Album Rating: 4.0

Run it through the pressure machine,

Spit you out a name-tag memory



Damn good line...

Album Rating: 4.0

I'm getting close to bumping this to a 4, still has some clunky aspects for me but there's a lot of brilliant moments as well

Album Rating: 4.0

Spent my best years laying rubber on a factory line,



Wonder what I coulda been in another life

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

Almost every line in that song perfectly encapsulates small town USA. Just really nailed the lyrics here.

Album Rating: 4.0

Yeah, having grown up in a (very) small town, stuff like Quiet Town and In Another Life is really powerful

Album Rating: 4.0

^^ ditto. Absolutely spot on lines about small towns all through this thing

Album Rating: 3.5

hey this is pretty good, who woulda thunk

Album Rating: 4.0

A COUPLE OF KIDS GOT HIT BY A UNION PACIFIC TRAIN

CARRYING SHEET METAL, AND HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES

THROUGH THE POURING RAIN

Album Rating: 4.0

Good bump, gonna throw this on now

Album Rating: 4.0

Just bumped my rating, among other things Runaway Horses always seemed like a throwaway track but it's grown on me a lot

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

In The Car Outside is one of the best songs they've ever made imo.



Fantastic album, I hope they do more stuff like this and Imploding the Mirage going forward - they seem to be on a comeback, the last 2 albums have take the second and third place in my Killers tier list

Album Rating: 4.2

In The Car Outside is a banger for sure

Album Rating: 5.0

Their best album hands down. Sam's Town is second for me.

Album Rating: 4.0

It's a close one for me. Sam's Town is still my favourite, but Pressure Machine has the Killers' best lyrics, no real dips in quality and their most fully realised in terms of atmosphere. West Hills is a song you can get lost in, and the title track is top-10 Killers for me.



However, I can't stress enough how I much I value Brandon's skills as an occasional crafter of all-time-great bittersweet pop hooks, and that's missing to an extent on this album. It might be the nostalgia talking, but there's arguably nothing on Pressure Machine that touches Read My Mind melodically, or is quite as viscerally rousing as When You Were Young. I get that it's not entirely the point (see Quiet Town, whose verse tune is literally improv'd over the most basic chord progression possible - the focus is firmly on the lyrics here) but still.



Where nostalgia is definitely a factor is my love for Sam's Town's flaws. Overwrought arrangements from time to time, Meatloaf-level self-seriousness in the context of some pretty goofy music - they're almost strengths to my ears in their naivety and raw ambition. It's a genuine snapshot of the band at a particular moment in time rather than just a collection of songs, which is a hallmark of most great records. And that's why it hangs together as an album with a coherent vibe.



Great news about Pressure Machine Deluxe coming out next week, I wonder which of the five(!) versions of The Getting By I'll like the most!

Album Rating: 5.0

I agree with so much of what you said. This one definitely possesses more meaningful lyrics, and it's that sense of purpose that makes it better than Sam's Town to me. However, Sam's Town is a better album in terms of the music, energy, and melodic diversity. Both are superb albums that were important events for me at their respective release dates, and both continue to accrue more value with time. I'm excited for the Pressure Machine Deluxe edition, but I'm a bit worried that no variation of West Hills or The Getting By could possibly top the ones here. I felt like Runaway Horses was one of the slightly weaker songs on PM, so it's slightly more possible that Runaway Horses II could be an improvement.

Album Rating: 4.0

I agree totally also. But due to the above, Hot Fuss is still peak for me but for the same reasons

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

What’s up with this deluxe version out today? Looks like alternate versions of songs?

Album Rating: 4.0

yes

Album Rating: 4.4 | Sound Off

Getting By II and Runaway Horses II are both great, better than the album versions

Album Rating: 4.0

Not really feeling the new versions of West Hills (they have none of the power and atmosphere), or Runaway Horses II (the vocal melody is slightly but noticeably worse).



However, both The Getting By II and III are awesome and right up there with the main album version, if not better! They work less as closers though - you'd probably put Pressure Machine (title track) last.



The Getting By II is done in the same vein as Imploding The Mirage, so I could see fans of that record loving it.