The Vinyl Brew: Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

Shiny Day Brewers,

This week as we sit down with our cup of tea we are going to chat about an album by a band who were moving away from a southern rock/garage rock sound to more of a stadium rock sound. This is one I decided to revisit as, when it was initially released, it quickly became the most overplayed album of the year. Going back to it now it’s easy to see why it did so well; we are of course talking about Only by the Night by the Kings of Leon.

Kings of Leon is a full on family affair with members Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill being joined by their cousin, Matthew Followill. Forming in Nashville in 1999, they achieved success in the UK with their first 3 albums. With Only by the Night the band started to translate that success to the American market with the album hitting number 4 in the Hot 100. What is amazing about the band is how much their sound has evolved over the course of their career. From a very indie rock sound to what they currently have become is an incredible achievement and for me the turn happened with Only by the Night.

Like I said on initial release this album was played to death, especially the tracks “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” and while I enjoyed the album at the time, it was playing everywhere. Last year I grabbed a copy for the old vinyl collection as it was one of the KoL albums I didn’t own. Initially released in 2008, coming back to it after 13 years was refreshing. The album holds up to the current music scene and has stood the test of time for me. Apart from being overplayed, this album was massive on release with worldwide sales exceeding 6.2 million copies and it received several Grammy nominations and was on many end of year lists.

I had been a fan of the guys before Only by the Night was released and we know I love bands who evolve their sound, so this album came as a real treat. With several anthemic hits that still rock as I listen through the album now, its always nice to find albums that hold up after a long time. With 8 albums under their belts at moment, the guys have gone from strength to strength but looking back at Only by the Night is a clear indicator of how good Kings of Leon are. There isn’t a bad track on the album and the musicality is stunning.

If like me you have stayed away because of it being everywhere, it is time to give it another try – you won’t be disappointed. As always we’d love to hear what you think of this or any of the albums we’ve talked about, so head over to our Twitter @vinyl8records and give us your opinion. Well, we need to pick our outro track for the day and today it’s going to be “Use Somebody”

“Off in the night while you live it up,

I'm off to sleep

Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat”

Till next week Brewers,
T

Next Sunday's brew is The Pogues' Rum Sodomy & the Lash. Why not add this gem to your collection so we can listen together next week!