(Track from album, “Battle Born”)
It's been a good few weeks now, since I reviewed the first new, non-festive Killers single in 3 years. I spoke about how excited I was about the new album, about the prophetic sound, and how it foretold of a synthesiser filled, bass bashing album of storytelling grandeur and musical ecstasy, a stadium rock atmosphere and driving, intellectual lyrics. "Battle Born"'s opening track is all of these things and more - from the opening bleeps to the crashing finale...but it is alone in it's place as a part of this album which manages these things...
At first you're not quite sure what to expect. Ominous computer bleeps sound, and, its only as the keyboard/harpsichord driven hypnotic pattern that you remember the genius of this band. Brandon Flowers' tortured lyric jumps straight in and his perfect tone is evident by the 30 second mark. The atmosphere builds and strings slowly climb in before, at 52 seconds, a crescendo of classic Killers noise is fired at your eardrums. Everything is amazing - brilliant even...the track does everything you want it to, especially if you've already heard the previous single, "Runaways". At 2 minutes, the electric guitar is battled to the bridge of the song by a loud, 80s synth riff and it feels like "Sam's Town" all over again - then there's the bridge itself. Dotty keyboard sounds jump up and down before the return of the frankly orgasmic Nevada sound, shouting at you like the E-Street Band, a beautiful final touch in Flowers speaking behind the music rounding off a perfect opening to an apparently, so-far, perfect comeback...
As is typical of a modern album track-listing (and, in my opinion, rather unimaginative in retrospect), that single, "Runaways", follows. It's not bad, but it's not great - kind of like previous single efforts "Bones" or "Tranquilize" - you just accept them for being so much better than any other music around, but realise at the same time that they don't quite match the really great material.
And then its all downhill. "The Way It Was" is suitably reminiscent of Flowers' mediocre solo debut, "Flamingo", from a few years back, forgettable from start to finish, much like the following tracks "Here With Me", "A Matter Of Time" and (the best of a bad bunch) "Deadlines And Commitments", with it's tenuous link to Jimmy Carr. "Miss Atomic Bomb" comes next, and it's slightly better, but again not great, and it sounds too similar to "Flesh And Bone". however good an idea the story is..."The Rising Tide", "Heart Of A Girl", "From Here On Out", "Be Still" and "Battle Born" all follow suit...and it's a horrid, betrayed feeling the listener gets. "Hot Fuss" was indie genius, "Sam's Town" was the pop-opera answer to Green Day's pinky "American Idiot", and "Day & Age" was a superb album full of brilliant pop melodies. Even the Christmas singles between 2009 and now have been ok - "Boots" was amongst this band's better tracks.
In many ways, the album, for me, is like Radiohead's 2000 follow-up to "OK Computer", "Kid A". It's opening track is out this world, and belongs elsewhere...there's one more redeeming track on the first side...and then the rest of it is either unlistenable to or just passable...
Aside from tracks 1 and 2, this album does have a few saving graces. One has to be it's image. The cover is amazing, the best one yet by far. The 50s movie font is also brilliant. And, also, if you bought the collector's vinyl edition from the US, it came as a double LP set on RED VINYL. RED VINYL. To die for...
And also, the deluxe edition contains a phenomenal remix of the track reviewed here. Once again, as with "Mr. Brightside" and "Human", Jacques Lu Cont does a brilliant job of mixing the track, giving it a heavier disco vibe and great resonance - its this version that I actually prefer. The rearrangement of the vocals is also very good and having the 'flag' line come earlier is, in my opinion, far better. Its also a much more satisfying 5:45 in length....mmmmmmmmm...an almost 6 minute Killers remix - now you're talking.
It's this that you come to expect from such a previously brilliant band, so when it's not delivered, it is, understandably, disappointing. Anyway, it doesn't matter that much. So long as I always get at least one track this good, a Killers CD is still 'plenty of bang for your buck'.
★★★★★
Versions of "Flesh And Bone"
Album Version - 4:00
Jacques Lu Cont Remix - 5:45