The Killers- Hot Fuss (Island)
review by Jim Clark

Track Listing

1. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
2. Mr. Brightside
3. Smile Like You Mean It
4. Somebody Told Me
5. All These Things That I’ve Done
6. Andy, You’re A Star
7. On Top
8. Change Your Mind
9. Believe Me Natalie
10. Midnight Show
11. Everything Will Be Alright
12. Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll (bonus track)
13. The Ballad Of Michael Valentine (bonus track)
14. Under The Gun (bonus track)

 

If Ian Curtis never killed himself, New Order never formed and Joy Division released an album 25 years later, it may have sounded a lot like the Killers first effort, Hot Fuss.

Despite being from Las Vegas, the Killers seem to draw their inspiration from late 70’s and 80’s British bands such as Joy Division, New Order, the Smiths, the Cure and XTC. The result is a great though somewhat unbalanced debut. Lead singer/keyboardist Brandon Flowers sounds, on any given track, like Morrissey, Robert Smith or Andy Partridge, yet he manages to retain a distinctive voice of his own.

Hot Fuss starts with a bang and stays that way for the first four songs. “Jenny Was A Friend” opens with some alternative guitar power chords and a killer (pardon the pun) bassline that will just bore into your memory.

“Mr. Brightside” is excellent as well with its Peter Hook-ish bass and 80’s-styled music. Flowers delivers a catchy vocal that would make you swear he was British.

Flowers’ creepy synth carries “Smile Like You Mean It” as does a lovely chorus while “Somebody Told Me” has another heavy 80’s vibe and great, catchy vocal.

The pace slows a bit with “All These Things That I’ve Done,” a sprawling, guitar-driven tune that’s probably a minute too long. The band recovers nicely with “Andy, You’re A Star” and its dark guitar and synthesizer. And in contrast to the previous track, this one seems to cut off a bit too early.

The rest of disc falls off a bit after “Andy, You’re A Star,” though each track has redeeming qualities. “On Top” includes another cool synthesizer part as well as more Joy Division-styled bass. “Change Your Mind” sounds like it could be used in a present-day John Hughes film. Like “All These Things That I’ve Done,” “Believe Me Natalie” probably outstays its welcome, though it does see the band experimenting with some unusual sounds. “Everything Will Be Alright” is solid, again with its jagged guitar, somewhat reminiscent of Duran Duran, and the New Order/Joy Division bass. The atmospheric “Everything Will Be Alright” closes the disc with a heavy synth wash and drum machine rhythm.      

A recently released special edition features three bonus tracks. “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll” is the highlight of these and alone makes the special edition the one to buy.

Even though Hot Fuss isn’t able to maintain the exceptionally high quality of its first four tracks throughout, there’s still nothing bad on this disc. And it is really a remarkable debut that makes this band one to watch.


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