The last thing 2017 needed was an ode to machismo, which is why the lead single off the Killersâ brand-new record, Wonderful Wonderful, initially gave me pause. In the chorus of âThe Man,â frontman Brandon Flowers brags, âI got gas in the tank/I got money in the bank/I got skin in the game/I got a household name/I got news for you, baby/Youâre looking at the man.â
I fell in love with the Killers at age 11, and still love them, but do not currently possess the desire or energy to defend their missteps. Thankfully, âThe Manâ is pure satireânew territory for Flowers, who told Rolling Stone itâs meant as a critique of his own cockiness at the beginning of the bandâs career. This musical peacocking comes complete with glitzy disco rhythms, the sound of expensive bottles poppinâ, and an indulgent mid-song fake-out: âHeaded to the hall ofâfaaaame!â
That lineâs both tragic and comically self-aware, because the Killers probably arenât headed to any hall of fame. The Las Vegas rock bandâs most popular hit remains the emo-tinged âMr. Brightside,â released on their 2004 debut, Hot Fuss. Thatâs not to say their later efforts havenât been fruitfulâtheyâve played stadiums the world over, theyâve got legions of fans who refer to themselves as âvictims,â theyâve collaborated with legends like Elton John and Lou Reed, and theyâve released five proper studio albums.
First came Hot Fuss, a horny mess of smudged eyeliner and new wave club anthems that soundtracked early 2000s teen dramas like The OC. The bandâs sophomore record, 2006âs Samâs Town, is still their most polarizingâitâs a love letter to Vegas written in the sky by Flowers, himself a former casino bellman, whose ascension is reflected in pyrotechnic arena rock inspired by the likes of U2 and Bruce Springsteen (whom Flowers considers âa prophetâ).
Everything about Samâs Town is huge, bombastic, theatrical, and glamorousâjust listen to the monolithic hook of âWhen You Were Youngâ or Flowersâ drawled croon sounding like Roy Orbison at a dude ranch on tracks like âFor Reasons Unknownâ and âBones.â The albumâs also riddled with clichĂ©s, as on the cheesy piano ballads âEnterludeâ and âExitludeâ that bookend it. Flowers didnât help matters by informing Giant magazine that Samâs Town would be âone of the best albums in the past 20 years.â
Itâs definitely not, but it is my favorite Killers recordâan explosion of hunger, angst, and other wild, surging emotions that paired well with my own adolescence. Plus, I like the misnomers and corny rhymesâtheyâre relatable, like being so consumed by feelings that you canât find the right words to express them and instead say something dumb and melodramatic like âthe stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun.â
In 2008, the Killers released the futuristic electro-pop experiment Day and Age, best known for Flowersâ mystifying lyric, âAre we human, or are we dancer?â (Apparently itâs a misquote of Hunter S. Thompson.) This was followed by the bandâs midlife crisisâ2012âs Battle Born, a collection of listless rock firing way too fast in too many different directions.
With Wonderful Wonderful, the Killers return to the dusty synth landscapes of Samâs Town, but this time theyâre a little humbler. âRutâ follows the bravado of âThe Manâ with Flowersâ desperate, Auto-Tuned plea, âDonât give up on me/âCause Iâm just in a rut,â probably referencing Battle Bornâs painful belly-flop. âTyson vs Douglasâ also captures the shock of seeing a seemingly indestructible man felled: âWhen I saw him go down, felt like somebody lied.â
Standout track âRun for Coverâ dips a quivering pinky toe into politicsâa first for the bandâwith the line, âHe got a big smile, heâs fake news.â Itâs surprising to see the Killers choosing to invoke âfake newsâ now, after spending the past 13 years staunchly defending their apolitical stance. Itâs especially weird considering the 2012 interview where Flowersâwho, as far as I know, is the only mainstream musician whoâs also a practicing Mormonâtold the Guardian, âI feel like a broken record, but weâre neutral. Weâve never really embraced one side or the other, or used our success to really preach like that.â If Brandon âNeutralâ Flowers is now singing about fake news, we must truly have reached the end times.
Heâs completely exasperating, but some part of me will always love Flowers and the rest of the Killers. Though they probably wonât be enshrined in any hall of fame, the unblushing drama and passion of their songs inspired me to try to live with the same vigor.