Wonderful Wonderful is not an about-turn, not an exercise in New Earnestness, but the latest step in becoming the most concise version of themselves--it is true because it concentrates the traces of what they have always been.
What's great about Wonderful Wonderful, though, is that they seem in on the joke, doubling down on their hugeness fetish while wink-winking their way to the bank.
Wonderful Wonderful is an album that doesn’t let the listener look forward to the next track, because the album is restlessly glancing backwards over its shoulder, haunted by past successes of The Killers, and the great artists who came before them.
This album is right up there for me, with the best releases of the year. It's a soul-stirring album, where the band is experimenting with someThis album is right up there for me, with the best releases of the year. It's a soul-stirring album, where the band is experimenting with some new sounds and a new approach to their lyrical themes, that are more personal than ever. There are a few The Killers classic anthems in there, too. With this album, Brandon Flowers sets in as one of the most talented singer-songwriters of the music industry today. Either a longtime fan or new to the "Victims" (The Killers' fans) Wonderful Wonderful will not dissapoint.…Expand
I am one of those fans waiting on the next "Hot Fuss," but when you just sit back and listen, The Killers never disappoint. WonderfulI am one of those fans waiting on the next "Hot Fuss," but when you just sit back and listen, The Killers never disappoint. Wonderful Wonderful is no exception. Yes we can critique the vocals, cords, sounds, beat.....but in the end does the music speak to you? Like always, the Killers delivered.…Expand
They have matured, here is where they find the point of music mature they needed. Its a wonderful album, full of inspiration and versatility,They have matured, here is where they find the point of music mature they needed. Its a wonderful album, full of inspiration and versatility, Full of diferent kind of themes, always with that 80s wave. The Killers never let you down, its definitely their best one.…Expand
Track-by-Track Review
Wonderful Wonderful-I don't quite know what to make of this, however I will say that it is an extremely twisted andTrack-by-Track Review
Wonderful Wonderful-I don't quite know what to make of this, however I will say that it is an extremely twisted and intriguingly powerful way to start the album. (9/10)
The Man-The Man rides off of the backbone of powerful synths and starts to abandon the obvious weirdness of the last track for something more groovy, it almost sounds like Arcade Fire's Signs of Life from Everything Now, except The Man is good and Signs of Life sucks. (8/10)
Rut-This song can't help but sound cheesy the second the piano comes in, luckily the scratchy synths and drum beats help carry it along. The track ultimately develops its beautiful start and offers some nice breaks. (8/10)
Life to Come-Probably the most underdeveloped track on the album so far, it refuses to create any backbone for the lead singer and decides that the drums and guitars should be enough to convey emotions, for the most part it works due to the surprising strength of the lyrics, but it feels as if there is something missing to this song... The chorus is pretty **** great though. (7/10)
Run for Cover-Starts off like a rock and roll track, my head automatically started bobbing to it the second the drums came in. However, the second a song mentions another song I get automatically disconnected, also I felt that the vocals were lacking, a slightly disappointing track. (7/10)
Tyson vs Douglas-It's about a boxing match, or at least it has something to do with how the underdog succeeds or something "inspirational." Of course, it actually isn't about being a boxer, but about someone who watched the titular match. From this perspective, it's pretty compelling. Not much else is going on however. (7/10)
Some Kind of Love-Well, this is a nice change of pace, in that it's nice that the album is finally slowing down to let subtle sounds take over. i don't hate anything about this song so I think this score is justified. (10/10)
Out of My Mind-It's a pretty forgettable song, which is a shame, and it can't quite follow up the previous track as it attempts to talk about how someone is unforgettable yet can't avoid being extremely sappy with a chorus that can't quite compare with the past choruses in this album. (5/10)
The Calling-Nice lyrics about religion, it's a slow-burner due to the lack of complex instrumentation surrounding such lyrics. I can't quite figure out if this was supposed to be some western song or some sort of rebellious indie rock message. However, the breaks in this song (such as the singer singing by himself) make this song worth a listen. (8/10)
Have All The Songs Been Written?-Well, it's a track where most of the lyrics are in the form of a question... it's a pretty annoying concept in my opinion. This is an extremely slow building track and for some reason it reminds me of U2. The rare background vocals are great and the lyrics themselves are fine, it simply never gives out the explosiveness it was been building up to. (7/10)
Final Score: 76/100 or 7.6 or 8/10 by Metacritic Standards.
Overall, there's no reason not to listen to this record, it's a solid output of songs that never insults our intelligence no matter how poppish it attempts to be even though it gets extremely sappy and familiar at points. I enjoyed it, and I'm not a fan of the Killers, so it certainly is interesting that they have grabbed my attention at this point in their careers. In conclusion, it's a well-rounded rock album with a surprising amount of emotion and lyrical ingenuity behind it with only a few outliers holding it back from being one of the best albums of the year.…Expand
Wonderful Wonderful is the most consistent album from The Killers in over a decade. Starting with the title track, it quickly becomes apparentWonderful Wonderful is the most consistent album from The Killers in over a decade. Starting with the title track, it quickly becomes apparent that this is the most personal album written by the bands lead singer, Brandon Flowers, this is most prominent on the tracks 'Life To Come' & 'Some Kind Of Love'. While this album is not perfect, there are a couple of missteps, it is the best album The Killers have produced in over 10 years.
Best Tracks - 'Some Kind Of Love', 'Out Of My Mind' & 'Wonderful Wonderful'…Expand
While I don't think the band will ever come close to matching what they did with their debut, Hot Fuss, Wonderful Wonderful is the band's bestWhile I don't think the band will ever come close to matching what they did with their debut, Hot Fuss, Wonderful Wonderful is the band's best album in a long time, and certainly better than the overwrought Battle Born. While the 80s chic and Springsteen-like heartland rock are still as prevelant as they were on their divisive Sam's Town record and onward, this album is a fine mix of all the sounds from all their past records into one. From dance-rock on the lead off single, the Man, to sweeping heartland rock and post-punk revival on album standout Run for Cover, to even emotional 80s ballads like the closer Have All the Songs Been Written?, it's a surprisingly consistent and solid album from the band that they haven't done since Hot Fuss. However not all the experiments work, from the cheesy and obnoxious ballad Some Kind of Love, to the weird goth rock of the title cut, to the on-the-nose nod to Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus on the Calling, it's not perfect, but it is refreshing to hear the Killers be on point again without getting loss in either experiments far out their reach or recreating all the worst of 80s pop and rock.…Expand
Get details on the most-anticipated albums arriving this fall (including new releases from St. Vincent, Taylor Swift, U2, Beck, and more), and listen to tracks from each one.
Published: September 7, 2017Get details on the most-anticipated albums arriving this fall (including new releases from St. Vincent, Taylor Swift, U2, Beck, and more), and listen to tracks from each one.