Like One Three #4

Kings of Leon - Only By Night

I wanna talk about a band that dominated my music interests as an early teenage boy from South Jersey. Where I’m from it wasn‘t the best look for black kid to listen to Rock music other than Linkin Park but I remember my high school hired a cover band to perform for us and they did ‘Use Somebody’, I was a fan from there on. Kings of Leon had become one of my favorite acts in music as a 14 year old. I didn’t care what others were saying, I was performing their songs on the game Rock Band as much as I possibly could because they were so dope to me. ‘Only By Night’ was a masterpiece to me and it’s aged like fine wine.

‘Sex on Fire’ is just ridiculous to me. Playing that song on Rock Band was some of the most fun I’ve had with a video game ever. The band threw everything into the instrumentation and it just captures your attention instantly. Caleb’s vocals are probably at their peak on this record, he really gives you a high level of energy when you’re singing along with him, it’s crazy.

That song goes directly into ‘Use Somebody’ my first encounter with this band. Again the band is just playing the hell out of this song and it’s such a beautiful performance. The bass guitar really pops on this record, like its presence could never be questioned and it really awesome to hear. I remember singing this in the shower damn near every morning for about two months after I listened to this album as a kid. I still turn this song on in my car every now and again, singing my whole heart out.

I remember hearing the outro ‘Cold Desert’ for the first time and getting chills (no pun intended). It’s just a really atmospheric song and an amazing way to end an album. Caleb voice makes the tone of instrumentation so much more scenic than I could say it would be had he not delivered the way he did. The song really feels cold and desolate even though it’s full of great vocals and playing. There’s a guitar solo that cuts so beautifully, I don’t know how else to describe it. Definitely my favorite song on the album and one of the songs that got me through some of my darker times.

I really hope y’all reach back and catch this album like Odell man. If you like instruments and strong vocals I promise this album is for you. I can’t believe how consistent this album is in my rotation of music to this day. Over 10 years of listening to it and I still love it. It‘s an amazingly fun and balanced album. It flows incredibly well, I love all 11 tracks of it.

I wanna thank the Kings of Leon for creating an album that inspired me to write this article 11 years after its release. It’s so awesome that even though my interest in the genre isn’t what it used to be I still come back to this album frequently. Thank y’all for helping Me through some of my tougher times with your music.