Las Vegas has never been considered much of a rock and roll city. Between the casinos, Elvis impersonators, and extravagant entertainment, little in the way of noteworthy rock has ever emerged from the Mojave Desert. Even today, musically, Sin City is best know for it’s casino residencies, between Celine Dion, Wayne Newton and even Blue Man Group, with rock and roll never much of a priority. But all that might soon change with Hot Fuss, the excellent debut by The Killers, a Las Vegas quartet, who seamlessly blend synthesizers and dynamic vocals into infectious guitar-driven synth-pop, and in the process released one of the year’s better debut records.
Formed in late 2002, The Killers, Brandon Flowers (vocals and keyboards), David Keuning (guitars), Mark Stoermer (bass), and Ronnie Vannucci (drums), are the latest in an ever-growing list of rock revivalists, honing past decades and borrowing from the obvious – New Order, The Cure and The Smiths to name a few. But unlike some of their contemporaries, The Killers write pop songs, with hooks and choruses that lock in your head, and words that unknowingly pour from your mouth. It’s something the band consciously acknowledges, although they are still a little reluctant to accept some of their early comparisons.
“We try really hard to write good songs,” says Keuning, speaking in person before an early spring gig with recent tour mates, stellastarr*. “But synth-pop is a little strong. We like a lot of bands, like New Order, The Cure, U2. I think people are looking for a category, but I do love a lot of 80’s bands. But there is also a lot of 90’s influence in there. I love the Smashing Pumpkins. No one ever says, “You have a lot of Pumpkins influence in your guitar playing.” I love them, and I love Jimi Hendrix too.”
While it is easy to hear the 80’s new wave influences in The Killers’ music, the 90’s are a little subtler. Keuning does evoke some classic Siamese Dream-era riffs throughout Hot Fuss, and legendary producer Alan Moulder, who worked with the Pumpkins, did assist with the album’s final mixing. But it was another 90’s band, Oasis, who’s been credited with bringing The Killers together.
“I put an ad out in this Las Vegas newspaper, looking for musicians,” explains Keuning, “And around that time Brandon was looking for a guitar player as well. And he liked Oasis, and I had mentioned Oasis in my ad.” Flowers responded to that ad, and as Keuning explains it, he was the only person to respond who wasn’t a freak. The two hit it off immediately and soon began writing music together.
“He came over with his keyboard and we started going though song ideas straight away. I had the verse to ‘Mr. Brightside’ and he went away and wrote the chorus. That was the first song we wrote together and remains the only song we’ve played at every single Killers show.”
After testing a few bassists and drummers in the early goings, The Killers finally settled on a pair of local musicians, Stoermer and Vannucci, and haven’t looked back since.
“Ronnie was a music major at UNLV,” says Keuning, “and he was about a semester away from getting his degree when we decided to go on tour. Mark was in another band when we began, and he played in both bands until he decided to be with us full time.”
Once the final pieces fell in place, The Killers quickly found themselves in an envious spot, in the middle of a multi-label bidding war. Initially, independent London label Lizard King signed the band, and brought them overseas to perform around the U.K., and it wasn’t long before the U.S. labels took notice.
“Things started happening in England pretty fast,” says Keuning. “We got in a couple of magazines like NME. And then people were just asking about us, and there was a lot of buzz. Then the major labels starting putting in offers.” After weighing their options, the band finally settled on Island/Def Jam, which released Hot Fuss on June 15.
“We chose Island/Def Jam over some other labels,” says Keuning. “They’re treating us pretty well. They’ve been really great so far, and they’ve done a lot of work for the album.”
Already charting in the UK, Hot Fuss features some of the most compelling pop rock heard in some time. From the opening helicopter romp of “Jenny was a Friend of Mine” to the soulful lyrics and Lennon-esque vocals of “All These Things That I’ve Done,” and with the first US single “Somebody Told Me” currently creeping its way into playlists across the country, The Killers have self produced one of the finer debuts of 2004.
Now it’s just a matter of time before the rest of the country discovers Vegas’s newest rock and roll oasis.
