The Killers - Pressure Machine (8.13.21) Album • Page 45

Jeez. That interview is heavy.

 

Not sure what to make of this interview but I'd totally welcome a next phase of The Killers that keeps building on Pressure Machine.

 

Wow. That was a bummer, and pretty unexpected after all of the teasing about a 'big announcement' coming up.

As far as the music goes, I can't say I'm not excited about more stuff in the vein of Pressure Machine, as I love that album. I also love Brandon's solo stuff too - but I was really hoping to hear that rocking TK8 they kept talking about.

 

Damn

 

If Bruce can still do it at his age…

 

Don't think it's a question of age so much as what's driving him artistically.

 

it sounds like he doesn't think the band enjoyed making PM too much. I'm hoping he's wrong because they all seemed pretty proud of it, rightly and I'd love to hear them keep exploring thay artistic vein

 

Don’t worry, plenty of music coming.

 

I mean he did refer to his age and whether he felt he could continue singing anthems from his youth on stage as he got older, in that interview. And he also discussed the artistic drive, yes.

 

My bad, totally misunderstood what point you were referring to! You're totally right.

 

Pressure Machine was definitely one of those albums that had me wondering where the artist goes afterward because it’s such a sharp, introspective turn and builds perfectly on the backbone and heels of Imploding the Mirage, a solid one-two punch. How do you come out of a writing period that intense and then try to switch gears back in another direction? I’ve always been very interested in those particular eras of an artist’s life when it comes to their creative output thereafter.

 

Sawdust II, perhaps?

 

great interview, it makes me think of why Dave and Mark don't do it full time anymore either. like a lot of people still want the hits and i get not doing it over and over, it gets old, it pays the bills but if isn't fulfilling why do it? like when tom left blink the second time, he was like i could play every summer playing the hits til i die or do something else that he's interested in, i totally feel that. its conflicting obviously but i rather see people i adore do what they want and that makes them happy then go through the motions, but i know not everyone thinks that way, a lot of people are selfish and just want the bands they love to stay the same and that's it. i hope Brandon and the rest of the guy find happiness with whatever projects they do going forward. thanks for sharing! I'm sure that was an article you'd have to pay to read.

 

On the past few albums, I got the sense that "The Killers" was becoming a less a fixed four-man band and more a musical collective big enough to include everything from Jonathan Rado and Shawn Everett to Mark Knopfler and Lindsey Buckingham. I'd love to see that approach continue, even if the type of music that Brandon wants to make is shifting. It seems like the more collaborative way they've been making music could be well suited to the "crisis" he's in right now.

 

I would be 100% down with a Broken Social Scene-esque situation for The Killers. Let Brandon do his solo thing exploring the music he finds fulfilling, then when it feels right to do a Killers album, they can grab whoever is ready and willing and go for it.

 

There’s a fear articulated in his interview that I can’t sympathize with, which is that if they stop playing the hits the money will run out and the crowds will stop showing up. But honestly, that’s kinda their own fault! They released their two best albums ever in the last three years and didn’t tour either of them. They called it the Imploding The Mirage Tour and averaged like three songs a night from it!

 

spinning the D&A b-sides again, it's fucking insane that Tidal Wave didn't make this album, especially with some of the junk that did

 

Tidal Wave kicks ass. I love it. One of my favorites 'from that album' haha

 

Good point. It’s like he’s saying that this band isn’t worth being in for him unless it’s making mega bucks whereas other artists would just put out stuff they like, play it, and play smaller venues if that was the result.

 

Also, is he saying in that excerpt that he wishes he was as popular as Brittany Spears? Weird.

 

Think he’s just saying he couldn’t enjoy the Glastonbury duet in retrospect because a lot of people were expecting it to be Britney Spears and were upset to see him instead of her. So even with the “wins” he’s still focused on the negative.

 

He’s got a 22 million dollar net worth and a beautiful home in Utah. I’m sorry that his band is concerned that they won’t be booked to reliably headline festivals if they move on from their early hits, but honestly there’s only one way to find out! Follow the 1975’s example and do most of the new album straight through, then greatest hits.

Not here nor there, but I believe one of the main reasons they got booked to headline so many festivals anyway is because they don’t charge as much as most headliners. Smart business decision from their team.

 

The interview mainly just reinforces what I already kinda thought about them and their dynamics within the band, but my main takeaways from it were that it was already a fraught situation whenever they would attempt to go into the studio as 'The Killers' and make a 'Killers' album, and after trying to make that situation work a few times Brandon just doesn't feel like he can do it any longer. The situation was already odd in that 50% of the band weren't always recording in the studio or touring with the band anyway.

Whatever the specifics of the relationships between the four of them and the entity of The Killers are, I have no idea, but it sounds like Brandon just doesn't feel like he can keep doing things the way they've been doing them recently.

 

Damn, new song was not my favorite, but one of the most interesting things they've done in the past 15 years. Shame.

 

I will take more pressure machine sounding stuff, thank you very much