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| Epic Bro-Poses. The Killers: Drummer Ronnie Vannuci, Jr., Lead Vocalist/Guitarist Brandon Flowers, Bassist Mark Stoermer, Guitarist Dave Keuning |
I had an unconventional start at listening to The Killers. Of course, I heard their songs on the radio, but I never actively listened to them until my freshman year of high school. I hung out at the library a lot while waiting for my mum to get out of work and pick me up, so I was just looking around when I found their CD section. If you guys don't know, libraries have CD sections and CDs you can borrow! It's mostly filled with old 70s, 80s, or classical music, but at the library I went to, they also had a fair selection of albums from alternative artists. It's actually where I first listened to some of my now favorite bands. On that fateful day, I borrowed a dusty CD, which I only picked up because I vaguely recognized the band name and I thought the cover art was cool. That CD turned out to be The Killers' compilation album, Sawdust.
The Killers formed in 2001 at fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, the same place of origin as one of my favorite bands, Panic! At The Disco. They have so far released 4 studio albums, with hits such as "Mr. Brightside", "When You Were Young", and "Human". The Killers went on hiatus in 2010, but came back in 2011. Their sound is alternative rock, but they're not afraid to branch out and experiment with a bit of synth. Case in point: "Human". Speaking about "Human", I have to admit: I like their first album the most. I mean, think about it. We all know "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me." We don't really know about "Runaways" (although that is a good song, check it out!).
But then, that's the great thing about The Killers: it doesn't matter. The Killers are a fixture in music; blessed to survive staying static, cursed to float just below the radar. Take "Shot At The Night." It's a good song, almost an anthem. But I hardly ever heard it played back when it was new. I think the reason for it is that they are trying to capture a bit of something that's already passed. All of their songs are somewhat similar, trying to grasp at U2 level anthems, but falling just short in depth, both melodically and lyrically. Brandon Flowers, the lead singer, keeps singing about the same things and each progressive album keeps losing its edge. "Shot At The Night" is by far, the least edgy song they have written so far. To go from "Somebody Told Me" to "Shot At The Night" is a long leap.
Don't get me wrong, it's still a good song. Melodically, it's solid. With its computer generated synth and claps among guitar plucks, I can feel Anthony Gonzalez's hands all over this song. Gonzalez from M83, which is a really good ambient/synthpop band, produced this song. Also, they try to capture that 80's U2 feel with the drums building up just before the chorus, but try is the operative word. The thing that bothers me about this song is its lyrics. They're so, well, boring. I expect more from the band that used to kill the charts. Losing their edge and becoming more pop is literally the worst thing I could think of for this band. What happened to that rock feel? What happened to the songwriting they did for Hot Fuss and Sam's Town? What happened to lyrics like "Magic soaking my spine" or "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier"? It's not that I dislike the song, I like it a lot, but it's not up to par. It's a song I would listen to casually so I guess, you could say, I'm a bit disappointed since they are one of my top bands to listen to.
But my disappointment is absolutely no reason to not listen to this song. It struck a chord in me for a few weeks, so check it out below!
Experience the 2009 nostalgia I feel everyday and watch the "Mr. Brightside" video. Seriously, if you know me I feel this nostalgia everyday. I mean, just look at that guyliner.
Rating: 3.5 Records
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Photo: itabloid.biz
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