BECAUSE OF THE TIMES - KINGS OF LEON
Kings of Leon add a new dark and dreamy dimension to its signature brand of dirty Southern-fried rock on the follow-up to 2005’s “Aha Shake Heartbreak.” The tone is established from the get-go with the moody echoing guitars driving the seven-minute baby-daddy epic “Knocked Up,” the menacing screech reverberating through “Charmer” and the haunted longing enveloping first single “On Call.” And it’s crystallized at the end, particularly with the moaning guitars on closer “Arizona.” Fans of the band’s earlier work will gravitate to the album’s middle passage, where the Followill family foursome brightens on the uplifting “Fans,” the reggae-inspired “Ragoo” and waltzing ballad “The Runner.” But “Because of the Times” is a brooder at heart, and much of the material here is some of the Kings’ most demanding to date. It’s also among their best. Billboard
