After reading through this thread, I went and download "Because of the Times" because it seemed to be the most well received album by members. It was alright, but didn't blow me away or anything. The songs started to bleed together after a while. Not wanting to give up though...what other album would be the next best to check out? Why?

'Aha Shake Heartbrake" is my favorite album by them, personally. It's the closest thing you'll get to "Because Of The Times" out of their 4 albums and has some of my favorite songs by them on it.

I do have Aha Shake Heartbrake, just haven't listened yet.
I'll have to soon and let you know what my opinions are compared to Only By The Night

They're okay, I listened to a couple songs on the new album and never touched it again. "Aha Shake Heartbreak" was actually pretty good, but it seems instead of maturing, they've decided to go the opposite way.

^^^
exactly what I mean.

I think that even though there is an obvious commercial aspect to their newer material, at least it takes some unique aspects into the world of pop, which has become kinda stale... so they do a couple of commercial sounding records, influence a bunch of people to do something similar, settle down, move on and concentrate on being more unique once the wave of success has broken... hever harmed some really great bands... The Church had their commercial Heyday in the late eighties and look at 'em now... interesting and creative as ever...

I guess I am taking thw angle view of how their career might pan out... everything is kinda cyclic, and alot of the time a new album is largely a reaction to the last one...

I got Because Of The Times and Aha Shake Heartbreak off my little sister today and giving them a listen at the mo. I'm listening to Because Of The Times and so far it's ok, not out of this world but ok. Brings me back to last summer, standing in a field with 80,000 other people when they headlined the Oxegen festival on the first night.

I was thinking the exact same thing as most bands sell out these days quick to safe generic genres.

When you're making records that basically sound like bad Coldplay B sides thats the point I totally give up on you as a band no matter how many of your albums I own.*



* See Snow Patrol

alright so i just discovered the song "milk"

and i have talked a lot of **** about the kings of leon but after hearing that song, they can do no wrong by me. they could literally rub their nipples on the microphones for seventy minutes and i would still say "well at least we can still listen to milk" because god damn that song is great.