the 'Only By The Night' appreciation thread

[whiskers]

almost regretting it as i type this but purely P O S I T I V E comments please, otherwise i will banish you bad people from my good thread and you never be heard of again! ayeeeee yuhhhhhhh :/

to me, i went through the whole 'they lost 'it', where's 'it', they blah blah blahdeedeeblahhh with Botty and i was mental so that don't count.

OBTN is a grower, give it time, nurture it, feed it on baby bio, keep checking in with it, let it blossom. it seeps into yr subconscious in a lovely, 'oh thank god, there you are kind of way'

eek. fishies dnt swim here, i got no kettle i ain't making tea outta already x

please discuss, be honest B U T positive criticism only! or i will banish you

[schnucams]

Hmm........... I love Crawl, I love I Want You, I still think Use Somebody should be a number one and it will be on a movie/drama series, I love Beneath the surface, I love Manhattan live (much more so live than on the album), I love Closer (lyrics, vibe, Matt singing into pick ups).

Its a great album.......................................just not my fave

[whiskers]

cheers for replying schnucams

i've been, you know, letting it blossom, and it has, tremendously so. i, however, cannot get out of my head that this should have been an ep. knock out 17, notion, i want you and possibly, be somebody. then i think it would have been a real treat and wouldn't have come under as much attack as what it has, they gotta do what they wanna do, i just think it would have worked so much better. release the others in some other way. it's my blind spot on this album at present x

[schnucams]

Notion is growing on me since I heard it live............I still reckon it'll be the next single!!!!! I love the rhythm of Be Somebody so Id keep it in. 17 could go for sure...it could have been a b-side and beneath the surface on album!!!

[Razz!]

I tell you what, there's too much OBTN-bashing going on.
I can totally empathise with the fact that people feel as though they've "lost" KOL with this record; it's the most mainstream, clean and over-produced album they've done, no doubt about it.
And of course, with every mainstream album comes mainstream popularity; the press, the exposure, the crowds that don't necessarily "get" KOL the way we older fans do because we've been around the whole time. They've been there two minutes.
However, even though I can understand this, there's nothing standing in the way of these people knowing that this is a kick-ass album in many ways.

There's not a moment I don't love! Closer is the perfect opener; mysterious, sexy, enthralling. It has a fantastic vibe.
Crawl is a great song, with that driving bass and the insane solo. It chugs along with a steady power. I like it.
Sex On Fire is, inevitably, totally unhinged. It makes me feel completely sexually charged when I hear it! Not just that but it's a great song in itself.
Use Somebody is fantastic! It might be radio-friendly, but it goes to show that Kings know how to write a song that people will love. The group vocals and the whole general feel of the song makes me smile with affection.
Manhattan is underrated in my book; I always forget how good it actually is. The lack of solid chords is refreshing; those ringing guitars make my heart leap, and Caleb's voice is very strong.
Revelry is a heartbreaker! It's a lovely slow one that displays some of Caleb's more emotional side, and the sparse instrumentation works really well.
17 seems to be the disliked one, particularly for the bells, but I find them to be rather effective. KOL seemed to try for a different angle on this song, and it worked. Love the bassline.
Notion is one of my favourites. The combination of that melody from the piano and Matt's guitar, and the solo... it leave me reeling with joy!
I Want You is a fantastic, slow-paced entity that just makes me smile. This song seems to just exhude KOL in its melodies; it sounds "Southern" to me, and the lyrics are great too.
Be Somebody is another sexy ditty, and I absolutely love the contrast between the sultry, dirty rock n roll verses, and the shimmering purity of the choruses. Another shining moment for OBTN.
Cold Desert is well, what can I say? Caleb really breaks the personal barrier on this one. He didn't have to put this on the album at all, but he thrust it out there and it makes for a beautiful, heartfelt song. It's a perfect lullaby.

OBTN is an amazing work of art, just like the other three albums.
We have to remember that every band grows and matures, and every band searches for a sound that will make this album better than their last.
Just because this album was cleaner and more mainstream than their others doesn't mean KOL have changed.
They understand how we feel about them and in small ways, through interviews and such, they've assured us the next album will be more of a return to their older style!
People shouldn't let anything get in the way of loving this album!

*Essay over*

xxx

[whiskers]

A*

Dec 28, 2008 0:28:45 GMT Razz! said:

Use Somebody is fantastic! It might be radio-friendly, but it goes to show that Kings know how to write a song that people will love. The group vocals and the whole general feel of the song makes me smile with affection.
Manhattan is underrated in my book; I always forget how good it actually is. The lack of solid chords is refreshing; those ringing guitars make my heart leap, and Caleb's voice is very strong.
Revelry is a heartbreaker! It's a lovely slow one that displays some of Caleb's more emotional side, and the sparse instrumentation works really well.

People shouldn't let anything get in the way of loving this album!

loved what you said about Use Somebody. Use Somebody is one of those songs that i'd rather not talk about cause it hits me too deep.
Manhattan, i was on the Crawl side, so consciously neglected Manhattan, but really what a song. It's got perfect melody, the guitar is graceful and gutsy and overall it's really tight and bold.
Revelry. yeah! when caleb sings and then it's quiet and there's nothing else till he starts singing again and all the instruments sound like they ain't been used in ages, like they've been found in a dusty cupboard or something and then they come along and bring life to them. it's sort of a knowledgeable rag tag of sounds.

thanks to razz and schnucams for what you said about the songs on my blind spot. somehow knowing they've got love gives me more patience to try with them. not promising anything tho :/

thanks again. really good reading x

[sarahrose]

well said razz! have your first karma.

[Razz!]

Thank you sarahrose, I'm sure I don't deserve it
And whiskers, I'm glad I moved you somewhat with my little essay
It's not pleasant at all to dislike something about a band you love, even for a moment, so I hope you can grow to love this album more.
I actually love what you said about Revelry, especially the instruments in the cupboard
It's my fave off OBTN I think, I found it hard to justify in words.
And I think every song KOL have ever done, no matter what some people say about them, have plenty of love.
I guess it all comes down to the music. Regardless of whether you think the band are "sell-outs" or if you think the band as an entity has changed too much, if a song hits you just right, that's all that matters. The love is still there
So I'm glad you enjoyed what I wrote. It's good to gush your heart out about things every so often
*Hugs for everyone*

xxx

[rainman]

I appreciate the album because i'm able to listen to the full album with friends who wouldnt normally want to listen to a full kol album. They always love it, and as they should.

[sarahrose]

i love 'only by the night'

honestly, i went through a phase of just sorta liking it. i was obsessed before it came out and i listened to it on last.fm all the time but when i finally got it i started to just think it was meh. after a three or so week break from it i finally started to appreciate it and love it. i find it hard to compare their records because they are all pretty different, and thank god for that because as mush as i love aha shake heartbreak i would feel very sorry for the boys and disappointed in them if every record they made sounded like aha. anyway, not only do i appreciate 'only by the night' i absolutely love it. all of the songs are honest, touching and moving.

[whiskers]

tried to write this post three times and now, i give up. x

[mrsbrightside]

I agree with what shnucams said, i love OBTN but its not my fave, its is a good album and i love all the songs apart from I want You. I think Crawl is brilliant! sex on fire speaks for itself, but the 2 standout tracks for me are Revelry and Notion, i dont know why but i absolutely love Notion i have it as my ringtone!

Its definately a grower, i can see why its become so popular, i think the main good thing for me was Calebs voice, his voice on this album is absolutely cracking! dont get me wrong i do also love the rawness of his voice on the other 3 but boy has he got a set of lungs on him!

[Razz!]

That is certainly true! Listening back to all of the albums, you can tell he had it in him. Just took a while to come out

xxx

[whiskers]

i'm hearting the harmonies! and how the hell Nathan can sing that beautiful harmony in Use Somebody whilst playing! His gorgeous oooooooo'ing in 17 is like the only reason i like that song it's like he's harmonising with himself at one point. You don't hear that everyday! lol lol

I can't really be arsed to think of the others i was gonna say so i'll put it in list format

and how i'm supposed to do that. i dnt know. i'll come back to it. no i won't.

These are the kind of songs one has to make to really stretch oneself musically with their instruments. They've done this brilliantly. They're a strong instrument based band. They needed to show people that. Incase they hadn't realised it before cause some people are too dumb Caleb has done himself justice by remaining the front man, meaning, he needed to remain the focus ... initially again cause some people are too dumb unless it has a vocal. A vocal dude. A vocal!!! V O C A L . wow. went off on one their, was enjoying the word . ya need a vocal! anyway strange. lost track now and it was going so well. uhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yes! sing along with caleb time. it fits with the masses. and me. I was just trying to say that if he hadn't done that he possibly would have got swamped and he's not sinker. .................... l m a o dntaskmeplease. whatthehellhaveijustsaid?

sonic placement -that's a new word for ya. is, what, good?

and last but not least loving those harmonies!!

alot of this stuff i reckon, they wouldn't have been able to do unless they made these sorta songs. they needed to release this album. def important in their arsenal. x

[whiskers]

God i love 17. those oooooooo's are beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[charlielovinkol]

OMG i love all the songs from "OBTN" but i have to say that "Use somebody" is my favourite my 3 yr old sings along to it i have it on that often be somebody also i love it wooooo KOL 4eva,xx

[rockchick26]

Have you guys read the reviews on Amazon for this cd?! i have never seen such good reviews for any cd! Most of them said the same exact things i have,especially about Closer. I'm so glad it's so well loved and it BETTER win best rock album at the Grammy's! I'll cry out of happiness!

[mojogrrl]

OMG I love this album so much I had to pry it out of my car CD player for fear I would O.D. on it...I still can't go more than a day or two without hearing it. And it did take me a few listens...but when it hit me, WOW! Razz!, your descriptions of each song are (for me) so right on!

[aiyaaaah123]

you know...i've given OBTN a bit of a hard time...

...but it's actually a really good album!

i'm Revelry-ing it up as we speak... man that song is good!

at first i was like *oh it's KoL so ofcourse i love it*

then as it got so much radio/tv play and the filmclips changed (they were ACTING IN THEM?!)

and stupid idiots from my school were like *omg <3*

i was like *GAH! I HATE THIS ALBUM! stupid tacky fucking polished shit etc.*

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now that i think about it...it doesn't matter how much play it gets, or who likes it...it doesn't change the faact that it's a great album (mind you, i don't like it as much as the previous 3)

but yeah seriously, this album is definately fantastic!

and so children, the moral of today's story is...Aiyaaaah123 is a wanker!

[kolstruck]

I love OBTN! I know it's more mainstream but I don't care - mainstream just means the music appeals to the masses and that's good music then isn't it... Anyway, 17 is the only tune on it that I'm not too mad about, and I've head fans saying they wish Beneath the Surface replaced it. Personally I LOVE Beneath the Surface, my favorite B-side after My Third House, but that's the whole thing - KOL B sides are real gems, and I love the fact that some of my favorite songs are b-sides and kind of my (and other true fans') secret.....
Manhattan was, and still is, and probably always will be my all time favorite song xx