you kill me

January 29th, 2009

Sometimes the importance of a band is very clear. Nobody will ever question the musical influence of bands like The Strokes and The Libertines even though commercially only a very limited demographic would have ever listened to them. Chuck Klosterman discusses this phenomenom in his book IV when he compared the legacy of The Ramones vs Ratt. The basic idea is that bands that reach mass audiences by definition appeal to a lower common denominator and thus are not as cool as their niche market counterparts.

What I find upsetting is when members of our certain musical niche dismiss the quality of a band outright once they happen to break into a Top 40 market. A perfect example of this would be The Killers, a band whose musical talent and innovation make them (in my mind) one of the most important bands of this new century. When I first heard Hot Fuss it not so subtly changed my life… I wanted to be a part of that sound and it eventually influenced my move to NYC in the winter of 2004. Back then it was perfectly acceptable to love the Killers. It was only after every cretin with a radio rocked out to Mr. Brightside that they suddenly were not worthy of a place beside great 21st century bands like The White Stripes and The Strokes.

But peer pressure is a bitch and after years of virulent defense I was ready to admit to a certain lack of judgement. My lack of wild enthusiasm about this first single Human cemented this feeling and I got myself the rest of the album because I figured that they deserved a farewell listen.

But basically… I wasn’t wrong. They still push the limits and innovate with the best of them. I will confidently dismiss anyone that even tries to put them in league with the other “emo pop” bands that are so prevalent today. Brandon Flowers is one of the more dynamic and aesthetically advanced frontmen in music today and I’m glad to be back in their corner. So give them a listen… they deserve it and so do you.

Written by Zac |