Hot Fuss

Outstanding debut album

Yesterday I was talking to a friend who said they didn’t know why Mr Brightside is so overplayed when The Killers have better songs and I was bit like “do they, though?” And then today I got Hot Fuss. (Coincidence? Yes, 100%.) So now I can say Mr Brightside is overplayed for a reason, but The Killers do have other good songs.

Alkupuoli lapsuusajan hittejä, loppupuoli geneeristä nollari-indietä. kakkosen ja kolmosen välillä kiikutaan.

I'm not a big fan of post-punk or new wave, but the mix that The Killers present on “Hot Fuss” is really easy on the ears. The first thing I noticed was the extremely tasteful bass sound, which is very present but not intrusive. Next, I'd like to mention the very New Wave-esque vocals, which are never annoying. Throughout the album, The Killers find a good mix of their own style and variety in the mood of the songs. In addition to the opener “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine,” I particularly remember the double pack “On Top” and “Change Your Mind.” Nice one!

Pretty much every track here is memorable. One of the better rock albums of the decade in every capacity- musicianship, production, hooks, and sound (while not the most unique, its still very recognizable.) Did not realize how great this album was until sitting down to listen to it. Super great stuff that instantaneously has become a classic for me

I like pretty much all of this, bar the closing track, "Everything Will Be Alright", which never really did it for me. Some of it has suffered a little from overexposure, but it's still pretty damn good.

First half is INCREDIBLE. You could be a successful touring band just based on these songs for the rest of your music career, and they have.

Second half is much like the rest of The Killers discography...meh.

tinha anos que não escutava esse, hein

eu com 12 anos pirava mto. acho a primeira metade boa DEMAIS, a segunda nem tanto. mas eh bem decente, pô.

The most disappointing thing about this album is that “The Fillers” joke has been made too many times already.

Such a front loaded album that I think they must have known what they were doing. Also the mixing and production on this really annoys me. The vocals and drums sound awful to me.

I once accidentally saw the Killers live when they appeared unannounced for a ‘secret set’ on a smaller stage at Glastonbury

They played the first 5 songs from this album. Everyone danced and sang along. Then they fucked off. I wish they did the same in the studio because the second half of this album is absolute shite.

Of course it’s a 5. Hell, it could be a 10.

I know how much acclaim this album has, even if I’ve never heard it in full before today. It’s impossible to have not heard “Mr. Brightside” at any point if you’re at least 20 years old, and if you’re really into Weird Al, it’s probably nigh impossible to have not at least heard the chorus of “Somebody Told Me”, though if you only know that snippet, you’re missing out. Those two tracks are the all-timer monster hits, and the rest of the album… surprisingly enough, a bit more varied than I would’ve thought. I’m really impressed by the slight blend of the garage rock style the early 2000s made famous with this sort of updated take on Talking Heads-era new wave / post-punk, especially in the synth work that makes a lot of this album pop. It’s easy to hear the two main hits & conclude that these guys were just another 2000s indie rock band with a garage lean that rode the wave, but that severely undermines just how damn good this all is.

It is certainly one of those albums where the music speaks for itself, so I’m not sure I can add anything meaningfully new to the sea of opinions over the last 21 years that someone else hasn’t already written (or will soon write) some 1,000 words on, but I can try to add some quick, scattered opinions.

“Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” is obviously a perfect tonesetter & a great introduction to the band, but it does feel like it might set up expectations for more of a concept album, even if that thought is washed away immediately by “Mr. Brightside”. “All These Things That I’ve Done” is a little preachy, but I think it’s fine.

Brandon Flowers’ vocals are great throughout this thing, even if I do wish he had a little more of an emotional lift on a few tracks – just ever so slightly monotone at points, you know? “Believe Me Natalie” is super fun, & it feels slightly ahead of pace for 2004, feeling like a slight foreshadowing of the synth-infused pop of the late 2000s.

“Everything Will Be Alright” is just a little long for what it is, but I think the atmosphere works really well as a closing track. I think “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll” would fit perfectly between “Andy, You’re a Star” & “On Top” if it were naturally in the album.

I do wish there was just a little more variety in the soundscape; it's a breezy 45 minutes for sure, but it does blend together just a little bit after the high of listening has worn down. That's not a bad thing to my ears, it's just a testament to how "in the moment" this album can make a listener feel.

And yeah, I think that’s all I really need to get out into the world. It’s a stellar album, and if you somehow haven’t heard it, just do it; it’s one of the most satisfying debut records of the decade, an instant rock classic, and a great 45 minutes where if you let yourself just rock the fuck out, you’ll never have a bad time. The only way you can hate this is if you have some deep-seated regret about the early 2000s & this album acts as some painful reminder of it. I would’ve been 4 when this dropped, so unless I tripped & fell in a Walmart while Mr. Brightside was playing on the speakers & forgot, I have nothing to link a bad memory to. This shit rules, man. It’s an easy 5, if not a 10. Banger after banger after banger, simple as that.

Brilliant first half. Second half is very forgettable.

Why do so many songs involve people's names?

Fucken Mr. Brightside is a cuckolding song. What the fuck.

One of the best debut albums ever. It's amazing to think that they came out of the gate with so many great songs. It's also held better than most of the big albums from 2004-2005 (other than being overplayed).

På sitt beste er denne plata en riktig så god postpunk/new wave-pastisj. På sitt verste er den full av fillers. Hitsa fra plata er helt konge, og egentlig alt man trenger. Men takk for nostalgitrippen

Have found the Killers to be one of the most overrated bands of the past 20+ years. This one didn't hit for me when it came out (despite owning it) but I felt it was slightly better on this much later listen. Not sure if it is quite a "classic" but solid none-the-less. 3/5

Ніколи не був я фанатом кіллерс, ба більше - мене завжди бісила пісня somebody told you і кліп на неї, який кожен день по тисячу разів крутили по ентер мьюзік колись.

Але треба визнати що mr brightside це один з головних хітів тієї декади, який все ще ефектно звучить коли його хором співає натовп на концертах.

Forgot what a great album this was start to finish. Could be the college nostalgia but it really is great to listen to and is basically one hit after another.

I don’t get the appeal of this at all. I’ve never understood why Mr. Brightside is so widely loved. Before this project, I would’ve said I didn’t have any strong feelings about the Killers, but after having to listen to an entire album I just really dislike them. It sounds like bland corporate rock. Knowing they’re both from Las Vegas really cements that these guys are the precursor to Imagine Dragons

Weakens a bit at the end but the first half of this album at least is one good bop after another. Great debut!