Calling Kings of Leon "polarizing" is a wicked understatement. The Followill boys emerged in the early aughts as the "southern rock Strokes" and, believe it or not, that was considered a tremendous compliment after that now-faded New York band turned the page on the abysmal late '90s. On wonderful early records like 2003's Youth And Young Manhood, Aha Shake Heartbreak, and Because Of The Times, KOL lived up to and exceeded expectations, becoming shining examples of non-dickhead American rock. But then they achieved out-sized arena rock success with 2008's bloated but effective Only By The Night.
They'd made it to the top of the mountain, but everything kind of felt different then, and the warning signs seen by purists were right, because 2010's Come Around Sundown found the dudes from Nashville, Tennessee, firmly with their heads up their own asses, and worse, now dickheads... dickheads on the verge of an inevitable alcohol-induced breakdown that knocked them down a bit and forced them to slink away for a couple of years to lick their wounds. But now that they have cleaned themselves up, more or less made nice with each other, and released a new album, Mechanical Bull, the Kings Of Leon are totally trying to get back in our good graces.
After the sloppy excesses marring Only By The Night and Come Around Sundown, Mechanical Bull is a fuzzy portrait of a band chastened and aware that they'd done some wrong. This is clearly in evidence on album opener and lead single "Supersoaker" (a song title regrettably lifted from Wavves), a chiming, lusty, and earnest KOL stomper that screams "vintage!" at longtime listeners. Is it too early for Kings Of Leon nostalgia? Probably, but "Supersoaker" manages to bring back the good times... for all of four minutes before "Rock City" reminds us why these guys ran into trouble, thanks to its rambunctious but uninteresting bro-ness.
Nostalgia for early KOL is evident on the dark and anxious "It Don't Matter To Me," which wouldn't have been out of place on their 2007's Because Of The Times, and the ho-hum patented Kings balladry of "Tonight." But is nostalgia necessarily what the Kings need to be exploring, barely ten years into the game? I understand that they're trying to regain something; hell, their story is the prototypical VH-1 Behind The Music story, and this is their redemption. Still, there's not a lot of new territory here on album #6, and an attempt would've been nice after their last dud of an album.
Thankfully, Mechanical Bull isn't all hands in pockets foot shuffling. The funky "Family Tree" channels heartfelt vintage late '60s soul without slipping into parody, while "Comeback Story" is a fine fusion of soulful gospel and hilarious KOL lyrics that clearly allude to the band's recent trials and tribulations also found on songs like "Beautiful War" and the aching, sweet, and ultimately rousing album closer "On The Chin." Indeed, while there's some self-mythologizing going on here, enough perhaps to even trot out the "heads up asses" criticism, there's just so much contrition and chastened, hound-dog sentiment going on that I don't think that knock applies to Mechanical Bull. They're sons of a preacher man and a Behind The Music episode waiting to happen after all; self-mythologizing was inevitable.
But where does this leave us? We've got the classic redemption arc, a band whupped and eager to please again, the current Kings Of Leon nostalgic for old Kings Of Leon, and a somewhat uneven album that's got some dross. An improvement from Come Around Sundown, Mechanical Bull is a hopeful record and a step in the right direction, offering us clear reminders of that old Kings Of Leon magic that turned on music fans 10 years ago.
Grade: B-
But where does this leave us? We've got the classic redemption arc, a band whupped and eager to please again, the current Kings Of Leon nostalgic for old Kings Of Leon, and a somewhat uneven album that's got some dross. An improvement from Come Around Sundown, Mechanical Bull is a hopeful record and a step in the right direction, offering us clear reminders of that old Kings Of Leon magic that turned on music fans 10 years ago.
Grade: B-
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