New Music: Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull

Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull

Kings of Leon and I have a past, it started around their third album Because of the Times with their song True Love Way.  It started out simple, We’d be so free, – Happy alone, Sharing a smile, so far from home. And we would laugh, laugh ‘til we cried.

The next year it was even better, Only by the Night came out and the infatuation was in full bloom. They  sent out a message that resonated on every radio wave, they could Use Somebody. Someone like {me}. This album was on repeat in my car, not that I needed the album… you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing a song from this amazing album. Sex on Fire, Use Somebody, Revelry, Notion, Crawl, and Frontier City. So many singles that the next couple years passed by without the need for a new album.

You always expect the relationship to have a low, but Come Around Sundown was such a low that it felt like an end. Each of the singles felt like they were missing an integral part to the Kings of Leon sound. It felt like they dug down to their hillbilly roots at the bottom of their creative barrel. I said my goodbyes and revisited good times from their previous two albums.

Then in July serendipity struck and a song caught my attention while scanning random stations on the radio. A familiar feeling crept over me and I scrambled for my Shazam app to confirm what I thought I was hearing. My phone flashed, Supersoaker – Kings of Leon. That moment brought back that lovin’ feeling. Apparently the Kings of Leon … don’t mind sentimental girls at times “Miss, don’t walk away, walk away.”  Ok, I won’t.

I am currently on my second listen of this album and I am enjoying the smooth mix of lyrics and melody. The group has grown in their songwriting and it shows. The album has a good mix of contemplative mellow jams and upbeat rock hits. I like their distinct sound and the fact that it is consistent from album to album without becoming monotonous. Mechanical bull has some guitar solos that really set it apart from the band’s previous albums, check out Don’t Matter for an example. Beautiful War is a good example of their mellow-er tracks and of course you have your instant radio singles in Supersoaker and Wait for Me.

Pick up the new album and trust me you’ll be reunited and it’ll feel so good.