Kings of Leon – Because of the Times

As my girlfriend’s uncle Todd said a few months ago about the Kings, “they have a sound, but they have no songs.” His assessment was spot-on. Their sound is distinctive and thrilling, but I’d be hard-pressed to name a particular song of theirs. And even if I could name a song or two, I couldn’t hum the tune. And even if I could hum the tune, I certainly don’t know the words. But as anyone who bought Aha Shake Heartbreak can tell you, that isn’t a huge problem. That album was one of my favorites of 2006 (it came out in late 2005, but I didn’t discover it until March) because it felt so goddamn REAL. They combined everything good about the Strokes (retro-simple melodies, good drumming, a fondness for guitar fuzz) with Southern soul and genuine emotion.

Their new album, Because of the Times, won’t help them in the song department. There isn’t a single here, and there isn’t even really a song that sticks in my head. But I thoroughly enjoyed this album anyway. With the exception of “Charmer”, which is rendered unlistenable by singer Caleb Followill’s grating scream that begins each line of the lyric, I liked every song. The album is darker, more brooding and introspective than Heartbreak, but it doesn’t suffer for it. The real growth here is in the vocals. On Heartbreak, I felt that the vocals were included just so that the songs wouldn’t be instrumentals; Caleb Followill’s voice was just another instrument. On Because, the songs seem tailored around his voice and lyrics, and he’s doing more with both. His voice is raspy (to the point that I picture him smoking 100 cigarettes at once,) and he uses that to good effect.

The best part is that I’ve liked the album more each of my 3 times through it. That’s always a good sign.