THE KILLERS: Battle Born (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

The Killers' fourth album, "Battle Born" received its fair share of scathing criticism and mockery on its release, as tradition dictates, due to the many awkward and often controversial statements Brandon Flowers has made throughout the band's career. Despite this, the album reached number one on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. and was certified gold by the RIAA.

While the Killers' singer may be criticized for his high self-esteem, it's hard not to recognize his real talent for writing catchy, immediate pop/rock songs. Inspired by his life and travels in Europe and South America, they deal, as is often the case with his author, with rather dark subjects in a disenchanted way. The result is a collection of rather melancholy tracks that fortunately rarely descend into pathos, and for the most part remain well-paced. The single 'Flesh & Bones', with its synthetic intro worthy of a video game, 'Runaways', energized by its snare drum rolls, and the intriguing 'Miss Atomic Bomb' are just some of the powerful, catchy tracks that blow hot and cold. The more intimate 'The Way it Was' and 'Here With Me', the latter bordering on the cheesy, and the poignant 'Be Still' take us on a journey of nostalgia, sadness and reflection.

The Killers' recipe certainly doesn't revolutionize the genre, with structures alternating simple, sober verses and catchy choruses with a lot of choirs, culminating in the majestic 'Battle Born', but the Las Vegas band does it well enough to offer quality content that is often reminiscent of other bands while retaining a real personality. The retro synth melodies scattered throughout have a lot to do with this, as does Brandon Flowers' vocals, which has made real progress in terms of interpretation and offers much more varied vocal lines.

Lacking the ultimate hit that made "Hot Fuss" or "Day & Age" must-have albums, "Battle Born" remains a solid, well-constructed Killers album. The more you listen to it, the more it reveals itself, little by little, making this one of the band's most balanced works, with very few unnecessary tracks. - Official website

THE KILLERS

BATTLE BORN

ISLAND

ROCK