The Killers Band • Page 16

I ended up getting a free ticket to see their Jimmy Kimmel performance and it was disgustingly hot out that night. They were of course great though, it was finally my chance to go see them after missing them twice at Life is Beautiful the past couple years

 

I've been listening back through The Killers discography getting ready for the release of Wonderful Wonderful, and I have to disagree with Brandon Flowers on Battle Born. Not only does it have a lot of great songs on it, but it also works as a cohesive album, certainly much more so than its predecessor.

I really don't think these guys have a bad album. If I had to pick one to be weakest I would have to go with Day & Age simply because it's always seemed to me less an album and more a random collection of songs, but I'll be damned if most of the songs aren't great and hugely enjoyable.

I honestly think they've had a really impressive career up until now, especially when looked at in light of some of the other bands who came onto the scene around the same time as them. A band like The Stills rose to prominence around the same time with a much heralded debut album and also released a follow-up in 2006 where they changed up their sound. Both bands also released albums in 2008 but The Stills disbanded before making another album while The Killers continued touring the world and putting out new music. Admittedly I don't follow music as much as I did back then when I was in college, but there are other bands who blew up around that time like The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand who while still active(ish) as bands haven't had the same success as The Killers. The Strokes in particular seem to have had a pretty disappointing career trajectory compared to the admittedly pretty ridiculous and extremely hyperbolic press around them at the time.

I've also really come around on The Man recently in a huge way. After not being sure what to make of it at first, I now find myself singing it all the time and listening to it a lot. I am trying not to overplay it or Run For Cover before the actual album comes out.

 

There's certainly an argument to be made that the Killers are the best "rock" band of the last decade in terms of both critical and commercial success.

 

I just think they wrote better songs than those other bands. Plus, Brandon is a more charismatic frontman than just about any other post-millennial rock band had.

 

Ummm, Sam Endicott of The Bravery would like a word. I kid, I kid. I agree they definitely wrote better songs than many of those other bands.

Also, I just have to proclaim my love for Here With Me from Battle Born, cheesy lyrics and all. I love belting it out like Total Eclipse of the Heart of Every Rose Has Its Thorn.

 

"Here With Me" is great. Cheesy, but also surprisingly vulnerable. I love the bridge. Instead of getting the girl, he chickens out.

 

First let me say.. I'm a huge fan of both bands discographies (The Killers & The Strokes) but if I had to choose just one of them, I would pick The Strokes over The Killers without hesitation. In my eyes The Strokes NEVER lost it.. (well okay "FIOE" was weak af, I only like 4-5 songs out of 14) but maaaan "Angles" and "Comedown machine" are fkin' masterpieces! (not trolling) I can listen to these albums from start to finish without skipping a single track.. I can't say the same for the last two Killer albums..

It still blows my mind that people get so turned off by that new glossy synthop production of The Strokes A well written song will be good no matter what.. "Chances" from Comedown Machine is probably one of their best and underrated songs ever.. It's never too late to give one more shot to these "bad" Stroke albums..

Sorry for defending my boys in a thread of another band Peace

 

What are some other 'post-millennial rock bands' you say are not as good?

(Im rather serious - like, what <DOES> 'post millennial' mean in terms of groups?)

 

Post millennial we had that "Garage Rock Revival" (White Stripes, The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jet etc) Nu-metal was dying and Emo scene (ehmmm I can think only of My Chemical Romance having some cultural impact) Soo yeah.. if you think about it The Killers managed to keep it together, still a force to reckon, headlining festivals and shit, it's actually impressive cause they never fitted in any scene or movement, they were (still is) in a league of their own.

 

The Killers were always ahead of their time too (i.e. Hot Fuss). If a band came out with an album that sounded like that today it would be just as huge as it was 13 years ago. I feel the same about Modest Mouse and Death Cab For Cutie. Never really fit in, yet still very relevant in music today.

 

A lot of rock bands were either blowing up or getting started around the same. The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Keane, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, White Stripes, Scissor Sisters, The Walkmen, etc. Obviously, a bunch of those are still around, and some of them are still big draws, but I think The Killers stuck around in a way a lot of people didn't think they would.

 

Maroon 5 is the only band of that era that's even close in terms of success

 

yeah and Coldplay! even tho they had to turn into pop-bands to stay relevant, at least Killers stayed true to their sound (not selling out big time)

 

See, thats interesting. I feel the Killers are bigger than ALL those bands. Modest Mouse/White Stripes/Strokes seem most popular with radio play, but Killers have MUCH more radio play, IMO.

Are the Killers on the same level as, say, All Time Low? PATD?

 

The Killers are insanely bigger than All Time Low and it's not even really a contest haha. Hard to say with PATD. They'd play similar sized venues for sure, but The Killers headline festivals and Panic doesn't even really play them

 

Oh, they're definitely bigger. The only one that is even close is Arcade Fire, and they're big in a different way.

The Killers are definitely much bigger than ATL or Panic, I'd say. Though I think I underestimate how big Panic got.

 

Side note: The video for Mr. Brightside was playing in a bar I was at last weekend and holy hell is it terrible

 

I never thought about all the parallels between Brendon Urie and Brandon Flowers, both Mormons from Las Vegas with almost identical names, plus they're captivating frontmen

 

I <barely> hear Arcade Fire on the radio hear in Massachusetts. I hear ATL or Panic more than them. I hear Killers (with the new album, of course we hear them now) more than any of them.

I think every DJ has Foo Fighters/Killers as 'givens' to play at least once in their show.

Are Killers on the same level? I would say no. I would think FF are bigger. I put FF up there with Pearl Jam. A list acts. Killers? Maybe an A-? Not a B.

 

They both <ARE> captivating, aren't they...

 

The Foos are bigger, but not that much bigger. Arcade Fire don't have the radio airplay piece as much, but they are a massive live draw and still just topped the Billboard charts with 100,000 copies in a week, which not a lot of rock bands can do anymore. Panic can actually sell more than that. All Time Low cannot.

 

Tbh not a fair comparison .. of course FF are bigger, one of the few 90s rock bands that are still super active and relevant.. but still.. Hot Fuss came out 13 years ago, enough time to get you into A List acts.

Speaking as European, Panic! don't come even close to the popularity of The Killers.. Their labelmates tho, Paramore and 21 Pilots are freakin' huge here. All time low? Is that Dear Maria pop-punk band right? Had no idea they got big.. I still have lots of friends into pop-punk, never heard them mentioning ATL, also I'am so surprised and had no idea that Billy Talent is considered as a big name here, they co-headline a huge festival in Hungary tomorrow with PINK.. I was expecting to see their name with small letters somewhere down in the bottom, not under PINK ;D (so happy for them)

 

Paramore and 21 Pilots get a lot of radio play too. Probably the same amount as Killers. Do I think they 'as big' ?

21 Pilots played Boston recently, smaller venue than the killers. Paramore played the same size as 21 Pilots maybe.

But thats a better comparison - between 21P, Paramore, and Killers.... Except the Killers are playing a bigger venue. MUCH bigger.

 

Not sure if this was posted in here but thought there were some funny parts.

 

The title track Wonderful Wonderful is great! Darkest song in ages with an RATM-ish bassline (reminds me of Wake Up or Township Rebellion), and real gravitas after a couple of listens.

I think this is shaping up to be the Killers' most critically acclaimed album (not saying much, I know, but still).