The Killers are headlining Lolla and Coachella, Conor’s also headed to Coachella, they both are suffering for their recent fashions, how about a track to celebrate all that. The Las Vegans are releasing a single/EP thing for Day & Age‘s bopping, alien-abducting standout “Spaceman,” and it’ll include a new bonus track, a close-captioned version of the single (don’t ask me), and this cover of “Four Winds,” on which the Killers make Bright Eyes sound like the Killers. For fans of the Killers. Not of Bright Eyes.
The source material:
The Spaceman EP is out 4/14 via Island. The tracks:
01 “Spaceman” (Album Version)
02 “Four Winds”
03 “Tidal Wave” (Bonus Track)
04 “Spaceman” (Closed Captioned)
And on the Conor tip, the Mystic Valley Band has a new one coming out soon.
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Wow. What a fucking insult. I can’t believe they are going to make money off of that garbage.
I think I’m more pissed that Conor Oberst is making money out of it. Get over it, it’s a cover
ah this is some real bulllshit.
I always thought Four Winds was a good tune, but this doesn’t do it for me. Then again, I strongly dislike the Killers. They have become a parody of themselves.
Actually The Killers are headlining Coachella too, and there’s probably a good chance Conor will wind up on Lolla’s lineup once it gets announced.
As for the cover, it sounds like what we can soon expect once Miley unleashes her plan to ruin Radiohead.
Haha, well said.
It sounds like Flowers found a copy of SongSmith, looped it into Garageband, and mastered it in Cakewalk, with the help of some FruityLoops beats.
Utter Shit.
Ummm no one that there level actually uses those programs…just ppl that cant afford the things the pros use. But other then that I totaly agree, I mean its def. a “Killers” version of the song which just doesnt work at all, but come on what did you expect after that last album? lol what is it with this third album shitfest thats been happening glad to know that pop artists have evolved beyond the usualy one hit wonder….
soldja boy uses fruityloops
-are you telling me he isn’t a professional?
That’s some epic karaoke right there.
you could have just said that they’re both headed to coachella. this cover/concept is phenomenal.
I dunno, I mean i really enjoy the Bright Eyes original, so I’m not exactly neutral. I’m also not a huge Killers fan, but this wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to be. The Killers actually do something new with the song, as opposed to so many other novelty covers that bands put out. I was worried that we were gonna get some faux-Americana Killers circa Sam’s Town, but they make the song their own. That being said, Conor’s version still blows this away.
Oh man…
I’m actually a fan of both. Well, I guess a bygone fan of the Killers. But I like this over the original. I also hate Cassadaga, though, as it kind of started the trend of blandness that Conor has undertaken.
You don’t. You don’t prefer this over the original. Just apologise for saying that, and then we can both go about our days.
i agree, conor hasn’t done anything interesting since I’m Wide Awake/Digital Ash, much like the killers haven’t done anything interesting since Hot Fuss
They ‘did their own thing with it’ and it’s crap. Empty and pointless… exactly what I’d expect from having a practicing Mormon sing, “The Bible’s blind, the Torah’s deaf, the Qu’ran is mute/ if you burned them all together you’d be close to the truth” or almost any lyric in the song.
On the plus side, this version doesn’t remind me of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
who gives a flying fuck if he’s mormon dude……let others have faith if they want to, how does that hurt you? prick
because this song is about not having faith, so it isnt germane. This track is utter rubbish, sounds like he heard the song once and threw this shit together in 10 minutes with freeware recording,
How about a good Bright Eyes tune. Like anything before that shitpile Cassadaga.
you’re a tool
Whats so wrong with Cassadaga I mean sure, it’s different from the old bright eyes stuff but so what? People progress and change, and they reflect that through their music. I mean Connor has really grown up and Cassadaga shows that. I fucking hate people who say Cassadaga is a piece of shit because it’s not. I mean even if it doesn’t sound like Bright Eyes to you that doesn’t mean its a peice of shit. Honestly I don’t think Connor Oberst could ever produce a peice of shit album or song he’s a lyrical genius and I mean honestly what the fuck like you could do any better? Could you EVER write any song that has as much conviction and passion as one of Connors? I don’t think so, give Cassadaga a chance its actually a REALLY, REALLY good album- and I’m a HUGE fan of the old Bright Eyes.
Where do I start? Cassadaga is a shitpile becuase it’s BORING, which is something I never ever thought I would say about a Bright Eyes album. He’s had bad songs in the past, but never a single one that lacked emotion or meaning, now it’s like he’s lost his soul and is just following the indie bangwagon to bland country.
yes exactly. cassadega just drags at times. the songs are often empty. it has it’s moments — i absolutely love “classic cars” and “when the brakeman turns my way”. but so many of them are devoid of any remotely decipherable meaning. and yeah blah blah “all this automatic writing i’ve tried to understand, psychedelic angel keeps tugging on my hand”; perhaps demanding meaning from a song is something square and antique, but when someone adopts a post-modern stance simply because they’ve lost a fire they once had to create something that really meant something to everyone, and something different to everyone…that’s just weak.
i remember caring about conor like he was a brother. i would listen to his records and always feel like he was half a step ahead of my own experience, figuring things out and asking questions that i was almost at, and generally helping me along, with a level of maturity slightly above my own, but always relatably close. i would look at him in 2003, so ripped to pieces by human stupidity, so angry and distraught and i used to worry that my older brother was going to go insane or overdose or kill himself, that he was so concerned about everything that he would collapse; he would be a martyr for the sins of my generation, because he couldn’t help but take everything so seriously. and i loved him for that, because he alone seemed to have the courage and the insight and poet’s perspective to really diagnose the problems that go on around us. and he never let himself off the hook either; he never preached.
and maybe he found peace with himself and the world and i’m happy for him. but his music means very little to me, except for the occasional, minor pleasures of a line like “never trust a heart so bent it can’t break”. now i just feel like i’m sitting through the late 60′s-early 70′s, waiting for “blood on the tracks”.
and the killers version? there’s nothing there. it’s karaoke. the music has nothing that hooks at all.
bayleyasher said: “i remember caring about conor like he was a brother.” and “i would look at him in 2003, so ripped to pieces by human stupidity, so angry and distraught and i used to worry that my older brother was going to go insane or overdose or kill himself, that he was so concerned about everything that he would collapse; he would be a martyr for the sins of my generation,”
Conor is talented, but wow… you need to get a fucking life.
its as bad as i expected
does anyone know how the killers ever slipped through the cracks and became interesting enough to get coverage on stereogum, pfork, etc? i remember always hating them. when were they good?
i’m being totally serious, too.
I’ve been hating the killers since i saw the crystal video and thought, ‘There will be a band called the killers for real one day and I’m going to hate them.’
Man, Stuart Price doesn’t let anything keep from steamrolling ahead with his sound, does he?
And I, you know, like these guys. And this song.
Yeah, truly cringeworthy. And from a band who did such a brilliant cover of Dire Straits ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Afraid they lost their edge somewhere along the way …
Eww.
This is awful….maybe I’ll grow to love it like I did the original. Wait a minute, no I won’t.
{Goes back to masturbating and listening to Godspeed.}
This confuses me….
What the FOLK?
I’m a fan of both, but this just doesn’t work. Conor’s lyricism doesn’t fit with the Killers’ synthy style. When Conor swells on the line “but when great Satan’s gone…” and the Killers just keep the exact same beat, you know it’s not good.
Oberst sucks anyway! I’m mad that The Killers covered that faggot.
If they’d gone a little more with the Sam’s Town vibe, this could be a decent sort-of-epic song. The D&A approach is fail.
this is like when junior puts on daddys oversized work shoes and everone sees it and says “how cute.”
nice try killers.;
-kevin of basquiatthinksimcool.blogspot.com
Huge fan of Conor and I love this song.
As for the Killers.. lack of originality in it’s finest.
Okay, did any else almost shoot coffee through their nose when Flowers tries his hand at the “It Breaks!!!” yelp/scream. Good stuff, good stuff…
By far the worst part about this is the amount of kids who will download this track with their iTunes gift card that they just got for their 17th birthday, and say “Holy shit! That Brandon Flowers is one incredible writer!”
OR, they will find out it’s by Bright Eyes and buy the original song and become fans. it does clearly say on the youtube video- “the Killers cover Bright Eyes.” If anything this was a good deed from the Killers. They’re introducing their fan base to an underrated song by a talented songwriter. By the way, this is the Killers’ first ever cover of a band from their generation.
All the little emo kids already know who Bright Eyes are. Trust me. (Nothing against Bright Eyes, they’re fantastic, but I know for a fact that emo kids love them.)
You are SO right that it hurts
Well that’s four minutes of my life I’ll never have back. Hell, I think Microsoft Songsmith could have done better.
Despite thinking this cover was horrendous, I have to admit it’s kind of amusing hearing Bright Eyes done by someone with a smooth voice. But I’d take Conor Oberst’s crackling wail over Brandon Flowers any day.
Who cares if you like it or not? I’d rather go though my day having witnessed a train wreck than some mediocre cover band. Enjoy the awful because it makes you appreciate the good even more.
Brandon re-writes the song Mr. Brigtside as a love balled to Connor, dubbing it Mr. Bright Eyes.
In the year 2000.
what the hell?!?!!?
I’m a huge fan of both bands and I’m just going to say I find this terrible.
I too am a fan of both bands. I hate this.
AS FAR as i remember The Kilers were never good enough, so why to be right now?
fuckin’ thing sucks.
i cant beat off to this!
Conor Oberst is spitting out his vodka somewhere.
He has to have consented if it’s released on the single…
Actually, you never need a songwriter’s permission to record and release their song unless it’s never been previously released. EVER. Conor didn’t have to consent to shit.
the only time the songwriter doesn’t have to give permission is if they’ve already sold the rights to someone else.
if the label owns 51% of the rights of his song or greater, and they’re both on the same label, then that would also possibly be a situation in which they wouldn’t need conor’s consent.
but just because he’s released it already, that doesn’t mean they can cover it without consent. it’s almost exactly the opposite of what you wrote, “copyright law”…
even if the killers are just playing it in concert, especially if they aren’t giving him full writing credits right there on the stage, conor can rightfully sue them, whether or not it’s even been recorded.
without explicit consent, them covering this song is a reproductive rights issue, an intellectual rights issue, and probably a performance rights issue.
there may be minor differences between copyright law in the US and copyright law in canada [which is what i'm referencing], but i’m almost positive your statement is completely wrong.
i’m interested to see your references though, and learn more about the basis of your statement.
“In other instances, the (Copyright) Act removes certain reproductions, performances, and displays from the copyright owner’s exclusive control and substitutes a “compulsory licensing” scheme. This compromise provision permits certain uses of the copyrighted work without the copyright owner’s consent, but requires the user to adhere to statutory formalities, and to pay specified fees to the copyright owner. The most important and longstanding example relates to making recordings of nondramatic musical works. The current statute provides that once the copyright owner of a nondramatic musical composition has authorized distribution to the public in the United States of a “phonorecord” embodying the composition, another producer may make and distribute phonorecords of the composition to the public. The compulsory licensee may not, without authorization, simply duplicate a preexisting recording; it must produce an independent sound recording with its own musical performers and arrangement.”
Copyright Cases and Materials, 7th Edition, Robert A. Gorman and Jane C. Ginsburg
lol you mean his PBR
I am a fan of both and actually like the cover. Sorry if this offends anyone.
Same. It’s very good if you listen a couple of times… and accept that it’s not trying to sound like Bright Eyes.
coool i like this better
but who cares ha ha
the killers, the bravery, air born toxic event, blue october, they kinda all suck. but so do other bands… pay no mind. by you bogging this just encourages them to keep making music.. don’t buy their records, don’t listen to them. ignore them, they will go away. this shit is like a sand storm, just close your eyes, hold your breath and prey for it to be over.
the.worst.
this is total shite. how does this add anything to the song? sounds like something some douchebag hipsters would do for a high school dance.
i fuckin hate it when people double-post
sufjan stevens the killers are not! WHAT?
When i hear this, i realize how much better the lyrics are than if it were an actual killers song. And how Conor is a much better writer than brandon flowers. And how he is really just a good writer in general.
i never thought i would dislike anything bright eyes… miley cyrus couldn’t do them less justice
This is what would have naturally occurred if Conor had taken the “Digital Ash” route instead of the “I’m Wide Awake” route.
If the Killers like folk rock so much, why do they keep making it sound like shit?
Am I the only one who can’t see the word “Spaceman” written anymore without mentally pronouncing it as “Spuh-che-man”?
whoa, “Bright Eyes” (what the fuck is wrong with anyone who would call himself ‘bright eyes’, what a tool) actually has fans? still? ugh. i don’t think much of the Killers, but they are better than fucking “Bright Eyes”.
Of course it’s not as good as the original. Nothing is as good as Conor/Bright Eyes originals. Nothing. I’m a huge Bright Eyes fan and not really that into The Killers but I don’t mind it at all. Like a few other people said, at least The Killers have made the song their own instead of just imitating like most bands do when they cover something.
I usually like when The Killers cover songs and this is good. I love their new synthy approach. I think they are still a great band.
The original is great too
OMGZ guilty pleasure.
Everyone really needs to calm down a bit here! Yes the original is really good and Conor Oberst wrote a great song. But can you not see that The Killers obviously like the song and wanted to do something of their own with it? And it’s not as if they’re going to say, “Oh, we really like this song, let’s do a cover and make it sound exactly like the original.”
The synthy approach seems to be what they are doing at the minute and it’s what they’ve done with this song. If you don’t like it that’s your opinion and it’s absolutely fine but there’s no need to insult either of the bands, either Brandon or Conor, or Mormonism for that matter.
Here’s something for you. I loved this song when it was first realeased and am a big Bright Eyes fan. Also, I don’t overly like synth music. But I prefer the Killers version. It rocks.
I really like both versions! I’m a fan of both bands- I don’t believe the Killers were going for a duplication of Conor Oberst’s style or soul (which they obviously couldn’t acheive), but they rocked it in their typical style.
turn the page
They put a donk on it.
I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say that this is not that bad…
step 1) upload “Human” from Day & Age
step 2) remove original lyrics
step 3) cut ‘n’ paste in Bright Eyes lyrics
step 4) mix ‘n’ master – VOILA!
Sorry, hope they weren’t trying to do something original, but after their Joy Division and Springsteen phases, were you expecting authenticity from these guys? On the upside, it could have been worse – they could’ve tried something from the Digital Ash album…
HORRIBLE cover. Leave the real music alone and keep your techno beat to yourselves please.
april fools?
theoretically, this should be the worst song ever recorded.
I’m not entirely against the Killer’s synth pop but this was just blah. Oberst’s vocals have conviction and originality, and, I’m not sure how to word this, but I suppose his voice makes an impression on you. Plus the more upbeat country style has a hook which the killers karaoke backing track just doesn’t.
But as someone above said – Enjoy the awful because it makes you appreciate the good even more and I couldn’t agree more, I’m off to put on Casadaga which I haven’t listened to in ages.
You assholes are such pricks. Get over yourselves.
I love the killers cover, love the synth…and his voice! It’s better than the boring original version.
You sick fuck.
It sounds like the 80′s puked out complacency.
does anyone else just wanna take a shit on the faces of the killers??
i love it when an amazing song is put to a synth, pop, 80s-esque beat and sung by a total fuck-job….. no disrespect, but a total embarrassment
- and the post above is hilarious
does anyone else just wanna shit on the face of brandon flowers??
a love it when an amazing song is put to a synth, poppy, 80s-esque beat and song by a total fuck-job….. no disrespect, but a total insult
^Actually, no, not really. I think he’s great and so are The Killers. Then that’s just my opinion.
i think the key to enjoying this song is not thinking about conor’s version. pretending as if its the first time you ever heard it in any form… then its actually pretty good.
a cover song should sound relatively different from the original to be even remotely meaningful, but the killer’s adaptation of four winds is completely devoid of it’s characteristic soul. the lyrics feel completely lifeless.
the killers do what they do well, but if they’re looking to do a cover that will translate well with their sound, i think it’s fair to say it’s nowhere near bright eyes.
i would’ve rather them failed at trying something more experimental & out of their comfort zone then raze a quality song by sticking to their “one-trick pony” sound.
this blows vaginas and ballzzz
HAHAHA! I concur.
this disgusts me…
I am a huge fan of Bright Eyes, and a good fan of The Killers, and I just have to say that this made me laugh harder than I ever have in my life. This is the greatest/funniest thing I’ve ever heard.
the whore of Babylon.
The meaning of the song is lost behind 80s synth.
Oh what a great surprise! Another boring song by the Killers! I
t goes with that shitty single Spaceman
I’m a huge fan of covers, and this one isn’t too bad, they definitely made it their own…even if “their own” now isn’t was it was a few years ago. The Killers have gone downhill and kind of have an Arcade Fire feel to them. However, I was never a fan of bands being able to sell covers, especially on an EP like this, where it’s clearly the featured track. Seriously, where do they get off putting two versions of a song that’s already had its day, a “bonus track”, and a cover of a great song? Eh, The Killers kill me sometimes. A lot more than they once did. Sigh.
I love bright eyes, I think the killers are ok, I think this is a cool version of the song.
Why??? This song is lacking something. Oh yeah, TALENT!
Crappy band playing a good song = meh..
The thing is, it is probably the best song the killers have ever made.(by that i don’t mean it is good) That just says how great the original song by Bright Eyes was.
I’m not sure if some folks here need to get their hearing checked or if people are jumping on the Killers hating bandwagon simply because they’re too scared on a public blog to do anything different and so conformity takes ahold of some of you. However, I have been a huge Killers fan for a long time and Bright Eyes to me is nothing special, I think The Killers did this band a huge favor and after listening and comparing both versions for awhile I can confidently say that The Killers version is a much needed improvement to an otherwise boring & generic song. Brandon’s voice is impeccable and Bright Eyes can stand to learn a thing or two.
I’m not sure if some folks here need to get their hearing checked or if people are jumping on the Killers hating bandwagon simply because they’re too scared on a public blog to do anything different and so conformity takes ahold of some of you. However, I have been a huge Killers fan for a long time and Bright Eyes to me is nothing special, I think The Killers did this band a huge favor and after listening and comparing both versions for awhile I can confidently say that The Killers version is a much needed improvement to an otherwise boring & generic song. Brandon’s voice is impeccable and Bright Eyes can stand to learn a thing or two.
My favorite part of the Bright Eyes version is that awesome high lonesome fiddle sound. Without that, I don’t care for it.
I like both bands. I like the Bright Eyes original. In fact I really like Cassadaga… and Conor’s solo album. BUT I do not like the Killers cover of this song. It just doesn’t work. There’s no emotion. It’s cold and flat. The Killers cover of that Morrissey song “why don’t you find out for yourself” wasn’t great, but it was much better than this.
Couldn’t agree more! Great cover
Is it wrong that i like both?
He really technically isn’t. I mean, how many people got famous of off youtube and myspace? At least in commercial and mainstream pop music. Just take someone who could either sing, rap, or produce decent songs, have it polished and mastered by actual engineers and profressionals, and bong… you have a hit that has the potential of even selling platinum. And when they played “Crank That” on the Hot97 radio (in NY), it sounded like it was fuckin ripped straight off his myspace page.
As for this song, it’s alright.
Bright Eyes and The Killers are two of my favorite bands. Connor deserves more success than he has at the moment, he is a lyrical genius and maybe this song will open up the eyes of some people.
I love this cover. It’s not nearly as good as the original but its still a great sound. They are two of the only good musical groups in a decade of absolute shit music, I just hope they both continue to succeed and grow.
Brandon Flowers, the Mormon, has sung about questioning his faith before from lyrics he wrote. “slipping in my faith until i fall” – just an example of a Mormon questioning what he believes. it’s human nature, man, and that’s an unfound reason to dislike the song. choose a more educated reason and more people will honor your opinion, if not agree with it. but his inability to relate to the song should be brandon flowers’ issue, not yours.
he didn’t name it bright eyes after himself dude
Nice try for willful ignorance there, my friend, but that notorious talk was given by a Quorum member in the 50s. No one who founded the Mormon church said that. It’s not doctrine at all.
Geeze, I can’t believe this is even coming up. This is weird!
You’re right, Young did say that. I was referring, however, to your previous false statement. I don’t think pointing out your fact-checking errors is propaganda, do you?
What do you expect from a church made by men in the civil war era, dude? They reflect their times (though Joseph Smith, Mormon founder, believed in racial equality). Young was pretty much a racist. That dude who you quoted earlier was a racist (You’re allowed to have different social views in that church). That wasn’t part of their fundamental beliefs, though they had a rule that excluded black men from certain parts of the faith. But then came the civil rights movement and, surprise, everything changed! Now they’ve got strong black membership (mostly in Africa, where the missionaries go). Really, their history is just as spotty as any other religion.
Finally, those 17 years of my life spent bored as shit every sunday came in handy! Though I don’t understand why people feel so threatened by another boring ass church like that. Scientology is killing people, has its own private army, and has bunkers in the desert!
oookaaayyyy! im mormon and last time i checked we didn’t practice racism…how do i know??? im mexican and i have friends that members and are also black. so shut the hell up and lets get back to the topic of the cover and not the religion of Brandon Flowers!!!!!! Music!!! not Mormons!!!!! i like both. The killers took a risk and still managed to be true to their sound…Conor is a amazing lyicist.
yeah because, you know, people of the time didn’t have the right mind about blacks. including Lincoln. who wholly supported racial segregation, or even sending them to Liberia because “We can not make them equals.” Things change dude.
oh please there is definitely racial hatred as a part of mormon doctrine. we’re not stupid, we’ve met mormons who’ve ‘turned’. or at least, I have. sorry suckers, I know your secrets!