SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: KINGS OF LEON – CAN WE PLEASE HAVE FUN

KINGS OF LEON
CAN WE PLEASE HAVE FUN
CAPITOL RECORDS

In 2008, with the release of their fourth album, Only by the Night, Caleb, Jared, Matthew, and Nathan Followill of Kings Of Leon emerged as one of the biggest rock bands in the world. “Sex On Fire” and “Use Somebody” were massive and inescapable hits, with the latter winning the Grammy Award for Record Of The Year. Their fame and success continued to grow in the 2010s, with Come Around Sundown and Mechanical Bull being nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. Can We Please Have Fun is the latest record from Kings Of Leon and is one of their strongest to date.

“Mustang” and “Nothing To Do” are among the best tracks of their career and prove why Caleb Followill is one of the best rock vocalists working today (his iconic raspy voice is on full display on these two tracks). Also, Kings Of Leon seem to be returning to their garage rock sound with these two tracks, which is bound to please longtime fans of the band. “Mustang” features a mesmerizing, clunky, and pulsating opening guitar riff. The bass work by Jared Followill is superb and adds so much drive to the track. The chorus is super fun to sing along to, especially the line: “Are you a Mustang or a kitty?” and Caleb’s vocals are astonishing. Those high notes that he hits are incredible.

“Nothing To Do” has an explosive energy that is through the roof. The guitar work by Matthew Followill is aggressive, gritty, and heavy. The drum work by Nathan Followill is commanding. Caleb’s vocals are fierce and unhinged, and the chorus is so damn infectious and amazing.

Other highlights include “Nowhere To Run”, “Hesitation Generation”, and “Rainbow Ball”. All three are tremendous rock songs with an abundance of flair, great choruses, and impressive production. The way Caleb emphasizes and pronounces certain words in “Hesitation Generation” and “Rainbow Ball” is extremely captivating too.

Other songs leave the listener wanting more. “Ease Me On” is a decent track, but there are Kings Of Leon songs from other albums that do similar things better. “Ballerina Radio” has a promising start, and a few interesting ideas are at play, but it ends up underwhelming and somewhat boring. “Split Screen” felt like it would be another smashing hit, but unfortunately, it left me somewhat disappointed. There are signs of a big cathartic moment like in “Use Somebody”; however, that moment never arrives. Despite these criticisms, none of these songs are terrible. It is just that they had lots of potential to be great, rather than just average.

Overall, Kings Of Leon show no signs of slowing down with Can We Please Have Fun which is jam-packed with incredible tracks guaranteed to become fan favorites.

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