In 2001 America’s greatest Britpop band was born within the barren, dry desert of Las Vegas, Nevada. Launching into the limelight with their 2004 debut Sizzling Fuss, The Killers had been initially known as synth-pop post-punk purveyors and instantly noticed business and significant success. Regardless of (or maybe as a result of) their sound resonated with so many followers internationally, the band took a u-turn, hopping again throughout the pond sonically and symbolically with the discharge of their Americana-tinged, cult-classic sophomore album Sam’s City. Quick ahead to 2020, and the band now has six studio albums, one biggest hits compilation, and a report of B-sides that would very properly contend as a-sides.
However how did they get there? Perhaps it’s frontman Brandon Flowers’ lyrics? Who else might get away with writing (and singing): “I pull up to the front of your driveway, with magic soaking my spine”? Or maybe it’s the steadiness of gritty American tales packaged in performances so glamorous and glitter-soaked they’d make the highest performer of any Sin Metropolis strip residency blush.
In an try and reply that query as soon as and for all, right here’s a listing of 20 of The Killers’ greatest songs paired with the venue they’re greatest skilled in.
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Dive Bar Declarations
(Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll; Mr. Brightside; Smile Like You Imply It; Jenny Was A Pal of Mine; Sam’s City)
The Killers lower their enamel taking part in reveals at cafés and dive bars within the native Las Vegas circuit. Their early songs rejoice that scene: They’re firsthand tales of falling in love below the neon lights of a transient city populated by dreamers, harlots, and sinners.
The Killers themselves had been dreamers. Simply take heed to the lyrics of “Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll,” through which Flowers delivers a riposte to the snobbery the band skilled in an area scene dominated by nu-metal and rap bands. Then there’s “Mr. Brightside,” AKA that one Killers tune you had been born already understanding all of the phrases to. The notorious sing-along sounds simply pretty much as good at Wembley Area because it does at your cousin’s wedding ceremony. So, why is nestled on this dive bar part of the listing? Properly, it was on the divey Crown and Anchor pub that Flowers turned impressed to jot down the tune when he bumped into his girlfriend with one other man.
Sizzling Fuss opener, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” will not be solely greatest skilled in a dive since you’re extra prone to really feel the reverberation of Mark Stroemer’s highly effective bassline, but in addition as a result of it illuminates the sound and spirit of the band’s earlier days. On the time, the observe was in comparison with Duran Duran and The Smiths, as a result of the group hadn’t fairly landed on the sound they’re recognized for right this moment. (And in addition due to the British-affectation Flowers’ placed on whereas singing the tune’s controversial lyrics.) The nostalgic but sardonic “Smile Like You Mean It” belongs right here for a lot of causes. However a very powerful, in fact, is that it was carried out by the band on an episode of the notorious teenage drama collection The O.C. at arguably the most effective fictitious dive venue recognized to tv, The Bait Store.
Talking of noteworthy dives, the tune “Sam’s Town” obtained its title from a lodge and playing corridor outfitted with a small efficiency venue, and recognized for an animatronic attraction that includes southwestern creatures and a neon laser gentle present. The symbolic place Flowers sings about within the tune, nevertheless, is a house – the type of place you come to love a prodigal son after realizing you by no means needed to depart in any respect.
Native Venue Lullabies
(For Causes Unknown; A Dustland Fairytale; My God; Bling (Confessions of a King); Dying Breed)
Native venue songs will be equated to the information you’d decide up in a 102 stage course. You’ve obtained the fundamentals lined, and now it’s time to dig into The Killers songs you’re much less prone to hear on the radio. “For Reasons Unknown,” a single the band launched with little promotion, deserves a spot on the listing for its surprisingly synth-less and guitar-heavy sound, a lot in order that Stroemer joins Dave Keuning on guitar. It’s the one observe on any Killers album the place Flowers performs bass.
“A Dustland Fairytale” is an introspective and quieter second throughout the band’s dwell units and stands out amongst the opposite tracks on 2008’s Day & Age. The tune tells the story of Flowers’ mother and father, detailing the whirlwind desert romance between one “Cinderella” and a “slick chrome American prince.” The soul-stirring sentimentality of the tune is ideal for a smaller darker venue, so your pals gained’t see the tears in your eyes when Flowers sings: “Now Cinderella don’t you go to sleep / It’s such a bitter form of refuge / Don’t you know the kingdom’s under siege / And everybody needs you.”
Though “Bling (Confessions of a King)” was by no means launched as a single, it has someway snuck its manner in and stayed on the band’s setlist over time. It’s not laborious to grasp why whenever you hear the sluggish and regular guitar buildup lastly break into the cathartic and boisterous bridge. The lyrics “Higher and higher / We’re gonna take it down to the wire / We’re gonna make it out of the fire / Higher and higher” instantly morph the gang right into a backing choir.
“My God” continues the quintessential Killers observe of writing songs that would double as hymnals. The earnest manner Flowers sings “don’t talk to me about forgiveness / My God just look who’s back in business” matched with the dramatic uptick of Ronnie Vannuci’s drumming after Weyes Blood’s vocal flip is ideal listening in your favourite native hang-out.
One other single from Imploding The Mirage, “Dying Breed” is a superb instance of how the Killers write love songs that may additionally double as heartland rock ballads. It’s crammed with what Flowers has known as the “prettiest” lyrics he’s ever written, together with (however not restricted to): “From the coveted touch of a girl in love / I was lifted by the sound of a spirit in need / Baby, we’re a dying breed.”
Formidable Competition Ballads
(Human; Spaceman; Any person Informed Me; All These Issues That I’ve Accomplished; The Means It Was)
Competition performances require a selected kind of setlist. There’s no room for b-sides or lesser-known tracks on the sector, simply large songs you realize the viewers – who might have proven as much as see one other act that weekend – can scream the phrases to. An ideal Killers instance is the symphonic synth tune “Spaceman.” The one phrases you actually must know for that one are “oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh.”
“Human” additionally sounds nice at a pageant, as long as you’re advantageous with singing together with strangers who might discover the esoteric muttering of “are we human or are we dancer?” not solely complicated however grammatically incorrect. Talking of festival-worthy lyrics which might be each catchy and disorienting (in the easiest way), “Somebody Told Me” has the hard-to-unhear lyrics, “Somebody told me / You had a boyfriend / Who looks like the girlfriend / That I had in February of last year.”
With its dynamic lyricism, punchy guitar opening, and a bridge that begins sluggish and regular earlier than cathartically erupting, “All These Things That I’ve Done” was made for festivals and chanting alongside to the phrases “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier” meditatively as confetti cannons go off overhead.
In the event you’re not excellent at remembering lyrics, don’t fear. Flowers is thought for staging a singalong with the gang throughout the chorus to “The Way It Was” at festivals, asking everybody to ship “If I go on with you? / Could it be the way it was?/ Darling” again to him, so that you gained’t have to arrange beforehand and even put down your overpriced pageant drink to be able to confidently reply.
Peak Area Anthems
(The Man; When You Had been Younger; My Personal Soul’s Warning; Learn My Thoughts; Runaways)
By their fifth studio album, Great Great, the Killers had fully embraced their born-and-bred Las Vegas glamour and glitz. The primary single of the album, “The Man,” embodied that totally with its unapologetic return to disco, harmonizing back-up singers, and over-the-top lyrics.
Earlier than they went totally area, you possibly can hear hints of this tendency in The Killers songs like “Runaways.” The ballad might sq. as much as any ‘80s classic, starting delicately with piano keys, before erupting into a stadium-worthy bridge and chorus, promising that you’ll lose your voice whereas howling, “We can’t wait till tomorrow!”
“When You Were Young,” from the group’s second album, has comparable goals. Punctuated by Keuning’s visceral guitar solo and Flowers preaching concerning the satan’s water and saviors, this tune usually comes full with a curtain of pyro when it’s carried out dwell.
“Read My Mind,” in the meantime, works whether or not you’re in a packed stadium or sitting sandwiched between two mates whereas driving round in a automotive with the home windows down. However, like a wine supposed for coupling with a selected dish, an area is the most effective pairing for a tune this large.
With 2020’s Imploding the Mirage, the band seemingly let go of any pretenses of being something aside from stadium stalwarts. The opening anthem from that period, “My Own Soul’s Warning,” is the most effective instance. It’s large, boastful, daring, and by the point Flowers bellows out “I just wanted to get back to where you are!” amid highly effective drumming and spiraling guitars, it’s laborious to think about the tune current anyplace exterior an area.
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