The Killers - Hot Fuss

Genre Rock Publisher Island Records External Links Official Site Island Records

Boy, is this album slick or what? Every last note is spit-polished and shined to such an extent, that you can see your reflection in the songs. I suppose its not any surprise that the makers of this ultra-gleaming music hail from America's capital of glitz and glamour: Las Vegas, NV.

Sure, as a fan of this band's you're already groaning. "This idiot is already slamming the band, simply for the crime of living in Las Vegas", would most likely be the general remark. But, make no mistake, I am a fan of LV. I got married there (the band's drummer, Ronnie Vannucci, may have even photographed my wife and I, as he had previously been employed by the chapel where we exchanged our nuptials), my best friends live there, and it is the spot I long to go back to again and again for vacations. So no, the fact that the band hails from this hotspot of sin is in no way a negative.

However, it does lead to the fact that no act of substance was birthed by the city (let's be honest, the image of a spangled Elvis Presley still resonates in people's minds as what the cross-pollination of Vegas and music is), making The Killers' (Vannucci on drums, Brandon Flowers on vocals & synthesizer, Dave Keunig on guitar, and Mark Stoermer on bass) uphill battle against people's pre-conceived notions all that much more difficult.

So let's wipe it out of our minds and instead concentrate on the eleven tracks that comprise the band's debut, Hot Fuss, shall we?

It may be hard to find a better opening track on another album released this year than the band's Jenny Was a Friend of Mine. Opening with a smattering of blips, bleeps and helicopter noises, the song slams in with a wonderful bass line reminiscent of the best of Chic, and that band's devotees, Duran Duran. With retro-sounding synthesizer patterns and intensely driving drum beats, the song is without a doubt the best tune the '80s never produced. Every member is in peak form throughout, with Flowers' vocals especially strong. This should be the rock song played on every stereo this summer.

But then the influences start to overwhelm the members' talents. Mr. Brightside is little more than Blondie's Dreaming for a new millennium. While Smile Like You Mean It comes off as the most derivative, albeit least mope-y, Cure rip-off ever.

Just when you may throw up your hands in defeat, thinking the album peaked with the opening track, comes All These Things That I've Done, an anthem for a new generation of kids. Utilizing the same choir once employed by Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, and yes, the King himself, the track builds to one of the more chilling choruses this reviewer has heard in quite some time. The choir is used to chilling effect once more on the stalker tale, Andy, You're a Star, a Ziggy-esque tale of an obsessive fan.

Those paying close attention may be reminded of a former Island Records act, Caviar, upon hearing Hot Fuss. The Chicago-based band are also deeply indebted to the synthesizer-heavy halcyon days of the '80s' new wave scene, while also conjuring up memories of the best pop-rock of the late '70s. The difference between the two is in the consistency of greatness. While arguably 90% of Caviar's debut contained mesmerizing slabs of glossy rock bliss, only 30% of The Killers' debut does the same. But damn if that 30% ain't really goddamn great. Proof that this band has the abilities to one day make a truly Killer record.