Album of the week: The Killers return to their roots with "Wonderful Wonderful"
22/09/2017
written by Christoph Soltmannowski
The Killers: "Wonderful Wonderful" released on September 22, 2017 (Universal Music)
"Wonderful Wonderful", the Killers' new and fifth album, is not as optimistic and personal as its title might suggest. It sees the band return to their roots.
The band
The band around Brandon Flowers was formed in Las Vegas in 2001. Flowers (vocals, keyboard, bass) and Dave Brent Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals) were united by the fact that they were both Oasis fans. The other band members Ronnie Vanucci (drums) and Mark Stoermer (bass, guitar, backing vocals) joined later through auditions. They have sold almost 13 million albums to date. In 2010, they were honored by then US President Barack Obama with an invitation to the White House.
The new album
Wonderful Wonderful is the Killers' fifth studio album, which they recorded in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. They also rented extra houses in homes in San Diego and Joshua Tree National Park. They hired producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol, Robbie Williams) on the recommendation of U2 frontman Bono. Guests include Brian Eno (on "Some Kind Of Love") and Mark Knopfler (on "Have All The Songs Been Written?").
Playing tips
The Killers dug into their song archive for the new single "Run For Cover", a song they wrote almost nine years ago. Not only fans will like it.
The track "Tyson vs Douglas" is another highlight. In it, Barndon Flowers processes a childhood experience - the defeat of his previously unbeaten idol Mike Tyson in 1990. "I was a big Tyson fan as a kid, I was about eight years old," recalls Flowers, now a father of three himself. "Tyson was just perfect. He looked incredible and never lost. But then James 'Buster' Douglas knocked him out. That changed my world view."
Already available as a single: "The Man".
Verdict
An album with catchy pop anthems - at least the Killers fulfill the expectations of their fans. Even though they say it's a forward-looking, forward-thinking album, they are returning to their roots - sometimes the songs are reminiscent of the album "Sams Town", of Killers tracks like "Mr. Brightside" or "When You Were Young".
The band about their album
The Killers: From left: Ronnie Vannucci, Mark Stoermer, Dave Keuning and Brandon Flowers.
Brandon Flowers has said that their new album is about "darker territories, self-reflection, getting older and how quickly time passes. It becomes very personal and emotional when his children sing "We really need you at home" at the end of the ballad "Some Kind Of Love". It is a message to their mother. "My wife was suffering from severe depression," says Flowers. "She was really at a low point, that's as low as it gets." That's why some of the songs on the album are dedicated to her, making it a little "melancholy" at times.
The Killers live
For various reasons, guitarist Dave Keuning and bassist Mark Stoermer have decided not to accompany their band on the upcoming tour. Stoermer is still up for studio recordings, but not for concerts. And Keuning would rather spend more time with his family than with his band. Although they are still members of the Killers, they will be replaced by other musicians for the live dates. Whether they will also come to Switzerland as part of this tour remains to be seen.
