Only By The Night

It’s a pretty good album but it feels dated! Like such a unique date and time (mid 2010s)

I remember listening to this album in a couple of the tracks when it came out, unfortunately there was nothing that kept it in my rotation long-term. For me there is nothing that brings you back to it after you've experienced it a couple times. Giving them a 2.5 & rounding up because I've been too harsh lately. 😝🤷🏻

Solid album, I enjoyed its run. Too bad Caleb was such a twit. Would I listen to this album for fun? No. But it had its place.

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 when it came out, and it still holds up for me today. Strong indie rock from start to finish. No dips. Another surprise 5 for me.

Loved this album. Dope sounds!

This album rips

Almost perfect. Drags at the end

Kings Of Leon were huge in Australia, especially this album ‘Only By The Night’, which went 11 x Platinum and got heaps of radio airplay, to the point where it’s become ubiquitous and is still a staple on Aussie rock stations everywhere. I however, never really got into King Of Leon, so this is the first time I ever properly listened to them, and this album…well it’s good. It’s a catchy, solid rock album full of mainstream appeal. It’s nothing earth shattering, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless and there’s worse ways to spend 3/4 of an hour.

It's good, but it doesn't have any real highlights. They received more hate than they deserved from the self-appointed gatekeepers of rock 'n roll. Reminds me of Bush. The singer sounds like a rock singer in a cartoon would sound. Almost a funny voice. Favorite song: sex on fire.

Don't know why, but these guys annoy the bejesus out of me.

I didn't want to leave this challenge. It brought back wonderful memories of living in Nashville & the excitement there was knowing this was a local band making it big. There was so much buzz in the air & a bunch of us knew or had seen Kings of Leon play before this album. Electric times. Musically, this is fantastic rock album. If someone were to ask me what the 2000s sounded like, I'd play this. Sex on Fire immediately followed by Use Somebody is a strike to the senses. Love this album & will revist it often. 4.5 stars

It’s not bad, exactly, but it strikes me as totally unremarkable. Generic 00’s soft rock with good production.

More indistinct mumblings from the Kings of Leon and their overrepresented presence on this list is a mystery.

Ça me désole mais je suis obligé de mettre 5

moi aussi je chante comme ça quand j’ai une laryngite

Encuentro bastante raro que esta banda tenga más de un disco en esta lista. Sé que "Sex on Fire" es un single que fue sumamente popular, más aún en el año en el que salió, pero "Only By Night" es una entrega mucho, mucho peor dentro de la discografía de Kings ofd Leon que el otro LP de la misma banda que se encuentra en la lista, "Aha Shake Heartbreak". Con una producción que no le favorece en nada a las composiciones, este disco suena como una mezcla obscena entre The Killers y Coldplay, con unos cuantos tintes de country. Perfectamente olvidable y saltable. No te pierdes de nada si no escuchas este disco.

Not too much to complain about, their songs are fine, though underwhelming at times, but it's nice to hear there are bands that still play rock, when it's becoming increasingly rare for bands to gain traction during an era with "stars" from YouTube, TikTok. Some good stuff here, but nothing stands out for me as it's a fairly genetic and unmemorable. I would listen to more of their music, not because I love it, more to hear if they have more variety and range than on Only By the Night. Comme ci comme ça

I read this once and now I can't get it out of my head because it's so perfectly defines the sound of this band: "Lynyrd Skynyrd Coldplay variant." I forgot how much I enjoyed this album. Haven't listed to it in over a decade. It was a joy to revisit. I was never a huge fan of this band, but they had several songs on here that just resonated with me for some reason.

This was always a really good album. So many good songs.

More fun and atmospheric than I expected

Can't stand the way he whines, still decent songwriting

So so many albums by this band. This one's a catchy one, 3. They must have really great fans among critics though.

prefer their earlier stuff

Oh man this album is great. Closer just grabs you straight away and by the time Manhattan kicks in you wonder do I like this particular song or am I having a dopamine rush. Certainly after my second listen I was keen to listen again. Faves from today are Crawl, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody, and Notion but there's plenty more in second place. That's 2 out of 2 5-Star records from KoL for me!

I wasn't exactly excited to get a second Kings of Leon album on this project, but this was sufficiently different from their first album that I guess I don't begrudge its inclusion too much. Overall, a pleasant enough listen, with the massively glaring exception of "17". What the hell is that? A Christmassy statutory rape song? 🤨 Awful. Fave tracks - "Closer" is a solid opener. "Manhattan" maybe?

Previously rated: Youth And Young Manhood (3/5) ************************************ Again, the music was OK, but those affected, torchered sounding vocals. It gets tiring. Best track: Sex on Fire

Closer 3.8 Crawl 3.8 Sex on Fire 3.4 Use Somebody 3.6 Manhattan 3 Revelry 3.1 17 3 Notion 3.1 I Want You 3 Be Somebody 3.2 Cold Desert 3.3 Score 3.3

De bekende liedjes zijn geweldig. De rest is wat meer mainstream / 13 in een dozijn. Leuk album, maar niet heel bijzonder. ***

Such a great album! Only bad thing I can say about it is: it's not especially distinct/sharp. Technically strong, lots of variation, and so head-noddable.

M'ha semblat súper agradable d'escoltar. Manté molt l'estil tot l'àlbum però en cap moment se m'ha fet pesat. Sex on Fire és un temazo. Expected Lorenzo rating: 4

I was very happy with this album, they have a really fun sound. My favorites were “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody”

So this album is unique for basically the lead singers voice. Band sounds great. Love this album

Wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised, 7/10

Modern alternative rock. Kings of Leon started as a hard, almost punk, garage rock band and with this record evolved into a heavily produced, mainstream act. Faint traces of their Southern rock roots still persist but their sound is now polished guitars and drums supporting the excellent vocals. Caleb has a raw, wrenching tone to his voice that infuses their songs with a ton of emotion and draws the listener in. The songwriting is pretty simple but effective -- Sex On Fire and Use Somebody are the big hits but the album is pretty consistently good up and down. Good but not great. I liked the early stuff from them better -- this is more a product of the industry machine.

Crear un ambiente muy envolvente. Siento que tendría que haber conocido este disco mucho antes. El cantante usa un quiebre vocal muy bien hecho y lo hace propio de su estilo. Es como si estuviera por desafinar en cada momento, pero lo sabe utilizar muy bien. Album super recomendado!!!

I know the hits and I cannot imagine it gets better from there. I’ll take the day off 2.3

Polished, popular, sort of kings of Leon but without the wild lo-fi youthful vigour of their earlier, better albums. Sex on fire is nonsensical and overplayed but I still think actually quite a tune, the opener is excellent too but all in all the albums a little humdrum and sort of forgettable whereas, the first two - in the words of Vince Noir - are blinding.

I love their first album. This one for me is just OK. The guitar and vocals are still great.

apsolutni klasik

Good album!

Good old memories of being young

My favourite album when I was 15. Know every song. Best song is Manhattan or Be Somebody.

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

I could not finish as it was not good.

Incredibly bland soft rock. Maybe a 3, but 17 gave me such a freight I had to knock it down a point

It was better than the other two Kings of Leon albums on this list. It didn't drone on and I was familiar with several of the songs. I don't think I would revisit the entire album, but some of the songs are worthy of listening to again. I will round up.

Was a big fan of this album back in the day. Still is pretty great. 4.5

Did we really need more than one album from this band? This feels forced and phony.

Screw this jawn.

A solid rock n roll album. Perfect amphitheater on a warm day kind of music. I like Caleb's voice a lot - it helps to ground the wall of guitars and keep a touch of the southern flavor of their sound.

not their best work

It was on the way to something of a modern classic, until, seemingly out of nowhere, Caleb Followill sings about a girl being only 17. Apparently he hides behind the claim that the song takes the voice of some character, but it doesn't help matters that he sounds like the creepiest rock star to ever sing about the subject. And that's saying something. It's too bad, because the hits on here remain absolute bangers.

The last song saved this from being a 1. Hated the rest tbh

Generic sounds, annoying singing, forgettable melodies, the works. Not very good.

3.3 - It’s like “Achtung Baby”’s unremarkable nephew, loaded with the same emotional grandstanding, echoey guitar riffs and vocal fry. But what it lacks is the intellectual heft and artistic vision to send these linear arrangements soaring.

Meh

A more or less Roots/Americana based rock, a sound that reminds me a little of Black Crowes and a little Coldplay in there. Pretty good stuff - May revisit this one more. Sex On Fire, Manhattan, and Notion are my favorites.

I have a strong opinion about this album. The first two KoL albums were awesome. Raw, gritty southern rock. Lightly produced. I’m less familiar with the third, but this one, ugh. It was a break-out album for them, but to me, they jumped the shark. Admittedly, some of the songs pull me in, but the mainstream over-produced quality of this album waters down what could be a classic. 2.9 P.S. “Your sex is on fire”?? Such stupid lyrics.

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

I definitely think there are more than 1001 albums that should be listened to before this one, however I still enjoy it. The best songs on the album are "Closer," "Sex on Fire," "Revelry," and "Notion," but there really aren't any terrible songs on here either. Doesn't belong with the greats, but that's fine. It's still good.

Paar epische nummers, paar nummers die misschien wat teveel gedraaid zijn, maar ook een wat saaie tweede helft van het album.

Clássico. Me faz lembrar a adolescência. :c

God I fucking LOVE this album. Restored my faith in rock when it was released, after a few years in the swirly whirly jazz world. Hearing Use Somebody one night blew me away, and reminded me of Joshua Tree-era U2 without all the pompous grandiosity affiliated with Bono and Co. And this glorious album does not sound dated at all. A masterpiece.

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.

I actually didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Not a lot of range and the best ones were on the radio ad nauseum already.

I like Kings of Leon so I already knew this album. It's very good, lots of great songs here. The album flows pretty well, though it drags a little at the end. It kind of feels like they stacked the best songs in the front and left the weaker ones for the last few. Not a huge deal though, songs like "Use Somebody" and "Crawl" are so good it more than makes up for it. And "Closer" is one of the best album openers, it builds beautifully and has such a strong vibe. Really good record, though I think I like Ah Ha Shake Heartbreak and Because of the Times a little bit more.

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.

pretty decent lots of songs I didnt know I knew

Incredible! One of the best! First half of the album is much better than the second one, but this album definitely needs to be in the list

Amazing Album

4.5

I like some songs

The '00s selections so far have felt too new to some extent. Listening to this, I can definitely hear some of the influence in returning some different elements to arena rock. Overall, the album is fine.

I know. I'm surprised, too. I thought this album was only "Sex on Fire" but, it turns out, it's absolutely full of jams. The opening track, "Closer" is such a vibe and the album just... keeps slapping all the way through "Cold Desert". I tried to find a reason to dock it a star but even the fact that "Sex on Fire" is SO overplayed couldn't kill the album.

Muy escuchado

I know people kind of shit on Kings of Leon sometimes, but I don't think it's terrible. It's not anything amazing, but I don't mind listening to this. It's kind of fun, but it can be a bit stale at times.

Fan of KoL. HOWEVER This is so not the album. This is the album they sell out and go for mainstream popularity. Any one of first 2 or even the 3rd are better choices

Southern rock, Chris Stapleton feel.

Love a good flash back to my latest teens/early 20s. This album fully resonates with what was going on my life. Kings of Leon were just beyond good, so genius. This album is there most popular, but all their albums before this one belong on this list, no question!

Agradable y Guay.

Good vibe. I never think about this band when it comes to rock but their sound is awesome. Only a couple skips.

It's a really inoffensive indie rock album. Nothing really special, a bit commercial rock, but nice enough to listen to it through, though it is not very memorable either.

There's not just one Kings of Leon album on this list, which would be too much for my taste. This album is stale and whiny.

Side A - a mighty Hulk, smashing through, explosion of sound, great riffs, really good vocal, I loved their style, especially the first song was amazing. Unfortunately, Side B was a big snoozefest, vocal became monotonous, maybe because it was exposed by lack of interesting instrumental parts. I'm still very much impressed with this album, I will look forward to listen to it on a vinyl, but I wouldn't call that an essential buy. It is a really good band, I think it will be worth it to listen to other positions in the discography.

You know the sort of person who complains about pop or rap or whatever? This is the sort of stodgy turgid crap they call real music, because it's made by four session musicians who inexplicably made it (admittedly their first album was pretty okay). And the musicians are definitely white, which I often think is a big part of their issue with music that isn't real, ain't that right Morrissey? Like a sandwich made purely of white bread, with a white bread filling, seasoned with breadcrumbs. Bland and stodgy.

Decent album, always been something cool about kings of Leon

Some bangers if you ignore all the lyrics

A great album. Mix of styles, and energetic.

Pleasant but kind of bland

Iconic. New wave of rock for the time.

Seemed fairly bland rock

I liked this in high school. Not so much anymore.

Most of my malice towards this album was driven by radio overplay of ‘Use Somebody’ when the LP first dropped, but overall I just can’t shake the sense this was more lab-grown crossover than genuine artistic statement. There are moments where the instrumentation punches through and offers a shining moment, but most of the album feels so dreamy and lost in a fog that it kind of stumbles forward mindlessly.

Not being a huge Kings of Leon fan, I can appreciate the unsung gems of the album. Moody and ambient at times, it generates strong QOTSS vibes with the Eddie Vedder-ish vocals and angst. Mostly unoriginal it does pull you in unexpectedly. The subtle harmony created by distortion and light synths creates a great vibe throughout.

no skips

Irriterande

Heel strakke plaat! Top immers en perfect afgemixt

It was alright

Rock alternativo. Un par de megahits. No me ha entusiasmado. Ni fu ni fa.

Agradable y Guay.

Good, would never put it on

Bland

This... was actually pretty great? Really wasn't expecting much considering their other records on this list, but I thought this one was excellent! They actually found a somewhat unique sound, wrote cool songs, and played their instruments well (special props to the bassist for some delightfully catchy basslines)

Ok Kings of Leon, I'm glad to see an album that deserves to be on this list finally. Of course some star singles, but also just consistent across the board.

A pair of hit songs, good to hear some other tracks on this album

I used to listen to this album on repeat when it came out. Holds up well.

listened to again despite misgivings on my own 2012 era hipster playlists, i must admit this is a good album and the guitar tone is immaculate

Not a huge fan of them, but they are decent. There are a few standout songs like Sex is on Fire and Use Somebody. The rest is pretty bland.

I remember when this came out and hearing Sex on Fire and Use Somebody. Those are great along with the other standouts like Notion and Revelry. Kings of Leon really impressed me with this album.

"Only by the Night" is the fourth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon. Alternative rock, pop rock and Southern Rock. Yep. OK. This album had massive success hitting the top 10 in 10 countries. Critically, it had mixed reviews. Morse code sounds and drums start the opener "Crawl." Guitars come in and the song kicks in. It goes back soft and we get that soft'-loud-soft dynamic. He loves her but she's not into him. The fifth single (yes, 5) "Crawl" opens with eerie guitars, industrial noises and a drum beat. Slashing guitars. This song is driven by the bass and drums. I think it's about the downturn in US socially and globally. Interesting song. "Sex on Fire" was written about lead singers Caleb Followill's model girlfriend. Guitar strings, drums, bass and then a urgent guitar comes in. Catchy chorus. I admit to liking this song when it came out until it was extremely over played. Everyone needs a power ballad. Right? Well, they got one in "Use Somebody." The "oh, oh, oh, oh, oh''s." Slower guitar and the requisite guitar solo. I like "Sex on Fire" better. The third single "Revelry" continues the slower pace. What sounds like electronic drums, slide guitar and a very prominent bass. Caleb regrets partying too much which ended the relationship. This is a pretty good song. The fourth single "Notion" features layered guitars with the guitars and piano driving the chorus and melody. A slide guitar. He wants to go back home but he can't before he apologizes which he's struggling to do. This album is at best OK for me, I guess. There are catchy choruses and the musicianship is solid. I have absolutely no idea why there are two Kings of Leon albums in the top 1,001. But there are and this one was huge commercially. If you like Kings of Leon you probably already have this. If you're debating whether to listen to this, revisit the last few reviews I did and go there.

5/10. Yup, Sex on Fire was part of an album alright

It's pretty shocking to see that this was panned by American critics upon release, especially compared to the favorable reviews in the UK. Perhaps the American critics had prescient visions of Use Somebody and Sex on Fire getting significant airtime in dying department stores in the 2010s. 5/10

Nach den dicken Hits Sex on Fire und Use Somebody hatte ich mehr erwartet. Naja, solide 2 Sterne.

I find the singer's voice to be annoying. This is fairly unexciting stuff.

Good, nothing earth shattering.

Good!!!

I'm not looking forward to this. Track 1 - It sounds like ZOO-era U2 with a shitty singer from a The Commitments tribute band. When will it end? There's still 60 seconds to go. Aargh. Track 2 - What was that album where I said it would sound amazing if you've never heard any other music before? That's what this is, again. The music is very simple, but not in a good way and the singer sucks. The guy from Terrorvision or Ugly Kid Joe were better and doing this sort of thing. I am reminded of U2 again by this track. God, it's boring. 40 seconds to go. They need to make all their songs 1 minute shorter is what I've learnt so far. Track 3 - "Yoo-ooh-ooh, my ass is on fire." Oh, no, I'm confusing it with something else. Again, it's amazing how simple these songs are. When did this come out? Do you remember the phrase "Landfill Indie"? I am suddenly reminded of that. Track 4 - Oh god, I forgot this one. "USE somebody". Again, so simple with weirdly unconvincing over-emoting vocals. Right. I don't know if I can do this whole album with out skipping. 1 minute 22 seconds to go. Oh god, this is so desperate to be arena rock. Ooh! A key change! It's over. Track 5 - skipping Track 6 - This sounds like modern country and western which is just simple rock with lyrical references to tractors and things. I suppose you want to make sure you get that Southern demographic. "Drinking Smoking." "Kerosene" Some slide guitar. But so simple still. Track 7 "She's only 17" Really? Is rock still doing that? (In 2008) Yeesh. skip skip skip. Yeah this is corporate bullshit. I can imagine tolerating it if it came on in a pub and you were a bit pissed. It's not as bad as Travis (but then what is?) so I am grudgingly giving it two stars. Or am I? Nah fuck it. GET FUCKED KINGS OF LEON!

Big slice of Americana, sure I loved this more at the time but with distance it feels more like Alan Partridge driving his Rover down the A11 than Hunter S. Thompson driving Route 66.

Like when battle of the bands was burnt down by a sex fire

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I really enjoyed this one. I don’t think I’d ever heard of the band or heard their music. Glad this project introduced me to them. Solid rock music with an approach that stands out as a little different. I look forward to hearing more of their music.

ok.

Heel vet! Veel gedraaid, maar eigenlijk is niet alles leuk gebleven.

Ik kan me nog herinneren dat ik zeer onder de indruk was van de eerste vier nummers. Inmiddels zijn Sex on Fire en Use Somebody kapot gedraaid en vind ik het tweede deel van de plaat toch een beetje inkakken.

Echt héél veel gedraaid toen ie net uit was. Heel catchy en misschien wel iets te gelikt t.o.v. eerdere platen. Maar nog altijd een heel fijn plaatje.

Favorite Songs: Sex on Fire Notion Be Somebody

Forgot how good this album is

It's easy to write off Only By The Night's more familiar chords when, in fact, they have quite a bit of care behind them. Not so for the minor parts of the album. A more serious issue is lyrical mismatch: Developing sounds out of the garage works if there's abstraction at play everywhere. On this album, the themes end up flaky coating for the slick production.

Not my gig

KoL were definitely heading in a more commercial direction at this point, compared to the other album we received, their debut. Usually, I’m not a fan of bands becoming more radio-friendly, but in this case, they had a bit of room to maneuver, starting as raw sounding as they did. Caleb Followill’s voice is more tempered but still gritty and soulful enough to be interesting. The first few songs are better than the rest of the LP. It’s surprising that the American critics trashed this Tennessee band while the Brit-press and especially the Aussies were crazy about them. Between a 3 and 4 for me.

We got the Kings of Leon’s debut recently and I thought it was a bit too raw, but the pendulum has swung too far the other way, and now I think this one is too commercial. Caleb’s Followill’s vocal style is too mainstream pop rock sounding for me, especially on Use somebody.

Not the worst album I got here, but seriously, a 3rd Kings of Leon album here is way too much, don’t you think? I still can't stand the singer's voice, for a start.

I see why Use Somebody was the hit off this album, the rest is just meh.

Throwback classic

My first “who are these guys?!” and a core music memory. Leans a bit Arena Rock but probably their peak.

I'm going to be charitable and say that at the time that this list was devised, Kings of Leon were breaking out and were considered a rising force in rock music. That's why so many of their albums are on this app. That said - this is pure dog ass, an embarrassing album.

Well, I basically asked for this one just to get it over with, so I felt obligated to listen to it. As suspected, it’s a much more enjoyable affair. It at least feels of a piece and I do think “Sex is on Fire” works just fine for what it is. “Use Somebody” is catchy and there were a few others like “Revelry” and the opener that I didn’t mind. They’re a better mainstream alternative band than the southern garage whatever they were trying to be on those other records, and I don’t care if this is a more boring record - it at least has some memorable tunes. That said, I found myself imagine what these songs would sound like with any other singer and came to the conclusion that the answer is basically My Morning Jacket. That band probably could have made this exact same record if they wanted to and it would have been less annoying vocally. So then. Since I willed this one into being I’m going to take a shot at predicting this will, mercifully, be the last Kings of Leon album on this list.

Solid album start to finish.

Rock alternativo. Un par de megahits. No me ha entusiasmado. Ni fu ni fa.

I was a pretty big fan of Kings of Leon, until this album came out. Although "Sex on Fire" is fire.

This is a great album by a talented group. I enjoy pretty much all of Kings of Leon music.

Despite being probably their most commercially successful album, musically it's perhaps their low point for me. I had started listening to them just before this came out, and had become a fan of their earlier work. When "Sex on Fire" hit the radio I found myself having to defend them, "but actually they're good if you listen to this other stuff..."

I think what this comes down to is if you like that ragged tear in the lead singer's voice or not. I don't think I do. It's not like fingernails on a chalkboard or anything. It's more like a hug from a drunk acquaintance that lasts just a little too long. Like he's just overexcited, but it's a little awkward. I had not really taken the time to listen to this band before 1001. Now, I feel I have listened to them far too much, and that they are overrepresented on the list. Pick an album, alright Dimery? This well may be their best effort, who knows, but because it comes so late in my 1001 journey, I basically knew what to expect, and this just didn't feel fresh to me. You know what, fuck it, those vocals are bringing it down for me. He's trying to come across all soulful, but it's really just whining in disguise. Welcome to my controversial artist list boys!

This basically what I know Kings of Leon for: anthemic indie-rock. They nailed that formula on this album. That being said, I think this formula is ultimately pretty hollow in the long term, but during the time it was quite popular. Sort of like indie U2. It’s fine, but I would never put it on deliberately.

I'd only heard the big hit but playing the rest of the album I really like the vibe. I really like Caleb's voice- so gritty. The music is pretty standard post 2000 stuff but really good rock nevertheless

This album was everywhere. It had loads of singles. I had heard it before but never a proper listen outside of the singles. It's one of the albums that is just good and will age well (Hot Fuss, Jagged little pill, etc.). Stand out tracks - Closer - Crawl - Sex on Fire - Use Somebody - Revelry - Be Somebody - Notion

Sex On Fire and Use Somebody were almost impossible to escape growing up, and they are a big one-two. This band is actually a lot more mellow than their singles might suggest. I Want You is a surprising tune. Cold Desert is the closer on this album that I think it deserves. This one is right on the cusp for me. the middle is largely overshadowed by the singles but I think the whole thing is sonically complete.

Great songs one after another. 4-5 stars but I’ll round.

I've never been a fan of Sex on Fire or Use Somebody, the two songs on here that I've heard before. I actually liked most of the other songs better than these two. Musically it's good, but I don't care for the singer's vocal style. It sounds like he is singing with a mouthful of marbles. 3 stars.

I liked it much more than I expected, maybe because "Sex on Fire" was huge on my corner during my teenage years, but we never know. Perhaps I like Kings of Leon.

3-4 stars - couple of bangers but not my fave kings of leon

Not as good as I remember

2000s rock classic, Sex on Fire though has been played way too much these past 15 years

4.5

It’s fine honestly. Overhated at this point just because it got so undeservedly popular. Nothing spectacular but also nothing terrible.

very melancholy album

5/5

One long track with gaps. Couple of songs rise above the rest but overall, for me, just missing spark.

4.0

Continuing to evolve from their garage rock beginnings, Kings of Leon incorporates electric effects much like electro-pop and mainstream rock contemporaries, such as Muse. I'm hearing noisy distortion from post-grunge, as well as the anthemic song structures, choruses, and guitar solos of 80s arena rock, as well as tinges of funk and country in certain tracks. At the same time, they retain the minimalist punk style of drumming and repetitive riff patterns. It's a well-produced diverse blend of genres fitting of a modern mainstream rock record. Even the deep cuts have catchy melodies and stick around in your head. I have to give them a lot of credit in a time where rock was heading in different directions. Between the quality, ingenuity, and accessibility, it stands as one of the defining "classic rock" albums of the 21st century.

Rock

Wasn’t a fan. Not of the album in particular, just Kings of Leon in general. The kind of music my dad would listen to a lot back when I was younger. Couple ok songs, but I’m just not into it. 5/10 Top 3: 1. Use Somebody 2. Sex on Fire 3. Closer

тягучий и нежный альт-поп-рок с нотками юга. Верните 2008!

Агааа, это из разряда тех групп, которые типа такие "о, вот почему я знаю это название". И да, Sex On Fire была в какой-то момент таким синглом №1 везде. Причём вот сейчас не могу вспомнить, кажется, будто мы в школе использовали её для каких-то капустников или отчётных видосиков, как фоновую композицию. Но прям не помню уже. Удивлён, что это 2008 год, честно говоря, думал поновее. Звучит бодренько, но да, это такая довольно обычная группа, как по мне... Если мне не изменяет память, Imagine Dragons примерно в это же время начали что-то первое записывать. Ну да, наверное, у них это прям совсем-совсем попсой получалось. Тут всё-таки есть какие-то попытки игры с драмой, с форматом песен.

ору с чела в ревью, который сказал, что это идеально для стоматологического кабинета. в целом норм, но особо не цепляет (но есть приколы в звучках, так что 3, а не 2)

Can’t say I really enjoyed this one

Use somebody is a classic, but I didn't much enjoy all the songs before and after it. But fck bro use somebody is such a classic, nah I don't wanna give it 3 stars.

Crikey another on the list from this band coming only a few days since the last one. This work is later in their career and there had been a change, for the better. A stronger collection of songs that seemed focused on a wider appeal. Maybe this made it more accessible.

2.5

interesting sounds and melodies. Soft grunge?

slightly better than aerosmith

Not a fan really, aside from the hits.

Bof... On dirait que le chanteur chante en faisant la moue...

the album where they decided they wanted to make some money and wrote some generic stadium rock music. i think that's technically called selling out, but considering how the 2nd and 3rd album were nowhere near as good as youth and young manhood it was a bit of a hail mary that paid off. the 2000s are littered with bands with a good first album that couldn't replicate it and disappeared after underwhelming follow ups so the fact they got a 4th stab meant it was all or nothing, repay the record label with sales or fall away into memory and split up. its utter generic garbage music but i respect that they did what they had to do.

You can fuck right off. This was the beginning of the end for KOL. The first 2 albums were great. Even the 3rd was very good. This was a wet blanket. Became inexplicably popular because people found the lyrics Sex on Fire so damn wonderful. It was a rip off of Dakota by Stereophonics when you break it down. Argh, I'm so full of hate for this album, because I used to love KOL and this was so shit. Use Somebody can fuck off and die. I'm genuinely angry that this is on here.

Tja. Het is echt niet slecht hoor. En er staan leuke hits op. Maar verder vind ik het ook niet bijzonder, en ook niet super fijn om naar te luisteren. Dus laten we het in het midden houden.

I'm not sure why I had to listen to this before I died, but it's fine to listen to.

I didn't hate it, but I really didn't like it, either.

Solid, pleasant music. Nothing grand, nothing tedious nothing horrible. Nothing entirely sitting

Well, it’s certainly listenable, if not particularly interesting. “Sex on Fire” is a great track and there are some other fun moments. But it also features some of the tendencies in Top 40 rock that tends to make my eyes roll (I’m looking at you, cliche “oh-woah-woahs” in “Use Somebody”). It’s like if Hootie and the Blowfish got Blues Traveler’s lead singer and decided to write songs specifically to be played in Guitar Hero clones. Serviceable, but uninspired.

So much better than other 3 star albums. But not as classic as the 4 stars. But it's good. But it also all sounds the same. And a bit boring. But still good.

Great album for this list. A sort of lightning in a bottle type of album. I really enjoyed this one back when I was in high school and college. Sex On Fire and Use Somebody have become classics at this point and there are a few others on here I enjoyed like Revelry and Manhattan. Was cool to read their story on the Apple music explanation too. Glad this one made it to the list if only that it isn't the same as everything else we have been getting.

A rock band forgotton by time, I wonder what they're up to these days? Kings of Leon had a couple big hits out of nowhere, both of which are here: Use Somebody and Sex on Fire. I didn't hear of them before or after that. But you know what, the album is pretty great. They've got a nice rock-soul thing going on, and they just did their thing well. I'm glad to have listened to this because I would now say they are a little underrated. Favorite tracks: Use Somebody, Sex on Fire, Closer, Revelry, Notion. Album art: Rorschach-style art, that I really can't interpret. Always seemed like birds or wings at first glance, but I can't be sure. But it's cool, I like the font they used at the top. 4/5

All time favorite

kind of coldplay vibes. nothing bad and sometimes good but nothing super special

This is cool. Or whatever kids say these days that means "cool". Not superlative or cutting edge, but some interesting moments. I didn't mind listening.

Idk, I hear a lot of empty earnestness. At times this album made me queasy. It feels manufactured for is time and over produced.

My personal guilty pleasure.

I like guitars a lot, but vocals are just as irritating as I remembered

The 3 songs i like on here, i love. Really indifferent about the rest

Kings of Leon are a somewhat restless band. Debuting with a strong southern rock sound, their identity pivoted to a more palatable alternative rock identity. This would fluctuate with their southern rock roots, but their 2008 album Only By The Night would land on poppier alt rock that would end up defining radio rock for the next few years. Two bonafide hit singes, Use Somebody and Sex on Fire, followed by three less notable singles would make Only By The Night their most successful album by a longshot. The singles aren't bad. Use Somebody hones in a sort of U2 stadium rock that I tend not to like, but Sex On Fire has a decent driving force to make up for the things. Oddly enough, it's the less popular singles like Notion and Crawl that I remember more fondly from the radio. Pacing is good, it never sound egregious or obnoxious. It's a perfectly acceptable rock record with a few good tunes to boot.

That’s a weird one. So generic yet very fun. Couple of memorable songs without great parts and a couple of forgettable songs with great bits. 3 stars

Expected Kings of Leon but not this album. However, on listening again it’s actually very good, great two opening and two closing tracks, good in the middle.

Weak 3. The hit single isn't doing this album any favours unfortunately. But when that song is over and done with, there's a decent rock album there. But they do have better albums, if any of them deserves a spot on this list.

Not as bad as I figured considering how much I hate this band post their second record but also not good. And sometimes truly awful. Mostly it’s just boring, like the most soulless take on soulful rock ever.

3.5 decent

Pretty good :) the songs are a bit static for my taste but the sound is still satisfactory

Fuck kings of leon sex on fire är fine men resten är så lame, tråkigt och albumet låter som en tvättmedelsreklam

OK. Not great. Americana / soft rock and occasionally a stepped on cat.

makes me feel things (mostly positive)

Not a bad album. I definitely prefer the sound of this era than most others. The vocals leave much to be desired, as it sounds just like any other band out there. My favorite song was 17. Definitely a great representation of the "alternative rock" scene of the mid 2000s.

Sounds like the only thing that mattered was sounding good in a stadium - soaring, anthemic, monotonous structures, simple harmonies, slow builds. The songs are silly confections and instantly forgettable.

God no. Not my cup of tea at all. Sex on Fire can do one. Favourite tracks: no.

The amount of times I’ve heard someone sing sex on fire for karaoke makes me wanna throw this album away but overall this album was aight

Radio songs or wannabe radio songs Pretty dec all around but tainted by the radio

Mids

a bit bland. why is it on this list??

Better thank I thought it was gonna be with how watered down sex on fire is from the radio

I was suprised this one made the list but alright didnt mind listening to it

The burning bush

Front half of the album is good, back half is a snoozer. And what does Kings of Leon do that The Killers, The Strokes, Muse, U2, or Black Keys didn’t already do better? Album is fine in a vacuum but on a 1000 albums you must listen to list? I don’t knoooow about that

Combustable intercourse

Already familiar "Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody" thanks to radio. Rest of album was good, but not great.

Yeah. Its alright. I've never really understood the appeal of this band. His voice is pleasingly distinctive. Some of it washes over me.3

It has a couple of extremely well known and good tracks on it. The rest of it just seems bland by comparison

it’s pretty good but i only gave imperial bedrooms a 4 so it gets a 3 because it’s not as good as imperial bedrooms (which really could’ve been a 5 since i gave f@$&in’ finley QUAYE a 4, i don’t know why, i was feeling generous that day)

Honestly this album had some absolute bangers. Overall this is a really nice album, I really liked the soft rock elements plus this album has a lot of teenage memories for me. Stand out tracks: Closer, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody

Kinda mid

Nostalgic

This is absolutely terrible. Corporate rock. If you took the vocals off you could use any of these tracks for a video your CEO shows you about the company’s fresh new direction before laying you off. Their first album was so good. It’s diabolical what happened to them. They should be jailed.

Really dislike his voice. Otherwise it's fine

Pretty good

I get why this was popular. It's fancy, well produced, and performed. Songs have hooks. It's got the requisite parts of a hit pop album. I cannot get past the singer. The Bob Seger schtick is grating to my ears. Just sounds like a complete put-on. Not for me.

7/10. Feels like a well-tuned alt-rock album. The hit single "Sex on Fire" almost feels out of place compared to the early tracks.

Not a fan.

Just an awesome album. Lots of soul and a solid rock/blues backbone.

verrry sensible rock and roll. commercially sexy, clearly staying safe. whole album sounds uninteresting and the same. similar to other commercial schlock from early 2000s: maroon 5, coldplay, killers, john mayer. ugh not my cup o' tea.

Great album

This transports me back to the embrace of the passenger seat in my friend D’s old BMW, his decisive right foot, and the enveloping thump of his speakers drowning out the desperate sounds from the car’s trunk as we cut through the North Circular. Salad days, I can still smell the arterial smog. Returning to this record and its forgettable title, I realise this period was marked by rock bands being integrated by producers into a glossy, trip hop-style synthetic aesthetic that favoured few. The famous, silly fiery sex song, the immediately succeeding Use Somebody and a handful of sections aside, this record does not move me - the tunes are not strong enough to hold up the poppy production, which mutes the pleasures the band's rock might otherwise have brought. Had I the time and inclination to listen to music I don't like, I could plot a line from NIN to KoL. I have not heard a record that happily sits in the midpoint of glorious synth and hairy rock. The drums are upfront and fall like a big dead fish thrown onto a slab. Guitar feedback can sound savage or, more rarely, haunting, even bittersweet; here it’s a precision-engineered component inserted with the badge “here’s rock”. A rock song sung by a man that begins with "Oh, she's only seventeen" needs to follow up with deft writing to avoid sounding creepy, which doesn't happen here. Perhaps I just miss that old BMW's sound-system, now distant.

Went into this with no expectations. Emerged with no opinions. The Lynyrd Skynyrd Coldplay variant? About as much effort as I can muster

I ended up quite disappointed with this album. Two absolutely amazing songs in Use somebody and Sex on fire but that's pretty much it. I found myself wanting to skip all the other songs.

Nice

Actually a great album front to back

5/10

The hits are catchy, but the production is so damn muddy and the vocals sound dumb. Not for me.

Solid.

Better than I thought. Solid album, especially the first half.

AJ: had forgotten I’d heard this album a decent amount when it came out. Pleasantly surprised to remember a lot o the songs. I think they’re great on this. Every instrument sounds so strong, but also shiny. Jangly pop rocks. I like it a lot.

More enjoyable than expected tails off in end

I remember the cycle around this album, the Kings of Leon "sellout" album. I remember a lot of press. I also remember hearing "Sex on Fire", what was (and still is) a decent song, and deciding not to check out the rest of the album. In retrospect, I think it's fine. The songs sometimes meander without ever getting to a destination. It certainly sounds big, but also kind of empty. Like a garage rock band attempting shoegaze. Favorite tracks: "Notion", "I Want You"

Before I listen I have to say that I hate Sex On Fire, so it will be interesting to see if the rest of the album makes up for that overblown rubbish. Closer: nope. Ponderous crap with the same vocal stylings. He sounds like he has a massive dose of constipation. Then I remembered Use Somebody is of that same turgid, earnest style. Not looking good. Manhattan is better... lighter. Sounds like Christine McVie on the synth. Revelry is very good, it has a nice laidback feel. Seventeen is disturbing but good. Notion - no. I Want You - dull. It just finished up being meh. There are a few good songs in the middle but they are flanked by songs that are just plain annoying.

Hlustaði aldrei markvisst á þetta þegar það var nýtt, en skellti mér samt á tónleika með þeim í Laugardalshöll 2015. Það voru leiðinlegir tónleikar, sumir eiga greinilega ekki að drekka bjór. En þessi plata er ágæt. Hún rennur útí miðjumoð er á líður en fyrrihlutinn er flottur.

Boring and irritating at the same time. The singer’s intentional vocal fry and constant deep reverb on the guitar are just grating and get tired after the first song.

A lot of the songs actually had really solid instrumentation. I found myself thinking "oh I'd love to learn this song on guitar" multiple times. Opening song had some really sick, melancholy vibes with the echoing guitar parts. Use Somebody is clearly the song everyone knows and has heard, I didn't even realize that was Kings of Leon until I got to that track in the album. I think the real problem is just the main singers voice, it felt rather polarizing. I found myself sick of it after an album of listening, but didn't dislike it nearly as much as my friends seemed to. This feels somewhere between a 2 and a 3, but since I can't do half ratings I suppose I'll give it a 2 since I will likely never come back to it.

Awesome

I heard it

Utterly generic whiny-guy album of the 90’s. A genre that needs zero entries to this list.

Wish the instrumental were more forward in the sound

Nostalgia heavy for me. A couple of duds (wtf 17?) but overall a decent rock record. Closer will always be a standout.

modern guitar solos, still pretty boring.

This where King of Leon sold their souls to the florida man.

I am quite familiar with Kings Of Leon without listening to this. My opinion of them has always been: “I really don’t see the fuss.” Admittedly, I’ve only heard the singles and never listened to an album in full, but I always found them to be generic rock music with bad vocals. I’ll try to go into this with an open mind though. Songs I already knew: Sex On First, Use Somebody, Revelry, Notion Favourites: Notion Unfortunately, I felt that my preconceptions were pretty much on the ball here. The music was quite uninspired and uninteresting, and I still really hate the vocals. Sex On Fire is criminally overplayed and unavoidable so any semblance of enjoyment that I may have once gotten has turned into frustration. I can recognised occasional parts of creativity if I push myself, but overall I simply didn’t like this.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Crawl, Use somebody, Sex on fire, Notion

Absolutely that person that previously thought KoL were everything and denounced them around the time of this release. Album 3 was over produced stadium rock but palatable - this is sickly sweet rock by numbers. How did we get from Youth and Young Manhood to songs for X Factor auditions and Hollyoaks outros. Maybe I’m just nostalgic for my iPod Classic. I definitely heard The Strokes before anyone that gives this five stars.

Average. Sex on Fire is good.

Sex On Fire, Notion

Bland radio rock

Good album

Even though I’m sick and tired of hearing Sex on Fire on the radio all the time, the rest of the album is pretty good!

If you fit loads of energy into something the size of a barn, it will be buzzing. You spread that energy over something the size of a stadium, and it may be middling at best. That is what went wrong with the Kings of Leon.

Fully realized 2008 ‘alternative’ radio rock

Yep it’s the Kings of Leon alright

This is excellent stadium rock.

There was a summer that me and a couple of friends did a lot of cruising around in one of the guy's pickup truck. None of us were old enough to buy beer and it was a small town so there wasn't really much else to do but drive around, eat fast food and listen to whatever cassette the truck guy had in his tape deck. I'm sure we listened to more than one album but for whatever reason, the one I remember was Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears. It wasn't Ozzy's best album but it felt right that summer. Whatever the modern version of that summer is for kids today, this album feels like the modern equivalent, it contains what have to be Kings of Leon's biggest selling singles so far (I'm pretty confident, without looking at the numbers, Mama I'm Coming Home and No More Tears' title track were Ozzy's best sellers, with the help of MTV) and its a well produced, slightly psychedelic, mainstream rock album. Is my comparison a stretch? Quite possibly but my guy tells me I'm right. Anyone own this on cassette?

My first time listening to Kings of Leon. Great sound.

I adore this album, but it's definitely picked up the 4th star based off of nostalgia

If i could rate it less i would

They sound effected and self important.

This album is great. As close to a 5 as it can get.

Has it all. Love this album!

I liked the album! I had heard some hits before but not the whole album. I could listen to this again so it’s 4 stars.

I always preferred Aha Shake but I can see why people love this. Crawl will always be a fave!

Great album some full songs favorites were revelry, notion I want you, and be somebody.

good

First time hearing the album. Standouts: Sex on Fire, Use Somebody Others: Crawl, Revelry, Notion, 17. 3.5

i think i used to like this, is just ok now...

The opening to Sex on Fire made me physically cringe, so I guess I'm not over that song being everywhere. On the whole, not bad, but also why is this here? Best track: Idk. Cold Desert

First track is a nice intro. Sound not too varied throughout but it's pleasant. Enjoyed the last couple tracks.

Possibly a 3.5 but did start to grow on me a bit

I feel like a big ol hypocrite writing this. Yesterday I lamented that the trappings of 2000s of mainstream rock held back a Bruce Springsteen album. The difference with Kings of Leon’s Only By the Night is that, uh, they’re a 2000s band so they get away with it? But also this is the best I’ve ever heard them, right down to the assorted bells (“17”), background choirs, *compression* & millennial whoops (“Use Somebody”). I wouldn’t say the rough edges of Youth & Young Manhood needed to be sanded over, but it works. It just works here. HL: “Sex on Fire”, “Revelry”, “Closer”, “Notion” September 12, 2023

This album epitomizes my criticism of this list. Just because an album had a few hits and was popular for a moment, does that make it an essential listen? What broader impact did Kings of Leon have on music, did they have any real impact at all? Overall an extremely forgettable album of boring pop-rock. Beyond that, the lyrics are cringe-inducing and awful. The entire song "17" written in 2008 should be a big enough red flag, but there are so many painfully unsexy attempts are risque lyrics. I end the review with one of those "Home-boy's so proud, He finally got the video proof The night vision shows, She was only ducking the truth It's heavy, I know The black cat with the gift down below A choke and a gag, She spit up an' came back for more, oh ahh ahh" ugh, gross. No one should come back to this album for more.

This was pretty boring. Had one okay song and the rest wasn't much of anything. His voice kind of annoyed me as well. Maybe one of the other ones will be better. My favourite song was Sex on Fire.

The KoL album that’s cool to hate. I don’t think this album is as bad as people make out, it is just cursed given how over played sex on fire and use somebody were at the time. This album did make KoL the biggest band in the world for a short period of time but in my opinion they have never recovered since, their first 3 albums are much better and personally don’t think this one should be on the list on years to come.

First couple of tracks good and emotive. Gets very samey after the two big singles. Not really for me

This was a pretty good album. "Use Somebody" was one that I didn't know was them. "Closer" was a really good track. The rest is good enough to play the entire album again. However, I can see why these guys never became huge.

Oh THIS is the one that has that Sex on Fire song on it. Pfft. The other album wasn't particularly memorable but wasn't TOO bad. This album is also unremarkable but is not as good as the other one. Why are there 2 Kings of Leon albums on this list? Why was there a need for one? Good God, don't let there be a third.

Have obviously heard some of the hits, and as a whole liked the album better than expected. However, I can't give this one more than 3/5 because Use Somebody has to be the most dead, dry, aimlessly written song that somehow radio stations still think people want to hear right now. I've been waiting a long time to say my piece about that fucking song and am glad I finally got a chance to do it

Disco de rock suave que, aunque no es malo, no me ha llamado especialmente la atención, quizás por la voz del cantante. Algún tema, muy reconocible. De las últimas hornadas de rock americano

Un super album rock assez reent pleinde jits . Un bonne ecoute que je n’aurais jama8s fait fait sans cette liste. 4.85

Do I like this version of Kings of Leon better than the cowpunk, idie-Americana version of Youth and Young Manhood? I don't think so. Both have good songs but there's a looseness and lack of pretense with the earlier music that fits my aesthetic better. This is a review of this album and on this album they hit the mark on 3 or 4 tracks which is enough for me to give it 3.5 stars

Le sexe est en feu mais ne le sera jamais autant que celui de Bobby Womack.

Oui ok le sexe est en feu mais à part ça qu'avez vous de concret à nous proposer les rois lions au juste ??

Ah it's a tough one as it was such a big album back at sixth form. Real nostalgia for that period of time and I did bloody love it. I haven't listened to these songs is years and I don't know how to feel about it! Now knowing where Kings of Leon came from, they changed their style a lot and made it much more pop and ballad. I don't respect Biffy Clyro or Coldplay for doing the same thing. I can't deny though I did enjoy the relisten and some of these hold up. Manhattan for example! Sex on Fire and Use Somebody don't ... Agh. 4 stars for nostalgia impact. Don't tell Luke (who kept crying to turn it off when I played this)

Sigh. I guess it's not that bad but it's just the moment Kings of Leon got bad in my eyes. Sex on Fire is quite a shit song really. Use Somebody is fine but it's hard to enjoy these days as it was so overplayed back in the day.

Heard before: 'Sex on Fire', 'Use Somebody'. First track in. This is better than I expected from the (alright) singles I knew. Second track in. Both excellent! Favourite songs: 'Closer', 'Crawl', 'Revelry', 'I Want You'. 8/10.

Not to be vulgar, but sex would be ablaze if I were doing it to "Revelry". Entire house flattened. Everything else was, as I predicted, vanilla.

This was one of those albums that I kind of assumed was just the hits and nothing else to offer but I was sorely mistaken. 17 and Revelry were quite good in particular. A bit too much blending together of the songs to be a top tier album but a solid 4 through and through.

Closer - 3.5 Crawl - 3 Sex on fire - 2.5 Use somebody - 3 Manhattan - 3.5 Revelry - 4 17 - 3.5 Notion - 2 I want you - 3 Be somebody - 2 Cold desert - 2

B Closer 4 Crawl 3 Sex On Fire 4 Use Somebody 4 Manhattan 3 Revelry 3 17 4 Notion 4 I Want You 3 Be Somebody 3 Cold Desert 3 This was actually much better than I expected. It was pretty close to a 4. 17 was my favorite song.