Kings Of Leon

The first thing that strikes you about Kings of Leon's fifth album, Come Around Sundown, is the sheer musical diversity of its songs, which touch on everything from gospel (spiritual, up-tempo rocker "Radioactive"), angular post-punk ("The Immortals," "Pony Up"), bonafide country ("Back Down South"), and even '50s-style doo-wop ("Mary"). The album's huge range proves that Kings of Leon haven't lost the restless, experimental nature that has made them such an exciting band to watch.

On Come Around Sundown, Kings of Leon haven't sacrificed any of the rich, anthemic quality that made Only By the Night so appealing. While both albums combine a grand and propulsive rock sound with intimate post-punk moods, the band has upped the ante on the new one by connecting the dots between the blues, classic rock, and gospel influences of the Followill's childhood to the alternative and indie rock Jared introduced them to in adulthood. Come Around Sundown gives the listener a sonic tour of the band's entire career, from the garage-rock feel of their first two albums, 2003's Youth and Young Manhood, 2005's Aha Shake Heartbreak, to 2007's expansive Because of the Times, on which they began to experiment with a shift in sound.

Kings of Leon began to record Come Around Sundown in February 2010, just four months after winding up nearly two years of touring the globe behind Only By The Night. Choosing to record in New York for the first time, the band went into Avatar Studios with co-producers Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King. The band named the album Come Around Sundown after a line in a song called "Small Town" by country singer John Anderson.