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Nicolas Downs
Instructor Adam Larsen
MUSIC 1010-012
8 April 2015
The Killers
The Killers have released four studio albums, each have hit the top 10 billboard charts in
the United States, with their first album, Hot Fuss, hitting triple platinum stateside. The Killers
are comprised of four band members. Brandon Flowers is the lead vocalist, Dave Keuning is the
guitarist, Mark Stoermer is the bassist, and Ronnie Vannucci is the drummer. Along with their
respective instruments, each member also song writes, plays keyboard, guitar, and bass.
Brandon Richard Flowers was born in Henderson Nevada as the youngest of six children.
When Brandon was eight, the family moved to Payson, Utah and two years later moved to Nephi,
Utah. He stayed in Nephi until he was sixteen when he went to Las Vegas to live with his aunt.
After graduating from Chaparral High School in 1999, Brandon worked as a bellhop in both
Caesars Palace and the Gold Coast.
As a side hobby, Brandon played in numerous keyboard bands. After leaving the failing
band Blush Response, he attended an Oasis concert and was inspired to become a dedicated rock
musician. He responded to an ad placed in the Las Vegas Weekly by Dave Keuning (guitarist)
and shortly after Mark Stoermer, (bassist) and Ronnie Vannucci (drummer) joined the band, The
Killers.
Dave Keuning was born on 28 March in Des Moines, Iowa. Dave was raised in Pella,
Iowa where he played in the Pella Community High School jazz band. In 2002, he moved to Las
Vegas and worked at the Banana Republic store in the Venetian. He placed an ad in Las Vegas
Weekly that read "Seeking musicians for all original band. Influences: Oasis, Smashing
Pumpkins, Bowie, Radiohead." Brandon Flower approached Dave and started The Killers.
Born on 28 June to an American Mother and an Australian father, Mark August Stoermer
moved from Texas to Las Vegas at the age of three. Mark Graduated from the same high school
Brandon Flowers and played the trumpet in the jazz band. Before he joined The Killers, Mark
worked as a medical courier delivering body parts for transplants while studying music and
philosophy.
The final band member is Ronnie Vannucci Jr. Ronnie has said he was banging on
everything when he was little, acting as if they were drums. During junior high, he was part of
the jazz ensemble. Before joining The Killers, he drummed for local bands, including a cover
band that would play at homeless shelters and prisons.

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The Killers has now had over a decade of learning and growing, to fill out and develop what
they would consider music. As you listen to each album, you can hear the evolution of the
music as they go through their development stages. The Music seems to sway from one genre to
the next until the Killers strike a balance with the sound.
The Killers first album, Hot Fuss, is very heavy on the synthetic noise and repetitive low
notes of percussion, making the majority of the songs labeled in the House music genre. Each
song is set up in a similar construction. Long instrument introduction, general starting with one
then adding one other instrument themes. Next are Verse 1 and Chorus, immediately after the
first chorus the Killers strutted their stuff by playing an extended hook or bridge to the next verse
and chorus. Near the end of the song, usually no more than two or three verses, we are
reintroduced to either introduction or hook/bridge in the coda with a fade to silence. This
formula worked and most pop and rock radio stations were playing Mr. Brightside and Smile
like You Mean It and Hot Fuss reached triple platinum in sales in the United States.
The next album from the Killers was Sams Town as a tribute to the Sams Town Casino
outside Las Vegas. Released two years after Hot Fuss, this album did not get as much attention
as the debut album, reached single platinum in sales. Before the release, Brandon Flowers stated
Sams Town was to become the best album in the last 20 years. To accomplish this goal, the
Killers wanted the album to sound more Americanized and drew inspiration from Bruce
Springsteen. The track list has no apparent pattern for musical success, although many followed
the same patterns as the Hot Fuss. The Killers toned down synthetic instrumentations in the
majority of the tracks, with only introductions and hooks truly announcing the use of electronics.
The guitarist, David, seems to get more work in the album as you can hear him throughout each
song, adding to the American sound. Two track breaks Enterlude and Exitlude were added,
providing a way to step out of the track list and catch a breath, also included was a club mix of
one the singles featured on the album When You Were Young.
Sawdust is one of the few non-studio albums the Killers have produced, it includes two
singles as well has B-sides and remixes from the band from 2002 to 2007. The album peaked on
iTunes at number 2. Brandon Flowers forgot to bring his electronic keyboard for this album,
and as such, you can hear more of the classic guitar bass and drum combination. Without the use
of synthetic instruments, Sawdust is considered to be Alternative rock or Indie rock. It is hard to
generalize the track anatomy for this album because each song is an alternate of an original. Of
the two singles in the Album, Tranquilize takes a more traditional heartbroken rock stance.
The second single Shadowplay comes across more haunting, with a repetitive three notes that
sound like background music for the X-files. Of note, the Killers performed a modernized cover
of Romeo and Juliet from Blue Oyster Cult.

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The third studio album came out two years after Sams Town. The intent of the album was to
be a continuation of Sams Town. Unlike Sams Town, Brandon said the album was inspired be
Elton John, David Bowie, and Lou Reed (Russell). The album became more of a pop album,
with its genre classified as dance-rock, new wave, or synthpop. Within the United States, the
album has been certified gold; however, in international markets it has been certified platinum or
multi-platinum. The album overall has a mellow tone when compared to the other three albums
listed. The unique and playful musicality of the album gives the feel that the Killers were making
this album more true to their own identity.
Between Day & Age and Battle Born, Brandon Flowers released a single album, The
Flamingo, which is another reference to another casino in his hometown of Las Vegas. With
Brandon being the lead vocalist for the Killers, the album had a similar musical structure as Day
& Age. Flamingo was the fourth studio album from Brandon Flowers to reach number 1 in the
United Kingdom.
After four years of hiatus from Day & Age, and Brandon Flowers side project was
completed, the Killers to produced their latest album Battle Born. Battle born is on the state flag
of Nevada, and much of the song lyrics give way to the spirit of the state. Battle Born is the
goldilocks album that has all the right pieces the Killers were looking for. It adds the Bruce
Springsteen-esque sound of Sams Town, combined with just enough playful music from Day &
Age. This balance is heard within the singles produced from this album, Runaways, Miss
Atomic Bomb, and Here with Me
In 2013, the Killers tweeted a picture of Morse code that translated to The Killers Shot at
the Night, and five days later, they release a new single Shot at the Night with the hopes of
another album. Shot at the Night has similar sounds to the lead track of Battle Born. After over
a decade of writing music together, the Killers have found a voice they want to share with the
world that has been evolving and growing since their first song.

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Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
00:00 00:15 Synthetic instrument intro
00:15 00:40 Guitar and Drum play Theme
00:40 00:40 Vocal Starts Verse 1
00:40 01:14 Verse 1
01:14 01:36 Chorus
01:36 01:52 Guitar and Drum play Theme
01:52 02:25 Verse 1
02:25 03:00 Chorus
03:00 03:59 Variation of Theme

Sams Town
00:00 00:30 Synthetic String Intro
00:30 00:38 Add more Synthetic instrument
00:38 00:44 Guitar plays main riff as part of Intro
00:44 01:12 Vocals starts Verse 1
01:12 01:12 Hook
01:12 01:34 Chorus
01:34 01:43 Theme Change
01:43 01:57 Variation 1
01:57 01:57 Back to Theme
01:57 02:24 Verse 3
02:24 02:24 Hook

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02:24 02:48 Chorus
02:48 03:09 Bridge
03:09 4:06 Tail

Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf

00:00 00:14 Instrumental Intro
00:14 00:24 Guitar plays Theme
00:24 00:45 Verse 1
00:45 01:02 Hook
01:02 01:52 Chorus
01:52 02:28 Verse 2
02:28 02:36 Hook
02:36 03:12 Chorus
03:12 03:42 Tail, Repeat Chorus

Joyride
00:00 00:10 Instrumental Intro
00:10 00:42 Verse 1
00:26 00:26 Change to Major
00:42 01:00 Chorus
01:00 01:11 Solo
01:11 01:36 Verse 2
01:36 02:09 Chorus

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02:09 02:33 Variation 1
02:33 03:42 Back to Theme for Tail

Prize Fighter

00:00 00:22 Intro Rock Guitar

00:22 01:18 Verse 1
01:00 01:18 Key Change
01:18 01:37 Chorus
01:37 02:23 Verse 2
02:18 02:23 Key Change
02:23 02:43 Chorus
02:43 02:58 Bridge
02:58 03:35 Verse 3
03:35 03:54 Chorus
03:54 04:09 Vocal Tail
04:09 04:40 Instrument Tail