Wonderful Wonderful
by The Killers
  • Record Label: Island
  • Release Date: Sep 22, 2017
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 138 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 121 out of 138
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 138
  3. Negative: 5 out of 138
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  1. Noiseblock
    Sep 22, 2017
    7
    Five years have passed since the last studio-album of the Killers. Five years in which the band-members potentially had time to reshape, rethink and reevaluate what they wanted to deliver, in which direction they wanted to go. And they definitely had to reshape some things to an extent. Because what exactly are The Killers at this point?

    Since they are such a household name, the Killers    Five years have passed since the last studio-album of the Killers. Five years in which the band-members potentially had time to reshape, rethink and reevaluate what they wanted to deliver, in which direction they wanted to go. And they definitely had to reshape some things to an extent. Because what exactly are The Killers at this point?

    Since they are such a household name, the Killers seem to have a very consistent style of music which numerous fans enjoy, yet in truth, there seem to be two styles of The Killers, not just one. The Killers from Hot Fuss to Sam´s Town are very different from the Killers from Day & Age to Battleborn and just as varying may be the degree to which a fan of one style can enjoy the other one. So what style did they choose for Wonderful Wondeful? Strangely enough, a little bit of both and somehow it works.

    It is fascinating to see that all the highlights of the album are fundamentally different and could fit inot either of the band´s two phases. The Man is a grooving, sarcastic and plain fun 80-s popsong while Run for Cover is a relentless onslaught of Hot Fuss/Sam´s Town postpunk-reminiscent energy. Still more fascinating, the other highlight, Wonderful Wondeful, is a wholly different, darker approach to their usual repertoire. In that sense, the album is even borderline experimental in changing up the typical Killers-sound to some extent. More sinister tones shine through on said Wonderful Wonderful while The Calling follows this approach, giving the band more room to experiment outside of their usual comfort-zone. And it checks out. Aside from this, Out of mind, Tyson vs Douglas and Life to Come congeal the guitar-driven and 80s-pop sound to a fitting whole and make up the other solid-very good part of the album.

    Yet there are two things which drag this album down a bit. Brandon Flowers has this special charisma oozing from his voice, so why he chooses to not have two ballads, but three on the album, baffles me to some extent. For me, the Killers have always worked best when they embraced this energy and ran with it unapologetically, forging strong narratives while not slowing themselves down musically (see for example: Uncle Jonny, Spaceman) The ballads, while all solidly written, take some of the energy and swagger away from Wonderful Wonderful and push it down a nodge. "Rut" works because the personal message feels genuine and there is an actual story worth telling, yet "Have all the songs been written" drifts off into what feels like a tad tedious, halfbaked reflections on Flowers´s writing-blockage and "Some kind of love" just isn´t terribly interesting. Besides this, while mixing up their style is commendable and it really works on a song-basis, the album does not exactly feel like an "album", it feels more like a compilation of singular songs. Some may say that the album lacks a bit of an identity or at least a common thread thorughout ... and they would not be easily disproven. So the question what the Killers are is left to debate after Wonderful Wonderful. Still, it´s hard to be really upset about this when many of these songs just work this well though.    … Expand
  2. anama0319
    Sep 22, 2017
    9
    I have been a fan of The killers for many years and I had really low expectations towards this record, however, The Killers never disappoints, so much emotion and epicness in every song makes this album the best from the last 3.
  3. Tomskaaar
    Sep 24, 2017
    6
    Personally I'm disappointed by this one. It feels like they retread a lot of ground already covered on Battleborn (one of my favourite Killers albums next to Hot Fuss,) and even Run For Cover is very reminiscent of Day and Age. Now don't get me wrong, when they do rehash for songs like Tyson Vs Douglas, Rut, and Life To Come they are brilliant. Brandon seems to have spent the majority ofPersonally I'm disappointed by this one. It feels like they retread a lot of ground already covered on Battleborn (one of my favourite Killers albums next to Hot Fuss,) and even Run For Cover is very reminiscent of Day and Age. Now don't get me wrong, when they do rehash for songs like Tyson Vs Douglas, Rut, and Life To Come they are brilliant. Brandon seems to have spent the majority of the build up for Wonderful Wonderful apologising for Battleborn, but this album just feels like a complete rehash of it. He also said how he felt that Battleborn lacked direction, but this album seems to be the lacking in direction the most. I've always felt that each Killers album had their own very specific theme and sound to them, and The Man and Wonderful Wonderful certainly give the impression of the Killers covering new ground and a new theme, but then the rest of the album just reverts back to the musical themes of their previous albums.… Expand
  4. Music_Observer
    Oct 12, 2017
    8
    The tactics of using funky sine wave synths, vocals that stretch the range, and textural builds within verse-chorus forms are successful albeit nothing new, but none of that matters since being fresh carries little weight when determining quality; what matters is the awesome execution of these tactics through constant amazing melodic intrigue and simple but exciting harmonic language,The tactics of using funky sine wave synths, vocals that stretch the range, and textural builds within verse-chorus forms are successful albeit nothing new, but none of that matters since being fresh carries little weight when determining quality; what matters is the awesome execution of these tactics through constant amazing melodic intrigue and simple but exciting harmonic language, making perhaps their worst album to date still a great one. My Score: 147/180 (Great) = 8.2/10… Expand
  5. marvincaprone
    Sep 24, 2017
    8
    Amazing job! The Killers made a wonderful album after the bad Battle Born. The Brandon's voice sounds so good in it , the bass lines from Mark Stoermer is really the best part.
  6. elaguacatico
    Oct 26, 2017
    9
    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.
  7. inner_bliss
    Sep 24, 2017
    10
    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 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 musicThis 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
  8. A7sus4
    Sep 23, 2017
    7
    It's confusing to me that Sam's Town is suddenly remembered as this "great album". Frankly I find Sam's Town to be their least listenable album, to me it's like Oasis' Be Here Now -- it's got all the right parts, but the construction is just ham-fisted and overindulgent -- of course there are songs of exception on both. Anyway, I enjoy Wonderful Wonderful, I think it's a solid album;It's confusing to me that Sam's Town is suddenly remembered as this "great album". Frankly I find Sam's Town to be their least listenable album, to me it's like Oasis' Be Here Now -- it's got all the right parts, but the construction is just ham-fisted and overindulgent -- of course there are songs of exception on both. Anyway, I enjoy Wonderful Wonderful, I think it's a solid album; 7.5-8.0. It's sits in their catalog nicely without really making any waves. It harkens back to the first record from time to time while simultaneously trying new things with their sound.… Expand
  9. DavidWasHere
    Sep 29, 2017
    7
    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 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 allWhile 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
  10. whoischarlotte
    Sep 28, 2017
    3
    I've never been huge on The Killers, but this album is just a massive disappointment for me. I feel like all the songs sound the same, sorry..........
  11. Ricko
    Apr 12, 2018
    8
    The Killers have had a strange career. Breaking onto the scene with an incredible debut mixing synths and guitars they were indie darlings. Follow up "Sam's Town" was more robust, more heartland but satisfied the indie crowd while attracting the more mainstream rockers. Their first two albums have aged well and still sound excellent. Then we had "Day and Age" which left many flumoxed. IThe Killers have had a strange career. Breaking onto the scene with an incredible debut mixing synths and guitars they were indie darlings. Follow up "Sam's Town" was more robust, more heartland but satisfied the indie crowd while attracting the more mainstream rockers. Their first two albums have aged well and still sound excellent. Then we had "Day and Age" which left many flumoxed. I liked some of it but was confused by what seemed to be a move away from rock and towards pop. My expectations for Killers album lowered after this and by the time "Battleborn" came along I was ready to be underwhelmed. It turned out to be decent but nowhere near the heights the band once bought me to. As I perceived their material to be on the decline, it seems their popularity with the general public increased with the band playing bigger and bigger gigs and graduating to a stadium act. Their chart positions didn't seem to suffer either. 2017 and we get album number 5, "Wonderful, Wonderful" what I consider their strongest album since 2006's "Sam's Town". It's far from perfect and is a closer relation to "Battleborn" than "Hot Fuss" and lets face it, The Killers will never make an indie rock album like their debut ever again. That said, it's a far more engaging listen than "Day and Age" or "Battleborn" mixing enthusiastic energy with a reflective maturity. Brandon Flowers is a decent lyricist and tackles interesting themes on this album. This maybe a record for the middle aged man rather than the indie college kid but then Mr Brightside himself must be hitting middle age himself by now. Middle aged or not, The Killers land a few punches with this one. Pleasantly surprised.… Expand
  12. NeutralMilkH
    Sep 27, 2017
    8
    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 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    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 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
  13. Pericowsky
    Oct 1, 2017
    8
    I must say that The Killers are one of my favorite bands, but I will try to make an objective criticism, I have several discs in special 'Day & Age' where I disappoint, this time did not happen, since this disc is more concise, introspective and dark than previous, half of the album there are stuffing songs, but most are worthy to applaud.
  14. MJStorey23
    Dec 5, 2017
    8
    Wonderful 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 albumWonderful 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
  15. bkwnc5
    Dec 27, 2017
    9
    When I was hoping for a new studio album from these guys, it seemed like it wasn’t going to happen and when it did the hope was that it was going to be different—and it is, sort of. The once nostalgia-rock band gave us probably the most personal “breakout” to date and it delivers on many of the tracks. “Rut” pulls on all heart strings while “Tyson vs. Douglas” is more introspective as seenWhen I was hoping for a new studio album from these guys, it seemed like it wasn’t going to happen and when it did the hope was that it was going to be different—and it is, sort of. The once nostalgia-rock band gave us probably the most personal “breakout” to date and it delivers on many of the tracks. “Rut” pulls on all heart strings while “Tyson vs. Douglas” is more introspective as seen though a kids eye. Then there’s the crowd-pleasing, bass driven anthem “Run For Cover” and “The Man” “...USDA, certified, lean, I’m The Man!” claims swagger-boasting B. Flowers putting the narrative out early that introspection can be fun too.… Expand
  16. MacsMusic
    Mar 20, 2018
    7
    WW has a variety of musical styles across it's 10 songs, and I think they all work to different extents. This album is at it's best when it moves at top speed, with every musical tool in the Killers arsenal blaring at the same time. "The Man", "Tyson Vs. Douglas" and the groovy "Out my Mind" utilize everything the Killers are really capable of, and sound great as a result. "The Calling" isWW has a variety of musical styles across it's 10 songs, and I think they all work to different extents. This album is at it's best when it moves at top speed, with every musical tool in the Killers arsenal blaring at the same time. "The Man", "Tyson Vs. Douglas" and the groovy "Out my Mind" utilize everything the Killers are really capable of, and sound great as a result. "The Calling" is undeniably odd, and stands out like a sore thumb on WW. It has an effective chorus, and plenty of attention-grabbing lyrics and music. It's a good addition to WW due to it's noticability and showiness that ultimately works. Most of the slow songs on WW work well at some point. "Some Kind of Love" drags a bit, and "Life to Come" lacks compared to the more impressive songs surrounding it. The title track starts off weak, but has a pretty amazing conclusion that is one of WW's best moments. "Run for Cover" is really just a lot of good ol' Killers-style fun, and hard to not-like. WW has some huge highlights and great stuff, mixed in with some mediocrity. A good listen overall.… Expand
  17. JuanEngel_
    Apr 17, 2018
    7
    Quite disappointing. After five years of the the underrated Battle Born, they came back with something different. So different that sounded generic. The album it's not bad like Day & Age but don't came closer of Sam's Town concept. Releases some good songs like "Run for Cover" and "Have All The Songs Been Writted?" but the most will be forgotten from The Killers discography.
  18. srod1998
    Aug 28, 2018
    10
    I 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.
  19. reviewsandstuff
    Nov 3, 2018
    8
    (Conor's Reviews & Stuff - Facebook)

    The lead-up to the release of The Killers' first studio LP in five years has been an emotional rollercoaster for this fan. First came the release of lead single 'The Man' and with it, elation. Brandon Flowers was finally the badass we all thought he could be. Gone were the days of the nice guy from Henderson, Nevada. It was time for the King of Vegas    (Conor's Reviews & Stuff - Facebook)

    The lead-up to the release of The Killers' first studio LP in five years has been an emotional rollercoaster for this fan. First came the release of lead single 'The Man' and with it, elation. Brandon Flowers was finally the badass we all thought he could be. Gone were the days of the nice guy from Henderson, Nevada. It was time for the King of Vegas to take his rightful place.

    Then they appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The stage couldn't have been set any better, literally. Instead of playing in Jimmy's Hollywood Blvd. studio, they would play in front of Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. By then, 'The Man' had become a worldwide hit. It transcended genre. It was on everywhere. The familiar initial wind-up blared from the PA outside of Caesar's, Ronnie Vannucci, Jr.'s thunderous beat dropped, and the lights came up. There stood Flowers, suited and booted in black with chrome-coloured lapels, slick hair, and a tan like fine leather. These are the accoutrements of a man who owns every room he walks into whether he likes it or not. And that was the problem. He didn't look like he wanted to own the room. He was still the nice guy from Henderson. The entire atmosphere of the song was canned by his uncomfortable smile and very rehearsed hand gestures. He hadn't bought in entirely and the act had fallen flat. I thought about doing a review of that appearance just to trash his performance but I couldn't bring myself to do it. He is a nice guy after all.

    But then the day finally arrived when Wonderful Wonderful could be heard in its entirety and all was revealed. 'The Man' had been a red herring, a gamble that wouldn't have paid off if Wonderful Wonderful wasn't the best Killers album in the last ten years. This album is the modern sound of The Killers at its peak. It is daring, not in its brashness (with the one obvious exception), but in its moments of quiet reverence (see the opening of mid-album stunner 'Tyson vs. Douglas'). As for 'The Man', it nestles in nicely after the cinematic title track (the influences here are clear; shades of late-80s U2 and an obvious nod to Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain') which opens the album, so as not to stick out like a sore thumb.

    This album is quintessentially Killers, the only thing other than a full musical rebrand that could have been worth the five-year wait. It is the sound of one of the world's biggest bands in mid-career (hopefully) form, being the best version of themselves musically.    … Expand
  20. SamSouza
    Aug 29, 2020
    10
    Não chega a ser um dos melhores álbuns, mas ele assim como todos os outros, não deixa de ser um álbum incrível!

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Most Discussed Album of 2017
64
#64 Most Shared Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. musicOMH.com
    Oct 9, 2017
    70
    While Wonderful Wonderful certainly isn’t The Killers’ best record--or even their second best--it is a welcome return to form after some time in the wilderness.
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  2. Spin
    Oct 2, 2017
    80
    Wonderful Wonderful is the Killers’ strongest statement since 2005, a more than okay affirmation of their power to keep a global audience.
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  3. Under The Radar
    Sep 27, 2017
    30
    Despite a committed effort, Wonderful Wonderful isn't a title that accurately reflects its content.
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