Kings of Leon — Come Around Sundown (10/19/10)
What happened to Kings of Leon? We all know them from the massively successful hits “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” but they never did reach that height of popularity again. Their last album, 2016’s ‘WALLS’ was a dud in my opinion and I haven’t heard from them since. It looks like they actually released a new acoustic song through YouTube (not on streaming services) in March, but I’m not too interested.
The Tennessee rock band will be celebrating 10 years of ‘Come Around Sundown’ this fall. Their fifth album, it followed the commercial success of 2008’s ‘Only by the Night,’ so there was a lot riding on this one. @sullivancouver requested a review and since it’s up my alley I was happy to give it a revisit.
“Radioactive” was the first taste fans were given. If you compare it to the lead single off their previous album, “Sex on Fire,” you can see how much they embraced their southern rock roots with this new song. ‘OBTN’ was their most alt-rock devoted album and I loved it for that, but in the end, they’re a Tennessee rock band and they display that southern charm well on ‘CAS.’
But they certainly didn’t lose the alt-rock edge. Opener “The End” is full of that moody rock sound featured on their previous, with ringing guitar through the bleak chorus that sets up quite the haunting mood. “The Face” is another darker passage with pained, emotive guitar and a somber walking pace that builds to a rock-strong conclusion.
“The Immortals” holds onto the alt-rock vibes and is, according to the band, one of their proudest achievements. It pulls the floor out from under itself with a chorus that encourages you to love to the fullest.
While I love the dark alt-rock edge to their stuff, some of their best comes with the more open tracks with that country twang. “Birthday” is blissful and holds one of my favorite sing-a-long hooks, and “Mary” is a wonderfully driven and fun rocker with some of the album's best guitar work. And on the softer side, “Back Down South” and the closer “Pickup Truck” are impossible not to get wrapped up in with two of the most memorable melodies of the bunch.
I can’t ignore “Pony Up.” The percussion is ridiculous and it was all done live in-studio by drummer Nathan Followill with a shaker taped to his drumstick while keeping a consistent cowbell beat and juggling the tambourine. The partnering bass guitar is about the juiciest you’ll find on the album. The bass seems to have a bit of a starring role in a lot of these songs though and you can feel its thick textures vibrating throughout a track like “No Money.”
I like to save the best for last with my reviews and with this one that honor goes to “Pyro.” It’s gone on to be the most successful single of the album, and deservedly so. It’s a song that has managed to impact me unlike many can. Complex guitar instantly sets a heartbreaking mood and a rolling drum beat takes the song into the most harrowing chorus the band has ever created.
Caleb Followill’s voice is full of emotion as he cries out, “I won’t ever be your cornerstone.” The song reaches its peak just after the 3-minute mark and it’s pretty much an out-of-body experience for me. This is also a track that showed me how much a music video can do for a song. The slow-motion video based around the patrons of a depressing bar perfectly captures the feeling of the song and I’ve experienced some of my strongest emotions with music while watching it.
