Rating: NN
Kings of Leon used to be the best thing in a bad situation. Their arena alt rock with a translucent indie vibe was perfect for radio, and we could rely on them to push Nickelback out of an airtime slot. Then came 2008’s Only By The Night, a surprisingly good effort for a nothing-to-brag-about bro band. The Followill boys were experimenting and started leading us somewhere.
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The fact that Come Around Sundown falls short, then, is all the more disappointing. Mary is an unconvincing bland throwback to AM oldies. The Face and The Immortals drone on with what you could call “subtlety” if you were too kind to say “boring.” Back Down South is no barn-burner either. The exception is Radioactive, which wouldn’t have cracked the top three on their last disc.
Top track: Radioactive
