Kings of Leon
Aha Shake Heartbreak
Like a friend coming around for the first time in years, the arrival of Jared Hollowill’s bass on the Kings of Leon’s latest, Aha Shake Heartbreak, deserves a proper celebration. From track one, the updated version of southern rock bypasses the mind like it was an Atlanta traffic jam and induces the spine into spastic acceptance.

On their sophomore effort, the four relatives who make up Kings of Leon put a sound to the seedy bar that attracts way too many cool people than it should. Caleb Hollowill’s vocals fall somewhere between a gutteral, come-hither wail and — when combined with the band’s leering lyrics —  the types of catcalls you expect from the older guy with the van in the high school parking lot.

The Kings’ best tracks careen down the highway like they were chased by Boss Hogg. “Slow Night, So Long” tells the story of a boozy, late night rendezvous attempt like it was a modern day Yardbirds rave-up. And any questions that these brothers might be southern posers are laid to rest in the song’s coda, repeating the lines, “Rise and shine all you gold-digging mothers/Are you too good to tango with the poor poor boys?”

Later on, “The Bucket” brings a guitar line that touches on Radiohead’s “No Surprises” and places it into a rolicking anthem for disaffected youth who are too down-to-earth to like Linkin Park screams.

The only thing missing is an album-closing capper to leave the party at just the right time. Instead, the pace slows to an alcohol-fueled late-night lament. Don’t indulge too much, guys. It would be a shame to forget this night’s early highlights come morning.
Originally published in Take ONE, as written by Hank Brockett
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