KINGS OF LEON - Because Of The Times Review

Few acts have so effortlessly avoided the difficult second album syndrome as Kings of Leon did with Aha Shake Heartbreak, purely by refining the formula of their debut. The Followills stretch themselves further on Because of the Times, featuring a surprising range of styles, from the bass-driven funk of "My Party" to the sardonic reggae-rock of "Ragoo", and the loping blues-rock of "Black Thumbnail" to the jagged, Pixies-esque rock of "Charmer" - on which they emulate not just Black Francis's serrated guitar riffing, but his trademark scream too. ...full text The songs of indie-influenced Southern rockers Kings of Leon have tended to be concise and traditionally structured. But their third CD, Because of the Times, is a more sonically ambitious beast, as evidenced by album opener ''Knocked Up,'' which is nicely loose and seven minutes long. Indeed, with the exception of the relatively straightforward ''Black Thumbnail,'' all the tracks here find the band experimenting, successfully, with spacey atmospherics. ...full text They don't make seven-minute doomed-teen-lover melodramas like the Kings of Leon's "Knocked Up" anymore. This is the Tennessee band's big album-opening saga, building from quiet to loud with guitar licks that sound like the Edge fried in okra, with ominous thunderclap drumrolls. Caleb Followill chokes on his story: He and his cowgirl are gonna have a baby, her mama don't like it, they don't care, they're hitting the road in a Coupe de Ville, no doubt just one step ahead of The Man. ...full text