Album of the Week: The Killers – Pressure Machine

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

The Guardian describes it as “their best album in years”. We’ve enjoyed others but this one is a nice change of tack. The bombastic elements are more subdued, the guitars and synths are still there but supported by harmonicas and violins. The changeup in sound supports Brandon Flower’s most personal lyrics ever. He describes part of his childhood in a small Utah town (Nephi) with nice touches. Of course there are moments of nostalgia but also the darker side of life – hillbilly heroin pills and a tragic train accident are described. An album that deserves repeated listening – we look forward to checking out the tracks this week, beginning after nine this morning with “In The Car Outside”, a song that sounds a lot like a traditional Killers song at the beginning with swirling synths..

Album of the Week: The Killers – Imploding The Mirage

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

On their sixth album The Killers don’t try going off on a tangent – they stick to the bombastic rock and melodies they were known for in their early years of the 2000s. Good decision – when an album is filled with great songs there is no need for reinvention, and the addition of new collaborators such as Weyes Blood and k.d.lang keeps things fresh. This will be on many ‘albums of the year’ lists.

Hard to choose this week’s album with great new work from Erasure and Bright Eyes amongst others. Hopefully we can feature them in coming weeks.