Monday, January 22, 2007

B-Sides The Point: The Killers


A lot of fuss has been made about the Killers. Their first album "Hot Fuss" spawned a number of hits including the juggernaut single "Mr. Brightside." Their second album? As Borat would say, "Not so much."

"Sam's Town" and it's sprawling anthems of Springsteenian proportions could not live up to the hype and expectations of the millions of fans who loved the first album. Maybe it needs to age a bit before we can appreciate it. Perhaps it's just a bad sophomore effort. But what the album accomplished, and it was produced to do so, was spread the musical horizons of the band, and in some respect, its listeners.

But hey, how about that first album? Even it's B-Sides were good! My favorite one that has been blasting up my most often played playlist is called "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll." It's got a slow buildup with a true declaration for the love of indie rock, and should be a staple of your collection. Also I've included an acoustic version of "Mr. Brightside" which can be found as a B-Side on its single. What is the big clue that any song is a classic? Well, the track has to work plugged in and acoustically, each version revealing something new about the song. That is the case for "Plush" by Stone Temple Pilots, "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters, and now you can add this track to the list.



For Your Consideration:

The Killers - Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll Mp3
The Killers - Mr. Brightside (Acoustic) Mp3

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