The Killers

The Killers are a band I’m sure you already know about, but I wanted to show you that there’s more to them than their disco-pop side. Coming from Las Vegas, Brandon Flowers (Lead Singer), Mark Stoermer (Bass Guitarist/vocals), Dave Keuning (lead guitar/vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr (Drums/Percussion) make up the killers.

Releasing their first album, Hot Fuss, thet went 4x platinum with songs like Mr. Brightside and Smile Like You Mean It. Some of the songs aren't even noticed by some people like On Top, Andy You're A Star, and All these Things That I've Done. I heard On Top while listening to the radio station "WFNX (101.7)" online and thought that it was very vivid and up-beat, then I heard "Dare" by the Gorillaz afterwards which carried the same beat. I looked into that album more and was astonished at what they produced. Electronic disco-beats made the band what they are today; songs like On Top, Smile Like You Mean It, and Mr. Brightside express this certain sound.

3 Years later, they released “Sam’s Town” which struck oil as soon as people listened to the hit single “When You Were Young”. “When You Were Young” reached number 5 on the charts, very popular worldwide. To me, hearing it all the time can get a little boring and that’s when I slowly hearing it every now and then can still bring out the same feeling. Feeling down? Listen to “Bones”, one of the best heartwarming songs I’ve ever heard; Tim Burton even helped produce the video for the song, which had a soft mood and a very essentric feeling to it. There’s another song that carries the same soft feeling called Read My Mind, amazing, it had a lot of reflection between pauses; it became an instant favorite for me.

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In 2007, only a year later, they published their third album Sawdust, which became famous because of Shadowplay, Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf, Tranquilize, and Romeo and Juliet. Shadowplay which was a cover of the song by Joy Division was widely acclaimed because of its trans electric beat. Not one of their best albums of the bunch, yet it’s still out there and selling. I love “Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf” because it’s got a simple flow to hold onto and promotes a gray feeling.

A year goes by and they produce another impressive album that went gold because of their trademark single “Human”. They’ve established they’re sound and became famous worldwide because of this album if the past 3 weren’t enough. My brother couldn’t stop listening to Human in the fall, He was WILD over it and got me into them (you couldn’t ignore him, playing it from his laptop, without the headphones, on high volume, 10 times, 20 times a day). I liked the song Spaceman before the video went out and before it was really recognized, I would rock out to it, just beautiful. Other songs off the album that deliver a similar respective feeling would be Neon Tiger, Losing Touch, Dustland Fairytale, and Joy Ride. They have a few bonus tracks that went with it if you got the deluxe version off your mp3’s store (iTunes, Zune’s store, Zen, and others), such as Tidal Wave, Forget About What I Said, and The thin White Duke’s remix of Human which was an exclusive pre-order song (my brother of course had to have it, but you can hear it in my upcoming playlist too :D) ; Tidal Wave generates a slow soft feeling almost like how Read My Mind does, Forget About What I Said carries a rushed feeling that goes along with his vocals perfectly. The thin White Duke Remix of Human is something amazing; it’s beautifully crafted and put together, just mixed up with soft vocals and vivacious gaps of beat.

They've also been producing one holiday each year since 2006, for Product Red. In 2006, they made "A Great Big Sled" with Toni Halliday (former lead singer for the band Curve); a pretty basic song with a cheerful flow to it: "Little boys have action toys for brains, I'm living proof it can last a long time." I love the song, you need to listen to it a couple of times to get into it. It was very thoughtful that the guys decided to do another one the following year, which was my favorite song and video "Don't Shoot Me Santa", still supporting Product Red with some of the proceeds. The year after that, 2008, The Killers teamed up with Neil Tennant and lengendary superstar Elton John, to create "Joseph You Better Than Me" which, I have to say wasn't as good as their other holiday songs, but I think they took a more quiet approach to this one like most of their songs.

The Killers have achieved fame, they’re done, they’re set, they’re music. If you like New Order (hence, the killers got their name from the video “Crystal”), The Cure, The Flaming Lips, or even The Police, I’m sure you’ll enjoy listening to Joy Ride every once and awhile. They deliver the purpose for being a band; every electronic beat and guitar riff guides their voice and their passion for music.

Word Count: 909 words (This is getting kind of embarrasing but I don't really care, it doesn't matter if I'm too high or too low of the word count, what matters is that I have a decent blog)