MAINSTREAM MONDAY: The Killer’s Imploding the Mirage
Will Mainstream Monday be a thing? I don’t know, but it is today! We’re featuring guest writer and The Killers super fan Matthew L. Stroneski this week to break down the band’s newest album Imploding the Mirage. For great comedy and cooking tips, check out Cooking with Stro via his YouTube channel.
I have been a victim for a long time now; 17 years to be exact. “A victim of what?” you might ask… well that is simple, The Killers. Back in 2004 I was merely 11 years old when their debut album Hot Fuss hit the music scene and I was smitten. I appreciated the fast paced music and the playful lyrics especially in their song, “Somebody Told Me.” I was mused at a very young age with the idea that, “somebody” could have “told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year”. Intriguing lyrics like these were as confusing and thought provoking as classics like “MacArthur Park” where Richard Harris or Donna Summer lament that, “Someone left the cake out in the rain, I don’t think I can take it ‘cause it took so long to bake it and I’ll never have that recipe again”. These lyrics are so nonsensical that they are easy to remember and effortlessly get stuck in one’s head.
The American rock group burst onto the scene as an alternative/indie rock group and have slowly morphed their sound over time to something that could be considered more glam or dance rock these days. The glam and dance aspects of their music certainly serve as an ohmage to their Las Vegas roots and the spectacle that is considered the neon capital of the world. Meanwhile, the rock aspect of their genius comes from the desert and the grit that comes with that dry desolate landscape. Personally, I prefer the days when they were more alternative and less dance rock, which brings me to their sixth and newest studio album, Imploding the Mirage, released on August 21st.
The album as a whole encompasses where they were, where they are now, and where they are going. Imploding the Mirage is a melodic melding of both the classic Killers that we love and their dance rock that gives the group the stomp-and holler-good time vibe; with influences that pull from unlikely sources such as Bruce Springsteen and Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff.
On the album’s lead single, “Caution”, Ronald Vannucci Jr. comes in hard on the drums off the quick and doesn’t stop until band front man, Brandon Flowers is done romanticizing the pitfalls of growing up in a small town. The record tells the story of a young female trying to remove the yoke of societal pressures and leave her small town to make a name for herself. The message isn’t limited to just those from a small town though, it speaks to universal yearning to be more and to actually follow your dreams instead of falling into the regular humdrum life you’re destine for. Flowers urges you to break free and make change for yourself by throwing caution to the wind, “'Cause it's some kind of sin to live your whole life on a ‘might've been’”.
The third single, “My Own Soul’s Warning”, is where the Bruce Springsteen flare comes in. This record reminds me of Springsteen’s album Born In The U.S.A, but more specifically, “Dancing In The Dark”. There are elements of classic rock such as exciting keyboard cords and the presence of a xylophone that accompany the percussion that simply feels 80’s American rock. These sounds bring me back to the days of my youth cruising around town with my father in his 1977 Oldsmobile 442. This record again speaks to following your gut instinct and not going against your own soul’s warning in regards to what is meant to be.
“Dying Breed,” the fourth single off Imploding The Mirage, is a trip. The opening gave me flashbacks to waking up at 3am on the couch to “The George Lopez Show” on Nick at Night blasting “Low Rider” by War. The record is a classic Killers indie rock song sandwiched between a funky baseline and some heavily synthesized vocals. I am really appreciating the synth pop rock combination that we have been seeing from artists as of late and The Killers really deliver on this track. Sticking with the album’s theme of throwing caution to the wind and listening to your soul’s desires, “Dying Breed” speaks to people having gumption and suggests that most people these days are sell outs. The dying breed Flowers bellows about are the ones who double down and stick to their morals as opposed to those hopping on the lasted fads.
Albums are elevated when an artist weaves a story through their entire album. More than just a collection of eight to twelve decent songs, it is a cohesive storyline from the first track through the last. We’ve seen it done by Kid Cudi with Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day, Bleachers with Gone Now, and even Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Well, add The Killers to that list with Imploding The Mirage.
I will admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of their last studio album, Wonderful Wonderful, so I did not have high hopes for Imploding the Mirage; but here I type with egg on my face. If you love, hate, or are indifferent to The Killers, I truly believe you will find something you like on this album. Bands are always evolving and finding new sound, but what they have done here is something special that not many bands can achieve after continual evolution. I feel that for the first time The Killers have found their voice and their essence. Imploding the Mirage is not an evolution but the culmination of refinement and perfecting their sound. The killers are able to appease the indie rock, dance rock, and American rock fans by paying ohmage not only to themselves but great artists that have paved the way before them.
In an interview with NME Magazine when Imploding the Mirage was released, Flowers stated, “We’re going to release another one in about 10 months. We’ve already gone back into the studio... I’m excited. It might be better than this one.” On December 22nd, the band posted a photo to their Instagram page with “A List” scribbled in the corner followed by a list of 11 possible song titles. We are getting close! If they were to stick to their ten-month timetable, that would put their seventh album release around June. That would certainly be something to look forward to.
Matthew L. Stroneski is a social media personality and the creative director behind the Cooking with Stro YouTube series. He’s seen a number of the best live arena shows of the past decade, and holds an English degree from the University of Connecticut, meaning he writes words good. You can reach him through our Contact form or by emailing contact@mvsicthovght.com.