After about five years, Las Vegas’ alt/pop rockers The Killers have returned – it’s not as though they had nothing to show for it in the gap between Wonderful Wonderful and Battle Born . Frontman Brandon Flowers had launched not just one, but two solo albums. In fact, his second solo effort The Desired Effect even made it to a few best-of lists in 2015.
Around the year 2015 is when The Killers got back into writing mode for what has now become Wonderful Wonderful . A year later, they were celebrating the 10th anniversary of their seminal record Sam’s Town , and it seems like (by the band’s admission) the second album that shot them to even more fame, after their debut Hot Fuss offered songs like ‘Mr. Brightside’ and ‘Somebody Told Me’.
The emotional intensity, the roomy instrumentation and the intention seems very much as pure as it was a decade ago for Flowers and Co. On the echoing grand introductory title track, there’s a bit of U2 in the sinister bassline, and an unearthly production level that impresses straight off. They jump into their dance-rock/disco funk vibes on the sublime and snarky ‘The Man’, which was their lead single. Here, Flowers’ vocals are stripped of the heavy effects from the title track, just letting him carry it through. On the emotion-soaked ‘Rut’, Flowers talks about his wife’s struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder – “I’m climbing but the walls keep stacking up” goes the refrain.
But after just the first few songs, the good hooks become a little more obscured under overused instrumentation and melody structures. They deliver a total throwback to Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town on the rock-friendly ‘Run for Cover’, glimmering in its arena-rock glory, and then something more fast-paced on the inspirational ‘Tyson vs. Douglas’. But even after six songs into the album, if you aren’t a hardcore fan, there are a few that still won’t hold your attention.
It’s only when the lyrics become biblical on the grimy ‘The Calling’ that they bring us back, presenting an ethereal, stirring closing track called ‘Have All the Songs Been Written?’, featuring gentle guitars from none other than Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler. This is the return you would want from a rock band in 2017 and we’re glad The Killers have delivered it with Wonderful Wonderful .
