Grade: C+ | For Nashville’s Kings of Leon, the third time’s not the charm.

Where the quartet’s two previous albums, “Aha Shake Heartbreak” and “Youth and Young Manhood” are great recordings, it’s obvious that Kings of Leon are deliberately trying to put out a scene-shaking, rule-breaking album that would leave no doubt as to who the modern kings of Southern rock are.

The problem is, “Because Of The Times” doesn’t sound much like Southern rock.

Eerie, dense and even bizarre at times, the album eschews the band’s well-crafted song-writing approach in favor of a more abstract sound rife with ambience. The sprawling album opener, “Knocked Up,” is a dance-floor-ready track with a throbbing bass line that recalls ‘70s disco, while the follow-up track, “Charmer,” features a screamed lyric scheme paired with a repetitive, driving riff.

It’s nice to hear the band stretch out a bit, but these songs pay a great disservice to the awesome hooks and choruses found on its two previous albums. It’s almost as if the band felt compelled to evolve its sound, which is unfortunate.

That said, singer Caleb Followill’s vocal delivery is great throughout the recording, saving more mediocre material like “The Runner” and “My Party.”

Ultimately, the songs on “Because Of The Times” are moody pieces that require multiple listens to really gel Therefore, it’s not really a bad album; it’s just a bad Kings of Leon album.