What's the Story on the Killers?
I heard "Mr. Brightside" on the way home from work the other day, and it reminded me about this flash-in-the-pan vibe I get from the Killers. "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me" are both fun songs, and the band seems to getting quite a bit of response from the critics, but I can't help but feel that by the time their next album comes out we'll have had our fill and the album will stiff. I must admit that I'm mostly just speaking from a feeling that I get. I haven't seen the band live, and that could change my mind, but we'll see. I don't think that Brandon Flowers does himself any favors in his pointless feud with the Bravery (and, just for the record, I haven't even heard the Bravery, so this is not a protective lunge in favor of that band, either), claiming that they're just copying the Killers, as if nobody ever thought of channeling New Order before. You can see a couple of examples of the feud here and here. In googling, I found this recent Rolling Stone article that cites Blondie's "Dreaming," Blur's "Girls and Boys," Hunky Dory, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, U2, and Paul Anka as influences. And, oh yeah, Brandon also wants to play the lead in Phantom of the Opera, but not for longer than a month or so. The more I read, the more I flash back to the Spin Doctors.
posted by Doug @ 10:53 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
To be fair, I do have this doomed feeling about The Killers too, and I am a huge fan of them. I think the second album will not do as well as the first simply because their physical image is already so different (Brandon will definitely not be called 'soooo cute!' any longer) and the MTV watchers will have moved on like they always do. But I do believe that their real fans will be totally satisfied with the new record, and that critics and serious music fans will think it a worthy follow-up. There is definitely more to this band than even supporters think, and I am sure of it.
One more thing: Brandon's 'feud' with The Killers was blown so out of proportion it's not even funny. Wanna know something? When a few websites got a hold of a quote of Brandon giving his opinion on Kanye West, every one of them left out the 100 words in which Brandon praised the rapper and just used Brandon's single derogatory comment which he ended with. It's only a small example of what writers do to Brandon Flowers to make him come off as a relentless ego, and you better believe it isn't the only example. I hope you disregard any stupid kiddie press like The Bravery feud reports in the future when shaping your opinion on Mr. Flowers, and also be assured that The Killers talent is not all in Brandon -- the guitarist Dave Keuning wrote the melody and hooks in 'Mr. Brightside' and many of their hits, and as long as he stays focused, Brandon can go around doing whatever he wants and great music will still get out of them.
I'll stop rambling now.
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