2010 in Music - Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown – B+
Though I really like the last two Kings of Leon albums, I kind of have to ask where that raw country flavored rock band that ripped the hell out of Aha Shake Heartbreak is. Instead of tight groovy songs chock full of dirty hooks, we have the arena rock version of KOL, which isn’t a bad thing, I just miss some of the grit they used to have. “The End” has the kings picking up where they left off in Only by Night. There’s a great bass line, there are guitar tricks to be enjoyed, it’s a good quasi mellow opener and it definitely reflects the cover of the album. Actually this is one of those albums that sound EXACTLY like what you see on the cover. “Radioactive” brings up the beat a bit more and you swear they’re warming up the engines. The song is catchy and groovy and you can definitely see yourself driving home after a good surf session. Actually, that’s a great way of describing the album. It’s something you hear after surfing to wind down. It’s not something you put on to pump yourself up and the album is definitely lacking more rocking numbers which is either good or bad, depending on which KOL songs you like. “Pyro” is another great song with slight delay effects and echo, a solid hook and a closer to any good day you’ve had. Then for the fourth track, they bring out “Mary” a different type of track they might have deemed necessary to spice things up, but it does nothing to achieve liftoff. “The Face” is another great mellow rocker and actually one of the highlights of the album, but again, no liftoff. As Jack Black would say it, these guys are in dire need of some rocket sauce.
Highlight Tracks: The End, Radioactive, Pyro, The Face, No Money, Pickup Truck
