Spring Break
Searching for completion in this 'Day & Age'
Alex McElroy
Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: Diversions
The Killers
Day & Age
Four stars
Label: Island Recods
Check out: "A Dustland Fairytale," "Spaceman," "I Can't Stay"
Skip: "The World We Live In," "Joy Ride"
Just as Oasis is the gateway drug to britpop and weed is the gateway drug to, well, drugs, The Killers are the gateway drug to indie rock.
During my junior year of high school, I convinced my mom to buy me the Hot Fuss CD four weeks before Christmas. Obtaining the album may have been my greatest teenage achievement - take that loss of virginity! My mom follows Advent Calendars for some reason, like weird, single girls follow astrology, always reminding me "It's X days till Christmas, don't waste your money on that."
But back to that first CD. It took over my life. I left the shards of its packaging on the floor as I undressed it, walking to my alarm clock/CD player. I smiled like I meant it every successive replaying, assured that listening to a band many people hadn't heard of - at the time - made me cool. It did. From the first full listen, I was obsessed. I remember dancing with my eyes closed to "Somebody Told Me" and practicing Brandon Flowers's head tilt from the "Mr. Brightside" video. I Googled their history and called out girls who claimed, "The Killers are like totally my favorite band ever," by asking them their second favorite song beside Mr. Brightside. They'd stare at me, brains churning through the filth of Britney Spears lyrics until they concluded that they had no other favorites.
Overall, The Killers made me arrogant. But maybe that's why I love them; their growth mirrored mine. During my freshman year of college, their second album, Sam's Town, was released, and I couldn't get into it. Their rockier sound felt rushed, as if they too had chosen an unfitting situation - I transferred from my first college. But at the time, I didn't understand their motives and felt slightly betrayed, wondering why they couldn't be as they were when I was young, wishing they could read my mind and become the band I wanted them to be.
Day & Age
Four stars
Label: Island Recods
Check out: "A Dustland Fairytale," "Spaceman," "I Can't Stay"
Skip: "The World We Live In," "Joy Ride"
Just as Oasis is the gateway drug to britpop and weed is the gateway drug to, well, drugs, The Killers are the gateway drug to indie rock.
During my junior year of high school, I convinced my mom to buy me the Hot Fuss CD four weeks before Christmas. Obtaining the album may have been my greatest teenage achievement - take that loss of virginity! My mom follows Advent Calendars for some reason, like weird, single girls follow astrology, always reminding me "It's X days till Christmas, don't waste your money on that."
But back to that first CD. It took over my life. I left the shards of its packaging on the floor as I undressed it, walking to my alarm clock/CD player. I smiled like I meant it every successive replaying, assured that listening to a band many people hadn't heard of - at the time - made me cool. It did. From the first full listen, I was obsessed. I remember dancing with my eyes closed to "Somebody Told Me" and practicing Brandon Flowers's head tilt from the "Mr. Brightside" video. I Googled their history and called out girls who claimed, "The Killers are like totally my favorite band ever," by asking them their second favorite song beside Mr. Brightside. They'd stare at me, brains churning through the filth of Britney Spears lyrics until they concluded that they had no other favorites.
Overall, The Killers made me arrogant. But maybe that's why I love them; their growth mirrored mine. During my freshman year of college, their second album, Sam's Town, was released, and I couldn't get into it. Their rockier sound felt rushed, as if they too had chosen an unfitting situation - I transferred from my first college. But at the time, I didn't understand their motives and felt slightly betrayed, wondering why they couldn't be as they were when I was young, wishing they could read my mind and become the band I wanted them to be.
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