And just like its predecessor, Come Around Sundown is pre-packaged with all the big reverb and shiny polish of an expensive arena stage show.
But even if they’re tired, these four family rockers still know how to churn out catchy tunes with Caleb’s scratchy vocals and the band’s angsty melodies still present in spades.
It’s an album that feels more about hanging on to the sudden influx of fans than about moving the message (whatever that is) forward.
It represents little more than a giant turd amidst a sea of mediocrity, several million of which will shortly be appearing in homes near you.
'Come Around the Sun' is an obvious follow up to 'Only By the Night' but it's not at all surprising the band struggle to write a second 'Sex on Fire' - 'Radioactive' is the closest thing here and it's a decent, driving track but one that was never going to ignite the airwaves.
The album is front loaded as before and once those first few numbers are finished it really feels like the auto pilot has been engaged.
Unmemorable.
Huh it actually gets worse. Uniquely exhausting. And to think, I was praising the fun energy of the boys before. I'm worn down. I cant even hear the fun strange lyrics anymore. This is the first of their albums that I didn't listen to upon release. The album art was so lazy that if they didnt' feel inspired enough to make good art then why should I care to hear it. Well, years after release, I can tell you that this album wears you down. It's a slow, huge, beast of a boring album.
When Kings of Leon released their fifth album, “Come Around Sundown,” they had two different types of fans. One type were the fans who were with them from the very beginning and enjoyed their first three albums. The other type were newcomers whose first experience with Kings of Leon was “Sex on Fire.” Kings of Leon had been an indie success, and then had a gargantuan success as pop stars. “Come Around Sundown” tried to appease both audiences, and only ... read more
A big step down from Only By The Night and pretty bland overall, which is a shame because Radioactive is an absolute banger, and Pyro is a nice slow tune, but the album is a drag overall, going for the country influences a bit too much for my liking.
Faves: Radioactive, Pyro, Mary
Least faves: Back Down South, Pickup Truck
1. The End - 7/10
2. Radioactive - 7.5/10
3. Pyro - 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐
4. Mary - 6/10
5. The Face - 7.5/10
6. The Immortals - 7/10
7. Back Down South - 8/10
8. Beach Side - 8/10
9. No Money - 7/10
10. Pony Up - 5/10
11. Birthday - 6/10
12. Mi Amigo - 7/10
13. Pickup Truck - 7/10
93/130
7.2/10 (Good 7.0-7.9)
Why is "Pyro" just leagues above the rest of the tracks? Unsure. Rest of the album is fine, but only see myself returning to the aforementioned track.
"Come Around Sundown" feels like the epitome of why people were quick to turn on KOL. Whereas the record that preceded it, is inconsistent, it makes up for it with some big smashing singles, and a pretty consistent sound. But on here, it all feels really bland and empty. Stylistically it isn't a crazy shift, but everything just feels very tiresome. The production is basic, the hooks don't stick, there are some tracks that just sound bad, and go in a weird direction; "Back Down ... read more
1 | The End 4:24 | 82 |
2 | Radioactive 3:26 | 81 |
3 | Pyro 4:10 | 89 |
4 | Mary 3:25 | 65 |
5 | The Face 3:28 | 75 |
6 | The Immortals 3:28 | 75 |
7 | Back Down South 4:01 | 73 |
8 | Beach Side 2:50 | 77 |
9 | No Money 3:05 | 71 |
10 | Pony Up 3:04 | 67 |
11 | Birthday 3:15 | 67 |
12 | Mi amigo 4:06 | 66 |
13 | Pickup Truck 4:44 | 76 |
#15 | / | Clash |
#18 | / | Rolling Stone |
#19 | / | American Songwriter |
#25 | / | Amazon |
#25 | / | Q Magazine |
#36 | / | Rhapsody SoundBoard |
#50 | / | Uncut |