Music Review: Hot Fuss
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the lyrics are mostly innocent
with the exception of a couple of minor sexual references in
"Mr. Brightside" ("But she's touching his chest/Now, he takes
off her dress") and "Midnight Show" ("I wanna look up, look up,
look up, yeah yeah/You got a real short skirt").
Families can talk about where The Killers display their
attitude. Is it warranted? "Mr. Brightside" deals with a past
love moving on: How would you deal with a broken heart? How
does jealousy help or hurt a situation? You can also discuss
how music from the '80s has influenced the band.
Something about The Killers' HOT FUSS CD brings to mind an old joke: How many lead singers does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: Just one -- he holds the bulb up to the socket and waits for the world to revolve around him. Or, as the joke relates to the CD, how many hours does lead singer Brandon Flowers actually spend singing along with Jim Morrison to old Doors albums in front of the bedroom mirror? But this might not be a bad thing -- if you're going to join the pantheon of rock & roll bad boys, you might as well emulate the vocal stylings of one of the greats.
Brandon has a terrific voice. Though some of the content is disturbing, it's subtle enough to go zooming over the heads of younger teens. What isn't subtle is the musicianship. Though the band is excellent on every level, there's an air of pretentious self-importance that gets just plain tedious after a while. "We're The Killers and You're Not," the songs seem to shout. To create a truly sensational album, these Las Vegas self-defined bad boys will have to learn how to get out of their own way and enjoy the rock & roll ride.
The Bravery
Bloc Party
Franz
Ferdinand
The
Strokes
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