I'd Love To Have Brandon Flowers ON TOP Of Me ;) (Hot Fuss - The Killers)

Member Name: BabyGirl*

Product:	Hot Fuss - The Killers
Date:	21/03/05 (1055 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Absolutely brilliant debut, fabulous 80's sound, I love every single track

Disadvantages: Only 11 tracks

The Killers. A band I am positively obsessed with (along with Coldplay of course! Duh!). It all started early 2004 when I was dragged to some random gig, I had no idea who I was going to see, but who I was to turn down a free gig?? Anyway there we were enjoying some band playing when I noticed some guys short trousers, I burst out laughing and pointed out this guy to all my friends, he looked on in amazement, why did I find his short trousers so funny? Truthfully even I don’t know. Anyway this guy just stared at me like I was insane and also laughed in my face…whatever. My friend Joe however pointed out that I was seriously going to regret that, as this guy was the lead singer of some band called…The Killers. Who? Obviously I didn’t believe him, why would the lead singer of some band come and hang out in the crowd! Anyway it was no big deal, I’d never heard of him!

A few months later we were in Joe’s car and he was playing an album, an album called “Hot Fuss”. I nodded my head along to most of the songs and asked him who it was. “Oh you remember that guy, whose trousers you insulted? Yeh that was the lead singer of this band”. How could I be such a bonehead?! I insulted a guy I’m now completely and utterly obsessed with (the dirty title is about him too, but it is also topical!) Oh well, let’s hope one day I get to meet Brandon and apologise for insulting his trousers…which I did actually like.

Anyway after that disastrous first gig I decided there was only one thing to do. Go see the Killers again, so I did, and this time I was sober! The Killers were absolutely amazing live that I even went to see them a few weeks later, lol, definitely a band to catch live, trust me on that one! Well for months “Hot Fuss” has been in my CD player and I simply cannot get bored of it.

The album opens in the best way possible. After listening to the whole album I really couldn’t have picked a better song to start this fabulous album with. “JENNY WAS A FRIEND OF MINE” is the Killers front man Brandon Flowers favourite track, and I can understand why. He said it’s a pop song that has everything a pop song should have, and he’s absolutely right. Great beats, fantastic vocals, brilliant tune, so I’m going to go with Brandon and say this is *almost* my favourite song off the album too! This song has that 80’s vibe going on, and there is something truly passionate about the way Brandon sings on this track, every time I hear it I feel the need to sing along, which isn’t really a good thing.

The next song is a popular song judging by the amount of noise the crowd created when they played it live. I’m sure a lot of people will be aware of this song because it’s played a lot on MTV and the radio, so even if you don’t know it I’m pretty sure you’ve still heard it. “MR. BRIGHTSIDE” is such a catchy song I think it will appeal to most people. Even if you’re not into this kind of music I think you’ll probably like this song anyway because it is really upbeat, catchy and fun. This song is definitely worth listening to, perhaps a bit overplayed, but we can’t blame The Killers for that. The drum beats sound amazing on this track and I must say the video for this track also happens to be one of my favourites!

Okay we’ve arrived to my most favourite track of the album, and a title that’s also become my motto, haha. “SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT” is an absolutely infectious song you cannot help but love. First time I heard it I was absolutely hooked. This song has such a cool 80’s sound to it, and Brandon’s vocals sound nothing short of fabulous on this track. Also the beats on this song are so brilliant, trust me I can’t understand how one cannot love this song! Oh and the 80’s inspired synthesiser needs to get a mention too as it plays a pretty big part on this track! I was praying and praying this song would never become a single but looks like it’s happening, I guess I should stay away from MTV and Radio1 to avoid overkill of my favourite Killers track!

The next track is probably one most of you are aware of thanks to something called overkill. “SOMEBODY TOLD ME” has been absolutely everywhere and if you haven’t heard it, then you must live on another planet. This is definitely one of the funkiest songs on the album, with some pretty fun lyrics thrown in for good measure. What I like about this song is it’s got a retro style to it, but still manages to be modern in other ways. It’s a cool indie pop song, which you can still dance too, and it’s so catchy that you can’t help but sing along to it. Every time I turn on the music channels it’s always on but because it’s such a good track I don’t ever find myself skipping it! I definitely think this song is probably the most fun out of all the tracks. Definitely one for karaoke too ;)

“ALL THESE THINGS THAT I’VE DONE” has got to have the best line in a song I’ve ever heard. “I got soul but I’m not a soldier” haha excellent! Anyway this song stands out because it sounds nothing like any of the other songs on the album. This song has a cool guitar melody playing throughout the song but what separates it from everything else is the gospel choir that sings in the background halfway through the song, not exactly something you’d expect on an album like this but it works effectively. After listening to this song you’ll be singing the words “I got soul but I’m not a soldier” for days, trust me.

The next track takes it down a notch. “ANDY, YOU’RE A STAR” is quite hard to describe, I wouldn’t say it’s mellow, but more like it’s dark if that makes any sense. Every time I listen to this song it makes me feel really relaxed, but I don’t think that’s the effect this song is meant to have on you. I definitely think this song stands out simply because it’s so different to the other songs. The repetitive electric guitar tune that plays throughout the song has a bit of a raw sound to it, but works effectively with the drums, synthesiser and beautiful vocals from Brandon Flowers in giving this song that dark but entrancing tone. There is something really captivating about this song and that’s why I love it.

The way “ON TOP” begins makes it pretty clear this is an 80’s influenced track. The synthesiser is really effective on this track and helps to give it a retro feel. But what I love about this song is that’s not all about the synthesiser either, the chorus is much rockier compared to the rest of the song but that’s what makes it so likeable. What I love about this song is that it’s not a ballad, and not too fast either but still a feel good song. This is definitely a stand out track to me just because it’s such an up tempo song and I feel good after listening to it. The lyrics are also really lovely, and worth listening to in my opinion. I just feel like going mad dancing to this song every time I hear it, oh and this is the song mentioned in my title, haha.

Now the next song is not on the American CD and I cannot for the life of me understand why! “GLAMOUROUS INDIE ROCK & ROLL” to me is one of the standout tracks. I understand why people could think this song is a bit hit and miss, and I do know many people who adore it (I’m one of those) and others who absolutely cannot stand it, but you really need to listen to the whole song to appreciate it, plus you need to understand this song is being ironic, and then I guess maybe you’ll appreciate it even more. If you’re not into actually listening to lyrics and reading between the lines then at least you’ll have an uplifting song which is very cool indeed! Oh and I should mentioned the Killers opened with this track both times I saw them live and it was a fabulous opener and really got the crowd going.

“BELIEVE ME NATALIE” starts off quite mysteriously and you don’t really know what to expect from it but as soon as it starts you know there’s a beautiful indie rock song waiting for you. This song is just amazing and unlike most of the other songs, takes the tone down a notch but still manages to stay slightly upbeat, though I do have to say for some reason Brandon’s vocals sound truly beautiful on this particular track. There’s something really passionate about his vocals, I listen to this song just to hear how amazing his voice sounds on this track. The repetitive strumming guitar sound also adds a really retro touch to this well produced song, definitely a highlight.

In my opinion “MIDNIGHT SHOW” would make a great single though mainly because it has a similar intro as “Somebody told me”. This song gets going almost straight away with no slow intros. This song is up-tempo and has a great beat to it. Personally I adore this song and would count it as one of my favourites (seems like I have many favourites on this album doesn’t it?) There’s something about this song that makes you want to dance. What makes this song what it is, is the repetitive, but extremely catchy guitar melody that plays throughout.

To close the album, we have the rather different “EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT”. This song couldn’t be more contrasting to the rest of the album and this is why I think it’s the best song to close with. This song is really chilled out and relaxed. This song has a really dreamy quality about it, and Brandon Flowers drugged out style of vocals mesh perfectly with the sound of the track. There is something really comforting about this song, and the mellow, chilled out vibe really makes this song more likeable. Definitely the right song to close with. It ends this gorgeous debut with a gorgeous, mellow track.

What I love about this album is that there is a set tone throughout yet they’ve still managed to mix it up. We have some very upbeat pop songs, and some incredible yet different ballads. There’s always something on this album to listen to, and that’s why I love it. Also it’s very easy to see where The Killers have been influenced from, there’s definitely a touch of The Smiths, The Psychedelic Furs, U2 and many others present on this album. To me that can only be a good thing.

Don’t just go out and buy this CD because you’ve heard The Killers are the next big thing, make sure you’re actually into this kind of music first, I do think there a few songs on the CD which might appeal to you, but at least listen to a few tracks before buying it. A lot of my friends bought it just because it was ‘in’ and since they detest 80’s music they’re not exactly playing it all the time. But having said that I think The Killers might convert some of you non-believers ;)

Overall I think this album is nothing short of fabulous. It’s an album where I actually adore EVERY SINGLE TRACK. Not just willing to listen to them, there’s a reason for me loving every song. To me personally none of the songs are fillers, there’s a reason to love each and every song. Definitely one of the best debut albums I’ve ever heard. That simple. If you love U2, Franz Ferdinand, The Psychedelic Furs, David Bowie, Duran Duran, The Smiths and The Cure then you must already have this album! If not, what the hell are you waiting for?!

“Hot Fuss” is available to buy from www.amazon.co.uk priced £8.99.

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«°'¨`•.°BabyGirl°.•'¨`°»
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