The Killers

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9.3 Superb
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Biography

Recent Role:
Themselves on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Gender:
Male
Born:
2002
Birthplace:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Few bands in the mid-2000s rose so quickly to the forefront of pop music as Las Vegas quartet the Killers. With a mix of '80s-styled synth pop and fashionista charm, the band's street-smart debut, Hot Fuss, became one of 2004's biggest releases, spawning four singles and catapulting the group -- particularly their dandyish, 22-year-old frontman, Brandon Flowers -- into the international spotlight. Hot Fuss reveled in the garish glitz of the band's native Las Vegas, spinning tales of androgynous girlfriends and illicit affairs to a public whose taste for revivalist dance-rock would prove to be… More virtually insatiable. Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, and the Bravery all benefited from such retro-minded interest, but the Killers unapologetically trumped them all -- even when their sophomore effort, Sam's Town, deemphasized the group's new wave sensibilities in favor of something more akin to the heartland rock of Bruce Springsteen and Rattle and Hum-era U2. Brandon Flowers (vocals/keyboards), David Keuning (guitar), Mark Stoermer (bass), and Ronnie Vannucci (drums) first came together in 2002, two years before the stylish Hot Fuss introduced their band to the public. Flowers had been sacked by his former synth pop band, Blush Response, after refusing to move to Los Angeles alongside his bandmates. Instead, he remained in Las Vegas, where he soon met local guitarist and Oasis fanatic Keuning. The two began collaborating on material; within weeks, they had composed their soon-to-be radio hit "Mr. Brightside." Stoermer, a former medical courier, and Vannucci, a classical percussion major at UNLV, soon joined the fray, and the band began playing small clubs in their hometown. A U.K. representative for Warner Bros caught wind of the Killers' brewing hype, and although he neglected to bring them aboard the Warner roster, he did pass along their demo to London-based indie imprint Lizard King. The British label quickly signed the Killers, who temporarily moved to the U.K. and issued a limited-edition single for "Mr. Brightside." The Killers' buzz had effectively traveled back across the Atlantic by fall 2003, and the band was offered a prime spot at the annual CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. A worldwide deal with Island followed shortly thereafter, positioning the Killers to join the ranks of Interpol, the Rapture, and the Strokes. Shared U.K. dates with British Sea Power and stellastarr* in summer 2004 gave the Killers the opportunity to showcase material from their debut album, Hot Fuss, which arrived in June. "Somebody Told Me," "Mr. Brightside," "Smile Like You Mean It," and "All These Things That I've Done" all became worldwide chart hits, and Hot Fuss peaked at number seven on the Billboard Top 200. Buoyed by such success, Flowers became a sought-after media presence, often lashing out at such groups as the Bravery for riding his band's coattails into the mainstream. The frontman's confidence was not unwarranted; by 2006, Hot Fuss had earned five Grammy nominations and sold over five million copies. Rather than take a break to recover from their relentless tour regime, the Killers immediately set to work on their sophomore effort. A newly built facility at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas became the band's studio, and legendary producers Flood and Alan Moulder (who had previously worked together with U2 and the Smashing Pumpkins) were chosen to helm the controls. Instead of mining the glamour and glitz of their hometown (as they did to successful extent on Hot Fuss), the group instead focused on nostalgia and the demise of old-fashioned American values, citing veteran songsmith Bruce Springsteen as a chief influence. The popularity generated by leadoff single "When You Were Young" led up to the highly anticipated release of Sam's Town in early October 2006. While the album did not match the commercial popularity of the band's debut, it nevertheless sold 700,000 copies worldwide during its first week, eventually spawning three U.S. singles and gaining the Killers two additional Grammy nominations. Sawdust, a collection of B-sides, rarities, and remixes, was released for a fall release the following year.

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  •  
    10 Perfect
    enough said hide show

    enough said....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea yea. um um i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

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    XEOCX Added Feb 8, 2009 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    The Killers being my all time favorite band, I have to say, they have gotten so much better as a band and as people. hide show

    The Killers are one of the greatest bands out there of all time. That's my opinion. Anyway, they are really talented at what they do. They're smart, intelligent, and have played thousands of shows. The Killers know what what they're doing and they need some more recognition. So all you "haters" out there can stop now, they WILL be as big of a band as U2. I have seen The Killers in concert one time, and on April 16th, 2009... will be my second time. They know how to work an audience! The Killers are awesome! I give them a perfect ten.

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    TKfan27 Added Jan 21, 2009 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    The best band ever! hide show

    Last year, I discovered indie rock. And I also discovered the best band of the world!
    Watching The OC, I saw those 4 boys playing and I loved that! I decied to search about them...and started to fall in love
    And then, when I became a fan, I saw they were going to have a concert here, in Brazil! How awesome is that??

    After the concert, I really became their fan! That day was the best of my life!
    My biggest regred is that I didnt know Shadowplay's lyric in that day!

    I can say for sure that The Killers changed my life! I listen to them and think about them everyday!!

    Their songs are so special, so different from another bands! They have their own style, and dont botter with fashion trends or what the hell anybody things about them! They are funny (dont shoot me santa and NME awards acceptance speech confirm that) and they care about their fans!

    Brandon Flowers, Ronnie Vannucci, Mark Stroemer and Dave Keuning, you are the only persons in the world I have no shame to say: I Love You

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    -amanda- Added Mar 2, 2008 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    The Killers are a synth rock indie alternative phenoniminon.They really have good heads on their shoulders. hide show

    The Killers to me are the biggest successful band that i know of.They have never disappointed me.They are their own genre,and they don't sound like anyone else.They know hoe to bring the audience going,or suprised or keeping them their fans.They have put on the best shows that Ive ever seen.Ive only seen them once but man they really know how to work up a great show.Brandon's voice is amazing,Daves guitaring is fantastic,Marks bass makes the song better,and Ronnies drumming is so classic.And dont forget about Brandon keyboards that makes the song.I love them forever and whoever doesnt like them are missing out on a terrific band.

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    TheKillersFan1 Added Jan 4, 2008 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    The Killers are awesome! hide show

    I love the Killers soo much, they are one of my all time favourite bands. They are so great, I love their albums are so catchy with amazing lyrics. The lead singer of the band, Brandon Flowers is, in my opinion one of the most talented singers of our generation. I loved their latest album 'Sams Town', because it has some of my favourite songs from the band on there, such as..'bones', 'when you were young', 'read my mind' and 'for reasons unknown'.
    The members of the band are all really talented and I hope the band is still together in years to come.

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    b_m_t Added Jul 14, 2007 All my reviews
 

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