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Hailing from Las Vegas, the Nevada city of sin previously responsible for such exports as Andre Agassi and Toni Basil (thanks for that one), The Killers burst onto the music scene last year with single Mr Brightside, a twisted study of jealousy that made me sit up and take notice. Along with Franz Ferdinand it seemed that guitar pop (for want of a better term) was becoming exciting again and here was a band that I needed to find out more about and more importantly hear more of.
Following their performance of "Somebody Told Me" on Jonathan Ross's show I was sold, and picked up the album.
To the sound of helicopters and radio noise, the opening riff to "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" is quickly followed by a gently galloping bassline that conjours up images of early Duran, an image further reinforced by the eighties sounding synth that provides the underpinning melodic backbone to the song. Singer and keyboard player Brandon Flowers' vocals are eerily reminiscent of the late Billy McKenzie, but shot through with a healthy dose of the Robert Smiths.
This hybrid vocal style is most effectively used on "Mr Brightside", which kicks off with a pseudo-Blink 182 riff but soon becomes a driving anthem to jealousy which was instrumental in the band picking up airplay and bringing them to the attention of the great British public.
"Smile Like You Mean It" takes the classic Cure pop blueprint and combines it with lyrics that would do Morrissey proud, and indeed the solo brings to mind Stephen Street's classic fretwork on Suedehead. All this is shot through with more eighties synth work and some of the crispest drum sounds that I've heard for a good while.
Candidate for most infectious chorus of the year, "Somebody Told Me" is next, its' rumbling bass line driving the song forward with the force of a juggernaught before "All These Things That I've Done" changes the pace, beginning with a lonely piano and sparse vocal, and building to a repeated refrain of "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier" in the middle of the song.
"Andy You're A Star" opens with a jarring, almost discordant riff that is quickly joined by a simple throbbing bass line and Flowers' melodically monotone vocals, all of which work together very effectively. In direct contrast, "On Top" gives us an early-Duran versus early-U2 concoction which sways along with an easy lilt and gives guitarist David Keuning a chance to be The Edge for four minutes, an opportunity he makes the most of in spectacular fashion.
"Change Your Mind" could be the product of a union between The Smiths and Depeche Mode, with its' delightfully twee keyboard riff sitting prettily atop an indie-by-numbers backing, but doesn't suffer at all for it. "Believe Me Natalie" is perhaps the track that most wears it's Smiths influences on its' sleeve, but manages to turn itself into a five minute epic rather than echoing the standard three minute Morrissey/Marr compositions of old.
"Midnight Show" again plunders the early U2 back catalogue, but again manages to infuse enough originality to
allow itself to wear the 'homage' badge rather than the 'thieving bastards' badge and delivers a sordid tale of murder, which along with "Jenny..." and the as yet unreleased "Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf" forms a trilogy of interconnected songs concerning the same real-life murder of a Vegas girl by her jealous boyfriend.
Album closer "Everything Will Be Alright" gives Flowers chance to distort his voice and really channel the spirit of Billy McKenzie for almost six minutes of hypnotic drums and synths, rounded out by a superbly restrained solo that leads into the song's fade out.
In short, "Hot Fuss" takes all of the finest ingredients from eighties pop music and combines them into a very palatable blend of nostalgia that seems right at home now, some twenty five years after that decade drew its' last breath..
Following their performance of "Somebody Told Me" on Jonathan Ross's show I was sold, and picked up the album.
To the sound of helicopters and radio noise, the opening riff to "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" is quickly followed by a gently galloping bassline that conjours up images of early Duran, an image further reinforced by the eighties sounding synth that provides the underpinning melodic backbone to the song. Singer and keyboard player Brandon Flowers' vocals are eerily reminiscent of the late Billy McKenzie, but shot through with a healthy dose of the Robert Smiths.
This hybrid vocal style is most effectively used on "Mr Brightside", which kicks off with a pseudo-Blink 182 riff but soon becomes a driving anthem to jealousy which was instrumental in the band picking up airplay and bringing them to the attention of the great British public.
"Smile Like You Mean It" takes the classic Cure pop blueprint and combines it with lyrics that would do Morrissey proud, and indeed the solo brings to mind Stephen Street's classic fretwork on Suedehead. All this is shot through with more eighties synth work and some of the crispest drum sounds that I've heard for a good while.
Candidate for most infectious chorus of the year, "Somebody Told Me" is next, its' rumbling bass line driving the song forward with the force of a juggernaught before "All These Things That I've Done" changes the pace, beginning with a lonely piano and sparse vocal, and building to a repeated refrain of "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier" in the middle of the song.
"Andy You're A Star" opens with a jarring, almost discordant riff that is quickly joined by a simple throbbing bass line and Flowers' melodically monotone vocals, all of which work together very effectively. In direct contrast, "On Top" gives us an early-Duran versus early-U2 concoction which sways along with an easy lilt and gives guitarist David Keuning a chance to be The Edge for four minutes, an opportunity he makes the most of in spectacular fashion.
"Change Your Mind" could be the product of a union between The Smiths and Depeche Mode, with its' delightfully twee keyboard riff sitting prettily atop an indie-by-numbers backing, but doesn't suffer at all for it. "Believe Me Natalie" is perhaps the track that most wears it's Smiths influences on its' sleeve, but manages to turn itself into a five minute epic rather than echoing the standard three minute Morrissey/Marr compositions of old.
"Midnight Show" again plunders the early U2 back catalogue, but again manages to infuse enough originality to
allow itself to wear the 'homage' badge rather than the 'thieving bastards' badge and delivers a sordid tale of murder, which along with "Jenny..." and the as yet unreleased "Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf" forms a trilogy of interconnected songs concerning the same real-life murder of a Vegas girl by her jealous boyfriend.
Album closer "Everything Will Be Alright" gives Flowers chance to distort his voice and really channel the spirit of Billy McKenzie for almost six minutes of hypnotic drums and synths, rounded out by a superbly restrained solo that leads into the song's fade out.
In short, "Hot Fuss" takes all of the finest ingredients from eighties pop music and combines them into a very palatable blend of nostalgia that seems right at home now, some twenty five years after that decade drew its' last breath..
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