The Killers are hoping to heat up what’s been a record-breakingly frigid kick-off to 2018 with a new tour leg in support of fifth album Wonderful Wonderful.
As a distraction from all this cold weather, I’ve been thinking about how some of my most beloved bands came out of the hurly-burly early 2000s, and how a surprising number of them are lingering around making great music. Who would have thunk “somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend” would stand the test of time to be considered almost Dylanesque today?
OK, the Aughts weren’t like the sixties where you had the louder and much more uncouth Rolling Stones inadvertently pushing the Brian Epstein-groomed Beatles to be better. Or even the ’90s, where literally any group who looked as if they could play grunge wearing flannel was signed to a major label and promoted as the next big thing.
The years where The Killers first cut their teeth has quite a few things in common with the infamous era that birthed Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and the rest. It was a return to good old-fashioned guitar rock, partly in response to fatigue over manufactured boy bands Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC et al. Even with illegal MP3 downloading at an all-time high, every new day seemed to bring different sounds to the radio that eschewed the perceived mainstream; what had once been branded alternative was morphing into indie, although The Killers, The Strokes, and a lot of others with “The” in their name had little if anything to do with being independent.
Addictions and infighting between bandmates aren’t restricted to a particular time period, so while all of these artists are likely to still be active entities for the next US election, their successes haven’t been without change or a needed break. Brandon Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. for example are the only original members currently on the road with The Killers. But there have also been celebrations, namely Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights and Fever to Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs making it to the Big 1-5.
If you think of this playlist as a vinyl record, the A-side features indie hipster faves released between 2002 and 2005-ish, supplemented by more recent cuts that try to carry on the Oughties revivalist legacy. I’m happy Jet are back for one, even if I’m on the fence about their foray into EDM with The Bloody Beetroots. Not gonna lie, Nic Cester’s throwback screaming does warm the cockles of my heart, so hopefully these songs will play a small part in getting you through the remainder of winter.