Hereâs the deal: I was only 5 when "Mr. Brightside" hit big. Still, the Killers were a staple of my high school years. But Iâve grown. Iâve matured. Sure, I may have gone through a metal/punk-rock phase (I may
still be going through a metal/punk-rock phase), but the Killers were the foundation, a sturdy influence. So when their new album came out, I had to give it a listenâif only for old timeâs sake.
Annnnnd, Iâm here to say the Killers are still a wondrously absurd rock band, and
Imploding the Mirage hits just as you'd expect: it provides delightful synth-rock tracks like âCautionâ and âBlowback" and arena anthems like âMy Own Soulâs Warningâ and âDying Breed.â Thereâs even a ballad with friend-of-Portland k.d. lang, âLightning Fields.â Add in a few so-so numbers that donât quite crack into the rock stratosphere, and you have a quintessential Killers album. Their new song on the deluxe album, âCâest La Vie,â is a jittery bop but a bit incongruous from the rest of the collection. Two stripped-down versions of âCautionâ and âBlowbackâ complete the album for some easy listening. And although the title track doesnât spark much for this rocker, it falls in line with the overall album aestheticâgritty, a little glamorous, but admittedly kitsch.