The fourth installment into the Kings of Leon archive, Only by the Night, compliments their first three albums nicely, but has potential to be their best work yet. One characteristic that has always given Kings of Leon such a unique sound is lead singer Caleb Followill’s scratchy, slurred vocals. The hard to accept but strangely addictive vocals seem somewhat turned down on this album, but as lovable non-the-less. Whether this is positive or negative will be up to the listener, but either way there is no denying the greatness of Only by the Night. Songs like “Sex On Fire,” and “Crawl,” represent the old school rock sound that Kings of Leon have the most fun with. These high-speed, energizing songs fit right into the seven years of rock that KOL have provided. For those that are more into songs like “Milk” (off Aha Shake Heartbreak), or “Arizona” (off Because of the Times), this album will be extremely satisfying. The majority of the songs on Only by the Night are more relaxed than usual. The album opens with the song “Closer” which includes an eerie, high pitched guitar that remains the backbone of the songs rhythm throughout. The song “Use Somebody” is a catchy unrequited love song with sounds resembling closely to Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm. “Revelry” is another slow and more romantic sounding track on the album. The song begins with the lyrics “What a night for a dance/ You know, I'm a dancing machine/ Put the fire in my bones/ With the sweet taste of kerosene.” Combined with the slow bar-background like music you’ll feel automatically warped into a dark and smoky bar with a neon light ambience. The album closes off with the bass heavy, somewhat depressing song “Cold Desert.” The emotion picks up with the music as the five-and-a-half minute song trickles off into a fade out, fade back in, and one last fade out to end the album. One of the best albums yet of 2008, Only by the Night is a supreme addition for Kings of Leon, and their matchless sound is once again put to good use from beginning to end.
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