Kings of Leon
"Aha Shake Heartbreak" (CD)

It's perplexed and frustrated me for years as to why I have this album. Or perhaps its perplexing why I only have this Kings of Leon album. I honestly can't decide.

I listened to this while I washed dishes tonight. I've obviously listened to it enough to bop the head and feign-lip sync to the songs, but why hasn't this ever really cracked the list of 'good albums' in my collection? Why don't I consider it important? Well, I finally have some thoughts:

The songs on this album are undeniably old-school rock n' roll. There isn't a single track on this record that doesn't sound like it could've been written 30-40 years ago.
What's lacking is any sense of energy or danger. The band plays and the album sounds very neat and tidy, but the last thing this music should sound like is neat and tidy. In contrast, it should sound like a near collision with a flaming cement truck.

Instead this sounds lazy. The vocal stylings of Anthony Followill are virtually identical from one song to the next. It's only the changing meter and tempo that lets you know a new song has begun.

I think I've wanted to like the Kings, but their schtick as being the dirtiest (literally, unbathed) rock band in show biz coupled with lukewarm music proves unpalatable. Combine that with Mtv's love for the band and I'm ready to burn this record.
It's a shame, really, because it's not a bad record. At all. It's just a shame they didn't make it better.