BATTLE BORN
--- The Latest and Greatest Chapter from THE
KILLERS!
From
out of the wreckage of the American Civil War, the great state of Nevada came
into being on October 31st, 1864. Its creation immediately helped to secure the
re-election of Abraham Lincoln, the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment and,
ultimately, the future of the union. Today, that proud but painful history is
enshrined in the two words emblazoned on the upper left-hand corner of the
state flag: ‘BATTLE BORN’.
Photo courtesy of MCA |
That
phrase has always resonated with Brandon Flowers. It’s what THE KILLERS named their studio in Las Vegas, and when the band
reconvened last May to start work on the follow-up to 2008’s Day & Age, it became first a song
title, then a thematic touchstone, and eventually the name of the album itself.
But not all battles are blood and thunder: after a yearlong hiatus that saw
three of the four Killers launch solo careers, they quickly discovered that
timing and circumstance can be daunting adversaries in their own right. Safe to
say, Battle
Born’s title was well-earned. “It’s
the hardest thing I’ve ever done, no question,” says Brandon. “It’s the longest we’ve ever taken to make
a record, and the longest I’ve ever spent on the lyrics. We thought we had
enough songs, but then we realised that we didn’t, and so we had to pound away
and grind it out until we were certain that we were ready.”
After
Brandon, Mark and Ronnie had all dabbled successfully in solo waters, it was
the band’s rapturous live return headlining last April’s inaugural Lollapalooza
festival in Chile that convinced them to write some songs together. After a few
days, the song they all ended up coalescing around was Battle Born’s eventual
lead single, Runaways. A small-town drama of epic-scale proportions,
Runaways is everything you could wish
for from a Killers comeback single; an unmistakably American expression of
romance and optimism that heralds their return with cyclonic, Who-esque guitars
and a chorus big enough to be bellowed from one end of the Mojave to the other.
Battle
Born is
said to be The Killers’ strongest record to date and its triumph lies in the
incorporation of elements of the records that came before it without sounding
overtly like any other Killers song in particular. It's
the sound of a band recognizing - and celebrating - their own identity. To
borrow Brandon’s maxim, Battle Born is THE KILLERS “Doing what we do
best.” Furthermore, Battle Born is also said to be the
latest and greatest chapter of THE
KILLERS, yet Ronnie remains adamant that,
"Every record is a proving ground. We feel like we need to keep upping the
ante with every new one we put out. We've got no interest in resting on our
laurels.”
Meanwhile,
with the record now finally in the can, all four members are eager to get it
out on the road and re-introduce the world to THE KILLERS, starting with a series of American and European dates
this summer. “I feel like there are a lot
of live moments on this album, more than we’ve ever had before,” says
Brandon. “I feel like people are going to
be able to relate to and understand these songs. Pound for pound, this is our
strongest record, and I’m really excited about it. We’re starting to feel more
comfortable being what we are. And we’re proud of what we are.” Spoken like
a true son of the battle-born state.
THE KILLERS’ newest album BATTLE BORN is now available in CDs at
Astroplus and Odyssey Music & Video or online via iTunes or www.MyMusicStore.com.ph.
Special thanks to: BusinessWorld and HerWord.com
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