Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

Only by the Night (2008, RCA) Kings of Leon's fourth studio album. ***

Dubbed the "Southern Strokes" for some reason that no one really seems the know, Kings of Leon have struck back with an album that, once again, doesn't sound much like what they've done before. It seems that KOL is really into re-inventing themselves like Radiohead or My Morning Jacket, but they do it with less effect. Instead of learning to either adopt one sound that can transcend genres or focus on one style for a particular album, they're all over the place, and it leaves Only by the Night to be a confused - if not contrived - work.

For every great moment Only by the Night has, there's one that's that much more under the bar of satisfactory. None of the material is bad, but it's certainly boring. After moving beyond the strange 80's-esque "Sex on Fire," Kings of Leon slip into territory of the mind-tinglingly boring. They try to imitate bands like Journey and U2 but for no apparent reason, as they are trying to get the edge of hard rock wedged into their name. Caleb Followill's monotonous whining vocals grow tired quickly, as they meet every track with the same intensity and range.

When KOL are on, they're hot as hell. The guitar riffs of the Who bounce off the walls on the churning "Crawl," and straightforward rock of "Notion" gives Followill a chance to do his best Prince imitation (with his pronunciation). It ends nicely, too, with the insightful ballad "Cold Desert." They exert surprisingly good lyrics; "Jesus don't love me, no one ever carried my load/I'm too young to feel this old." Only by the Night will certainly please fans, but anything beyond the potential single of "Crawl" is doubtful to win many new ones. The band can't seem to figure out why they aren't big in the states, but it seems fairly obvious; they're unpredictable, and they don't have a single album under their belt that they can really boast about. Until next time, KOL are SOL on striking it rich in the USA. (Crawl, Notion, Cold Desert)