Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the lyrics are mostly innocent with the exception of a couple of minor sexual references in "Mr. Brightside" (But she's touching his chest/Now, he takes off her dress.) and "Midnight Show" (I wanna look up, look up, look up, yeah yeah/You got a real short skirt.)
Families can talk about where The Killers display their attitude. Is it warranted? "Mr. Brightside" deals with a past love moving on: How would your kid deal with a broken heart? How does jealousy help or hurt a situation? You can also discuss how music from the '80s has influenced the band.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Something about The Killers' new CD brings to mind an old joke:
Q: How many lead singers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Just one. He holds the bulb up to the socket and waits for the world to revolve around him.
The only real mystery on HOT FUSS is how many hours lead singer Brandon Flowers actually spends singing along with Jim Morrison to old Doors albums in front of the bedroom mirror. This might not be a bad thing; if you're going to join the pantheon of rock & roll bad boys, you might as well emulate the vocal stylings of one of the greats. And, Brandon does have a terrific voice.
Some of the content is disturbing, but subtle enough to go zooming over the heads of younger teens. Our in-house eleven-year-old, sophisticated far beyond her years in rap vocabulary, noted that the lyrics -- on songs that to adult ears were obviously about a murdered girlfriend -- seemed preoccupied with the theme of "lost love." Points scored for Metaphor.
What isn't subtle is the musicianship. Though the band is excellent on every level, there's an air of pretentious self-importance that gets just plain tedious after a while. "We're The Killers And You're Not," the songs seem to shout, "So neener neener neener." To create a truly sensational album, these Las Vegas self-defined bad boys will have to learn how to get out of their own way and enjoy the rock & roll ride. It's supposed to be fun, darn it.
Fans of The Killers might also want to check out The Bravery, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, and The Strokes.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentSome innuendo (taking off clothes, looking up a skirt), but nothing explicit. |
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ViolenceSome subtle references to a murdered girlfriend. |
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Social BehaviorThey're just so darn full of themselves! |
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Commercialism |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoReference to smoking (While he's having a smoke/And she's taking a drag.) in "Mr. Brightside." One other reference to a cigarette. |
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