Imploding The Mirage - The Killers: Review
are a Las Vegas based indie and alternative rock band who have been dropping consistently successful studio albums since their 2004 debut Hot Fuss. This was the bands first record without regular guitarist Dave Keuning and it was produced in full by Johnathan Rado of Foxygen fame.
Review By Lavender:
It is safe to say I was very very excited for this record. I saw the bands last album Wonderful Wonderful as a really solid and critically underrated album from the band and they have a back catalog that I think can stand up to most any other bands from the 2000's. Given my love for the groups glamorous dramatic alternative rock sound the pairing with produced Johnathan Rad seemed perfect given that Foxygen have helped carry the torch for that sound into modern indie rock. Not to mention he proved his versatility on one of the most immaculately produced albums of last year Weyes Blood's Titanic Rising. Now that the record is here I have to say it has both a mix of soaring incredible highlights and consistency throughout its 42 minute runtime, making for yet another great record from the band.
With only one exception the singles here managed to excite me quite a bit. My Own Soul's Warning serves as the albums fantastic opener as it almost lulls you into expecting a more intimate track before exploding into some arena sized heartland rock. The triumphant lead hook and ascending key phrase is met with some thrilling lead vocals from Brandon that perfectly set the tone for the entire album. Dying Breed was the most recent single and I find myself enjoying it quite a bit. It starts off instrumentally simple with Brandon's vocals guiding the song through a quieter opening verse like it was a LCD Soundsystem song. It sets up for a fantastic explosion of instrumentation into the first hook that adds a whole new level of drama to the songs title phrase. The bridge is also amazing as both Brandon's vocals and the instrumental build-up this super tangible energy before exploding into the hook once again. The lead single Caution was another huge favorite of mine that I've had in rotation pretty much nonstop since it came out. It has rich driving instrumentation with acoustic strummed guitar, soaring keys and a tight bassline that is groovy as hell. The hook is a Killers classic that is catchy and triumphant and I honestly couldn't love the song more.
Lightning Fields is a track with strong lyrical focus which fittingly features the legend k.d. lang. Her vocals are as strong as ever and she manages to even match Brandon Flowers level of drama which is not an easy thing to do. The song is another big hit with me particularly when it kicks into the grand final hook as the band once again prove they an do triumphant as good as anyone. My God has the tracks other feature Weyes Blood whose vocal contributions fucking rule alongside Brandon on the track. The hook is one of my favorite on the record and even though it isn't the deepest song here from a songwriting perspective but the vocals are fantastic and the instrumental is brushed with even more great bass and booming drums. When The Dreams Run Dry is the closest thing the album has to a religious experience. Lyrically Brandon's ruffian poetry is completely all encapsulating and the songs extra instrumental flourishes make it feel larger than life. The track really embodies the records cover and carries on a great Killers tradition of the longest track being a big highlight.
With a record full of so many triumphant crescendos some tracks that would feel great as standalone songs can sort of fall into the background even though I'm still enjoying them. Running Towards A Place is the perfect example of this as a roaring heartland ballad that may not be the most energetic or eventful but still executes the formula quite well. It pairs acoustic guitar with louder synthetic instrumentation for a unique moment and an infectious hook. The closing track Imploding The Mirage would be a peak moment of excitement on most albums but here it isn't one of the records grandest points. The song sounds straight out of Day & Age and takes a bit more of a fade out approach rather than trying to end on a band which ultimately I think was a good idea.
Fire In Bone was the only single I didn't love and I had genuinely kind of forgotten about it by the time the record came out. It is a very different sounding song that starts off with a fat bassline, despite the fact that it lacks the bands regular sound their tongue and cheek lyricism is still here. The song has some weird instrumental transitions and I'm just not completely sold on it. Blowback is the only other track here I didn't love despite some classic heartland rock characters in the lyrics and slick western guitars on the hook. My issue with the hook is that it just kind of turns out flat after all the building up that the instrumental does. The only part of the song I really like is the ethereal fade out that reminds me quite a bit of Titanic Rising.
Imploding The Mirage is a pretty great record that is really close to being incredible. Despite one or two pitfalls I really enjoyed a lot of this record for many of the same reasons I've always enjoyed The Killers work. The band is sounding the most Springsteen they have since Sam's Town but with a rich and detailed instrumental palette that helps nearly every song here pop. There is more reason than ever to be looking forward to what The Killers will do next and in the meantime I will continue to enjoy much of what Imploding The Mirage has to offer. 8/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
I love this cover. I think that the layers of the composition are thought through and well executed, Your eyes just move smoothly from the foreground into the background and the subject is emphasized just enough. The color palette is complex but it helps make the simplistic illustration something more intense. The off white border and text make this cover instantly recognizable but doesn't draw your eye directly to it, which keeps all the focus on the art. This one is one of my favs of the year. 9/10
For more alt rock check out my review of Glass Animals Dreamland here
