Right off you should know, this review is going to be biased. My love for The Killers knows
no bounds. That said, let me talk about Battle Born, the latest Killer’s release. I must admit, when I first put the cd in, (yes, I actually purchased a cd and it was, in fact, thrilling) I was worried. It sounded a little too big, a little too 80′s…..at first. Jump two days of non-stop play and I have to say, I’m hooked. You know I had the same initial feelings about their last album, Day & Age. But that all changed late one night, driving in my car, anxious to get to my destination. I remember so clearly when “A Dustland Fairytale” began to play on the radio. I didn’t initially know who the band was, but I knew enough to turn it up and listen. And I did. And right then I knew there was going to be something special about Day & Age. And after some skepticism, (after all, it was nothing like Sawdust, in my humble, expert opinion, their best album) and much listening, I realized that I could listen to Day & Age through and thoroughly enjoy the whole thing, over and over again (“Goodnight, Travel Well” is highly underrated in my opinion). And so it is with Battle Born. Except Battle Born (rolls off the tongue, don’t ya think?) has not taken me as long to jump on board. It really does have some great songs, through and through. My personal favorites so far are: (note: my favorites will for sure evolve the longer I listen) *Miss Atomic Bomb*, (you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone) Runaways, The Way it Was, Here with Me, and Carry Me Home (don’t let me fade away). This album is not for the faint or broken hearted. The lyrics ring true to anyone who has loved and lost, (it’s possible you may burst into tears every other rock ballad verse- I mean, uh, I heard some people do that) or loved and faded, or who is generally just having a bad go of it – yet it rings with hope towards……something. Hope in nostalgia? Is it possible that the memories of young love and scarred knees give us hope in a Springsteen-esque sort of way? Pining for “The Way it Was” never felt so good as humming along to memories best tucked away. Picking yourself up and dusting yourself off is a Flower’s theme and I for one, hope it never fades. That said, you should realize, Flower’s is a great lyricist. Some might say cheesy at times, but from someone who takes lyrics pretty seriously, cheesy is his charm. Like secret poems written to that long ago high school crush, his lyrics ring true because we are a bit cheesy and very often melodramatic, and so, it’s relatable. And that’s what I love about them. And for as long as I live, I’ll never forget Dover. I’ll never forget the way we were together, with smiles on our faces as we sang along and basked in everything The Killers were selling us. Because, after it’s all said and done, we’ve always got Dover. We’ve always got that.
