The brothers (and cousin) Followill keep today’s Southern rock rolling with their latest, Only by the Night.  Following up rather quickly on last year’s hit Because of the Times (QRO review), Tennessee’s Kings of Leon go a bit grander and more anthemistic on their new record, embracing the stadium-filling status that sees them filling such massive venues as New York’s Roseland Ballroom (QRO venue review) and, soon, the one and only Madison Square Garden (QRO Concert Calendar listing).

The Big Apple reference isn’t completely out-of-place, despite the band’s decidedly Dixie roots: one of Night’s top tracks is middle number “Manhattan”.  Reminiscent of Times’ excellent opener “Knocked Up”, this epic piece carries itself high and well.  Later on, “Notion” works the band’s expanding, dirty-Southern guitar.  Meanwhile, early in the record, single “Sex on Fire” is some pressing epic-rock with tragic undertones coming out of singer/guitarist Caleb Followill’s vocals.

Only by the Night is a more removed record, both in its downbeat and upbeat parts, like (respectively) “Revelry” and “Use Somebody” (or “Be Somebody”, which mixes both).  There’s a distinct echo reverberating throughout the album, from the spooky-ish opener “Closer” to the slow, grand finish of “Cold Desert”.  Not the breakthrough that Because of the Times was, but Only by the Night sees the Kings filling in their new domains.

MP3 Stream: "Sex on Fire"
 

-Michelle Moretti
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