Jun 28, 2004
The Killers – Hot Fuss
It would be forgivable if you thought these kids were from London, or maybe somewhere further south and sunnier (Brighton maybe?), but damn, Vegas? I didn’t see that coming. Then again, I had heard the lead single Somebody Told Me before I had heard the rest of the album and I had made my judgement early.
Then the album. It is a sad thing when A&R reps get to involved with the creative process. I hope that this is the case here. the song sequence is tragic. By the time the third song arrives, easily the album’s weakest track, with a chorus that consists of the whiney “smile like you mean it”, over and over and well, you are ready to jump ship. Instead, jump ahead to the next song, the catchy and fun lead single and start the album there. It used to be a bad omen to have a lead single as the first track from a new artist, but there are always exceptions. I mean, well Nevermind was an alright album wasnnit?
What follows after is quite capable and fun. Not that we haven’t heard this before. If I thought that I would be the first one to say it, I might have written “American Franz Ferdinand” but that would have been off the mark. More like The Killers are to Ferdinand and Oasis, as to what Rialto were to Pulp. Remember Rialto? Not a bad band, but you only listened to them when Different Class got a little to predictable.
Thats the sort of roll this album has. It won’t rewrite your life, but it might just be a good soundtrack to a roadtrip or barbeque or something. Probably quite a few in fact. Dancing around singing “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier!” is better than any Victim Rock any day. And the song Indie Rock and Roll (download 6.9 Mb), is probably the most hilarious fun goofball anthem I have heard in ages, aaaaand it even makes the first two songs listenable. Unfortunately it got cut for some other tune on the American release. (fuck you A&R man!!!) I have resequenced the mp3s in iTunes into an album worth my time, sans Smile Like You Mean It. There may be hope for popular rock n’ f’n roll after all. Now if you excuse me I am going to download Monday Morning 5:19.