Review: 'Battle Born' by The Killers'

Battle Born, the latest album from The Killers, is now out and available for download. The Deluxe Edition is $13.99. (In truth, it came out on the 18th, yesterday.) Here's a mini review of sorts:

Right from the get-go it's obvious that the album is less "punky" than previous ones. It's far more just Alternative Rock than Punk Rock — something that didn't used to be true. This isn't a bad thing per se, but the band's sound has certainly changed. (A few of the tracks even sound, dare I say, a little like Country.)

There are quite a few good tracks on the album. The Way It Was, Deadlines and Commitments, and, of course, Runaways are all great songs. They all have some really catchy riffs in them, and you'll no doubt be humming them for quite a while after giving them a listen or two. There are some great harmonies scattered throughout the album, which really is what makes some songs. And it's a great new sound for the band, too. And then there are the tracks that will take a little while to grow on you. And then there are the tracks that just aren't very good at all. And there are a bunch of those on Battle Born — Heart of A Girl, for one.

In truth, the album is good, not great. There are some good songs, yes, but there are no damn-that's-pretty-much-perfect songs like most of Hot Fuss, The Killers' first album, was. Indeed, The Killers' have never been able to quite touch what they did with Hot Fuss.