The Killers - Battle Born

Limited edition 180-gram red vinyl

20-page overside book and full color poster included

"Think back to what constituted "rock" when the Killers broke out in 2004. Bands were back. New York rediscovered post-punk. Disco was no longer a dirty word to dudes with guitars. But eight years on, what happened to all those dressed-up guys rocking the dance floor? The White Stripes, LCD Soundsystem, Fall Out Boy, all gone; the Vines, the Bravery, Panic! at the Disco, all forgotten; Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, the Hives, barely hanging on. Who would've predicted that beyond the Strokes (and should they ever get it back together, those abominable Kings of Leon), the only remaining band with a seemingly unbeatable blazers + hooks + riffs + grooves + cheekbones combo still threatening to sustain their run as an international, cross-generational arena-rock phenomenon would be the one behind 'Mr. Brightside'?

"And yet the indie crowd and much of the media still slam the Killers. Many critics can't accept a bridge that unites the seemingly incompatible kingdoms of Morrissey and Bruce Springsteen, and therefore an incredulous, bullying tone follows the Killers everywhere. There's the implication that frontman Brandon Flowers' Mormon faith and apparent lack of self-destructive tendencies makes him unfit to rock; their lyrics are shot full of holes, yet if Animal Collective had come up with 'Are we human, or are we dancer?' they'd be hailed as cryptic geniuses. Rarely do the Killers get credit for being one of the few working-class bands with the temerity and talent to achieve populist yet defiantly arty rock stardom at a time when even middle-class musicians with better educations don't dare dream of transcending the Brooklyn boho ghetto.