Tours Through Discographies: The Killers

   I thought this would be a fun series (for me at least), a thing where I go through discographies of bands I love and just kinda go over their studio albums. I wasn't sure who to do first, so I made a poll for my family to choose between Bastille, Fall Out Boy, or The Killers. The Killers won 2-1, so they're who I'm writing about first.



1. Hot Fuss (2004)
    I've talked before about how debut albums are often either amazing, presenting the band to the world in a grand way, or somewhat disappointing, showing the band to be one that still hasn't found their sound and hasn't gotten to the swing of things yet. This debut album is definitely the former. You can't have a conversation about The Killers' hits without mentioning songs like "Mr. Brightside", "Somebody Told Me", "All These Things That I've Done", and "Smile Like You Mean It", all of which came from this album. This albums is also home to 2/3 of their "murder trilogy" (ask me after class if you wanna know what that is). This album was so loved by British people and made the band so loved by British people that people thought they were British. They are not. USA.
TOP 3 TRACKS: "Mr. Brightside", "All These Things That I've Done", "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine"

2. Sam's Town (2006)
    This is my fifth favorite album of all time. I love it EVER so slightly more than Hot Fuss. This album showed The Killers shifting more into what they sound like now, kind of getting more of that Americana/heartland sound. They also REALLY want you to know they're from Las Vegas, even in the title of the album and title track itself! "I see London/I see Sam's Town/holds my hand and lets my hair down/rolls that world right off my shoulder/I see London/I see Sam's Town now".
TOP 3 TRACKS: "This River is Wild", "Why Do I Keep Counting?", "Sam's Town"

3. Day & Age (2008)
    This album takes on more of a synth-y, dreamy kinda sound, if you know what I mean. It's not as great as the first two, but this album still doesn't have any misses. It also gets super emotional and dramatic, I'd say even moreso than the first two. And this is the album where we finally ask the question: "are we human, or are we dancer?"
TOP 3 TRACKS: "A Dustland Fairytale", "Goodnight, Travel Well", "Human"

4. Battle Born (2012)
    This was the new Killers album when I got into them. Yup, that's how long I've been a fan. I got a shirt one Christmas (or my birthday? I think Christmas) I believe from my mom, that has this cover on it. I still have it and still wear it. Since this was the new one when I found them, it has a special place in my heart. IMO, this is the album that makes them seem the most like a rock-and-roll band. One of the tracks is even a prequel to "Mr. Brightside"!
TOP 3 TRACKS: "Miss Atomic Bomb", "Runaways", "Be Still"

5. Wonderful Wonderful (2017)
    Imma be real with you dawg, this is probably my least favorite Killers album. Don't get me wrong, it's still amazing. Brandon Flowers is so talented he could probably fart into a microphone and it would still somehow sound absolutely beautiful. I just for some reason took forever to familiarize myself with it, so it just doesn't stick with me as much. But there are still very great points on this album. "Rut" is a song about overcoming depression that I'm pretty sure has brought me to actual tears.
TOP 3 TRACKS: "Run For Cover", "Rut", "The Man"

6. Imploding The Mirage (2020)
    This album also for some reason took me awhile to familiarize myself with, but it's just stuck with me more than Wonderful Wonderful has. This one feels, like, cinematic, if that makes sense. I'd say it has the most grand, theatrical feeling of any Killers album. It's an experience. Even the cover shows that - giant beings hurdling through the clouds in something that you'd probably see in a museum. I just Googled it and the painting is Dance of the Wind and the Storm by Thomas Blackshear. "My God" is a beautiful song Brandon Flowers wrote for his wife for her overcoming her struggles.
TOP 3 TRACKS: "My God", "Lightning Fields", "Caution'

 t7. Pressure Machine (2021)
    Ah yes, the one and only Killers concept album! It's all about Brandon Flowers' childhood in Utah, and tracks feature recordings of people talking at the beginning, I assume from his childhood hometown of Nephi. The heartland/Americana sound is dialed way up on his one, to the point where they almost sound like a country band. So it might not be for you if you don't like that kinda stuff, and I'm kinda surprised I like it as much as I do, but I do really like it. It's not their best work, but it's pretty good.
TOP 3 TRACKS: "West Hills", "Sleepwalker", "Quiet Town"

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