Chances are you either hate Kings Of Leon, or you were born in the UK. Wherever you’re from, the Followill clan clearly are good enough in the studio to capture the imagination of discerning lovelies like Lykke Li and Natasha Khan; it’s the making a video that isn’t a nightmare factory that’s been the hard part. At the least, the clip for “Notion” shouldn’t enrage anybody. And at most, its mix of pathos and gratuitous explosions will appeal to people who swear by the effect (and effects) of summertime Jerry Bruckheimer movies. Which makes sense for a band trying to hone in on the American demographic most likely to buy their records.
Only By The Night is out.
You Might Also Like
 Did Kings Of Leon Rip Off No Age? |  How Independent Rockers Celebrated #IndependenceDay |  Download Bat For Lashes’ 10 Best Cover Songs |  Scenes From Coachella ’11: Friday |
 |
 |
%s1 / %s2
This could be a Gavin Degraw song.
That is one of the meanest comments I have ever read on Stereogum.
it’s only mean because it’s TRUE
haha, damn that IS harsh. Love these guys, but why are their videos always sooo bad??
“King of the Rodeo” had a cool video.
Of course, that was back when they were just “okay” and not “total shit”.
Kings of Leon are the real life Blueshammer.
Oh, Goddd. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks for that, Goon.
It wouldn’t be SO bad but the vocal delivery is so cheesy.
“DOAN LAKKA DOAN LAKKA”… and that ridiculous pitch-shifted guitar riff…
Who is this?
This band is so lame now. They used to be great, and looked like nerdy rockers. Now their music is boring and trite and they look like they are in Creed. Not to mention how terribly stupid that video was.
I like this band and I don’t care what you say. While this video is terrible, no arguing that point, I like the idea that we have a real band with real chops who aren’t afraid to be rock stars. The previous comment proves my theory that the only reason the indie kids turned on the followhills was because the band noticed they were good looking.
thats what RCA/Jive records does to bands. turns them into pop puppets. sad world.
I find it admirable how Ashton Kutcher has branched out into music. He is an artist’s artist.
always ready to call any handsome guy “ashton kutcher,” huh
where did Ashton Kutcher come into this???…
There were once so many high hopes for this band. All that remains is this soft shit. Seriously, this is the equivalent of a beer shit.
a metaphor. nice.
i’m not sure when this happened, but when i look at kings of leon now i just see an older jonas brothers, maybe there’s just too much leather and v-neck in my life…
“Cool guys don’t look at explosions, and sensitive guys sing while pounding brick walls.” Its rule #43 from the Goo Goo Dolls handbook.
The riff is a little (a lot-tle) lame but I adore his voice.
HA. This does look like a Nickelback or Creed video. Why do indie kids like this band again?
These are the Kings Of Leon that I used to love…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivY1rgeP6N0
Yeah, what happened to the simple rockers with that 70′s style… i think they’re stuck in the dregs of the 90′s.
My hope is that they soon refer to this as their moment of self discovery and re-emerge as something completely new and slightly more experimental.
my favorite stereogum comment was in response to someone calling an unnamed musician the “miley cyrus of rock” to which another person replied “you are the nickelback of life”. i still laugh to myself every time i think of that…
on a KoL note, this band is getting the royal push from their label, its obvious. but if you once were a fan of them and Aha Shake Heartbreak, i dare you to keep listening to that and own the fact you like it and that it is a GOOD record versus taking the bail-out road and saying “I used to like KoL before they cut their hair and blah blah blah”.
Bands evolve, its natural. But don’t disown past good music because of a current staged image…
And also, to Tairy’s… Caleb’s vocal delivery is one huge thing that really set them apart in the beginning… it’s makes ‘em unique. Leave it be. May not be your taste but it doesn’t mean its “cheesy.”
I think you do have a point, but all I can really say is “DOAN LAKKA DOAN LAKKA”.
when i was 15 i was really into that one song 4 kicks (which now when i listen to it kinda sounds like a Jet song so I don’t know what I thinking) but wow they’ve changed a lot since then huh? this could be a Hinder song.
You’ve obviously never heard a Hinder song.
This band is better than Grizzly Bear.
I’m not a fan of this song at all, but I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.
How did this get so many votes up?
I’m not a huge Grizzly Bear fan myself but I thought people on this site were nuts for them. Is there a Grizzly Bear backlash that I’m not aware of?
Looks like the hipster brigade is out in full force today.
Also the singer looks like a slightly more masculine version of Michael Pitt.
love kings of leon, albums back as well… but im still super excited to see them at lollapalooza… they are very enjoyable to say the least
Im not from the UK and I still enjoy the Kings.
I definitely still enjoy Kings of Leon. They are fantastic live, I think anyone who’s seen them perform ‘Trani’ live can attest to that. Yes, Only by the Night was a misstep for the most part (Closer and Crawl are fairly good), but their first three albums are all good records and are very different from one another; they didn’t just make the same record three times in a row, something praise-worthy in my mind at least.
Yes, absolutely fantastic live band. They’ve definitely got some talent and I’d like for them to move away from slow rock ballad type songs. They’re really high energy live and I don’t know why they don’t play that up more.
Why is this on Stereogum?
I disagree with the “Chances are you either hate Kings Of Leon, or you were born in the UK.” I’m from the US and I still really like KOL. I’ve seen them four times and on top of that, the first time was when they opened for Bob Dylan.
The songs on only by the night are still pretty good songs, obviously they don’t have the flair and style that their earlier stuff had but when I hear people say its just a shit album they come off as a music snob to me. I’ve always been able to listen to an album and appreciate it for what it is, too many music fans expect a record to sound a certain way and when it doesn’t they just dismiss it as shit etc.. OBTN does have really different songs but if you look at their cd right before that w/ camarro and other songs that I swear sound similiar, it makes me think that this new album wasnt as pushed as most of you would like to believe. If another new band had put out only by the night most of you probably wouldn’t have dismissed it as shit as you have because KOL made. Just to kind of break the bad news to you now guys…
KOL will probably never make another aha shake heartbreak, led zeppelin would make shit music if they reunited, and Eric Clapton is one of the most overrated songwriters of all time (aside from cream)
Their new record does seemed to have spawned just god awful videos though I agree with you guys on that, but I like the record even though its the one i listen to the least out of their catalog.
Their first three albums were great.
Really fucking great actually.
I couldn’t make it through whole video … 90′s lower – jaw singer revival here we come! Good thing Pearl Jam is dropping a new one.
I saw these guys at APW last year before Radiohead. It felt like a throwback then (90′s/Creed)
Not my cup of tea, but I don’t hate you for loving them.
Yeah, I saw them at All Points West too, and I wasn’t impressed either. I thought their set was pretty dull, even though I was hoping to come away with a better appreciation of them. I always feel like I’m just completely missing something when it comes to these guys.
wow that was awesome. . . i dont know why so many people on stereogum hate on them- ive met them numerous times, and theyre super nice guys who happen to have high levels of testosterone and like hot chicks. . . i dont really see whats wrong with that.
what? people here seem to hate them because they make bad music not because they’re alpha males or whatever you’re defending.
I too like them and I’m not from the UK. This is a more commercial disc but that doesn’t mean I have to sneer at them. Sometimes mainstream is enjoyable. They do not sound like Hinder or Gavin DeGraw. This isn’t the best video ever, but at least it isn’t as stupid as Sex on Fire.
Stereogum, once again, predictably hates something so much it’ll use it to garner most of the site’s hits. Psst, here’s a hint?people who are actually too cool for Kings of Leon don’t even think about them. Certainly don’t post videos of them.
I’m assuming you fall into the “hate kings of leon” category lol. Or are you an old disgruntled fan that thinks they’ve sold out now? Pretty sure they sold out when the signed on the dotted line with RCA way back in the day.
Funny but true review though. Their videos usually are pretty bad. This one reminds me of the wallflowers for some reason.
actually I’m neither. I like all of the albums, but my favorite would be either the second or third.
I like Only By The Night. I think people don’t like it because It’s rock music made for a stadium, not for computer speakers. Stop worrying, they’re still the same band. And they haven’t sold out.
So does it follow that fans of the “old” KOL have an aversion to scissors and protein? The showering doesn’t seem to be quite the same issue, as the “new” KOL looks somehow cleaner, even though they are all drenched in camera sweat.
The may look Creed-esque, but they at least no appear to have been plucked from the archives of Look At That Fucking Hipster. I say amen to that.
I actually like this song. From “Closer” to “Notion” the album is pretty good, but then it drops significantly off in quality for the next couple of songs, before returning again with “Cold Desert”.
this makes me sad as shit. what the hell happened to this band? they used to be my favorite band, saw them live twice, trani is the best thing i’ve ever seen live i think. it’s THAT great.
saw them at bonaroo and trani was fucking fantastic, this isn’t
So basically people are mad that KoL can afford stylists now? Wow.
Why are so many KOL fans insisting that anyone who doesn’t like their music must only hate them because they’re pretty? Whatever happened to just, you know, not liking the music? I can’t speak for everyone but I know I didn’t care for their music (though I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I hate KOL, it’s more apathy than anything else) long before I learned that they’re attractive.
If you’re into them, good on you, but I really just don’t get the appeal. As I said in a response above, I feel like I’m missing something when it comes to these guys.
I’m with you on this. Caleb is a terrible songwriter, I really don’t understand what people see in his lyrics. Not to mention that all four guys just come across as pompous dicks.
This video absolutely rules.
Awesome, a new Kings of Leon video, I guess this means they have added another 50 dates to their tour…don’t worry the setlist won’t change on any of them…
KOL are fantastic live! I’ve been a fan since Youth and Young Manhood came out. Yes they’ve changed and I didn’t like the new LP as much as the old ones but hey its still better than most of the shit out there.
Good music is good music no matter what label its on, there are plenty of great artist on RCA… Ray Lamontagne, BRMC, Citizen Cope, My Morning Jacket, to name a few. But if your only basis for hating them is that they have a label that believes in them and puts money behind them that just stupid. The Avett Brothers just signed with a major label… does that mean they’re gonna go mainstream-folk, i don’t think so.
don’t be mad because there making millions while you dumb fuck ugly little pimple faced bastards sit at home on your macbooks all by yourselves and make fun of them. They make great music. They look good. There popular. And YOU will return to your job at Best Buy tommorow making a measly 8 dollars an hour. Take care.
GRAWWR I AM SUPERIOR TO EVERYONE WHO WORKS AT BEST BUY
that having been said…this video does suck. It must be hard trying to walk through a crowd of people when they’re all walking the other way!!! Life’s hard Caleb, i know.
People, Chillax.Kings of Leon are great, they make good music and have meaningful songs(in my opinion anyway).Sure their old stuff’s great and that, but you know, they did what they had to do…OBTN is just more mainstream because they wanted to attract more audiences and break America. And that does not make them a bad band by trying out different stuff.
To be honest, I love their new album and it’s better than some songs out there…
For all the naysayers who think KOL have lost their edge, listen to this new “song” they’ve been playing on tour. Only By The Night was a misstep, but the new record is gonna rock your socks off if this is any indication. So soulful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WtciyBgX1Q&feature=PlayList&p=2E05C14CBAADAA38&index=0
It is beyond me how anyone can call this good. The video is overly dramatic garbage. They made two decent albums, lets not get ahead of ourselves, they had moments but the last two have just gone in a direction of middle of the road. What Dane Cook is to comedy, or Nickelback is to hard rock, KOL are to “indie rock” (whatever that means anyway). They apply to the least common denominator. That is probably why do many people defend them. And for some reason have to throw Grizzly Bear in there for some reason
I am from england and your right they are big over here.
But come on this video is terrible! I loved their second album Aha Shake Heartbreak but since then i think they have lost something.
Im sure they will sell loads more now and fill huge arena’s around the world but that don’t make it good. Look at Creed or anyone of those Middle of road rock bands.
I was really depressed when Mojo put them on their cover this month…never saw it coming.
Then you’re gonna kill yourself when they show up on the cover of Maxim. And Stuff. And FHM.
I’ve loved these guys to pieces ever since Dave Eggers featured them in his masterful “And Now, A Less Informed Opinion” column for SPIN back in the day. I think what got me is that this guy could totally sell me on Kings Of Leon by likening to them and their style to Porta Potties that reeked of lime and feces and water skiing in cut-offs on crowded lakes. (Keep in mind, this was back before the mustache was seductively ironic.) However, I don’t think that any self-respecting Kings Of Leon fan can turn the blame on this article’s writer. Everyone knows who’s to blame for whatever variety of “progress” they’ve made. (Hey, at least they get a few Dior Homme suits and BMWs out of it, right?) To make a long rant short, I wasn’t surprised upon seeing this video. Hearing Hollywood celebutantes mention Kings of Leon and Eminem in the same breath at the MTV Movie Awards can only prepare you for so much. Anyway, if you’re like me and prefer to do nothing more than kindly tolerate them in the present, you might also enjoy reliving their glory days via Eggers’ brilliant work: http://www.spinmag.com/articles/and-now-less-informed-opinion.
I presume this means that they were once drunk enough to bring you back to their bus for 15 minutes and add you to their ever-growing list of infidelities.
KOL are the shit. And if you don’t think so it’s probably because you’ve never had sex before.
This Grizzly Bear Video rocks, love it!
the vid and their new look’s a huge issue apparently,but it all boils down to one thing.the new record plain sucks.I mean,c’mon-would you please just listen to the song-3 minutes of DOAN LAKKA DOAN LAKKA and before you know it,its over.I’m a massive fan of their previous work,still a fan of the band but to say that this song or the album’s worth two cents would be a blatant lie.
This IS a nickleback video
I’m a fan of Kings of Leon, I bought this last album hoping to love it as much as their last couple but my feelings for it are lukewarm at best. The thing about it, for me anyways, is that it doesn’t have that sort of raw sounding ass-kicking southern rock feel to it. When you hear those albums you know where they are from and it just sounds more true to them, Only by the Night just sounds way to clean and over-produced. I realize that bands shouldn’t put out the same album over and over again, I wasn’t expecting Aha Shake Heartbreak II, but I don’t get as much soul or passion in this album and that’s the worst part.
Oh and it really doesn’t bother me that they are really popular now, that doesn’t play a part in this.
To be fair guys, amrit’s comment about either living in the UK or hating Kings of Leon is pretty funny. I guess some of us read everything 100% literally. I mean they did get famous over there first/the UK is generally obsessed with them, way more so than people in the US are.
Man, Kings Of Leon were so cool when nobody knew who they were. Now that they are well known it’s off to find another unknown hip band to fawn over until they too become well known. Come on…
http://diggingfordays.blogspot.com
My dissapointment with this album is yet to subside and i dont think this track is particularly good either. ITs slightly … stock.
If anyone cares i wrote about how i recieved the album here: http://tinyurl.com/q44ucg
Poor stereogum….You knock a band when they’re at their peak and there is mass appeal. In three years from now, you’ll be criticizing Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and the Decemberists due to their heavy popularity and commerciality…..
You sad attention needing editors remind me of that douchebag Cohen from Pitchfork that gave The Airborne Toxic Event a 1.6 out of 10 review on their debut album.
Did he just spit? They’re still bad *ss. They’ve just grown up. Caleb’s voice has gotten better. The songs on their newest album are indicative that they’re maturing. I treat this album and the “…Times” album as true growing pains albums. They’re starkly different from their earlier works.
If you know the band, you’d kind of expect their videos to suck. They’re not actors. They’re “kick back and knock back a few” kind of guys. They’re about the music and the performing, not this promo crap.
Long live the Kings of Leon.
I totally agree with you!
There is no doubt that Caleb’s voice has gotten even better.!
These guys kinda sound like Mighty Mighty Bosstones….
Agree on the ‘first 2 albums were better’ comments – but I’m really glad they are making it, and have high hopes for the next one. definitely a band that deserves to be followed over the years.
Hey, Nerds – Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective are surely smarter and artier, but KOL will help you get LAID. This is a pretty rich tradition in rock and KOL can deliver on that end. Quit overthinking it and just groove to some good ol’ rock!
Obviously, someone who really believes that listening to/liking a band will lead to satisfying sex has never even touched a pussy/cock.
Besides, liking a band because they might get you laid is pretty much the definition of being a poser. I’ll go for girls that want my junk because *I’m* awesome, not because I happen to like whatever band it is that “hip” and “trendy” people also dig.
Huph – you need to learn or relearn rock history and the mentality of the people that CREATED the entire field of music. Please study Elvis/Stones/Zeppelin etc – read their interviews, books, and comments from fans – based on your comments it doesn’t look like you know. And I’m not talking about the caricature that came out via the hair bands in the 80′s, I’m talking about the real deal. Artistic value is still very much present in rock right now, but the sexiness is lacking.
By now Caleb put down the painkillers, hopefully what I read in Rolling Stone is true and their next album will work its way back to rootsy rock. I could really use another good Kings of Leon album.