The Killers

About The Killers

On their debut disc Hot Fuss, glam-punk band The Killers brought all the energy and dark glitter of an endless Vegas night. Sometimes The Killers' party is great, then sometimes it gets too great. Sharp dressers with blessed cheekbones and a knack for writing massive hooks, The Killer's tunes tell cynically lyrical stories about relationships gone bad, although they're not above dragging a gospel choir into the studio for a soaring, soulful jam. The band was formed in Vegas, and they rose to notoriety playing the local live music circuit, which helps to explain their already-famous attitude-humility could be equal to career suicide when you're playing every night against everything from Cirque du Soleil to Celine Dion to the high-stakes craps table. They claim Oasis as a major inspiration, along with the likes of David Bowie and Queen, and they created major buzz in London before anyone outside of Nevada had heard of them. But their debut single "Mr. Brightside," an embittered piece of dance-rock drenched in heavy vocal modulation got them national attention. The follow-up single "Somebody Told Me" got The Killer's play on dance floors everywhere with a huge disco chorus and swaggering lyrics. Hot Fuss went on to sell a respectable 5+ million copies. The third single "All These Things That I've Done" introduced the refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier," which has since been picked up by UK superstars like U2 and Coldplay during their live shows. The Killers recently dropped their follow-up, Sam's Town, named after a decrepit Casino the band practiced in. The Killer's sophomore album sees them replacing some of the synthesizers with guitars, and the leadoff single "When You Were Young" is a wistful piece of charged rock n' roll.