THE KILLERS

"Silently reflection turns my world to stone
Patiently correction leaves us all alone
And sometimes I'm travel man
But tonight this engine's failing”

 

 

 

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"D”

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Main Decade: 00’s

Main Eras:

Indie (2001-???)

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Key Members:

Brandon Flowers, Vocalist, Keyboards

Dave Keuning, Guitar

Mark Stoermer, Bass

Ronnie Vanucci Jr, Drums

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Key Songs:

Tranquilize, Mr. Brightside , All These Things That I’ve Done, Romeo And Juliet, Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll, Shadowplay, Sam’s Town, When You Were Young, Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine, The World We Live In, Losing Touch, Bones, Smile Like You Mean It, Somebody Told Me, Sweet Talk, Read My Mind, All The Pretty Faces, Andy You're a Star, Uncle Johnny, Why Do I Keep Counting?, Move Away

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With the Killers I Something very curious happens. After a while without listening to them, I remember them and think they're a rather mediocre band, with commercial songs, and that the simple fact that their sound is more synthesizer-based than guitar-based says a lot. While I'm not listening to them, they seem bad to me, perhaps the weakest band I've reviewed, and the weakest of the indie wave. Then I listen to them and I'm hooked by their sound, their songs become wonderful, and I reproach myself for having thought all of the above. Am I the only one? Doesn't this happen to you? I particularly remember one day, somewhere between Sams' Town and Sawdust, when I heard the single of "Romeo and Juliet" for the first time, a Dire Straits cover that I have a particular fondness for. I remember being so impressed (and at that time Sams' Town was omnipresent on the radio) that I thought, "These guys are going to become the most important band in the world!"

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Of course, they didn't become the best band in the world—at least Day & Age ruined everything they'd done—but it's a testament to the effect they have. At least on me. Their songs, except for two or three, are very forgettable. I struggle to grasp them, and all that sticks is the synthesizer sound, so after a while, I end up dismissing them. I don't know why this happens, since the songs are actually catchy and full of hooks, but something must be wrong with my brain because they don't become very memorable. But at least their first three albums (including the B-sides Saw Dust) are tremendous, the most commercial of the first wave of indie, true, but clever enough to appeal equally to screaming pop girls and at the same time hook the most die-hard rockers. Even if we find it hard to accept!

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The Killers were heavily criticized for sounding like Duran Duran and The Strokes. However, they take the pop and synth-pop qualities of the former and the irreverence and power of the latter, achieving a combined sound that, in some ways, sounds somewhat different from other indie bands, whose music has a slightly rawer feel. That is to say, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, and Kings of Leon sound more like 70s post-punk, garage, and hard rock, while The Killers sound a bit more like the 80s. I would usually say this is a drawback, but not in The Killers' case. They dared to create a slightly different sound without straying too far from the indie sound, and they managed to produce at least three very intelligent albums with balanced and enjoyable influences.

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The band reunited in 2002. A year earlier, Brandon Flowers was playing keyboards in a synth-pop band called Blush Response, based in Las Vegas. When his bandmates decided to move to Los Angeles to try their luck, Flowers refused to follow them and was left without a band. Shortly after, he had a vision at an Oasis concert, where he decided he wanted to form a real rock band (hahaha, at an Oasis concert, hahaha, this proves that even The Killers can't be taken THAT seriously). Anyway, he responded to a newspaper ad in which guitarist Dave Keuning was looking for other musicians for a band influenced by The Cure, U2, Oasis, and The Beatles. The two of them decided the band would be called The Killers, taking the name from the bass drum of a phantom band in the New Order video for "Crystal." With this impressive name in hand, they recruited Ronnie Vannucci on drums and Mark Stoermer on bass. They started playing in 2002 in Las Vegas clubs, expanding their repertoire and including original songs.

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Alex Gilbert, Warner Bros.' English representative, was captivated by their sound and tried to get them a contract. They went to London where they auditioned and took the opportunity to play in various clubs for a while, but the record label didn't share Gilbert's enthusiasm. So, he passed the demo to a friend, Ben Durling, owner of an independent label called Lizard King, with whom they eventually signed and released their debut single, "Mr. Brightside," under the name Marrakesh Records. The single was a hit in England, and The Killers began to gain recognition abroad, but it wasn't long before the single started to take off in the USA. With this success, they signed with the American label Island, which would be responsible for distributing the album in the US, and went into the studio to record their debut album, Hot Fuss.

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The album was a worldwide smash hit, as we all know. With songs that became generational anthems like “Mr. Brightside,” “All These Things That I’ve Done,” and “Somebody Told Me,” Hot Fuss achieved six platinum records, embarking on one of the most attended world tours and headlining Live 8 in 2005, where several bands adopted the refrain from “All These Things…” – “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier” – as their motto and incorporated it into their songs. I don’t know if The Killers were the best indie band or not, but I think they were the most popular band of the mid-2000s. Partly due to their less raw sound, but also because “Mr. Brightside” was even used in shampoo commercials.

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Their second album, Sam's Town, was released in late 2006, and in my opinion, it surpassed their debut. Perhaps it doesn't have a "Mr. Brightside," nor a line as catchy as "All These Things...", but you can tell the band is much more mature, paying meticulous attention to every detail of the production, hooks, and sound. It also had at least four great tracks that defined an era: "When You Were Young," "Bones," "Read My Mind," and "For Reasons Unknown." The album kept them at the forefront of the indie movement, headlining rock festivals and winning awards left and right.

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In 2007, they released a compilation of B-sides, live recordings, and rarities under the name Sawdust. The album included an impressive collaboration with Lou Reed, "Tranquilize," which deviates somewhat from the band's typical sound, but if you ask me, it's the best thing they've done to date. The album, despite being a compilation, is quite solid and has its own distinct character, with a guitar-driven sound that was lacking in their two previous albums, and it still maintains a high level of musicianship. This album also included their version of "Romeo & Juliet," which they had recorded a year earlier during the Live at Abbey Road sessions. For practical purposes, I'm going to review it as if it were a studio album.

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At the end of 2008 came Day & Age. The album is more electronic and synthesized, diminishing the rock edge they had balanced so well in their earlier albums. Day & Age was also a commercial success, but it already signaled some setbacks. They even recorded a song for the Twilight saga featuring phosphorescent vampires.

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After the Days & Age tour, which lasted until 2010, the band took a long break. Brandon released his solo album, and in early 2011, amid rumors that the band was breaking up, they denied it, announcing that they were planning a fourth album, but that there was no start date yet and that they would take their time because (they didn't specify which one, but I imagine) "some of their albums had been rushed."

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We'll have to see if that's true and if they make a good comeback with their next album, because Days & Age left much to be desired. It seems that the new decade is taking a heavy toll on indie bands from that first wave in the mid-2000s, but I hope the group has enough talent and knows how to use it to return to what they do best.

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By Corvan

Sep/11/2011

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