Mechanical Bull
| Kings of Leon
Mechanical Bull
Mechanical Bull is the sixth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon, released in Ireland, Germany, Sweden and Australia on September 20, 2013, in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2013, and in North America on September 24, 2013 by RCA Records. In late 2013 the album received a nomination at the 56th Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
The Kings fold lowdown, raucous moments into what’s become their trademark sonic and emotional expansiveness.
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NME
The band's first album in three years sees them attempting to rediscover their early spark – but falling frustratingly short.
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The Guardian
The band, meanwhile, have upped the rhythmic ante since Come Around Sundown and actually try a couple of new, welcome diversions away from their default mid-pace anthemics.
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The AV Club
Mechanical Bull falls right in that sweet spot, but very little of what made the band exciting on its early albums remains.
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Consequence of Sound
Their best album since Aha Shake Heartbreak.
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American Songwriter
By design, Mechanical Bull was made for fun...
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Independent
The low-risk re-entry bid of a band who know where their bread is buttered.
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Slant Magazine
The band is just about out of transgressive fury, but they manage to muster enough rigor and discipline to keep Mechanical Bull kicking.
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Spin
Kings of Leon’s ‘Mechanical Bull’ Warmly Settles Into the Conventional, Professional, and Focused.
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Paste Magazine
Try again when this snore of a hangover subsides.
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Pretty Much Amazing
The Followills are keen to self-mythologize Mechanical Bull as the comeback story of a lifetime, but in truth it’s barely a comeback story of any note at all.
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Live for Live Music
Definitely worth the listen
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WXPN
Kings of Leon recapture their rock and roll crown on Mechanical Bull.
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QRO Magazine
Mechanical Bull might struggle to add new Kings of Leon fans to the fold, but it’s certainly got something in there for long-timers.
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The Sydney Morning Herald
Kings of Leon sound a bit better.
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Pop Matters
The Followills have come back after a booze-and-burnout sabbatical sounding not just refreshed but enriched.
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Music OMH
It feels mechanical, a band on auto-pilot...
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Boston Globe
They’ve earned the right to parade some pomp.
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Clash
‘Mechanical Bull’ is made to ride. Strap in and enjoy...
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Medium
Seasoned but not dated. Sensitive but not corny. Raw but not under-produced.
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The Highlander
A soulful body of work with lyrics that are perfectly aligned with the melody.
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Indie London
A pretty formidable return.
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Sound Scene Express
A solid effort...
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Daily Republic
A fun, stirring experience you don’t want to end.
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Drowned in Sound
Rocky at times and even a little bit dull...
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Digital Spy
The machine is back on track...
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Bearded Gentlemen
The song writing is as earnest as ever with the grittiness in Caleb’s voice even more striking.
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NBHAP
The Mechanical Bull is hungry.
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No Ripcord
A sound truer to their nature.
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New Transcendence
An album that will climb into the hearts of millions...
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Gigwise
A surprising and consistently fun listen.
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Western Eye
The Kings are back to claim their thrones.
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LSU Now
A solid record that any Kings of Leon fan will enjoy.
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Uproxx
Kings of Leon’s ‘Mechanical Bull’ suffers sameness and safety.
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Arena
The Kings are as fiery as ever...
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Sound Opinions
The lyrics on Mechanical Bull's tracks are especially dreadfull.
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The Lantern
Kings of Leon assumes the throne of rock again with the release of its new album.
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WIUX
A comeback album worth remembering.
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Montreal Gazette
All resolutely neo-mainstream.
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The Linfield Review
Kings of Leon creates a diverse sound that suits all ears.
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Hippo Press
Appropriately glossy, unabashed outing...
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The List
The Followills recapture their Southern friend rock roots with sixth album.
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Thinking Green
They may bring their entire audience together for the first time.
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Express
A glorious return.
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Timeout
The maturing Followills are back, armed with some superior songs
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Nouse
An album of recovery...
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Sidelines
Mechanical Bull is an album you’ll listen to and like, then listen to again and love.
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The Fire Note
This album brings an intensity and attention to detail that’s been missing in their most recent releases.
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34th Street Magazine
Never an unpleasant listen.
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The Austin Chronicle
Mechanical Bull kicks up a tightly controlled disc that still leaves enough roots unpolished.
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The Oxford Student
It’s incredibly disheartening to hear a band that was once so exciting become the dad-rockers of tomorrow.
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Exclaim
At its best, Mechanical Bull is standard, paint-by-numbers fare that attempts to sprint to the finish line.
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Red
This record will not disappoint.
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Live4Ever
For the large part, the album lacks any genuine energy...
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Her Campus
Mechanical Bull is a ride you don’t want to miss, so saddle up and enjoy the ride.
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The Prairie News
At any rate, Mechanical Bull is worth a listen...
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Qmunicate Magazine
Overall, Mechanical Bull presents songs with no real climax and little distinguishing features.
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WPGU
Mechanical Bull falls on its face..
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The Burg
At the very least, it finds the band feeling more or less at home with the variety of familiar styles they've settled on over the past decade...
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Gigslutz
The album is comfortable and predicable like a Sunday roast… and sometimes that’s just what you crave.
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Eric Mack Attacks
It’s a solid album...
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Evigshed
Vibrant, and spontaneous, Kings Of Leon are back at their best...
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WVUA The Capstone
And that’s exactly what makes Mechanical Bull successful: it is unabashedly, unapologetically the genuine Kings of Leon sound.
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B-Sides
More inspiring and emotional songwriting.
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Pear Shaped
A return to form, but one feels the best of Kings of Leon is yet to come.
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Tone Deaf
Mechanical Bull is a great redemptive album that shines behind confident vocals and riveting southern rock.
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The Forum
The Kings of Leon have returned in prime form.
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Cryptic Rock
This is a solid album featuring some incredible tracks and lyrical magic...
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Riff You
A genuine and complete rock album.
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The Charlatan
Exactly the album Kings of Leon needed to release at this time in their career.
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Culture Fly
A tentative step back in the right direction for Kings Of Leon.
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Entertainment Weekly
Mechanical Bull finds the Tennessee rockers recapturing the white-lightning-in-a-bottle spark that made their early stuff so fun...
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Delusions of Adequacy
Mechanical Bull is packed with everything you want to hear, and more.
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The Kirkwood Call
Solid overall ambience, typical of Kings of Leon, with plenty of strong emotional moments and standout rhythms.
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Buzzfeed
Mechanical Bull presents Kings of Leon in top-form...
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The Drainage
This album marks the true return of King’s of Leon.
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The NY Daily News
The tunes are strong enough to be sung in radically different settings.
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Yuppee
Sure to please both new and old fans of the group...
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Sound and Vision
All rehail the Kings.
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Hype
A powerful, attention seeking and engaging return from Kings Of Leon...
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Dan Miraldi
Mechanical Bull gives the overall impression that sometimes it is necessary to understand where you have been in order to figure out where you are going.
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Daily Trojan
Kings draw themes from earlier albums.
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Citiblog
The Kings didn’t leave us disappointed.
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The Seawanhaka Press
Kings of Leon is likely to please their core fans and even gain a few new ones with this album.
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Now Toronto
Too-slick guitar solos and catchy (but totally ordinary) melodies...
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RTE
KoL survived walk-outs, booze madness and dive-bombing pigeons to make this same old, same old album.
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The Oswegonian
Great beats and well-written lyrics.
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Technique
All things considered, Mechanical Bull is a great album...
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The Hoya
The album evokes a sense of intimacy and grittiness.
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SF Gate
There isn't a moment where the passion abates.
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The Scotsman
A bloated stadium sound so far from their roots that their credibility crashes.
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All Music
Having grabbed their career by the horns with Mechanical Bull, it's clear that Kings of Leon aren't letting it get away from them anytime soon.
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Entertainment.ie
Pure and simple, Mechanical Bull is classic rock music from a pre-eminent rock band.
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The Arts Desk
Everything is back to the cinematic sweep and questing drive of the younger KoL.
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DIY
Uninspiring, unexciting, largely forgettable – this is nothing more than Kings of Leon by numbers.
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Virgin Megastore
It’s country, garage rock just like we like them but it’s down to earth and full of soul.
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Amoeba
Mechanical Bull helps establish them as unmitigated pros.
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Record Music Reviews
The production sweeps away all grit, leaving its southern alt-rock sound boringly clean.
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Tune Groover
“Mechanical Bull” seems to push their melodic range even faster and further...
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Soundblab
It's Kings of Leon by numbers - inessential, inoffensive, and will pad out the middle section of a gig while the punters get another beer.
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