds. idc about the context im just sick of hearing it
This album was huge when I was first venturing into music, so some of the songs are very familiar to me. 17 years later, I can't say this is a "must listen" album.
Incredibly mid car commercial music. Though I'll admit I am not immune to Use Somebody.
Jump scared by Use Somebody, which I was absolutely not expecting. Who knew that was this band? (Apparently everyone alive in 2008, no idea what I was doing at the time) Just really, really not my scene
same review as i gave the first one, really. the 2010s alt rock sound is built here, and it's pretty good yet subsequently utterly ruined by caleb followill (about 17 year olds this time for some reason)
as someone who lived through the Use Somebody era of radio play, it's nice that he goes on to Be Somebody later in the album. i feel like i need to chase this with that one mumford and sons song, tbh. 1.5
The one where the edges were sanded off completely, and Sex On Fire lit the way to superstardom through lame and uninspiring stadium-rock mediocrity. Give me 'Aha Shake Heartbreak' anyday.
Затеряется среди сотен подобных. Плюс ещё голос противный
boring music for wedding bands
When it was first released, for some reason the Tennesseans' fourth album found more critical acclaim in the UK than in America. I guess that's not exactly a surprise, since Kings of Leon harbor a sound that an American deems pseudo-national whereas British yearning for some USA flavor would extract some genuineness: 'The reds and the whites and abused / The crucified USA.' But Caleb Followill is a talented soul-barer, even if he isn't all that interesting, and the band does know how to put together pop-rock singles. The best tracks are 'Manhattan' and 'I Want You,' the song I hate to like is 'Use Somebody,' while the worst are 'Sex on Fire' and '17.' If you want stellar southern rock tho, go dig some Alabama Shakes. 2.5/5.
Generic rock
Comes across as generic. I’m sure live they could put on a quality show. But just listening to this it feels like background music you hear at a dentist. 2/5
Rating: 5/10 Meh. Choice cut: Closer
Evocative of its era probably because you couldn’t escape it back in the day. Not listened to the whole album since then…says a lot I think. It’s the rock equivalent of empty calories. It’s not bad, but it just leaves me a bit cold. Something is missing…. Then of course you get to the hit singles. Its impossible to be objective about these tracks any more… I’ll happily leave it another 15 years before listening again!
Not into it.
Definitely at a loss. This has it's moments but but it wears off quickly.
Ok I suppose. I think I prefer old school KoL better. 2.5/5
Whatever kingdom these guys preside over, I never want to visit.
color me shocked, I was a little surprised that one Kings of Leon album made it, but two? If any, this one shouldve made the cut, IF. Its a lot of radio friendly rock, I remember being in University at the time this came out and not really caring for it then either. Use Somebody is good, I'll give them that, but a lot of their music is just too aggressive and harder than it needs to be, if that makes sense. Alright, now I'm bracing for a Hinder album on this list eventually.
Two Kings of Leon albums? TWO Kings of Leon albums? No albums by Real Estate, Tennis, The Weeknd, Cigarettes After Sex? 1 album by the Black Keys but we get TWO albums by Kings of Leon?!?!? Kings of Crunk has more place on this list! Bad list? No author… bad YOU
Kind of a bluesier, but less distinctive and more formulaic Soundgarden. Track one is "Closer" which has a nice 3-bar vamp before the guitar shop distortion takes over for several songs. The single "Sex is on Fire" earns its hit status, but "Use Somebody" is more on the side of generic radio fodder. Of the rest, "Manhattan" is strong, and begins the less noisy middle of the album. "Revelry" and "17" encapsulate my feeling that this is rock for country fans. The singer seems to have found a small expressive pocket that he can do well, and stays inside it. A better voice for an opening act than a headliner. 2/5
Imagine that this album had a different singer, anybody really. I would get better instantly.
Every song kind of sounds the same and the vocals get grating after a while. Not the worst music I’ve heard, but definitely generic.
The album with the hits. Teenage me enjoyed them enough to go see them in concert. Adult me thinks that their sound is a bit repetitive and shallow. His raspy yell cry voice gets on my nerves and the backing music was very generic. 4/10
Nickelback, but three times more successful and twice as dumb. Not bad enough to be one star, but so generic and forgettable.
No it’s not a good album. They had a coupes of very good ones but this wasn’t one of them.
Imagine getting 2 albums by this band only for a single hit. They really didn't know what else to add to their shitty list.
Ok
I remember when this came out, and my mom played Sex on Fire, and I thought both ‘Wow, why does my mom know who Kings of Leon are?’ and ‘Wow, it’s really unpleasant listening to a guy shout ‘your sex is on fire’ while in the car with your mom.’ Seriously, who thought those lyrics were cool, or well, sexy? I’ve never told a woman ‘your sex is (fill in the blank)’ because no matter what you say, you’re going to sound like a damned fool. I understand now that Kings of Leon needed to make this move in order to escape the fate of the typical early aughts indie band, that is, to be forever lost to time. And frankly, though mostly bland, this album is truly well produced. Caleb Followill has a unique and very good voice. This whole album is pleasant. Still, it also, to me, sort of harolded the end of underground rock. You can hear the transition here, especially on track 5, of the dawn of the music streaming algorithms feeding market research to bands to help them churn out the least offensive, most familiar sounds possible, so as to appeal to the largest audience. Therefore, there is wide appeal here and this album did meet success. But will it stand the test of time? I think it already fails to do so. It’s a soulless compilation with two tracks that will remain in the public zeitgeist and nine songs which won’t.
A lot of the music is pretty decent but the vocalist is going for way too much and it kinda ruins everything.
Un espèce de truc pas fondamentalement affreux, mais tout se mélange et rien n'en ressort. Médiocre.
I don't hate this band as much as I hate RHCP, but I definitely do not like them. Unique voice, but all the songs seem to sound the same..
There are a lot of misses on this album. Closer is a fine start and we start moving downhill pretty quickly after. It feels like Kings of Leon had an exact sound they were going for and maybe they nailed it but it gets stale. They rely heavily on the lead singers unique vocals. I get tired of that sound pretty fast. They’re making music in a way not too dissimilar from what imagine dragons do.
Espero que Kings of Leon acaben en mi sección de artistas controvertidos, porque su primer álbum me encanta y este me parece super mediocre. Pasaron de ser hillbilly indie con mucha personalidad a perderla por completo para ser otro grupo más de pop-rock de masas típico de su época. Este álbum es una especie de Coldplay con toques sureños. Salvo la primera canción, que es un temazo, el resto son puras radiofórmulas diseñadas para llenar estadios. En cualquier caso, un álbum que no aporta nada nuevo y que no debería formar parte de esta lista.
Can a band be a "one album" wonder? Always fascinated when bands make the choice to write more mainstream music. KOL never reached these heights again, but their music will live on in CVS aisles for years to come.
What a poor stretch of albums this has been. I can’t stand the vocals on this - shrill, affected & overwrought. Decent instrumentation and production, though.
This album had so little impact on me that I almost forgot to write a review of it! It’s very much in the BBC Six Music / Glastonbury indie stage on a Saturday afternoon vein of middle of the road mid 2000s rock music. The only bit that made me wince was when these 30 something rockers started singing about a girl being “only 17”. Yikes.
TL;DR: Imagine Coldplay with less whinning. You get it? There you go! Long version: OK, so the first song is pretty catchy, but then you can easily hear here and there gimmicks of "indie" (as in "fuck it we're mainstream and signed on a big ass major company") rock from this time. Like fucking Coldplay. With less whinning. Sometimes they can be pretty OK actually, with a good rhythm section (and a bass lines as the backbone of some of the songs), and a serious post-punk feeling (the bass once again, and some guitar parts). I was going to be indulgent, then they decided that it was a good idea to have the 17 song. Yeah, romanticizing anything with an underage girl is so fun!
Have to confess I’ve never listened to a KoL album until this project. I know the big hits but not the album tracks. Was hoping there would be more to their music than the big hits but this was sadly lacking. Didn’t do anything to make me want to listen to them any more than I did before!
Thankfully its better than Aha Shake, hopefully the third one is even better but not likely. 2.36
A completely rude awakening with this album. After Aha Shake Heartbreak I had become complacent with the idea that Kings of Leon were some nobody indie band that this book was intent on overrepresenting. Needless to say, I was shocked after being unwittingly smacked over the head with TWO hit songs back-to-back. Then, once I was crawling along the ground in desperate search of bandages this cheeky fucker decided to bust out one more. This album is listenable, but belongs to the lower echelon of listenable. It's the kind of album where I would give it's jewel case a long, discerning, slightly disapproving stare were I to hold it in my hands. I generally appreciate the lively tracks, though the subdued, pensive tracks are a mixed bag. They're good instrumentally, but are much more reliant on the vocals, which I am undecided on the quality of.
Playing catch up - so listened to both KOL albums that have come up so far back to back. As per comment on Aha Shake Heartbreak - I had really liked KOL first time around until Only By The Night - which was the beginning of my disengagement with KOL. Listening again today I don't think my opinion has changed with Only Be The Night having a more polished/ stadium feel that does not work for me. I gave Aha Shake Heartbreak a 3 and I would much rather listen to that - which I guess makes this a 2.
just because an album has a couple big singles doesn’t mean i need to listen to it before i die, robert dimery
It's pretty generic "alt-rock" and nothing really stands out. It's hard to believe that it received a nomination for best album and that "Use Somebody" actually won best song. It's just so incredibly boring yet still somehow gets regular airtime on the radio to this day. "Sex is on Fire" is a better song and actually has a decent groove, in my opinion. It's not a terrible album but there were much better albums in this genre from this time period.
It's still strange to me that this was so popular. It was bland then and it's bland now. The fact that this band has multiple albums on this list is a real head scratcher as they've mostly been forgotten as their music is very forgettable.
I don't hate KOL in general but this album in particular is agressively average
Will this be the album that finally shows me why Kings of Leon are (or were) so popular? I try to listen with an open mind but all I hear is a young Cocker wannabe trying too hard to emote over music engineered for maximum indie and/or young indie-tinged Southern Rock appeal. Every rough edge has been sanded to pristine blandness. Maybe the music’s lab-manufactured inoffensiveness amplifies the singer's quirks in the worst way, but I found it grating. Instead of elevating the songs, his voice drags them down. Sometimes my ears just don’t align with the masses, and I’m okay with that.
My Kings of Leon history goes like this… I got interested in Kings of Leon. I really liked Kings of Leon. I hated Kings of Leon. I’ve ignored Kings of Leon. Revisiting this album after not listening to it by choice for over ten years is interesting. The singles are damn catchy. You can’t deny it. It helps that I’m not hearing them all the time anymore. Positives: The opener is hands down my favorite track. The creepy, spooky vibe is a delight. Revelry is probably my second favorite. It reminds me of My Morning Jacket. Honestly, tracks 1-6 are pretty good. Negatives: I can’t stand 17. The young girl infatuation songs by grown men are just gross. Skip. As catchy as Sex on Fire might be, I don’t particularly like it. The back half of the album isn’t as good as the first half. (Notion is a decent song.) I can see myself listening to some of these songs from time to time but to play the whole album…I just don’t see that happening. Sometimes absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder. 2/5
Although a big fan of the band, this one was their mainstream crossover success album and I always thought it was lack luster. Their earlier albums were raw and gritty and this one seemed so polished and produced.
Nothing crazy, it felt like pretty basic alt rock. I think there could be some songs that grow on me and I listen to more over time but the album as a whole doesn’t seem to offer much.
Kinda gives George Ezra but slightly more decent. The album has some good songs (cold desert was a special stand out) and some really not good songs (the oh oh ohs in the background of use somebody annoy me a lot) making the album feel kinda inconsistent. Honestly as an album though it was really not great at all.
A couple mild hits dragged down by the album
Not bad for bar vibes, but there's only a couple songs I really liked
Meh. And if Im not misinterpreting, there's a song about getting with a 17 year old.
I was kinda enjoying it for a while! I didn't love his voice and lyrics were okay, but I liked some of the interplay within the instruments, the noisy guitar solos, the hits are fine but some of the deeper cuts like Manhattan were cool. Then 17 came on....thats the kind of song that will instantly dock the album at least a star for me.
Eh..
Started really strong, but the second half of this was just really boring.
There's singing and people playing instruments, but it all sounds very bland and over produced. It's safe, middle-of-the-road stadium rock for people who would have done better listening to bands who did this all before in the 70s, but weren't around in the early 2000s to perform live I guess. The first couple of tracks showed some promise, maybe this would just be generic soft rock, but it slowed down to a painful crawl by the end. I'm not sure why the band thought it would be a good idea to put so many turgid tracks on the second side of the album, but it dragged it down to 2 stars for me. Weirdly, I got some Duran Duran vibes from some of the tracks, but not in a good way.
Słuchając tego, zastanawiałem się nad ideą hitów muzycznych. Coś staje się hitem, bo wszyscy to znają. Wszyscy coś znają, bo często leci w radiu lub innych środkach przekazu. I teraz pytanie - czy coś jest promowane, bo jest dobre? Czy coś zostaje uznane za dobre, bo jest agresywnie promowane? "Sex on Fire" (i może "Use Somebody") to jedyny utwór z tej płyty, którego jako tako mi się słucha. Choć jak się skupiłem, to słyszę, że mimo wszystko nie jest to utwór wybitny. Jest chwytliwy i energiczny - tak. Ale to wszystko. Czy w jakikolwiek sposób zwróciłby moją uwagę, gdyby nie to, że jest znany, bo regularnie leciał i leci w różnych składankach? Reszta albumu jest dla mnie bezdyskusyjnie nudna i płaska. Taki basic-mainstream/5.
I've listened to it in my house beacause I was afraid somebody will somehow know I listen to King of Leons and will judge me. I felt like I was a hostage in my own home. I checked and the album was 40 minutes but felt like 2 hours of the same song. One song was decent (probably the one that Wiktor mentioned but I don't want to check it).
There is nothing wrong with this album, as a background record it is perfectly pleasant with various radio-friendly soft rock numbers rolling by one after the other. It contains super hit ‘Sex on Fire’ which did briefly transport me to the summer of 2008 when it was played nearly constantly and despite it not being a song I was particularly fond of at the time, I did find myself singing along to the chorus. However that was the highlight in what was otherwise a too-long album with songs that just rolled into one. I hardly noticed when the tracks went by, making my track notes hard to complete as I struggled to distinguish each of them. All in all this is fine. If you like rock music then perhaps it’s better than fine. However I think few among us will find anything special here.
This album was everywhere on release, I genuinely can remember every radio station and music channel playing Use Somebody and Sex on Fire non stop for what felt like 6 months. And there’s a reason, the singles on this album are great. They’re not high brow art but the singles are tight, well made, catchy pop rock that doesn’t alienate any audience by overcommitting to the pop or the rock image. The album is stupidly front loaded, Closer the opener is easily the best song on the album, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody Manhattan and Revelry are all pretty great to varying degrees too. Although Crawl is probably the worst song on the album. I found the vocals a bit grating to want to listen to for 40 minutes. I think Kings of Leon are a band that is enjoyable for 1 or 2 songs at a time but afterwards the formula becomes apparent and things get annoying, but man for the 1 or 2 songs they rock. Overall there are some great songs on this but it dragged so badly which is impressive for a 42 min album. 2.5/5
Kings of Leon have a sound. The sound is layered guitars over propulsive rhythms. Sometimes they do really good things with that sound — other times it’s boring.
What leads this one to land on the '1001 Before You Die' list, ubiquity?
bit plain
Bleh. I liked this more than their first I suppose, but dude has an irritating voice and the music doesn't make up for it. This feels like Coldplay with a little more edge to it. Still bland af
Kings of Leons transition to pop music and a new teenage fanbase!! I heard this album so much growing up. I hated it at the time, let’s see how I feel 15 years later. The start of the album is superb, Closer and crawl are traditional KOL songs, driven by pure raw pop rock. Use somebody and sex is on fire are great pop songs that bring in new fans and widen their reach. It’s a great start. After track 4 the album really does drop of a cliff. The rest of the album feels like it is going through the motions with the tracks being very dull and samey without any style. The album is not one I would listen to again. Ill stick to the greatest hits. Favourite song: the first 4 songs, they are superb. Least favourite: Be somebody, overplayed and awful. Album artwork: I like this cover, I do remember it being different and green back in the day.
Standout: I forgot what it was but it said something about a gun. This guy can do one thing with his voice and he does it over and over. Transports me to being a child in the back of the car listening to Sex on Fire and confusing it with Locked Out Of Heaven. Instant loss in points for "she's only 17," gross and cliched.
first 2 songs rip. this guy has a great voice, I would like it/enjoy more if many inferior vocalists jacked his style in the ensuing years. good, sometime great instrumentation! the hits r the weakest links…
Det var länge sedan jag lyssnade på det här albumet. Minns inte att det var såhär bra. Bangers och deep cuts.
I've heard of this group, but couldn't have named any of their songs prior to listening. Maybe an opportunity to discover some new music? Nope. This album is OK but there's nothing remarkable about it. Sound like generic mid-00's rock music.
There was no escaping this album when it first came out. So much so that it very much put me off at the time, and hearing the start to 'sex on fire' still makes me roll my eyes. It's a pretty dull album, with each song bleeding into the next. Every song has one rif that gets repeated ad infinitum, and it well and truly bores me. If I never have to hear 'Sex on Fire' or 'Use Somebody' again it'll be too soon.
Gotta be honest, Sex on Fire gives me the ick. Now I'll add Only 17 to that list! Quite like Use Somebody but otherwise didn't find myself paying much attention. And the vocals started to grate.
I remember buying the first album and being really impressed by the raw sound of the band. Unfortunately this album is very beige. Apart from the 2 big hits sex on fire and use somebody the rest of the songs are instantly forgettable. Was considering giving this a 3 but then came across the dreadful 17 and instantly deducted a point. So it's a 2 from me. Don't really understand why this hasn't been bumped off the list to be honest.
They took a disappointing turn in their careers when they produced this. They used to be fun.
i was expecting to go easier on this than most because kings of leon was big when i first started really listening to music….but i just can’t! the singers’ voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me - pretty much an early iteration of the indie voice, with heavy emphasis on stretching the vowel O as far as possible. get it away from me!!! 2 stars for the mainstream bangers and i want you, which is a song i loved as a moody teenager.
Idk. This band is so mid to me.
This album was… odd in my opinion. I kept waiting for each track to like get harder, or crunchier, or do something that would differentiate it from the track before it. I felt like every song, as a singular track, didn’t really change and all the songs kind of felt monotone. You couple together 11 tracks of monotonous sounds and you get a less than stellar album. Coupled with singer that I think is kind of hard to understand - and a weird lyrical choice with a song about a 17 year old girl, I feel pretty happy about giving this album a 2. Sex on Fire is probably the one exception for this album, but it’s not enough to save it
fine
I prefer their earlier, more garage stuff. But even then, I’m not super into these guys at all.
Such weird mid tempo songs
Shame about the voice as the band sound good, but his voice, no thanks!
Somehow worse than I remember thinking it was going to be.
Been putting this off because I didn't want to listen to it. My thoughts on the album itself aren't too crazy; it was fine. Pretty similar to the last Kings of Leon album we got, but a little more poppy, which leads me to the main point of the review. I was talking to Alex earlier and he was explaining how little he liked the Sonic Youth album, which honestly was understandable; I was really into it, but can see how someone might not be willing to sit through all the screeching and shouting for the few moments of really good stuff (which is kinda how I see their music, obviously some might just think it's shit). To me, even though that album was pretty abrasive, I liked that it was unlike any other album we've heard and is totally different from anything you might hear in the mainstream, while still being (to me) a pleasant listen (I liked the songs). My point is just that I think I definitely skew towards trying to give points for things that I like while also doing something unexpected or different, and I'm more into stuff like that than this album, which is objectively fine. I think my reaction to a first listen of this wasn't that much more negative than Sister - it's just that this is super reminiscent of a lot of other pop rock you'll hear on the radio. I feel like kind of a dickhead after writing this. Obviously people are gonna like stuff that's somewhat unique. I guess between this and music league I'm just trying to rationalize how someone can genuinely love something that someone else genuinely hates. If anyone's read this far and has any good theories please lmk. Maybe this will get covered in a philosophy class I take in the future. That being said I do not think these guys deserve more than one album on this list, especially since this was just a more formulaic version of the other album. For that reason I'm rating it lower even though it was probably a more enjoyable listen.
Your average bland radio rock with two pretty good singles and a bunch of nothing. It's like U2 for even whiter people. Horrifying, I know.
The hits really hit, rest is pretty forgettable
It's not even the best KOL album, so no idea why it's on this list.
Sex on Fire and Use Somebody punctuated my awkward teen years, hard to get past the nostalgia factor, but there's a couple other decent tracks here at the beginning with Closer and Crawl. But then it falls apart and it's hard to listen to the singer's garbled voice for an entire album, not even sure what accent it's supposed to be, only just learned from this album that they're southern. Had to skip through the end.
Despite the fact it quickly became cool to hate KOL; I cannot deny that there was a zing of nostalgia to this and I thought it was OK.
This band was EVERYWHERE for this album when it dropped. And I do not really know why? Like its...fine. Is it because its like the most middle of the road rock? Like I don't hate it, its fine, but why is this an album I should hear before I die?
The guitars are very juicy, but I never much liked their sound over all. The singer's voice I find particularly off-putting. The songwriting... mostly goes by. Oh, and the hits on here have been played absolutely to death in my early twenties. They are DEAD. All in all, not much here for me except for the guitar sound.
Only By The Night is super bland soft rock, isn't it? Two massive singles, one good but overplayed to death, one alright but nothing special, and the rest feels like a lot of stuff better artists would've left off their record or rejected out of hand entirely. Also, 17 is pretty creepy. It gets a 2/5 and should probably be grateful it gets that, it gives 'Southern Rock' a bad name.
The singles are so over-exposed that I felt like giving it a one, but on the whole it's a bland two. Coldplay can't fill every playlist.
Sounds like what an alpha male wolf couple would listen to. 2/5
this sucks ass
Music isn't bad, but almost everything about this band is hard to connect to. From the weird name to the unnatural vocals it's almost like it was produced by AI. Same goes for the lyrics. The whole album feels artificial as all hell to me.
two too many Kings of Leon albums if you ask me.
Ça aurait du être le seul album de Kings of Leon et même là il ne mérite aucunement sa place ici. Deux singles qui ont vraiment marché à la radio ne veut pas dire que l'album vaut la peine de figurer parmi tellement de classiques. Le début de l'album est correct, mais après les quatre premières chansons ça dégringole sans arrêt. Aussi, la chanson 17, wtf ? 4/10
This is almost unlistenable. I don’t know why anyone would include it in this list.
Not my cup of tea. I don't feel much listening to this, although Sex on Fire is a banger.
I've only walked out on 2 bands' performances in my life. One was Modest Mouse starting late and being so loud it hurt, and the other is Kings of Leon... cause they suck.
The nickelback of a new generation.
Appreciate that this album always felt like it was going at full speed, but that also really emphasizes the negatives of their sound
I really don't like KOL .. it's just so boring and generic and their influence just lead to more boring and generic rock. BUT I do get why others love it and it's leagues better than the other KOL I had to hear recently
Not only is this the third Kings of Leon album that I've gotten on this list, it's the third one I've gotten in the last fucking month. I don't understand why you're doing this to me, but I beg you to stop. There are so many great musicians out there, and yet all I'm allowed to listen to is Kings of Leon. It makes my tummy sad. 2/5
I kinda disliked this one, feels very one note, and I'm not a fan of the vocalist's style.
Toothless.
frekar einhæft og leiðinlegt.
I cannot believe this is the third album from this band on this list. This band seems about as middle of the road, check as many mass appeal boxes as possible, to just be a meh band that basic people love. There's nothing wrong with it, but nothing inherently interesting either. Why is this band on this list so much?
Album was everywhere when it came out and I didn’t care for it, still don’t.
I always found 'Sex is on fire' rather irksome and the rest of the album doesn't do much for me either. And labelling the music indie-rock is a misnomer, as it was released on a major label. (RCA).
This sex is on fiiiiiiiirreeeeee bored as atumbke driieeerr
If you want something 'rockier' than Coldplay...
Yet another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex I've always been indifferent about Kings of Leon... even when everyone in the pub is roaring to Sex on Fire, meh! A question about audio production, everything felt dampened down, was it recorded under a wet blanket?
In the matter of taste, the human brain thrives on familiarity. Often, the only thing standing in the way of you liking something is that you haven't been exposed to it enough times. When it comes to Kings of Leon, my brain works the opposite. At first they're okay, but the more I hear them, the more I dislike them. And I hate "Sex on Fire."
I just don't like this band. The voice, the energy, the sound. Not for me.
The instrumentation is so mediocre, they’re relying on the singer’s “interesting” voice to do a lot of the heavy lifting, but it’s more annoying than it is interesting by a long shot.
I gave this a whirl when it first came out—I won't deny it—but nowadays it'll take much more than night falling for me to return to the whirl well.
Better then the other album they have on the list but still not good
I had fun! An unusual selection.
Fine background music but not particularly interesting or exciting
Two radio hits Recycled arena rock And catchy headaches
Apresenta potencial para se firmar como opção memorável de rock bem feito, mas se perde como sem alma e pegada mais forte.
2.3 1x in LAX going to LAS then ATL
I find the Kings of Leon annoying.
A rock/pop powerhouse but oversaturation takes its toll.
Ok
Partly heard before Saved 4/11 Top track: Closer
Listened to this album a lot when I was a teenager. I absolutely loved it. Now? Wtf? Over half the songs seem to repeat themselves over and over. And nearly none of them make sense. They all bleed into each other. And 17??? What the double actual fuck is that song? Idk what the hell was going through my teenage brain enjoying this album.
Mediocre at best
Always tried but never really liked this stadium oriented rock outfit
Have always found Kings of Leon irritating
There are many sins on this album, but the most egregious is that this band is just lame as hell. Their songs are all about swagger and sex appeal but I just flat out don't buy it. This is rock music for people who's biggest adversity is being passed over for district manager at PetSmart. Use Somebody is a hell of a song though and Sex on Fire would be too if the lyrics weren't so dumb. So I have to give them that at least.
Perhaps it’s silly, but had the line been ANYthing other than “your sex is on fire” I would probably feel very differently about this band. This album wasn’t terrible, and they have some earlier stuff that I enjoyed, but they are so, so gross to me, mostly because that lyric.
This album doesn’t belong to the list. At all. A study in bland and mediocre.
too happy, too boring and jangly, a real jarring listen actually. not good stoned music
Sooo basiic
yeah i can't say i'm a fan of this. i don't know if i can say it's bad but it's pretty uninspiring. there's really nothing interesting here going on. i remember them being a big band but with music as, at best, middle of the road as this, i can't imagine the bland type of person who this resonates with. not for me.
Die einzelnen Hits kennt man ja, aber so geballt nervts schnell. Keine Abwechslung.
I liked Crawl. The rest of the album was fine but not that great. I think the two hits off this album are the worst songs on it. Maybe it’s because of them being overplayed, or it’s the woah-oh chorus on use somebody. That was overused for a long time, it’s such a lazy choice. Otherwise, it’s an inoffensive pop rock album, not sure it deserves to be on this list. Just ok.
True story - this album is so forgettable that I had to check my listening history to realize that I did in fact listen to it a couple of weeks ago and just had forgotten to rate it.
There are multiple hits on this album but it just doesn’t appeal to me. Some of their songs I found frankly a bit creepy which pushed it down to a 2. Fave Track: Closer Rating: 2
I mean... not as good as their early stuff. But as an indie cunt I still resonate with Kings of Leon. Sorry. I am sorry.
You can just about spot the exact moment they decided to launch themselves head first down the water slide of commercial sell out shite, belly flopping right into the pool of irritating music. A pool ladened with coldplays piss! Feels like such a sell out album. Average almost post rock drums to try to create some sort of anthemic sound, gravely vocals with bang average, middle of the road lyrics. A recipe to get idiots to love your music. I’m a little bit of one of those idiots though! Would be better if sex on fire and that other god awful single wasn’t on this at all. 2.2
Este podría haber sido el disco que hubieran publicado U2 si en 2008 aún siguieran sacando discos decentes. Esto no es una crítica, sino un piropo. Arrasó en ventas, aunque la crítica los puso a parir. Con el tiempo se ha demostrado que fue un disco acertado, que sigue sonando bien y es bienvenido en cualquier momento. Con Closer, Sex On Fire y Use Somebody como mejores temas. otros discos de 2008: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes , Portishead – Third, ELI "PAPERBOY" REED - Roll with you,Sigur Rós – Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust, Deerhunter – Microcastle, MGMT – Oracular Spectacular, TV On The Radio – Dear Science, The Last Shadow Puppets – The Age Of The Understatement, Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend, Calexico – Carried To Dust, The Magnetic Fields- Distortion, Lightspeed Champion - Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, Adele-19 , Hot Chip- made in the dark, Beach house- Devotion, M83- Saturdays = Youth, TV on the Radio -Dear Science, Mogwai-The Hawk Is Howling, Coldplay- Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends...
Meh. Didn't hate it. Probably 2.5
It's really not a good album. They had so much potential after the first three.
Bedre end den anden KoL plade vi hørte! Den starter jo med en hel serie af (relativt) bangers. Men ja, generisk, hans stemme er tit ret træls, og den her plade behøver virkelig ikke være i den her bog! Altid et 🚩🚩🚩 når en sanger med den her stemme starter en sang med "ooooh she was only 17"
Lidt flere gode sange på den her plade, men jeg kan virkelig ikke snuppe hans stemme...
Their best selling but least soulful. It's the death rattle of the garage rock revival, unfortunately.
I don’t want to be all “every song sounds the same,” It’s more like the emotional register of all the songs is very similar, like those heavy, emotional ballad with the stretched-out “oooooooooooooo-ooooooo-ooooooooo” dramorama all over the place. I get some real three doors down, I want to call it “faux“ heaviness vibes. I don’t know, just 11 songs seems like a lot for one sitting. Best song on the album is “I Want You.”
It was okay - nothing special to me.
I feel like someone should show Kings of Leon some ways to make their songs interesting. Every song feels like it has the same structure: start really strong, and never really go anywhere. Like they came up with one riff and decided that's a whole song. Props to the bass player for trying to be interesting. Top tracks: Use Somebody, Revelry
It’s fine I guess
KoL's big commercial breakthrough. Still not very good. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: Use Somebody Date listened: 11/04/24
I like the first Kings of Leon album on the list. On this fourth album the transformation to boring MOR, daddy rock is completed. The songs are fine, but the performance is uninspired and the album does not add anything interesting to music history. Like a MacDonalds burger.
This was the album that introduced everyone to Kings of Leon, but it is most definitely not their best album.
Wholly unremarkable
I had to sigh when this album popped up, entirely too soon after their other album on this list (aka at any point at all.) This one is more polished sounding, but still sort of grimy and dirty feeling...lyrics are overtly sexual in a retro (and somehow still unsexy, to me at least) way. It feels like they've chosen to embrace the messiness of the vocal stylings while cleaning up the other aspects of the music on this record. I remember this being their breakout album. The singles were truly inescapable in 2008-2010. In retrospect, maybe I should have appreciated them more then, because they really came at the end of rock on the pop charts for...a while. Is that why they're on the list? Commercial success and the marker of an end of an era where indie rock went mainstream, thanks, in no small part, because of the Twilight soundtrack? I have no other theories. Overall, it's fine. I don't think I'll return to this album anytime soon, but thanks to the magic of drugstore soundtracks, I'm sure I'll remember it exists.
Wouldn’t put in in albums to listen to in life
It's probably a fine album. I didn't find anything offputting but I didn't connect with it. The sound is all very similar. Very few dynamics. Not very exciting for me. No chills. Nothing moved me. I probably wouldn't have put it on the list, but I'm glad I've heard it and can now move on.
I don’t find it bad, but not my type I find it a little generic. I’m sure when it can out it was more unique 2,5
A couple good songs on here, Notion especially. 17 felt fairly creepy, I Want You felt weird as well. I'm not trying to be anti-sex but when the songs are about an underage woman and make a point to identify in their lyrics they're talking specifically about a black guy with a big dick, I dunno... Not for me.
not impressed. It was just OK. I’d give it 2.5 stars.
This album makes me sad. There was time, before this album, when Kings of Leon were genuinely good. This was when that stopped being the case.
Going into the album I knew a couple singles and that is it. From what I heard of those they were fairly good songs at first, but the cry of the singer is a little overdone. Unfortunately every song seems to do that too. There are a few other artists that do a similar cry but in moderation and that helps a lot for me at least. Favorite track: " Use somebody" 2/5
Loved this album. Dope sounds!
Don't know why, but these guys annoy the bejesus out of me.
More indistinct mumblings from the Kings of Leon and their overrepresented presence on this list is a mystery.
I know the hits and I cannot imagine it gets better from there. I’ll take the day off 2.3
I feel like this album starts off strong with a 3-song suite that is about as interesting as radio Indie can get. After that…it trails off into mediocrity. Sounds like a lot of other music that brings much more to the table. Not much happening here someone like The Killers wouldn’t be able to give me. Top tracks: Closer, Crawl, Sex On Fire
Incredibly bland soft rock. Maybe a 3, but 17 gave me such a freight I had to knock it down a point
Did we really need more than one album from this band? This feels forced and phony.
The last song saved this from being a 1. Hated the rest tbh
Meh
It's not bad, but sort of middle of the road alt/indie. The singer's voice is a little much - almost the novelty that keeps them afloat. Didn't know they were all brothers. Overall, fairly unremarkable. 2.8
Goes to show how far a great voice can carry a band, and boy does Caleb Followill have one. Very middle-of-the-road rock album to my ears, lyrically and musically, though "17" was more creative than I would have expected for a song of its content. I want to rate it low, but don't have a great reason. It's a 5/10 but I'll give it two stars.
This album did manage to improve upon their earlier work mainly in the fact that the singer was less annoying. He was still annoying, but had a touch more control. The band is leaning into more of an arena rock feel here though their southern rock roots can still be felt slightly. I really enjoyed the bass work but I feel like it’s just wasted here. The music is mediocre and the lyrics are juvenile.