Kings of Leon | Only By The Night

These guys strike an enjoyable balance between cerebral songwriting and catchy, energetic, rock-pop. Bloc Party meets TV On the Radio meets The Killers.

This is probably my favorite album by them. This is the culmination of a band that has consistently evolved over the last four albums, and consistently improved.

They have slowly replaced a relatively raw, harsh sound for a more polished, deeper, and yes, more commercially accessible and viable sound. They've been huge in Europe, and they're getting huge in the U.S.

I have been listening to a lot of quiet, slow, contemplative stuff in recent months, and this has taken a much-needed role in giving my speakers the workout that they sometimes need. I cannot listen to this album loudly enough!

They show some real passion in their songs (and their videos), and they create some of the best rock melodies I've heard in a long time. Followill's (Caleb's--they're all Followills) voice is unique, and pretty awesome--it opens up so much on the high notes. I found myself noticing the drummer, the bassist, and the guitarist as well, more so than I usually do with this kind of music. The rhythms and individual parts are not simple, and it adds a lot of depth to their music (listen to the opener, "Closer," for the best example).

What really sold me on this album is the closing track, Cold Desert, in which the band does something I almost never hear with a rock band. Listen, you'll see.

Key tracks: Sex on Fire, Use Somebody, Revelry, and Cold Desert.

Turn it Up.