Why am I posting a 40 second clip of the brand new Killers single? Because their Hot Fuss follow-up Sam’s Town (out 10/3) is one of the best albums of the last 20 years, if you haven’t heard.
(MP3 Sample)
I’ll replace the link with a full version when Fall Out Boy leaks it to me.
You Might Also Like
 The Killers – “Go All The Way” (Raspberries Cover) |  Killers, Bloc Party Confirm New Albums |  The Killers – “Cowboys’ Christmas Ball” Video |  The Killers – “The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball” |
 |
 |
%s1 / %s2
Meh.
Meh X 2.
that was worse than the picture of tim harrington beneath it. *shudder*
Flowers wasn’t kidding about the Springsteen influence. Unfortunately, judging from this sample, he has a superficial understanding of what makes Springsteen’s anthems soar.
Man I can’t wait until this album gets slammed. Apparently, making one of the “best albums in the last 20 years” involves keeping the same sound you already had and trying to incorporate bad lyrics with a Springsteen keyboard.
Oh my gosh. I love it. Love it love it love it.
I cannot wait for it to be released. But it’s definitley not my favorite Killers’ song.
I agree, I totally see the Springsteen influence.
i know bruce springsteen. you’re no bruce springsteen.
losers. sounds like a mountain dew comercial. fuck off already and kill yourself. that would be the best thing in music in the last 20 years.
I’m not feelin’ it.
Man they really captured that ‘Glory Days’ feelin!
Wow, blatant Springsteen lyrical motifs, and crappy synth = best music in 20 years???
They should call the album “Take it slow on the Highway Skyline headin for the back of a Hurricane”
He sounds like Eddie Vedder on this track – kinda goat-y.
i wanna say counting crows, but i don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings.
i hope he does a duet with willie.
there is nothing that reads ‘greatest blah blah blah in 20 years’ apart from the comparisons he’ll get to better artists.
am i the only one who really liked their sound before with the whole keyboard and the strong bass lines and the hey hey hey it hurts me?
he’s battling bon jovi for the worst springsteen rip-off…so bon jovi ish.
It’s not entirely unlistenable! Sure, the Springsteen-ness of it is a little on-the-nose, but if you’re going to cop someone else’e style, you could probably do a lot worse. Don’t get me wrong, I have no intention of BUYING this album… but I wouldn’t object to hearing it on the radio or TV commercials or some future installment of Kids Bop.
Ok – everyone gte this straight:
Springsteen = genius
The Killers = douchebags
Please let this discussion end now.
what a steaming pile of crap!
Wow…that was like, inspirational, or something. I liked them better when they had absolutely nothing to say.
I too will be actively rooting for this album to fail miserably.
And please stop dragging Springsteen’s name through the mud in connection with this group, I can’t imagine anything more insulting. Seriously.
their first album, which had some decent tunes, is apparently a bigger fluke than anyone – including the killers – realized.
Doesn’t Ryan Adams have some new stuff floating around that you can post? I much prefer him and his goal of the best 20 albums of the last year.
“Seeking Irony” – love the “goat-y” comment although I personally like Vedder but yeh, throughout the clip sounds to me like Brandon is jerking off, which is what one does when they know they’re creating a top 20 masterpiece……..meh indeed!
i was impressed, this is a good radio song, there arent that many of those around anymore
“I much prefer him and his goal of the best 20 albums of the last year.”
AWESOME.
Hating on the Killers is like loving Snakes on A Plane, masturbating to your own opinion gets boring real quick
i have nothing to add on the crappiness of the song. however, someone implying the song is bad and belongs in a mountain dew commercial breaks my heart. i love mountain dew.
touche, dan
yeah, it’s a ripoff. what isn’t? for something that’s going to be all over the radio, at least it’s halfway decent.
personally i think it goes beyond being a springsteen ripoff to a damn impressive tribute to his style. you cynical stereogummers might not like it, but millions of teenagers burning down the last days of summer will, at that’s the goal of this kind of music. don’t hate.
Everyone here was so ready to hate this. And c’mon are we really going to pretend that Springsteen was/is that awesome?
haha grabs’ got a point…
He does? Huh. Coulda fooled me.
springsteen IS awesome. but let’s not forget that born to run, though awesome, is also incredibly cheesy sounding. could you imagine it coming out today and the title track being posted here? it would get flammed to high heaven. music snobs just have no ear for good contemporary mainstream rock.
You can keep The Killers. I’ll just keep listening to Low, thanks. That’s what the kids at BYU are rockin’ out to. Even. As. We. Speak.
Random Music snob comment.
shit sandwich.
This isnt even remotely enough of the song to judge it, without having any sense where in the song this clip is, what the build-up to it is like and whatnot anything more than compareing a few cords to older songs but you can’t really judge if the song is any good.
stop reading my mind, frank.
I think Indie Band You’ve Never Heard Of is way better than this. Getting in the Top 40 is totally not art.
This pretentious, ponderous rock psalm prompts the question “On what day did God create The Killers, and couldn’t he have rested on that day too?”
Wow, how horribly generic. How can Brandon Flowers keep saying that they’re the best band in the world if they have to resort to echo and various obvious vocal effects to cover up the failings of his voice?
http://www.musictimes.com.au
“This isnt even remotely enough of the song to judge it, without having any sense where in the song this clip is, what the build-up to it is like and whatnot anything more than compareing a few cords to older songs but you can’t really judge if the song is any good.”
It sounds rather american. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very interested in hearing the whole song…in a good way.
From that snippet, one could easily tell they sound very different from before. Now to be certain whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, we’ll have to wait a full three months more, which is a bummer — for both fans and non-fans (it’s too long a time to wait to take them down and rip them to pieces!!!). As for Brandon’s voice, I think they hardly put any effect on that at all. If they computerized it, it would’ve been more amazing than that ‘coz that just sounds like plain Brandon to me. Whether that’s good or bad, well, we all have different tastes.
his singing is terrible, as anyone who’s seen them live can attest, on their previous record they managed to cover it up, but this time the cat’s out of the bag. a screeching wobbly cat on heat. and the track sounds like a late period suede to me….
Does the vocal sound a little Roy Orbison-esque to anyone else? Weird. First Justin Timberlake goes all robo-androgyne and now Brandon Flowers goes Pretty Woman.
Springsteen is a god, if only everyone copied him
Sounds like a 27th rate Bon Jovi clone with a wall of Casios.
Shit Sandwich indeed, but sprinkled with cocaine.
not as good as radiohead, and all that shit you wankers listen to.
was never a fan. but that is particularly awful. his voice is so awkward and weak. sounds more dashboard confessional than springsteen.
i have a good feeling that finding a good track on this album will be like that south park episode when the kids are voting on new class mascot, deciding between douche bag or turd sandwich….
it’s like they chose to pay tribute to the Boss, but instead of emulating anything worthwhile (i.e. classic songwriting, great vocals), they picked gratuitous references to highways and cheesy synth sounds from his kind-of-bad Born in the USA-era.
similar to how “emo” bands claim to be influenced by Morrissey, while the only discernible evidence of this influence is really really long song titles.
Too many strings, but that’s just some people’s way of making something sound “epic.”
Their first album was really good. People praise nada surf and weezer, but this isn’t really that far removed from the good guitar rock bands of the 90s…
so it’s a little emo– it’s a lot better than the screaming “i hate my dad-isms of most of that scene.
i guess it’s easier to talk shit, but would you rather be hearing TRAPT on the radio? I kinda think they’re the smashing pumpkins of our generation… kinda pompous, really catchy, prone to moments of ridiculous pomposity, but in 10 years time, when they come on in the bar, we’ll all be saying “these guys were actually pretty awesome.”
I kind of enjoyed it, but his voice sounded very weak and wobbly unlike their last cd.
Jason’s comment above is on point. Springsteen’s arguably worth looking up to more than Duran Duran or whoever their previous influences were, yeah, but I still don’t know what the point is in paying attention to mediocre music when there are better things out there.
For the sake of fun rock feuds, we all have to admit it’s better than Fall Out Boy.
The Killers are the Counting Crows to Fall Out Boy’s Sister Hazel. SLAMMMM!!!!
To me this sounds like Conor Oberst fronting a shitty Springsteen cover band. In other words, bad.
Sorry. On second listen, it’s more like a gay, British Conor Oberst fronting a shitty Springsteen cover band.
You can not post the whole song because it will be able to buy in a couple of months so you will be breaking the law (plus the full song has already been played)
This song has leaked, but I can’t find it anywhere. They’ve been playing it on KROQ, apparently. And I heard this clip does it NO justice, so don’t be so cynical. I love The Killers, by the way, but I’m not trying to be biased. It’s a good song after a few listens, but it doesn’t exactly pop the way some songs on Hot Fuss did. And I have to agree Brandon’s voice sounds more wobbly, which is really a shame. I’m not entirely sure why he’s doing that now, but I wonder if he’ll do that on tour.
Oh, and when I first heard this the first thing that popped into my head was Bon Jovi’s “Livin On A Prayer”. Which is a good thing, to me.
Its shocking to me how many haters there are out there. Finally a band comes around that writes songs with real integrity and breaks into the mainstream (and sells a few records) and everyone is quick to shoot them down. They are trying to evolve– that is admirable. Most of the music “cognoscenti” that are blabbing about the Springsteen reference would never have even caught it had it not been placed in their feeble minds. If Hot Fuss had sold 250K they’d be hailing the band kings of the indie-rock world.
Since when do we critique new music based on 30-second clips anyway?
you guys are really pounding on this song. i can be honest, i didn’t like this song upon first hearing it. i was very dissapointed. after listening to it a a few days later, it really grew on me. in my opinion, its a really good song (hard to base it on a 40 second clip). his voice is very good, and those who say he is dependent on effects, have you ever heard them live? he sounds very much the same. there one of the best live bands ive seen.
until we here a full song, please dont pound this song to dust.
Someone post the full version
I guess I can be biased and say I LOVE it
because all of you people are being biased in saying it (as in the 40 SECOND preview) sucked. But the snippet and the full version I think are awesome whether I liked them before or hated them.
Bruce Springsteen is an INFLUENCE as in they aren’t covering his songs or making something they predicted would come from him so stop comparing The Killers to Bruce Springsteen because those are 2 different sounds.
does anyone have the full version?
it has been overrated by anyone who says its best music in 20 years, and its not the best of the killers either. But its just 40 seconds of a single. Also, anyone who picks on his voice in this track, its really crappy mp3 format, get it on vinyl or at least the cd before you say it sux.
it has been overrated by anyone who says its best music in 20 years, and its not the best of the killers either. But its just 40 seconds of a single. Also, anyone who picks on his voice in this track, its really crappy mp3 format, get it on vinyl or at least the cd before you say it sux.
Maybe Brandon Flowers should spend less time on his mascara and more time on living up to his inflated prediciton. “Hot Fuss,” unbelieveable, but we all know that an artist is truely measured by their sophomore release. I wait with open arms though.
Hello Stereogum,
I’m a producer of xfm radio in Lonodon, love your website.
To let you know we’re playing the new Killers single in full today 13th July at 4.15pm GMT. Listen at http://www.xfm.co.uk
All the best
Paul
Shitty.. missed it.. Anyone catch it?
Any song that can exert excitement amongst the lowest time in radio history is saying something, and by the way, Springsteen emulated Dylan,
Tommy Marolda / The Toms
Any song that can exert excitement in todays dull radio environment is saying something, and by the way, Springsteen emulated Dylan,
Tommy / The Toms
This clip really doesn’t do the track any justice, it’s the worst bit infact! Having heard the song in full, I love it! I think it’s probably a bit of a grower too, very girly though!
Check out http://www.islandrecords.com/thekillers/ for more.
TomKat hit the nail right on the head. Bruce emulated Dylan and everyone was up in arms about it. “Haters” some might say. Then that style became all his own. Who talks about Bruce biting Dylan anymore– nobody.
if this is their single .? and im sick of the 40 second clip already //… they got problems
THE SHOULD LEARN FROM THE BEST …. TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS…..
P.S THE BRAVERY ARE FUCKING BETTER !!!!!
Let´s not forget the wonderful album that hot fuss was, i mean, we don’t have to pretend a magic album, it´s gonna be a good one but i don´t think it will replace easily his perfect brother hot fuss, i notice something weird in brandon´s voice, but i really like it,
I heard the entire thing on Sirius tonight, and yes, your suspicions are correct. It’s fucking brutal.
The Killers….Best New Band of the year obviously u who say they are crap arnt the majority..and listen wait what are u doing right now…? yeh not anything close to what these guys have done so have a nice cup of shut the fuck up kk thanx bye now
the killers are one step below U2 and they just started
why’s everyone saying it sounds like springsteen? if anything, it’s all billy joel!
IT doesn’t matter what they do. all of you will hate them and their new music. it can be gold.. but it won’t matter.
this happens with a lot of bands.
I think everyone’s getting a little over-excited about a 40 second clip… I think it’s wiser to be non-judgemental until the full release in October.
well the full version is way better than the clip on here,im sure you will hear it soon cos all the big radio stations have it..radio 1 played it this morning! cant wait to hear the rest of the album..
never the killers biggest fan, i did like hot fuss but this is really……bland. hopefully the rest of the album will be better.
Mike your an idiot The Bravery blow and can’t even compare to The Killers. The Killers worst songs are better than The Bravery.
I am actually very fond of this new style. Hot fuss was a very good album and I think that’s why people are slagging this song. It was a hard album to live up to. Anyway, the song is of crappy quality anyway and it will be better on CD. I love The Killers and Im sure that this new album is going to be great. The best music in 20 years? We’ll have to wait and see won’t we. But don’t smash on the song, anyone who does that is either, drugged up, hypocritical, drugged up, jealous, too opinionated or drugged up.
Just got the full version of the song, its a fucking amazing song.
They’re my favaourite band and Brandon Flowers is to die for…they are fucking awesome…
we’re burning down the highway skyline on the back of a hurricaine that started turning when you were young. woooo!
At first, i didnt like this song but it grew on me, i think its Brilliant,It’s their first song for a couple of years Give them a break! I didn’t know they were so many Haters out there.
I am a big Killers fan. I loved Hot Fuss. Almost every song was great (Everything Will Be Alright definitely isn’t that good). Unfortunately, a snippet this short isn’t enough to judge the whole song but you get the idea- you can’t expect EVERY song of the album to be top notch, although you wished it was to be that way. And yes, this is not a typical Killers song, it’s different. And let’s hope, at least I am hoping “Sam’s Town” is going to be awesome…
Wooow, I fucking love it… U can listen the full version online… http://www.islandrecords.com/thekillers/
ok so i love the killlers and i love this song!and brandon flowers is the hottest man on earth! butt all you people that are tottaly dissing it you can screw off you dont know a good song when you hear one! I LOVE IT! ROCK ON KILLERS!
YOUR #1 FAN!
ok so i love the killlers and i love this song!and brandon flowers is the hottest man on earth! butt all you people that are tottaly dissing it you can screw off you dont know a good song when you hear one! I LOVE IT! ROCK ON KILLERS!
YOUR #1 FAN!
the more i listen to this song the more i love it! at first i wasnt sure about it but now its awesome! i cant wait for their album ! they defintly sound more american , or they do to me anyway. but The Killers are the best ever and im sure the album will do awesome
the song is aight, but i am disappointed they moved away from british influences. First of all why of all the talented american musicians did they focus on Springsteen because he sings born in the fucking usa. Please. I love the killers, but i fear the new album.
i love this song u should put it up on myspace soon this is my new favorite song and it takes alot to make me like a song so when i like it i like it lol
xoxo ashley
http://us.video.aol.com/audio.full.adp?pmmsid=1676868
theres the whole song. much better complete. it takes a few listen to like their new sound but i think their new record will be better than hot fuss
At first, I thought it was pretty lame how cocky Brandon Flowers was being about their new album.. but then i looked on their official website and saw that he was making fun of himself saying one of his news updates “very well could be the best website post in 20 years” ..i forgave him. haha.
When You Were Young is a fantastic song, completely different from anything on Hot Fuss. I love the direction they’ve taken and Sam’s Town will be brilliant. If you dont like it – please don’t feel the need to comment – your opinion is not appreciated because it is clearly wrong.
Why are forums like these so negative? Can’t we be friendly to eachother? Some people are so sad.
Put an awesome summer song like When You Were Young and SPREAD THE LOVE!
I just heard the full track and it’s awesome.
I agree with interpolantics
it’s a great summery track =]
well the song is great. i had listened the song for few times but more i listening,more i like it. brandon is hot and everything is cool. PEACE. ;P
The whole song is available here:
http://www.f-forge.com/?d=TLiclG69RVW2DH7b1uaz
ok….i actually heard the whole version b4 i decided to make an opinion and i like it.
sure its not as good as hotfuss but its still good.
and i also dont think you should put people down if they tried hard to do their best and getting this far as a band is more of an acheivement than other bands have got.
i LOVE THE KILLERS!!!! (and superman~)
love from lisa!!! xox