I recently read a review of the new album from The Killers, called something-or-another, I really don't remember, and it got me thinking of Hot Fuss, the first album from the Las Vegas post-punk outfit.
I remember the album receiving heavy airplay when it came out, like really heavy, the kind of heavy that turns even the best songs into pure obnoxiousness and makes you search for jazz on your radio. I also remember that a friend of mine had "acquired" a copy, in some sort of supposedly shady dealing that was probably much more mundane. Anyways, he didn't like it, at all, so he gave it to me, but told me that I wouldn't like it, it wasn't any good, and several other things that assured that I was going to tell him how great I thought it was (just to be contrary). But he was right, I didn't like it. I thought that the only good songs were the singles, "Somebody Told Me," "Mr. Brightside," and I think "Smile Like You Mean It," and that last one wasn't even really that good. I've probably listened to it five times max since I've owned it, all of them in the first week of getting it, and the last couple listens never saw the back half of the album, which I felt dragged even for filler.
So I read the review for their latest album (which I'm making no effort toward acquiring for no real reason), and I started going through my CD collection. It was about a half hour later when I finally found my copy of "Hot Fuss." I listened to it for the first time in however long it's had to have been and from the very first bass line in "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine," I was tapping my foot and humming along. That is just how fucking catchy The Killers are. I remembered every song in exquisite detail on an album I didn't even like. Trippy.
My ear is much more discerning than it was back when, and the production blew me away this time around. The songs were actually composed, they were crafted. The Killers aren't musical-super geniuses or anything, but god damn, can they put kick-ass pop songs together with great tone and fun beats. And although "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me" still reign supreme in terms of punk-mentality-pop-danceability, the back half of the album is not nearly as padded as I once thought.
"All These Things That I've Done" is a great example of composition in pop music. It really is just a wonderfully epic song, and it's really unfortunate for the album that "Andy, You're a Star," another epic song, immediately follows. "Andy" drags compared to "All These Things," about 5 beats per minute slower (weird), and it's lyrics are downright insipid compared to its defiantly inspirational predecessor ("Hey shut up," vs "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier," I mean, come on). Plus, two epic songs on a pop album? Okay, whatever. Back-to-back? How silly. Unless all of your songs are epic, thus leaving you with no other option than back-to-back (Arcade Fire, I'm looking at you), why would you do this to yourself. I couldn't have been the only person who dislikes "Andy" so much that the rest of the album was tainted with a bad taste. I wonder if they had switched the two around; "Andy" before "These Things." History can only guess.
But yeah, other than the epic carwreck in the middle, "Hot Fuss" is pretty effing solid. "Change Your Mind" almost could've been a song by The Strokes, but only almost, and so it gets to just be awesome instead of lame. "Everything Will Be Alright," the closing song, kinda wants to drag but the drums keep it going into a rather non climactic ending that almost says "buy our next album," but only almost, so it gets to be mysterious instead of capitalistic.
To conclude, I would say that "Hot Fuss" has gained a place in my heart, if not in my regular listening rotation.