Kings of Leon are due to release their 4th record titled ‘Only by the Night’ on September 23rd. This is not the Kings of Leon we are used to. While some say KOL has ‘improved’ their sound, others are wondering what the hell happened. Where did our Southern Rockers go? I’m not sure, and I don’t know if I like the new album from what I’ve heard so far. “Crawl” is the best song I’ve heard from the album, because it still gives off that King’s vibe most people dug in the first place. Skipping to other tracks like “Be Somebody,” sounds like a completely different band. A band i’m not sure I would have started listening to about 6 years ago. They sound a little bit too polished. Or in this case, more of a band that wanted to- but couldn’t pull off the transition right. I guess we’ll will have to wait to hear the album in full and I really hope it has a few old Kings of Leon gems on it.

Check out the new track on their Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/kingsofleon

I’m a big believer in the fact that there are endless possibilites on how to find new music.  Case proven… I was sick all week and seldom left the house. Bored one afternoon I decided to check out a certain music channel’s ‘free on demand’ feature. Looking for something new as always, I spotted 2 videos on there from a band called The Morning Benders. I’ve never even heard the band’s name before, so I was kind of curious.

I started with the video for ‘Waiting for a War’, and was so interested I watched “Boarded Doors.” I sat there the whole afternoon just switching off between the two and then went online to find out what this early 20’s California band was about. I’m not sure I’ve ever fallen in love with a band this fast as I have The Morning Benders. They are like the poppier baby brothers of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. I immediatly went out the next day and brought their debut album “Talking Through Tin Cans”. Song after song, this record just keeps delivering the goods. This album has been the only cd in my player for the remainder of the week. You’d be a fool not to check it out.

The Morning Benders are also currently on tour with Ra Ra Riot and are doing a lot of one-off shows at a Puma store (thats right) near you. The instores are all acoustic and I will be checking that out for sure.

The Morning Benders on Myspace   http://www.myspace.com/themorningbenders