Despite only being on the go for six years, the Killers have carved a niche for themselves in the history of alternative music. Famous for their fresh approach to music and their knack for telling stories, Brandon Flowers and his band are extremely popular in the UK, despite not reaching the same level of success in their native America.
The Killers are Brandon Flowers (Vocals), Dave Keuning (Guitar), Mark Stoermer (Bass) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr (Drums). After leaving an unsuccessful synth band, Flowers decided that after an Oasis gig, he would like to start a guitar band. The rest of the band joined him, and the Killers were born, taking their name from a fake band in a New Order music video.
After playing gigs in their native Las Vegas and gaining interest from A and R, Hot Fuss was released in 2004. The album took a lot of influences from British guitar groups. The songs on the album were surprisingly chipper, considering the subject content ranged from murdering boyfriends (Jenny was a friend of mine), unrequited love (Mr Brightside) and stalkers (Andy you’re a star)
Two years after Hot Fuss, Sam’s Town was released. It had more of a 50′s Americana vibe to it and alienated some listeners who liked the Killer’s brit-poppy sound. Irregardless, the album still was popular – with standout songs including Bones and When You were young (the latter appearing in Guitar Hero III)
The Killers released their latest album, Sawdust last November – in a huge blaze of non-publicity. Sawdust is a collection of remixes, new tracks and cover versions – the most noticable coup on the album being Tranquilize, a duet with Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed as well as an almost etheral remix of Mr. Brightside.
The Killers Albums are Hot Fuss (2004), Sam’s Town (2006) and Sawdust (2007).
The Killers also have some cool T-Shirts:
Click to see more Killers T-shirts
