Hot Fuss - The Killers

Hot Fuss is the debut album by post-punk band The Killers, released in June 2004. Who would have thought that the best British band to burst onto the scene in years would be American? The Killers’ music is based on British influences and on the music of the 1980s, particularly New Waveand according to lead singer Brandon Flowers, the band’s larger-than-life sound is down to “the influence of living in Las Vegas, a city where everything is about flash and who can top whom”.

The Las Vegas foursome introduce a perfectly tailored new wave-induced art rock sound on “Hot Fuss”. The eleven tracks span from first proper single release Somebody Told Me, the chunky-riffed song loaded with androgynous mystery which wooed MTV audiences and modern rock followers during the summer of 2004, to Mr Brightside, a tale of jealousy that depicts the moment in a relationship when you realise that your other half might be playing away and the fears and visualisations your imagination can then throw at you. On Top celebrates where Brandon feels the band is at, while Andy You’re A Star is a stalker’s story. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine and Mr. Brightside are equally as fiesty as the album’s first single, confirming that a formula is indeed in motion. The gospel rock of All These Things That I've Done, which saw Flowers realise his long-held dream of using a full-on gospel choir in the band’s recordings, fits strangely well with the Cure-inspired synths of Everything Will Be Alright and “Believe Me Natalie”, as well as with the dark-sounding “Midnight Show”.

The Killers’ “murder trilogy” has been much debated amongst fans and critics since the release of “Hot Fuss”, two thirds of the trilogy appearing on the album in the forms of Midnight Show (the act and attempted escape) and Jenny Was A Friend of Mine (the capture and questioning of the accused). A tale of the murder of a girl by her jealous boyfriend, the band themselves have mostly been silent about it, apart from Flowers saying cryptically in interviews that “there was water involved, although he didn’t drown her”. Part one of the trilogy, Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf, about the planning of and motive for the crime, makes an appearance on the 2007 B-sides and rarities compilation Sawdust.

One may say it’s premature to call Hot Fuss a classic album, but we think time will prove us right…

Track listing
1. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
2. Mr. Brightside - (Thin White Duke remix)
3. Smile Like You Mean It
4. Somebody Told Me - (Josh Harris remix)
5. All These Things That I've Done
6. Andy, You're a Star
7. On Top
8. Change Your Mind
9. Believe Me Natalie
10. Midnight Show
11. Everything Will Be Alright