Brandon Flowers (vocals/keyboards)
David Keuning (guitar)
Mark Stoermer (bass)
Ronnie Vannucci (drums)
Very rarely do bands turn out with such debut albums. Their influences include the Cure, New Order and The Smiths. Comparable to Oasis' 'Definitely Maybe' this album is bound to be viewed upon in years to come as the start of a new phenomenon.
1) Jenny was a friend of mine. This song starts with computer sounds, leading on to turn into the opening guitar riff. A nice drum fill opens up the song before an awesome bass line kicks in. Everything slows down once the vocals come in. A low pitched upbeat song to begin the album. 5/5
2) Mr. Brightside. The song that is constantly heard on the radio, listened to by everybody and shows the band could be called 'pop'. It begins with a guitar riff that is repeated throughout the song, before the bass comes in. The singing sounds pretty similiar to the previous song- he has a unique voice. 5/5
3) Smile like you mean it. One of the worse tracks of the album- this isn't necessarily a criticism. It was released as a single with quite a poor video, which could/should have been replaced by track 1 (jenny...). However, a neat guitar riff (again) gives the song an edge that still makes it likeable, dispite it being quite slow and drony. 3/5
4) Somebody told me. One of the best- if not the best song on the album. The first song they released and the perfect one to try and get people to buy their album for Christmas 2004. Very good use of computer effects and change of tempo often. Could never bore you and is a true indie classic. 5/5
5) All these things that I've done. The song that the killers performed at Live 8- they probably would have played tracks 4 or 2 aswell had they been given more than 5 mins, as they were a big hit amoung all by this point. However, they played this and played it well, coming on in white suits and all. Quite a slow pace bass-based song, with a constant bass drum beat. It is formed of several different parts and is a hit with the oldies too. 4/5
6) Andy, you're a star. A slow, relatively boring melody here with a constant drony pitch of voice until the chorus, and a repeated annoying guitar riff that is repeated over and over again. Luckily quite a short song, so it doesn't waste too much of your time. The highlight is at 2:06 when the drums come in and liven up the song as much as can be done. A female choir can be heard in the background of the chorus, but even this doesn't lighten up the gloomy images this song gives out. 3/5
7) On top. Beginning with an uplifting computer sound, followed by entrance of the drums, and then guitar. Sounds like a possible instrumental until vocals come in, but to no disappointed. An interesting verse followed by a happy upbeat chorus, with a good bridge at 2:24.The final chorus sounds full and complete, but overall a bit too repetitive to get a 5. 4/5
8) Glamourous indie rock & roll. Beginning with a keyboard, joined by guitar and vocals, and finally bass and drums come in with a cool bassline which isn't for once drowned out by too many guitars. A bit repetitive with little variation from the original verse and chorus. Another female choir working better this time, but a few more pitches needed to bit hit by Flowers to get a 5. An uplifting song though. 4/5
9) Believe me Natalie. This album takes its time to reach the point where they were simply filling in gaps with half-hearted songs, but in my opinion this is the point where it all goes downhill. A boring song leaving you with no particular urge to listen to it again. A slow drone with little appeal. 3/5
10) Midnight show. One of those songs that you will get in your head and hum the 1 or 2 lines that you can remember over and over again. An upbeat verse and catchy chorus with quite a soft guitar riff. Bit of a boring drum beat but there you go. 3.5/5
11) Everything will be alright. A completely different sound to the rest of the album, unlike any of their influences and quite original. That's the good bit. The bad bit is, it doens't really work with a voice like his. It's incredibly slow, the drums sound like some crappy computer program and his vocals are annoyingly distorted by a computer. It lasts over 5 minutes and bores you very soon. There is a Pink Floyd-like guitar solo at the end, but there is no point throughout the song at which you are suddenly uplifted. It just goes on and on. A typical inexperienced end to an album.
I saw The Killers at Live 8, where they only played track 5, and they were quite outstanding. However, i saw them at Glastonbury, and they really weren't anything too special that night. It seems that they rely too much on their computer effects, and their next album really must concentrate on getting rid of them. However, such a talented band can go a long way, they just aren't quite there yet.
