This has been coming for some time. There were enough quotes from the band to suggest the Kings of Leon’s stadium-sized fame had left them staring at the crowd and seeing people they never intended to invite to the party. “Use Somebody” changed everything. Suddenly the band who was used to being big in the UK (and maybe KU) – was rockin’ the BK, DQ, and Circle K. “Use Somebody” was one of those once in a career infectious rock gems that simply wouldn’t wear out. Bands have been built off tracks like this (see The Fray, Matchbox 20, even Journey). But after giving their new record, Come Around Sundown, a few spins it seems the boys from Tennessee have charted a different course. Dare I say they’ve stopped believin’?
That’s not to say they’ve made an unpopular record on purpose. It’s just that Come Around Sundown lacks the pop shimmer of its predecessor Only by The Night. If you’re looking for your next “Fans,” “Sex on Fire,” or “Use Somebody” – you won’t find it here. In fact the closest KOL gets to an accessible pop track is the first single “Radioactive.” The sing-along chorus, “it’s in the water, it’s where you came from” is further evidence that KOL’s intent was to return to their roots for their fifth studio album.
A buddy of mine suggested what Come Around Sundown was lacking was production value. Turns out the album was produced by KOL’s trusted team of Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King. But to give it a listen you’d almost think the boys produced it themselves. It has that feel to it. While it’s clear they know their sound, the record is missing the fit and finish to make it jump off the shelves. And perhaps that’s by design.
Some will say stadium-sized success has changed KOL. Yes they’ve launched their own fashion label and demanded private bathrooms on the summer festival circuit. And Come Around Sundown was recorded in New York not Nashville, and you can tell. But at their core the Kings of Leon still make musket music. There’s always going to be a civil war vibe about the three preacher’s sons and a cousin from Tennessee. For this reason the standout track on Come Around Sundown is hands down “Back Down South.” That’s not to say it will be the biggest hit because “Back Down South” is just country enough to lose some people. “Back Down South” is rock & roll with a gun rack and a dip in its lip. It’s a single with its spurs on, and the sort of song that college kids and city workers can agree on. Think Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, even “Fishin’ in the Dark.” It’s a song built for the wide-open road. If you had to buy just one track, spend your dollar here.
The difference with Come Around Sundown is there is a lot more filler here. The record basically falls off a cliff on tracks 8 through 12. The last track “Pickup Truck” provides the only kickstand to keep the back half of the album from collapsing completely. If you’re sitting in your car trying to play your favorites off Come Around Sundown for a friend you’ll probably find yourself hitting the single “Radioactive,” “Back Down South” and maybe “Mary” and “Pickup Truck.” Three or four tracks in total. Come Around Sundown is a fine record for core fans or just let play in the background; it’s just not a string of hits. It’s a grower, and it comes at you in waves. It’s a bit like a Pearl Jam record, another band that never set its sights on winning the popularity contest.
“Mary” is another fun one and the closest to living up to the press release which proclaimed Come Around Sundown as “yet another bold and expansive statement.” On “Mary” we find the Followills putting on letter sweaters and heading into the malt shop. Caleb’s signature drawl is laid on a ‘50s style track that Dion would have loved. The boys sing about the disco and Cameron even busts out a Chuck Berry style guitar solo. It’s a surprising twist on the record and would make a hell of a music video with the southern boys crashing the sock hop. I’m not sure it stands the test of time because Caleb’s voice is a bit too scruffy for the soda fountain. But I’m glad they tried it. Brave.
More than half of Come Around Sundown tends to blend together. It sounds good, and it sounds like Kings of Leon (something many of us have decided are the same thing). But very few of the tracks jump off the record and introduce themselves to you. There are a lot of face-in-the-crowd songs here. They’re fine but forgettable. If one track had to speak for this group and rises up from the bunch it would be track three “Pyro.” It’s a beauty. Trust me and invest here. Keep hitting this one and you’ll find yourself singing along. And at about the 3-minute mark where the brothers deconstruct the track into simpler sections it simmers to a slow cooked perfection. When Caleb screams “Can you feel it” over and over – you’ll find yourself giving a knowing nod and saying “yes indeed.”
Yes there are moments of magic on Come Around Sundown like the intro of “The Face” where Caleb moans of a long distance relationship, “If you give up New York, I’ll give you Tennessee” before rhyming “the only place to be.” And if there is a central narrative to Come Around Sundown, that’s it. The band is at a point in its career and fame that where they’re going (New York) is in direct conflict with where they’re from (Tennessee). These themes exist all over the record including ironically placing track “The End” first on the record.
The trouble with Come Around Sundown is it never really commits to New York or Tennessee – and where does that leave you – somewhere in Maryland? I think a lot of us actually wish the boys went all the ways back into the woods like on the first couple records. While they don’t do that here, they certainly aren’t shaving every day. Some of it’s by design and some of it just appears to be not as well crafted taking a step back toward the level of Because of the Times. Come Around Sundown feels like one of those in between records bands kick out when they’ve been spending a ton of time on the road and buying their own hype a bit. And there are misfires. “Pony Up” picks up where “I Want You” left off on the last record. Clearly the guys love that canteen boogie sound because they keep coming back to it, but unfortunately it just doesn’t translate. On “No Money” Caleb continues to play out his Aladdin fantasy of being the dirty, broke, street kid who falls in love with the princess. On the back half of the record he seems to be struggling to settle down, tame the rooster, and grow up while still being the “one who gives them all a whirl.” Unfortunately the music feels just as conflicted.
But it doesn’t really matter now does it? I smile when I say the Kings of Leon are, yes, out of the woods. At this stage it’s no longer necessary for us to grade each of their albums pass or fail. All the band really needs to do is put two or three killer songs into their set list as they continue their ascension as a band. And with “Back Down South” and “Radioactive” they’ve probably achieved this goal. Everyone in the band has greatly improved on their instruments with Jared and Nathan forming a rhythm section to be envied, Cameron becoming a mini-me of the Edge, and Caleb’s voice becoming one of the most recognizable in modern rock.
So while Come Around Sundown may leave some listeners stuck somewhere between Manhattan and Nashville, it also provides insight to where Kings of Leon are at this stage of their career. Clearly Kings of Leon were more comfortable in the “here’s the church, and here’s the steeple” stage early in their career than they have been during the “open the door and see all the people” phase brought on by the runaway hit “Use Somebody.”
On “The Face” Caleb urges us over and over again to simply “ride out the wave.” That’s what KOL are doing on this record, and that’s what their real fans will do with them. Come Around Sundown does come at you in waves, and true fans will find this record is a grower and will likely get stronger once you’ve seen the new songs played live. So the only message I’d have for the guys for the next album is to stick out the hitchhiker thumb, grab a Sharpie and make a NASHVILLE OR BUST sign, and “come home” for an entire record. Both “Back Down South” and “Radioactive” show this is where the band’s real magic is.
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