The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful (September 30, 2017) Album • Page 11

Just went out for a nice drive to listen to it. I’m very happy with it. More thoughts later.

 

Woody Harrelson?

 

lol what

 

I swear he's narrating a track lol.

 

It is he.

 

Easily better than their last two albums. Nothing will probably touch the first two, but this is pretty damn good. Tyson vs. Douglas is vintage Killers and Out of My Mind is their most radio friendly song to date IMHO.

 

Listened to this on my drive to work this morning and wasn't super impressed.

 

Good driving record.

 

First listen, but I already like this better than Day & Age. Unlikely it tops Battle Born for me, though.

 

For me this blows Battle Born out of the water. That was such a joyless record. Felt like they were going through the motions and I can see why they weren't really happy with it.

 

It's genuinely difficult to listen to 'The Man' without dancing.

 

I'M not crying to 'Rut', YOU'RE crying to 'Rut'.

 

I don't feel that way at all and think people who say that are projecting the band's words onto the record.

 

Just sorting out my feelings on the new record, and I don't LOVE Battle Born.... but there's no songs on the new one that touch Runaways, The Way It Was, A Matter of Time, The Rising Tied, the title track on BB for me. So far, at least.

Also for what it's worth, the preview of "Money on Straight" made me think I'll like it more than any of the actual album tracks...Really like that chorus.

 

After one listen I think the best track on here is the title track.

 

I've seen some mixed reactions to that one so far, which is crazy to me. Easily a highlight on the album.

 

The hooks were just so sharp on Battle Born, and I felt like you could really hear the full-band chemistry. This one feels a little more like a Brandon solo album to me on first blush. That's not a bad thing, but it definitely sounds to me like Dave at least wasn't as involved. But maybe then I'm projecting what I've read about the album onto the album itself. Ha

 

Well I can't wait to listen to this album now. My favorite album by them is Sam's Town and I read that went back to that style? I'm not actually sure if that's accurate. The two songs I have heard though I really enjoy. Seems like they're having fun again.

 

This sounds more like Battle Born than it sounds like any other record in their catalog.

 

Good to see positive reactions to this. I read a couple of very lukewarm reviews and was concerned. Really enjoy the songs they've released thus far.

 

I am currently mixed on this, I think I really like 6 out of the 10 tracks.

 

I've come around on Run for Cover just because of the lyrical content. FAKE NEWS

 

I like this a lot. "Tyson vs. Douglas" especially was a big surprise for me. Love that song.

 

I think I'll need to relisten to this when I'm in a better mood

 

Just some thoughts really quick, if you guys will indulge me taking a stab at the themes of the album.

I think this is arguably their most cohesive album right off the bat, which I'm really excited about. There's no filler, there's no track that sticks out like a sore thumb. They have a pretty great collection of songs here, and thematically it remains entirely focused.

The album can pretty much be divided into two intertwining themes: the main focus being Brandon's wife and her struggle with depression and PTSD, and the underlying theme being Brandon's own struggle in coming to terms with what it means to be a man as a result of that. I think the title track does a great job of establishing a sense of place for the rest of the songs. Meanwhile, "The Man" serves as a starting point as well: shallow expectations of what a man should be, which will continue to be broken down as the record goes on.

My favorite one-two punch of the record is "Rut" and "Life to Come," the former being told from Tana Flowers' perspective, and the latter from Brandon's. "Rut" shines a light on the daily struggles of depression, and the seemingly impossible task of climbing never-ending walls. There's a lot to unpack in this song: it's a declaration of strength, but also a recognition of the need for help. "Life to Come" serves as an answer to "Rut," assuring that the narrator of the previous track isn't alone in the struggle. It's something really intimate made ridiculously huge, in that way the Killers do better than anyone.

"Run for Cover" and "Tyson vs. Douglas" return to the underlying theme, with images of impeccable masculinity continuing to come undone. From cheating senators to fallen heroes, this is Flowers' recognition of something gone awry in masculine idol worship. For all the chest-puffing and bravado, these men are still as capable of failure as any. "Tyson vs. Douglas" brings both of these tracks back to Flowers' familial dilemma in its bridge, addressing his own anxiety about failing in front of his children. However, this track also presents a question of what that failure would be: falling from grace as one of the biggest rock stars on the planet, or simply as failing in his role as a family man?

"Some Kind of Love" is lovely. I don't know how much I would love it outside the context of the album, or not knowing the story behind it. But written as a plea to someone struggling with suicidal thoughts, I think it's great. When Brandon's kid join him in the outro, it's a gut punch. Kind of weird placement, though. I would probably swap it with "Out of My Mind" on the tracklist.

Speaking of, I don't understand how "Out of My Mind" wasn't the second single. I love "Run for Cover" as much as anyone, but this is one of their best straight-up pop songs. In the context of the record, it serves as the meeting point for the two themes at play: the tension felt between a married couple due to both the husband's constant need for external approval, and the wife's apathy and distance as a result of mental health. This is where Brandon Flowers recognizes that his rock star status cannot fix the problems at home, and as much as he'd like to supplant his domestic issues with career success, he can't escape what is actually important to him. "But I don't know if I can stop" is an important line to take away from this one.

"The Calling" is a reckoning of sorts, with a son going after his father after realizing his acts were not what they were purported to be. Though it's pretty clearly a third-person narrative, this ties in with Flowers recognizing his passed down ideas of masculinity weren't impeccable, but in fact toxic and self-serving (love the bit in here where the narrator's two brothers have (barely) survived, but his sister has died). Like the narrator of the story he's spinning here, after having seen what's actually going on underneath the surface, Flowers is going to take a different path. Also, this song is an awesome Depeche Mode mashup, all "Personal Jesus" while the chorus kind of cribs the melody from "Enjoy the Silence." Love it.

The final song, "Have All The Songs Been Written?" once again brings both of the major themes together, with Brandon unsure of his own abilities as a songwriter and a man, but there has been a shift: he's not playing for the fame or the glory anymore, but for his wife. So when he pleas that he only needs "one more" song to get through to her, it's a desperate plea of someone who doesn't know what else he has to offer, other than what he's made a lifetime out of chasing. However useful he may or may not be, he's now committed to being there for his wife through her struggles, not going after what he previously thought would bring him fulfillment. Also, Knopfler kills this track and remains to be a living legend.

With that said, Dave's presence is definitely missed on a great deal of the album. Though there's some great guitar work in there, his mark is an undeniable part of the Killers identity. Regardless, this is a genuinely great album. Wouldn't put it up there with Sam's Town, but I can definitely see it wrestling for that second spot (which is already a bloody battle between Hot Fuss and Battle Born). A much more mature and thoughtful record from the guys, while not surrendering their penchant for making tracks just absurdly huge. They're aging gracefully.

Edit: Almost forgot to mention, Jacknife Lee. What a blessing for this band. The production is just insane, especially on "Out of My Mind" and "The Calling." He did an amazing job.