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The Killers

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The Killers

The Killers are an American alternative rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2002. The band consists of Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards, synths), Dave Keuning (guitar, backing vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion).

Part of the post-punk revival movement, The Killers draw their influences from music styles of the 1980s. The group's debut album, Hot Fuss (2004) brought the band mainstream success. The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in 2006, and compilation album Sawdust containing B-sides, rarities, and new material, was released in 2007. Their third studio album, Day & Age, produced by Stuart Price, was released in 2008.

History

Formation and early years (2001-2003)

In 2001, Brandon Flowers was abandoned by his first band, a synthpop band known as Blush Response,[1] after he declined to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California. He then met David Keuning after responding to an ad that Keuning had placed in a Vegas newspaper which listed Oasis, The Cure, U2, and The Beatles as influences.[1][2] Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and Mark Stoermer were approached by Flowers and Keuning with an offer to join "The Killers", a name which comes from the bass drum of a fictional band in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal".[1]

Initially, The Killers played at small clubs in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they often played at drag shows. With the band's lineup stable and its repertoire of songs expanding, the band attracted the attention of Alex Gilbert, a British representative for Warner Bros. Though Warner Bros. did not like the band, he took the demo back with him, showing it to friend Ben Durling, who worked at UK indie label Lizard King and BBC Radio DJ Zane Lowe. The Killers went on to sign with the British label.[3]

In August 2003 , Mr Brightside premiered on UK Radio. The Killers then travelled to England and began to play shows in bars and clubs. They received rave reviews from journalists and fans in the UK and it wasn't long before the buzz travelled across the Atlantic and they were eventually signed by Island Def Jam in the US.[clarification needed][2]

Hot Fuss (2003–2006)

The Killers performing in May 2005 in Toronto, Canada.

The Killers released their album Hot Fuss in June 2004 in the United Kingdom on Marrakesh Records, and in the United States on Island Records.[4] Hot Fuss has been classified 4x Platinum by the BPI[5] and 3x Platinum by RIAA.[6] The band also had chart success with its singles "Mr. Brightside", which reached the Top 10 in the UK when released,[7] and "All These Things That I've Done".[8] However, their main mainstream success came when they scored a number three chart position in the UK with their re-release of "Somebody Told Me".[4]

The members of the band appeared as themselves in the episode "The New Era" of the teen television drama The O.C., which aired in December 2004. In July 2005, The Killers performed on the London stage of the Live 8 concert, playing "All These Things That I've Done". Robbie Williams incorporated the song's refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" into his own performance.[9] Coldplay and U2 followed suit and, at their separate concerts played in Las Vegas, with The Killers in the crowd, incorporated the line into their songs "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Beautiful Day", respectively.[10]

Sam's Town (2006–2007)

The Killers performing in 2006 on the Sam's Town Tour 2006.
Killers performing in Mexico in October 2006.

The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in October 2006 under Island Def Jam Music Group.[11] Brandon Flowers said that Sam's Town would be "one of the best albums people would remember 20 years from now",[12] though the album received a mixed response from critics and fans.[13] The album sold over 706,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, with a number two debut on the Billboard chart.[14] The record sold over a million copies by January 2007.[citation needed] The album produced four singles in the United Kingdom and United States: "When You Were Young" released in September 2006, "Bones" which was released in November 2006, "Read My Mind" which was released in February 2007, and "For Reasons Unknown" which was released in June 2007.[15] The first single from Sam's Town, "When You Were Young", entered the chart on downloads alone at number five, and the following week on its official release went to number two on the UK Singles Chart.[16]

The Killers recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road on November 29, 2006.[17] They performed an almost totally unplugged set, which included a rendition of the Dire Straits hit "Romeo and Juliet". In December 2006 the band released a Christmas charity song, "A Great Big Sled", which benefited Product Red. This was followed by the release of "Don't Shoot Me Santa" in November 2007. In February 2007, The Killers attended the BRIT Awards in the United Kingdom, where they performed "When You Were Young". The band won two awards - Best International Group & International Album.[18] In June 2007, The Killers headlined the iconic Glastonbury Festival.[19]

Sawdust (2007–2008)

The band released a compilation album called Sawdust, containing B-sides, rarities, and some new material, in November 2007. Sawdust has been classified Platinum by the BPI.[20] The album's first single "Tranquilize", a collaboration with Lou Reed, was released in October 2007.[20] The album also contains the songs "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", (a Kenny Rogers and The First Edition cover), "Romeo and Juliet", (a Dire Straits cover), and "Daddy's Eyes", a B-side from "Bones"/Best Buy Bonus Track to Sam's Town. The first pressing of Sawdust contained a rare demo version of "Move Away" which Brandon Flowers later stated was a mistake on the part of the band's record label; the proper version the group intended to put on the album that was previously available on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack is included on later pressings of Sawdust.[21] The band released a cover version of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" on the American iTunes Store that same month.[22]

Day & Age (2008–2009)

The Killers performing in September 2009 in the United States.

The Killers finished working on a third album, which was released on November 24, 2008 in the UK and November 25, 2008 in North America. Brandon Flowers confirmed the album's title as Day & Age in an interview with NME.[23] They worked with Stuart Price who did the Thin White Duke remix of "Mr Brightside" and produced "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" and "Sweet Talk". The first single from the album was "Human", although originally planned for Sawdust, it was released on September 22, with the music video released on iTunes on October 16.[24] The band released a third Christmas single in December 2008, "Joseph, Better You Than Me". It features Elton John and Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. Proceeds from the downloads will benefit Product Red.[25][26] Day & Age became the band's third studio album to reach number one in both the UK and Ireland, it reached number six on the Billboard 200 album chart.[citation needed]

The Killers performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London 2009.

In an interview with Q magazine, Vannucci revealed that the band was planning to record an album of cover versions. [27] However, in an interview for their second appearance at Live From Abbey Road on October 11, 2009, Flowers stated in regards to the cover album, "I doubt it's the next piece of Killers material you'll get". [28] On July 13, 2009, UNICEF, MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) and the US Agency for International Development used a shortened version of the song "Goodnight, Travel Well" in a video to promote awareness of sex trafficking. The Killers finished 4th in the MTV Greatest Superstars poll which was run throughout August 2009 on MTV: the poll included all genres of music.[29]

In September 2009, it was announced that the band is releasing a live DVD and Blu-ray of their July 5-6, 2009 concerts titled Live from the Royal Albert Hall, along with an edited 80-minute CD of the performance, on November 9, 2009. They have also contributed the song "A White Demon Love Song" to the New Moon Soundtrack.[citation needed] A 2009 Christmas song for Product Red just released on Dec 1, 2009, titled "Happy Birthday Guadalupe", this time collaborating with Wild Light.[citation needed] The Killers are to release an EP with "Hotel California", The Eagles' song.[30]. In November 2009, The Killers hit single, Mr Brightside was voted the number one song of the decade by the UK's XFM listeners[31], over 14,000 votes were made by XFM listeners via Xfm.co.uk. with Somebody Told Me Coming in at 9[32], All These Things I've Done at 22[33], When You Were Young at 31[34], Read My Mind at 86[35] and Human at 94[36].[37]

Controversy

Since going platinum, the band have incited a few rivalries, most notably with The Bravery and Fall Out Boy, who are both labelmates (Island Records). Flowers has said that these bands are riding on the coattails of their success, to which Bravery frontman Sam Endicott replied by calling Flowers "a little girl" and a "kid in a wheelchair".[38]

Additionally, in an article of NME, Flowers claimed Fall Out Boy was hogging the A&R man both bands share, setting off Fall Out Boy's bassist Pete Wentz.[39] However, after Wentz commented on the rivalry on his blog in September 2005, he offered a virtual cease-fire.[39] Flowers has since apologized to The Bravery, Fall Out Boy, and Panic at the Disco, saying "I'd like to take it all back - these people are just doing what they want to do, just like I am," and said that he was "not proud of" his actions.[40]

After the band fired him in May 2005, former manager Braden Merrick filed a $16 million (£10,000,000) breach of contract suit in federal court in Los Angeles against the band in February 2006. He claimed that the band simply stopped paying him his reported 25% service fee (from the band's annual gross income) for a contract that Merrick claimed ran through 2007. The Killers swiftly filed their own breach-of-contract counter suit, alleging Merrick's poor management had cost the band millions. The lawsuit was dismissed on October 9, 2009. Merrick is now a partner at a new music label, Bright Antenna.[41]

Discography

Main article: The Killers discography
Date of Release Title Label
June 7, 2004 Hot Fuss Island Records, Universal, Lizard King
October 3, 2006 Sam's Town Island Records, Vertigo
November 9, 2007 Sawdust Island Records, Vertigo
November 24, 2008 Day & Age Island Records, Vertigo

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Binelli, Mark (2005-06-16). "Hit Men". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-04-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b "being signed". ReviewProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 ournal. 2005-06-16. Retrieved 2008-04-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 37 (help)
  3. ^ Sculley, Alan (2004-09-14). "And you can dance to it". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2008-04-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ a b "Let's-start-a-band ad in newspaper created Killers". The Seattle Times. 2005-04-24. Retrieved 2008-04-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Nixon, Chris (2007-04-05). "Can Killers regain form at UCSD? Stay tuned". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2008-05-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Hot Issue Hits and Misses: The Killers and the Cooper Temple Clause". Rolling Stone. 2006-10-08. Retrieved 2008-05-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Loundras, Alexia (2004-06-25). "Rock & Pop: Shooting from the hip". The Independent. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Begbie, Scott (2006-10-31). "Top rockers add Granite City to UK tour schedule". Evening Express. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ http://www.channel4.com/music/features/L/Live8/live8live.html
  10. ^ "Event Listings". Manchester Evening News Arena. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  11. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (2006-07-25). "The Killers Debut 'Sam's Town' In New York". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-05-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "Monday News: Killers, Paul McCartney, Ben Kweller, Sufjan Stevens, Elton John, Broken Social Scene". Rolling Stone. 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  13. ^ "New CD's". The New York Times. 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2008-05-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Bracelin, Jason (2006-10-12). "Killers' second album strikes higher chord". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2008-12-09. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Barrett, Neil (2006-10-13). "Killers rock new "Town"". Clemson Tigers. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  16. ^ Sexton, Paul (2006-10-02). "Scissor Sisters Not Budging On U.K. Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-05-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "EMI cues up feast of fresh albums". Music Week. 2005-10-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Akbar, Arifa (2007-02-15). "Arctic Monkeys scoop two Brits but shun 'mainstream' show". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-04-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Killers headline Glastonbury". NME. 2007-02-15. Retrieved 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ a b "Smoking Section: Fiona Apple, Kanye West, The Killers and Tom Petty". Rolling Stone. 2007-09-06. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  21. ^ "Celine takes a chance". Toronto Star. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2008-05-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ "Killers' Joy Division Cover Hits the Web, M.I.A. Helps Jailed Aussie Kids Rhyme, Jadakiss Free From Gun and Drug Charges". Rolling Stone. 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2008-05-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ "News Ticker: The Killers, Jonas Brothers, "American Idol"". Rolling Stone. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2008-08-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "The Killers". The Killers. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  25. ^ http://www.andpop.com/article/12794
  26. ^ http://music.yahoo.com/ar-260983-bio--Pet-Shop-Boys
  27. ^ "Killers plan covers album". Q. January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ "HQ Live From Abbey Road 2009 : The Killers (3/3) - Human". October 11, 2009.
  29. ^ "MTV Greatest Superstars Revealed". MTV. 9th December 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  30. ^ http://www.nme.com/news/the-killers/48071
  31. ^ "Xfm's songs of the decade 10-1". Xfm London. 02 October 2009. Retrieved 07 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "Xfm's songs of the decade 10-1". Xfm London. 02 October 2009. Retrieved 07 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ "Xfm's songs of the decade 30-21". Xfm London. 02 October 2009. Retrieved 07 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ "Xfm's songs of the decade 40-31". Xfm London. 02 October 2009. Retrieved 07 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  35. ^ "Xfm's songs of the decade 90-81". Xfm London. 02 October 2009. Retrieved 07 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  36. ^ "Xfm's songs of the decade 100-91". Xfm London. 02 October 2009. Retrieved 07 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ "Xfm's songs of the decade". Xfm London. 02 October 2009. Retrieved 07 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ "Lean Beef: The Killers Vs. The Bravery". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  39. ^ a b Montgomery, James (2005-10-07). "Fall Out Boy/ Killers Beef Gives Birth To A Song". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  40. ^ Lash, Jolie (2006-07-25). "Killers Bury Hatchet With Panic, Fall Out Boy". Pop Eater. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
  41. ^ http://www.brightantenna.com/brightantenna/about/
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