Waves of nostalgia

I have been a big fan of The Killers and Brandon Flowers since Hot Fuss; though I have to admit I didn’t know who they were when I saw them for the first time. It was back in 2004, I was nearly 15 years old and was stoked to see one of my favorite bands Jimmy Eat World who were currently touring for their fifth studio album Futures (which I still maintain is one of the best albums they’ve released but that is a discussion for another time perhaps). I remember seeing the opening act was a band called The Killers; which judging only by the name didn’t strike me as a band that would fit with the sort of alternative emo sound that Jimmy Eat World were delivering especially with the Futures which is an emotional climb for sure. So it didn’t really know what to expect and didn’t have high expectations. But by the time this opening act had finished I remember wishing they had gone on longer.

Are we human?

/

Are we dancer?

/

Are we human? / Are we dancer? /

There was a point to that long preamble and it is this. This is now the second greatest hits album The Killers have released the last one releasing ten years ago. What I find interesting is the fact that there are many tracks shared between these two greatest hits albums. Three of the four opening tracks; all from Hot Fuss, are shared between these albums. Someone more cynical than me could come in and say this was done for marketing reasons as these are the most popular songs from the various albums. I wouldn’t argue that there aren’t things that have to be thought of from a marketing perspective but I feel that should they have wanted to include other tracks from Hot Fuss they could have done so. So I choose to look at it differently. I believe that there are so many tracks shared between these two albums because those are the favorite songs of those people who wrote them and performed them; that after all these years they have the same affinity for these tracks that us their fans do.

I am not a very musical inclined individual and definitely not a performer but I feel that when you have put so much time and effort and talent into something like a song that you can perform over and over for people who truly admire and enjoy it without it ever feeling old. I like the idea that after their two decade career they still love these songs that got them started and which grew their fan base at a rather rapid rate. Perhaps it is just me and the fact that I haven’t listened to the radio or really kept up very well with what is popular but I feel that since 2008’s Day & Age The Killers haven’t been as popular. It seems like the average person would more likely be able to identify “Human” rather than “Runaways” from Battleborn or “Caution” from Imploding the Mirage. Personally I think this is a mistake. While not every record they have produced is on the level of Sam’s Town (I don’t know why anyone would expect this) there isn’t a single one that I haven’t had a magnificent time listening to. In my opinion as the decades have passed they have stayed true to the essence of what made me fall in love with their sound in the first place. I feel like people may be sleeping on these albums that are really quite good. I suppose this is the natural way of things; not every artist can maintain the same level of star status for decades. Personally I am just glad they have continued to create music. I definitely see my discovery of them to be possibly the best thing that has ever come from the opening act of a show I have been to.

About one third of this album is composed of tracks that were released within the last five years. Yet as I listened to it each track just seemed to hit me with these magnificent waves of nostalgia whether I had first heard the track nineteen years ago or earlier this year. Regardless of how long I have been enjoying the songs, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with this album and the way it really feels so cohesive as you transition into each new era of their music. I will surely go back and enjoy it more in the future.