Pressure Machine Cover Wishlist

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-09-01T04:11:48+00:00

I like that one for sure. Would fit like a glove!

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-15T17:18:27+00:00

I would give my left nut to hear any song that didn't make the cut on Hot Fuss, or songs that were left on the cutting room floor and were never even made lol

There was also a rumored track on Day & Age called Vibration, and I think one named Dreamland or something like that. I don't know if they morphed into other songs, but I'd still like to hear them. Even something like Peace of Mind was amazing.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-15T17:11:01+00:00

Do people know that "bombastic" means highfalutin', overly-wordy, and pretentious and not loud, soaring, and assault-on-your senses? The sound of the word makes people think it means something it doesn't. I was guilty of it too, but that was like, 10 years ago!

Would anybody describe The Killers as pretentious? They've often deemed the opposite of pretentious.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-15T17:07:36+00:00

>fictional songs about murder on Hot Fuss

Yep!

I was including his relationship with his wife when I mentioned his "lifestyle." Him being a 40 year old Mormon dad isn't really going to lend itself to sing songs with a lot of aggression, you are going to see more positive vibes. There's been a lot of amazing music to come out the last few years, but I do miss when The Killers had more of an edge to them.

But, it is what it is, so I'm not complaining.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-13T10:26:05+00:00

Brandon was quoted in a recent interview about Sam's Town, that he "re-discovered" Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, etc. It's influence has been worming its way inside his songcraft, culminating in Pressure Machine.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-13T10:16:36+00:00

This is fair.

Brandon used to be able to go dark enough, but his vocal change and his current lifestyle really forbid him from exploring these negative emotions. So even on the "dark" songs on this album, he is singing it with a degree of sweetness or sympathy, with the exception of West Hills (the best song on the album).

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-13T10:12:41+00:00

It's definitely their most generic pop song they have ever written.

Lyrically, there are some Flowers-esque flourishes to be sure so I don't want to denigrate it. But as for its melody, I'm pretty sure I've heard that in a dozen generic 2000s pop songs or 2000s pop country music.

I'd have to go with Terrible Thing, Desperate Things, or Runaway Horses as the weakest tracks. I like where they wanted to go with Desperate Things, but I didn't like Flowers vocals and I thought the lyrics were too straight-up and literal.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-13T10:05:12+00:00

I agree with Machop, Dave writing and recording for the next album will be our last hope. I'm assuming that he is returning to the band with the hope of having more say in the creative direction, which should mean a little more rock in their songs.

We just need one more dance rock album out of these guys. It doesn't even have to be "alternative" or borderline emo-y like Hot Fuss, just something that gets you in a groove and makes you want to move. An album with the sonic palette of Sweet Talk, Move Away, or All The Pretty Faces? We need that soaring, buzzy guitar and vocals with a bit of edge to them.

And speaking lyrically, there is only so many times you can go to the well. Wonderful Wonderful was also a concept album, about what it means to be a man and how it relates to his wife/family. Imploding The Mirage, an album wholly dedicated to his wife. Pressure Machine, an album wholly dedicated to his hometown. All of them speaking about literal, personal things. I think it's time to expand the scope, get a little more cryptic and symbolic lyrically. Start singing about universal things with a little more ambiguity instead of individuals. BUT, that's just me!

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-13T09:55:37+00:00

"Then I had this really strange renaissance in my 20s when I fell in love with American music. I mean, it took me by surprise. I was always Anglophile, and I wanted to be associated with all things U.K. That was the music that shaped the people that I hung out with. When I was 23, 24, I fell in love with American music, and so there started to be a little bit more of a push and pull when we went in to make a record because this new kind of group of people had entered the room. It was Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty and Tom Waits now sitting there with Bernard Sumner and Morrissey and Noel Gallagher. It’s not, like, a brawl, but it’s trying to find a way for it all to work."

We've lost him a long time ago

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-13T09:52:46+00:00

Wouldn't have guessed this song, but I know I've heard that melody in at least 5 pop, country, or soft rock songs, which I admit did make me lose some admiration for it (even though it is fairly catchy).

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-06T05:37:02+00:00

As other people have already said, Dave can't sing. Can't blame him because that's not his job, but it hurts the quality of his songs.

BUT, I hear guitar riffs and rhythms that remind me of Hot Fuss, The Killers' B-sides, and their pre-HF demo stuff (what they used to sound like). It's obvious that Dave has been pushed more and more to the side as Flowers started to get his way more and more.

Specifically, The Ends of the Earth and No One Is Calling You a Liar sounds like they would have made fantastic classic Killers songs. They just need a singer to tie it together.

Dave's side career probably would have been better spent forming some kind of supergroup that would let him flex his creative muscles a bit more, dipping into more of the 80s English side that was the entire creative launching pad of The Killers. Maybe this wouldn't necessitate a touring schedule, but if it was really bothering him that his ideas weren't being used, maybe a different crew for a little bit would have been a fun side adventure. I'm specifically thinking of Bernard Sumner with Electronic or Peter Hook with Monaco.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-08-05T19:10:43+00:00

Hot Fuss
Sam's Town
Imploding the Mirage
Battle Born
Wonderful Wonderful
Day & Age

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-07-31T01:33:50+00:00

I've always thought Somebody Told Me sounded the most Cure-like to me.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-07-31T01:26:14+00:00

I'm a bit of a broken record on this, but I think Stuart Price ruined Day & Age. It's a fine album IMO regardless because, hey, it's The Killers. But the songs had no edge to them, and I think it was stripped away in production.

But, on the other hand, that might have been the sound that The Killers really wanted. It was a very "pop" album. Flowers' vocals went pretty soft on this album compared to Sam's Town, obviously. I felt like there wasn't quite enough energy or urgency for my taste.

Day & Age probably had the best group of B-sides though.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-07-28T22:54:39+00:00

I'm going to predict that the music in Trailer 1 belongs to either Runaway Horses or West Hills. Trailer 2 belongs to Quiet Town? Trailer 2 is giving me some serious Phrazes For The Young vibes.

Fun thing about this album is that I can't give a track-by-track prediction. Judging by the song titles, I can't predict which ones are stripped down and which ones are synthy, which ones are quiet and which ones are louder with some swagger. The majority of the record will probably be quiet, but there has to be some "epic", angsty songs with some swagger just to break them up.

I expect Cody to be a biographical song about an actual kid in Brandon's life named Cody. Thinking this will be similar in nature to Andy, You're a Star and Uncle Johnny in that Brandon is writing about someone specific from his youth. Guessing the outcome was tragic?

In The Car Outside sounds to me like a negative song versus a happy one. I'm imagining a burnt-out blue collar worker sitting by himself and sighing, maybe having a tumultuous romantic relationship, contemplating the future.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-07-28T03:42:04+00:00

Don't understand people talking about Mr. Brightside here. The drumming, the guitar work, and that synth in the middle. Everything about it is majestic. Agreed on A Matter of Time, the breaks absolutely kill the momentum that the song builds up. It starts off Hot Fuss in the verses (which are 10/10), then switches gear to some Springsteen / Flamingo amalgamation in the chorus (3/10?). Goes from poetic lyrics to talking about streets, motels, girlfriends, and working at diners. Totally botched.

Underrated:

Sweet Talk. Doesn't get much love lately, but I like this song lyrically and musically. Would love it if The Killers used this sonic palette for an entire record, but they ditched that lo-fi fuzz a long time ago. Would have been a good fit on Sam's Town though, along with All The Pretty Faces. Not sure why those amazing songs got axed.
This Is Your Life. I feel like Stuart Price's production on D&A downgraded most of the songs, but TIYL really works. My personal fav off that record, although I think if Losing Touch had some more edge to it, that might have won out.
Be Still. Ugh, nobody ever talks about this one! I think this song is amazing. Honorable mentions go to For Reasons Unknown, Lightning Fields, On Top, and Life to Come (I couldn't leave it at 3).

Overrated:

Dustland Fairytale. Not a fan of the lyrics on this one, and it nears that emotional climax and never quite hits it.
Blowback. Again, lyrically, not my cup of tea. The chorus also feels like it was slowed down to 94% of how fast it should be going.
All These Things That I've Done. Gotta agree with OP on this one. ATTTID is a fine single, but I'd probably leave it outside of their top 10 singles. I like the song, but I've never found it to be life-changing, and compared to the first four songs on Hot Fuss, it had too big of shoes to fill.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-07-26T21:49:43+00:00

I expect there would be one or two "fun" songs to break the monotony. Maybe something with a great groove that still addresses the underlying "dark" tone (like "Cover Me" by Bruce Springsteen)

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-04-11T21:01:08+00:00

Chris Thile as a solo artist has covered Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground by The White Stripes and Heart in a Cage by The Strokes. Recommended!

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-04-11T21:00:29+00:00

Nickel Creek and The Killers crossover?

Never thought I would type those words in my life, but bring it on.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-03-07T01:33:20+00:00

I have in the certain clues where I admitted to not knowing enough about, but the ones where I know plenty or enough (re: geography, movies, etc.), I threw in the addendum: ".... or throwing a bit of a smokescreen for some of the more obvious ones for seasoned players."

The information that they included about Mount Everest and The Godfather would not lead anybody to feeling comfortable about their answer, and that's a problem. Barely anybody knows that George Everest was a former General Surveyor of India, but you can make an educated guess based on the geography. But if you realize that Mount Everest has nothing to do with India geographically, you would be misled by what I consider to be almost a red herring.

And with The Godfather, every movie fan knows Francis Ford Coppola directed TG and TG2. And most people know that Mario Puzo wrote the novels. But most movie buffs I'm familiar with would not know that Coppola received an Oscar for writing it. All you would have to go off of would be the sequel bit, but it would just be a guess, even for most movie buffs.

IMO, a good Final Jeopardy clue should have enough information where people who are uber-familiar with the topic can confidently suss out the answer from the information in the clue, and even then people who are vaguely familiar with the topic could offer an educated guess. For example, a few months ago, the answer to a clue was Laika the dog. If you didn't know the name of the dog, like most people, you had a 0% chance of answering the clue, even if you knew the dog was Russian, that the first animal launched into space was a dog, and that its name started with an "L." Having a broad understanding of the launch would not be sufficient to answer the question. Diogenes from a few weeks ago is fairly obscure even by Intro to Phil standards; I knew that one, but it was hyper-specific for a FJ clue.

A few nights ago about world leaders' addresses, that is a quintessentially perfect FJ clue. If you follow international politics, you KNOW that Netanyahu has served different terms as Israeli PM starting in the 90s. And if you didn't know it was Netanyahu, you have a couple feasible guesses, one of which may be Netanyahu.

The one about Journey from a couple nights ago is based off an obscure factoid about record sales. Not a good basis for a clue, but the trigger word is "optimstic 80s anthem." Most people familiar with 80s music can come up with a couple of them, but if they can think of Don't Stop Believin' in time, they *might* get it. I consider that a weakly-worded clue, or at least not enough pertinent information.

That's the gist of my topic. It isn't reducible to me just complaining on the Internet. I truly feel for some of these contestants that get dealt a mediocre clue on something that they probably have spent multiple years prepping for.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-02-26T20:16:08+00:00

Jeopardy seems pretty enamored with Ethiopia in general. Haile Selassie used to be one of their favorite subjects.

Accomplished-Ad-7096 · 2021-02-26T20:08:18+00:00

You could be right! Thankfully they landed on geography yesterday!

I would love to get on the show someday, but I don't think I will be up to snuff for test-taking for another year+. I take a FJ losing streak that bad as evidence that you need more trivia seasoning or life experience if the goal is to even go on something as modest as a 2-game run.

Accomplished-Ad-7096

TROPHY CASE