I know, I know, I can hear the detractors already. “Kings sold out, man!” “Kings of Leon are corporate rock!” Those comments, along with a slew of others, were all I heard before I checked out the full album for myself. I’m going to say that, even though I set out to not like this record, I ended up really enjoying each and every listen. There are some straightforward pop songs on here that break from the Kings’ bluesy style, and there are some moments of cheese sprinkled throughout this effort that make me cringe. But overall, KOL continue to churn out solid rock music. The highlight of the album comes at the end, in the song “Pick Up Truck,” where some guys fight over, well, who has a bigger one. That “one” being the truck, and also, the girl who rides home in it. What you have is a hillbilly love story, that ends in a fight. “A little piece of a bloody tooth/just so you know I was thinking of you.” Sprinkled throughout the song are some really cool guitar harmonics, a driving drum beat, and a monster chorus. That big hook caught me like a fish, and now I’m digging the whole record. I’m a Kings’ fan, and this was another good release.
Hate to be so emotional
I didn’t aim to get physical
But when he pulled in and revved it up
I said, ‘you call that a pick up truck?’
This song “The End,” is just a great example of what KOL do best, moody rock.
Kings of Leon – The End
And your ears shall hear... 
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