New Killers - "Human"
When the Killers debuted a couple of new tracks at their fan club (i.e. Sam's Club) show in NYC this summer, we noted Brandon had "remembered how to shave, how not to ape the Boss, and how to write a hook." That breakdown's somewhat applicable to the first studio song from the band's forthcoming set Day & Age: "Human" has an alright chorus, no part of it owes a debt to NJ's finest, and that's a recent press shot over there. The track's bulit around synths, a dance beat, and the '80s, although it's less the youthful, midnight glitz of Hot Fuss, more the glitter of a chill-out, late night afterparty.
Stream it here.
Stuart Price is on production there. Day & Age is due out 11/25 via Island.
Posted at 9:36 AM by amrit
Tags: The Killers
This capital S Sucks.
They ditched the whole "boss" vibe and went for trashy euro soccer music (at least on the chorus)
Score = 2
meh. it's the killers. it's catchy. it's not quite as good as their other singles. i'm sure it will be stuck in my head for weeks as all their singles tend to be. i'd much rather hear the likes of this on the radio than some of the other dreck that people put out.
Score = 0
Even I'm disappointed, and I like the new Kings of Leon. "When You Were Young" is better. "Inspired by Bruce" is infinitely better than "Inspired by Eiffel 65."
Score = 6
sorry i greatly prefer the euro-disco killers to the almost-but-not-quite-springsteen killers
Score = 1
Thank God they're back to synthy stuff.
Score = 2
The Killers are a bunch of really, really ugly dudes.
Score = -2
I'm willing to bet The Cribs are a bit uglier
Score = 2
Good stuff. I'm almost embarrassingly excited for this album.
Score = 1
too easy.
Score = 1
The Killers are soooooo lame. They are awful in concert and think they are gods, truely sad. Their just another pompass band who are in it JUST for the money and how tight they can get their gay pants to fit.
Score = -12
"are we human or are we dancers?" - gotta be the worst lyric yet from any album....and they say it like 15 times in the song....argggg
Score = -2
if this is there single they're fucked... and this is coming from a Killers fan.
Score = 3
It is the first single. I'm thinking this is going to be a really catchy pop album, though, in the KISS FM type of way.
Score = 0
I don't dislike it, but it seems like a funny choice for a first single.
Score = 2
aren't dancers humans?
Score = 4
can't humans be humans AND dancers?
Score = 1
No. One or the other. Choose.
Score = 8
Gabba gabba hey
Score = 0
Last two albums we're good in spots but this is a little too polished for my taste.
Score = 1
the lyrics to this song make me want to murder unborn babies. fuckin terrible
Score = -2
Hmmm, Its not horrible, but it is a little too Euro-popish for my tastes. Im not too worried about the album though, this is only one song. From the interviews, it sounds like they are combining the sounds from both albums. So i am excited to see where they go with it
Score = 1
Make them stop! What have we done to deserve this? It's just horrible.
Score = 0
Always luv the Killers. So bad it's good. "Are we human / or are we dancers?" Ha! Great stuff.
Score = -1
It's actually 'Are we human or are we denser?'
And I really don't think this was a good idea for the Killers. I'm a huge fan but this is going nowhere near rock radio.
Score = 0
I actually really liked Sam's Town, even more so than Hot Fuss. I think a lot of people got hung up on thier new, post-Mr. Brightside MTV image and instantly started hating on anything Killers (as seen in these comments) much like people do with Coldplay, or Vampire Weekend more recently. I loved how over the top Sam's town went, and tracks like Sam's Town and This River is Wild really should have been singles, but they release Bones and When you were young which were weaker parts of the album. I'm hoping this song is also one of the weaker parts of the new album..
Its just so damn techno. disco. lame. There is no rock to it, its too softer. its much softer than Mr. Brightside, and that was soft. Crossing my fingers the album is better.
Score = 1
It's gone! Where to find it?
Score = 1
It is actually "Are we human, or are we denser?". So stop sayin they are crap lyrics, they are actually quiet good!
Score = -1
Human is great. I love this song. People need to chill out and stop expecting Hot Fuss or Sam's Town. The band is growing up, and they show it through their music. Spaceman and Neon Tiger are different than Human, so the album wont be boring and the same. You can listen to the song at www.thekillersmusic.com.
Score = -1
Catchy but shallow. This is a bit poppy for my tastes. I am sure the crappy top 40 stations will eat this up. I have loved The Killers since the beginning but man I don't know. I will have to wait to hear the rest. They are still great live.
Score = 0
Silly humans!
Of course not!
Humans can't be humans AND dancers!
Humans are humans.
Dancers are dancers.
I'm both though.
Score = 2
This new single sucks. I don't think I've heard anything worse in awhile, besides some of TV on the Radio's new shit. It sounds like a mix between Coldplay's ever-so-popular-amongst-mothers-and-teenage-boys-and-girls "Viva La Vida" and really bad rejected electro that Steve Aoki or Crystal Castles can't use to remix. It also has some fucking terrible lyrics. I get that The Killers are trying to be a bit more "sophisticated" with their songs and their lyrics, but come the fuck on, please don't try to be philosophical and develop some really silly shit like asking whether or not humans are dancers. If Plato was still alive, he'd probably ask The Killers, are we all dumb asses? or are the four members of The Killers the only ones?
Score = -6
Since when is a dance beat "sophisticated"?
But it's okay, I understand. You'll trash them no matter what the fuck they do.
Their lyrics sound cheesy if you expect them to be on the level of Plato. Which, um, why would you do that? But if you just take them lightly and stop being so cynical then you might actually enjoy them. And just maybe, for three minutes, you won't have that cloud hanging over your head.
Score = 2
I agree. He is A CUNT
Score = 0
Very fun first single. All you nervous types- I'm willing to bet that the next single will blow your minds. The Killers let people ridicule them all they want, but at the end of the day they know exactly what they're doing.
Score = 0
Okay. I'm not a big fan of the Killers, but their radio stuff was adequate & catchy so I have no interest in Killers backlash. Radio is playing the hell out of Human and this is just a flat out bad song. Synth pop can be great, but this is not. It sounds tired, uninteresting, and well...old. If you're going to recycle something, don't use synths and beats that Spandau Ballet would vomit up on a bad day.
Score = 2
I think its 'denser' not 'dancers'.
Score = 2
FUCK the lot of you. this song is amazing!!! killers are amazing
Score = 3
Talk about dense! What a bunch of haters in here. Geez! It's a fun, catchy song. Love it!
Score = 0
heres a link to the song http://www.last.fm/music/The+Killers/_/Human
Score = 0
are you kidding? brandon is HOTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Score = -2
i'm a human...AND I LIKE DANCING! where the fuck does that leave me?
Score = -1
god that's a fucking original joke.
If you had actually bothered to listen to the song instead of racing ahead to give everyone here the pleasure of your amazing comedic skills, you would of heard that the lyrics were denser, not dancer.
Douche bag
Score = -1
hey liam why don't you shut the eff up you effing effer. just shut your effing mouth you. the lyric is "dancer" and you can go to amazon.com and read the press release about the album in which brandon explains that the lyric comes from something hunter s thompson said about america raising a generation of dancers so just shut it. eff!
Score = 0
Am I the only person who, upon hearing this, instantly sees The Neverending Story?
Seriously, I can't wait for someone to cut scenes of Atreyu and Falcor flying around to this song.
That said, it's alright.I'll probably check the album out, but I'm fairly indifferent to the song. Brandon knows how to write the hooks though, I'll have this one stuck in my head for awhile.
Score = 1
I don't mind the europop diversion. It doesn't reach the giddiness of other American faux-europop like "Tribulations" from LCD Soundsystem, but it's not completely terrible. It's definitely better than "Bones." I'm just glad they're over their Americana/Springsteen obsession. You're a new wave band, guys. You're never going to be as "important" as Bruce. The epic guitar solos were also becoming a joke. I saw them in concert in Camden and it was like watching Slash rising from the water in "Don't Cry." I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a parody or for real.
Score = 0
call me a douche bag but denser does not rhyme with answer.
Score = 0
So where the fuck is the song, and how are people commenting on how good it is after it was obviously not working? lol
Score = 0
Sounds alot like gay european dance music, what happened to the masculine persona of sam's town, the killers just reversed that with taking on the persona of boy george
Score = -2
Gotta be the first NO.1
Score = 0
No.No No No. Not good at all. First album copying the Strokes, second album Springsteen...and now cheesy 80's music. I think this song was in the movie Never Ending Story. Brandon it's time to break up the Killers and go back to being an assbag.
Score = 0
i really like it. big killers fan, so theres no surprise that i like it, but i dont get the hate...its just a fun, poppy, silly song...and to those saying no one will pick it up on radio, youre fucking kidding yourself, itll be massive because of the 3 things i mentioned before. itll be a massive hit with commercial radio.
also, there was some ass who said they were no good live...the concert they played at festival hall in melbourne last year was astonishing. i know the place is old but jeez it was *this* close to falling apart they were so good. oh well, cant please everyone, but most of their fans im sure will like it...as they do.
Score = 0
No hook, whatsoever. I wanted a hit you in the chest When You Were Young caliber song. I like the new direction, Stuart Price did a pretty decent job with production (although missing some big full bass tones) and Brandon's voice sounds good. But there is absolutely NO song there.
Score = 0
Are we human or are we denser....you mean
Score = -1
How come every time a band changes their sound and people don't like it the immediate defense is that they're growing up? You can grow up to be crappy. Also this just sounds like they jumped on the whole 80's dance wave that's going not maturity.
Score = 0
sounds like a killers song... its okay, but radio filler.
Score = 0
This sounds like a Disney's Pochahantas song remixed for a gay dance club.
Score = 1
Fight the Sadness, Atreyu!
Score = 0
This is about as bad as it gets. The song doesn't even make sense. BIGGEST letdown ever......
Score = 0
It IS CATCHY, it IS fun. It is also TERRIBLE. It's a BAD pop tune. Period.
Massive failure to generate the frenzy it aims at with its bombastic 80s production and huge chorus.
Bad Peter Schilling!
Score = 0
This song makes me want to vomit my own testicles. Absolutely wretched.
Score = 0
defo not a good song, ive all the killers music, and im not liking this one, hope album is better, going to see them next year..........
Score = 0
I am a Killers fan no doubt. This track is tight though not their best. I am pretty sure that they are saying "are we Human or are we Dancer" maybe alluding to a hypothetical speacies...maybe not. Anyway im too stoked to hear this new album. And the Killers fuckin kill it in concert and they are leagues ahead of the majority of indie groups still on indie labels. these guys havent sold out just becaus they have hit it big. Dont be indie haters. im gonna wait till i hear the album in full to judge. And the other two tracks spaceman and neon tiger which i have heard live versions of seem pretty sick and will sound alot better in high fidelity. PEace
Score = 0
WAFTY WAFTY WAFTY!!! The first album was truly Indie Rock n Roll and brilliant! The second, American Stadium rock but accesptable!!! . . . the third sounds like it's going to be a Euro Dance pile of WAFT!!!! What a waste!!!!
Score = -1
what the fuck are you yanks on about
euro soccer music?!
firstly its football not soccer
secondly that killers are from your depleted gene pool so dont try and palm this humans or dancer bullshit onto my greatly diverse gene pool that is europe
nuff said i think.
Score = 0
I wonder if its to do with a relationship .. are they genuine enough to share all their human emotions with each other, or are they just dancing around in a fling?
Score = 0
wake the fuck up and stop listening to this garbage. obviously this band isn't trying anymore. horrible song, terribly lyrics, annoying and fucking stupid.
to the killers-
stop releasing bullshit like this. nobody needs to hear it
Score = 0
haha retard it's "are we human or are we denser?" you're stupid, listen to the lyrics, it actually means something. "are we human or are we dancers?" where the fuck are you getting your shit.
Score = -1
Geez! You're all a bunch of American idiots! What?...you think your 2 chord boooooring white trash music is above European pop? Listening to the average american band is like listening to a hoover. A few pathetic chords and the same melody over and over again. Don't know they even bother. It's just about as sophisticated as Garth Brooks. Fact is the only American music that's any good these days is r&b/pop and most of the tracks that dominate the charts are written by Europeans. Killers have grown tremendously and "Spaceman" is probably the best pop song you'll hear this year.
Score = 0
Latenighter is comparing the lyrics to Plato since he originally quoted it! I'll be honest I dislike The Killers, but it's because of their fans. All they wanna do is suck Brandon's cock. They have this irritating ignorance about the band that you just can't reason against. Every thought out argument is replyed with "Yeah, but they're growing as a band and besides Brandon Flowers is just like Freddie Mercury." Shame, really. Because the first two albums were alright. I like Dave Keuning's guitaring also. Mighty Undies has this spot on though.
Peace Out.
Score = 0
I thought for sure it was DANZA. Flowers is asking us if we are HUMAN and therefore real or are we DANZA and therefore stupid and fictitious like Tony Danza's character "Tony" in "Who's the Boss" and countless other ridiculous characters he has played in his career.
Score = 0
What everyone here is clearly too uneducated and inexperienced to know is that the real failure of this song is in its facile idea that a "dancer" as a metaphor would suggest something "less" than human; something robotic and silly. This is suggested by the band's web site which states that the lyrics were inspired by a disparaging comment by Hunter S. Thompson about America raising a generation of "dancers" (clearly too blitzed out of his mind to have a true intellectual insight at that moment). No doubt, and quite vapidly, Hunter meant to equate dancer with "follower" someone who acts before thinking, as is Britney Spears and her brethren embody an ancient, powerful, ecstatic art that is the word DANCE. Talk about REDUCTIVE! Whatever you might want to call those who just memorize and perform steps to a beat, they might be in a sense dancing, but they do not embody DANCE, its great history, and the entirety of the word dancer! It's like trying to say that the word "artist" must be the equivalent to something juvenile and/or unsophisticated, since of course preschoolers pasting crappy little construction paper designs together, with scribbles,are in a sense doing an "art" project, and therefore are artists.
In sum: what the Killers display in this song is their blaring idiocy and facile (mis)understanding of the art of dance--as well as their poor judgment in taking any sort of inspiration from someone as fucked up and pseudo-intellectual as the late Hunter S. Thompson.
The only way for them to redeem themselves would be to say they are being ironic in their interpretation & treatment of HST's quote--but putting the emphasis on dancer (it is the alternative, phrased almost as a positive suggestion, as the note goes up on danCER? and the vocals sound positive and even gentle on the word "dancer" so the potential is certainly there. The song could therefore be suggesting that, rather than being *merely* human, we could possibly be something more; thinking of one of the most universal and powerful rituals as well as art forms, the art of dancing--the dancer within us--the ecstatic poetic expression of a dancer.
But I'm not holding my breath, these dudes (The Killers) like the bulk of their fans (as read here, with much depression--but not enough to kill myself like HST--) are simply not that bright. Talented? Yes. But since I am related to two different rock stars (or erstwhile stars, rather) I can tell you that these guys/rockstars generally, with few exceptions, most of which are from the past, do not lead a fully examined and intellectual life--the life of the mind needed to produce beautiful meaningful lyrics. Certainly this is the case with the song Human by the Killers.
For my own peace of mind I answer the song: Dancer! Yes, I'm a dancer, someone who believes we can transcend the mundane, (and in the case of this blog: meanspirited and shallow) nature of the boorish basic needs of just being alive as a human being---think of those moments of beauty, when we are in touch with our senses (and this requires actually *being* sensitive, so again, dim faith any of these bloggers here will have a clue what I am referring too!) and the ecstasies of epiphanies, of enlightenment, of creativity, and the way these can all come together in an incredibly joyous thrill through the expression (yes EXPRESSION---can't get much more individual than that!!!) OF DANCE!!!!!!!!
Let's all read more, think more, feel more, and get our heads out of our asses and create and contribute to this "dancer's" universe! That's what Mr. dummypants Hunter S. Thompson was trying to caution to future generations (key word "trying") but he failed in his misnomer metaphor "dancers"--proving he didn't know enough about the philosophy he professed to preach!
Score = 0
Load of shit! What ever happened to songs like Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me?
Score = 0