Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak

Kings Of Leon were dubbed the southern Strokes upon releasing Youth & Young Manhood, their 2003 full-length debut. But the designation didn’t quite fit. True, they’re from the south, and yeah, the three Followill brothers and their cousin play full-throttle rock ‘n’ roll. It just never seemed as carefully charted as the Strokes’ songs.

That’s changed somewhat with Aha Shake Heartbreak. The plug-and-play vibe of the first record is not as obvious here; these twelve tracks sound more thought-out, less likely to end in a storm of broken guitar strings and tipped-over beer cans. Guitar parts are more angular, the drums are crisper, and the Strokes comparisons are more apt on “Soft” and “Velvet Snow”.

There is evidence of musical growth, though, in the shifting song structures, which flow into each other with unnerving precision. The swampy bass and hi-hat tapping at the end of “Taper Jean Girl” roll over into the riff barrage of “Pistol Of Fire”, and the lounge-act coda at the end of “Slow Night, So Long” could easily belong to the next track, “King Of The Rodeo”.

Singer Caleb Followill hasn’t changed his approach, either. He still projects a thick, mostly unintelligible drawl that is both mysterious and passionate. Which is fitting, because Kings Of Leon are both those things. The passion is buried a little deeper on Aha Shake Heartbreak, but it’s genuine, even if the Kings are growing out of the impetuous fervor of their young manhood.