By Steve Rousseau
Every album that Kings of Leon release has a five syllable title. The music, however, does not have the same consistency. 2008’s “Only by the Night” was a transition period for the band, moving from basic alt rock to a more complex bigger sound. “Come Around Sundown” is the band’s recently released fifth album and, according to singer Caleb Follow, is a step towards the earlier “Because of the Times” and “Aha Shake Heartbreak”-era sound. The result of the Tennesee-based band’s work, however, is a bit of an identity crisis.
Unlike previous releases by Kings of Leon, “Come Around Sundown” doesn’t have a single unifying tone. On one end of the spectrum is “Back Down South.” The only track featuring an acoustic guitar, its stripped-down guitar-driven sound is reminiscent of the band’s earlier works. On the opposite end is “Radioactive,” the album’s first single. With Nathan and Matthew’s guitars providing more of an accompaniment to the bass-driven rhythm, “Radioactive” is a completely new departure in the band’s style. “The Immortals,” with its soaring, fast-strumming chorus, elicits the same sounds found in the massively popular “Use Somebody.” Then out in left-field is “Mary,” an oddly slow blues song which sadly suffers from tremolo-strummed chords.
This mix of different styles on the album’s 13 tracks makes it difficult to determine what direction the band is trying to take with this new album. Is it a return to a better time with “Back Down South,” a movement towards something new with “Radioactive,” or maybe more of the same with “The Immortals?” It’s hard to tell – which makes “Sundown” feel more like an album of b-sides rather than fresh, genuine material.
Two tracks, however, give a light at the end of a tunnel – evidence that the band can combine their range of styles into a glorious master-race of new sonic possibilities. “Birthday” and “Mi Amigo,” arguably the two best songs of “Come Around Sundown,” combine the slow-moving, stripped down verses found in “Aha Shake Heartbreak” with the booming choruses found in “Only by the Night,” and at the same time include lighter guitar leads that create a happier tone brand new to the Kings of Leon sound.
There is a lot to like in “Sundown,” the variety of styles found mix things up a bit, but once you hear “Birthday” and “Mi Amigo” it becomes apparent that the album could have been so much more. If what you’re looking for is more Kings of Leon, then “Sundown” delivers. However, if it’s innovation you desire, “Come Around Sundown’s”brief glimpse into what could have been might disappoint you.
