Crossfade Reviews: The Killers "Pressure Machine"

 by Karl W.

The Killers "Pressure Machine"
[Island/EMI]
Indie Rock/Americana/Folk Rock

    The Killers seem to be on the path of settling back and making full on Americana music now. Admittedly, this isn't too much of a surprise, nor is it really a bad thing. Last year's "Imploding the Mirage" took this route to roaring success with some of the best songs that the band has ever released. Not only that, but the band has always lived in the all-American sound in the style of acts like Bruce Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac (both of whom also collaborated in some way with The Killers), as well as working with other heartland rock-inspired acts like The War on Drugs. Still, I'm a bit amazed it took just a little less than a year to release a new album, this one with the return of Dave Keuning on guitar, though missing bassist Mark Stoermer for this release.

    As for the album itself, it's definitely a more subdued release than last year's "Imploding the Mirage", though the Americana and folk rock sound is definitely more apparent this time around. If "Imploding the Mirage" had some Springsteen influence on it, "Pressure Machine" is essentially a Springsteen album, in all but name. The influence is so apparent it could be seen a mile away by the naked eye. From the storytelling style to the guitar centric melodies, you could tell that Brandon Flowers had The Boss on the mind with this album...and that's not a bad thing at all, to be fair. There is still some of that organic swell and energy that still persists in this album, though nowhere near as much on "Imploding the Mirage" that made the best songs on that as strong.

    "Pressure Machine" is actually a concept album, one that explores the stories of people from Brandon Flowers' small town of Nephi, Utah. Nearly every song starts off with snippets from people in town describing their small town stories, and its very clear from those stories and the lyrical sentiment of this album that there's always a lingering darkness within even the smallest communities. "Quiet Town", for instance, tells about the deaths of two young lovers by the train at night, and the opioid issues from the young people in town. "Terrible Thing" is about a young gay man contemplating suicide, feeling alone in a small town that hasn't quite accepted him. This album is really about the stories of the small town, those that capture that feeling of truly growing up in a small time, living by traditional family roles and isolation from larger settlements where, the small town is really all you know. The Killers have sung about "breaking out of this two-star town" before, but this album is about those who still live in that two-star town, with the last track on this album, "The Getting By" being the bow that wraps all the experiences and stories in a tight package.

    Still, this is a very different album than most other albums from The Killers. I do feel like the stories are interesting enough to warrant a listen, like on "Desperate Things", a story about a cop falling in love with an abuse victim (that turns into a revenge story against the man who abused her). The album is a bit front heavy as well, as a few of the songs near the second half could be a bit tiring for most listeners. That all being said, I think this album is worth listening to, if only to hear The Killers pull off this type of style. It's not the quintessential Americana album, but one worth hearing nonetheless.

Best Songs: "West Hills", "Quiet Town", "Terrible Thing", "Cody", "In The Car Outside", "Desperate Things"
Worst Song: "Pressure Machine"
7/10 (Good)