Mechanical Bull
Kings of Leon
Release date: 23rd September 2013
Available to stream on Spotify - see Spotify player below
I've been a fan of Kings of Leon since their debut album ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ was released a decade ago. They had a raw sound and a dangerous level of intensity that caused those well documented spats in their early years. This was followed up by the equally brilliant ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’ which spawned some of their biggest hits like ‘Four Kicks’ and ‘The Bucket’. So when I read an interview with bassist Jared Followill that described ‘Mechanical Bull’ as having the same ‘vibe’ as their first two albums, my anticipation for the forthcoming release grew. So after listening to the album from start to finish a couple of times, does it live up to these expectations?
The first Single and opening track on the album ‘Supersoaker’ is a classic KoL number with a quick tempo and guitar driven melody. This is continued with ‘Rock City’. Whining guitars and Caleb’s sleazy lyrics give this track a trademark KoL sound - evoking images of empty whiskey bottles and sweaty dance floors. The track ends with a fitting solo which will be a crowd pleaser when performed live. ‘Don’t Matter’ is a highlight of the album. It’s dark sounding, echoing Josh Homme’s Queens of the Stone Age, with it’s driving bass line and sharp guitar. This will be a highlight of their live set. A strong start to the album.
The ballad ‘Beautiful War’ is the album’s fourth track. This was written around the same time as ‘Use Somebody’ from ‘Only By The Night’, and you can see the similarities. The lyrics are full of sentiment and the music full of soft guitar, building up to sing-a-long choruses. An emotional masterpiece. This is certainly going to get a lot of radio air time which will only add to the expanding fanbase. ‘Temple’ starts with almost Britpop guitar and a strong drum beat, with lyrics reminiscing about nights spent on the dancefloor and drunken fights. The customary solo comes after the second chorus and is followed by an almost classic rock breakdown, before switching back to chiming guitar - a nice contrast. The album’s second ballad ‘Wait For Me’ is next. Another radio friendly number that will surely be a single. It has emotive lyrics, a lovely tone to the guitar melody and a slower tempo, possibly making it Mechanical Bull’s ‘Use Somebody’.
‘Family Tree’ is a step change from the previous track. Starting with the familiar high, driving bass line, and slurring, Southern lyrics. A strong guitar solo gives way to an almost Gospel vocal - mixing the raw guitar sound of Youth and Young Manhood, and the strong vocals seen on 2010’s ‘Come Around Sundown’. Again, this will be a fan favourite at gigs. ‘Comeback Story’ is strong in terms of lyrics. Caleb’s words ‘comeback story of a lifetime’ maybe show KoL’s personal thoughts on where they are in their careers or tells a personal story. Musically it doesn’t really inspire with it’s Country sounding guitar tones and strings that come in towards the end - an example of the heavy production that has appeared more on their later albums. ‘Tonight’ is again rather uninspiring, with it’s familiar guitar and bass line melody - following that same old pattern again.
There is a strong finish. ‘Coming Back Again’ has a much higher tempo, with a strong drum beat driving the song forward with an accompanying high shimmying guitar. The tone of the lead guitar in the second verse is lovely. As with ‘Comeback Story’, these lyrics tell a tale of revival - a common theme. ‘On The Chin’ finishes the album and is full of Country vibes, channeling KoL’s Southern roots - as with previous album ‘Come Around Sundown’. It’s much slower than ‘Coming Back Again’, providing a contrasting finish to the album.
Kings of Leon continue to write great Rock n Roll songs, but unfortunately, for me, they are still not showing the intensity and edge they had in their early years. Sure, ‘Mechanical Bull’ is a good listen, but they seem too polished now, with a production heavy sound. This is maybe just a result of their musical maturity. Their recent albums are more emotional and have grown their fanbase, and maybe they were trying to please too many different parties with this album. There are some stand out tracks which echo back to the early days (‘Supersoaker’, ‘Rock City’, ‘Don’t Matter’, ‘Family Tree’) that will please the early adopters. And those that would not be out of place on 2008’s ‘Only By The Night’ (‘Beautiful War’, ‘Wait For Me’) that will please the newer fans. They will always be a force as a live act, and I would certainly go and see their latest tour. But they seem to have fallen into a tried and tested pattern with this album, which will continue to give them huge commercial success, but leaves the album with an underwhelming, radio friendly sound.
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