Killers – Hot Fuss 20th Ann (Ltd Bone Vinyl LP)

It was the summer of 2004, the musical landscape was awash with glitchy electro-pop, disco-fueled punk and slick dance music. Hot Fuss, the major label debut from Vegas synth-indie outfit The Killers, premiered in June of that year in the US, peaking at the No. 7 spot on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 in the UK where it was released a week later. Cutting through the rest of the alt-rock noise that was pulsating at the time, The Killers co-existed as a guitar-driven indie band and a neo-new-wave synth-pop act with a cover-ready frontman in Brandon Flowers.

An ambitious debut to say the least, the album is chock-full of rock anthems that were destined for stadiums. Having grown up singing along to his Brit-rock idols, Flowers’ inflected vocals belied his musical leanings and the band was especially adept at distilling their various influences into radio-ready hits for the next generation. As Flowers told Spin in 2009, “Hot Fuss was all based on fantasy. The English influences, the makeup – they were what I imagined rock was.”

Lead single, “Mr Brightside,” became a hit in the UK. Given their distinct Anglo-American sound, it’s not surprising that UK critics and audiences were the first to embrace them. The album stayed in the top 40 UK album chart for 179 weeks – just short of Pink Floyd’s 211 weeks in the charts with Dark Side Of The Moon. In addition to the infectiously catchy “Mr Brightside,” the 5x Grammy-nominated release also features the gender-bending “Somebody Told Me,” the sardonic and synth-driven “Smile Like You Mean It” and “All These Things That I’ve Done” with backing choir vocals from The Sweet Inspirations.

1. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
2. Mr Brightside
3. Smile Like You Mean It
4. Somebody Told Me
5. All These Things That I’ve Done
6. Andy, You’re A Star
7. On Top
8. Change Your Mind
9. Believe Me Natalie
10. Midnight Show
11. Everything Will Be Alright