Imploding the Mirage

I recently bought a Bruce Springsteen boxset, so i don't really need this album

Even 16 years on Hot Fuss is an album that i can easily come back to with its several huge hits as well as a few b-sides that could stand up to time with a similar quality, but that has always been both the beginning and end of The Killers for me. I've never been inclined enough to return to Sam's Town or Day & Age, and each record since then has offered less and less than the one before.

Imploding the Mirage continues The Killers dive into the world of Heartland Rock, but once again sees them simply following in the same path as those before them, rather than crafting their own. In this case they are once again leaning heavy on the songbook of Bruce Springsteen.

More Springsteen isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially if an artist can capture some of that 70s and early 80s aesthetic, power and presence that shot the Boss into stardom and continued relevance 40 years on. The kind of songwriting that could act as a snapshot of a moment, but carry enough emotional weight that decades on people are still able to identify with the stories told.

This album doesn't do that.

While the songwriting itself isn't terrible, it's a far cry from what a Springsteen album should be, even most wannabes do a much better job than this. What truly cements this record as weak is the terrible production, that has for some reason compressed the sound of everything within every track, like a fat child who doesn't know how to properly pet a kitten. Rather than flowing, the music feels like it's being squeezed into my ears through a tube, like toothpaste, and i can't help but wonder how anyone involved thought this sounded even remotely decent.

To quickly mention some positives, the inclusion of writing and performances from Alex Cameron, Lindsay Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac), Adam Granduciel (War on Drugs), Weyes Blood, Johnathan Rado (Foxygen) and k.d. Lang among others, as well as the band's own performances are generally very strong. Not only that but the stronger and more energetic tracks are usually able to push beyond their sonic constraints and actually showcase just a glimpse of how great this record could have been.

Most of these can be found in the first half of the project, My Own Soul's Warning, Dying Breed and Caution are the easy picks, that shoot for the stars and, despite the compression, still prove that The Killers can write something great. It also helps that Lindsay Buckingham's guitar solo on Caution is as wonderful as it could be and fits perfectly within the song.

Some of the mid-tempo songs survive by inclusion of great guest artists, for instance k.d . Lang's vocal contribution to Lightning Field is brilliant and her Country-esque voice fits well within the Heartland style of music she's singing over.

The real victims here are the slower songs like Blowback and My God. The compression is much more noticeable on these tracks and makes me cringe at the moments where it becomes obvious, for instance the guitar on Blowback or the awful work they did Weyes Blood's vocals feature, completely ruining one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices in music today.
I also really don't like the synth tones found all across When the Dreams Run Dry, possibly some of the most random and irritating noises i heard on this album.

Suffice it to say, i'm not a fan of this project. Despite all the possibilities that it could have been given the pedigree of artists behind this album, that one issue really hurts everything.
Funnily enough this is the first album since Sam's Town that doesn't feature production from Stuart Price and the first in their discography that doesn't have the band themselves co-producing.

Favourites: My Own Soul's Warning, Dying Breed, Caution
Least Favs: Blowback, My God, When the Dreams Run Dry