I’m mid-way through my third listening of the new Kings of Leon CD, Only By the Night. Kings of Leon has been on my periphery for awhile and I keep meaning to go buy a bunch of their previous albums. I listen to Pandora at work, and often a song comes up that I like enough to stop “working” and check the artist, and often I find it’s Kings of Leon. I love LOVE the new single, Sex on Fire, and was psyched to find out this album came out today. I stopped by ear-x-tacy on my way home from work and unwrapped it in the car.

[Remember when opening CDs was a complicated pain in the ass process that everybody griped about? I’ve actually always loved all the packaging. It reminds me of opening toys—Barbies, especially—with all the twisty-ties, rubber bands, plastic strips, and building anticipation. I never wanted any help opening the Barbies, and sometimes now I ask to open other people’s CDs. Kinky, eh? =)]

Some standouts aside from Sex on Fire: Use Somebody, Manhattan, Revelry and Notion. Cold Desert is getting a lot of talk because of Caleb’s assertion that it essentially evolved from a one verse idea into a full-blown five and half minute song during recording, and also that he was so drunk at the time that he doesn’t even remember it. Perhaps unfortunately, it actually is a really good song, in spite of some understandably slurry lyrics. Also good is Crawl, where I think they sound the most like that other band they’re frequently compared to. (Zeppelin. No pressure or anything…)

Anyway, I’m loving this new CD, and Sex on Fire rocks my socks off. The song seems to be about sex (who knew) but the chords and vocals are both so haunting and full of longing that you get the impression that sex with Caleb Followill is probably a very dark and intense ordeal. Bloody lip and tears kind of sex. Whatever the case may be, I love that song, and I love it even more driving at night with the windows down.

————————
Now playing: Kings Of Leon – Notion
via FoxyTunes