Album Review: Keuning - 'A Mild Case Of Everything'
The solo project of The Killers’ guitarist Dave, Keuning takes many creative leaps with second album ‘A Mild Case Of Everything’.
The multi-instrumentalist has followed 2019 debut ‘Prismism’ with a record that spins effortlessly around a sprawling 16 songs. With Keuning growing up throughout the 80s, the decade feels even more of an influence for the 45-year-old than it would for most.
Opener ‘From Stardust’ is an anthem which suits the decade perfectly, setting the tone with a strong chorus. It feels like a mission statement when he sings: “I’m singing any song I want / Now I might as well have some fun.”
The whole album is packed with dynamic guitars, as showcased on the throwback ‘The Fountain’ and the sing-along ‘No One Is Calling You A Liar’, complete with Keuning’s first finger-tapping solo.
Keuning evokes a feeling over the top of punchy synths when he sings “Will you let me love you? I can make this last. Time and fury always come to pass” on ‘Time and Fury’. Meanwhile, the addition of big band mate Mark Stoermer on bass adds to the way ‘Bad Instincts’ parallels with the stadium-filling catalogue.
It’s not all thundering epics though – ‘Hangman On The Ocean’ stands out from the rollicking opening tracks with its slower Americana strum, while there’s a huge debt to The Cars on ‘On The Ground’.
Tracks are diverse. Some are very short. ‘Don’t Poke The Bear’, possibly the most out-there track, is an elaborate nine-minute journey. Written across many years, and finished late one night at his home studio in lockdown, it’s an epic packed with horns, making its own route as well as feeling integral to the course of the whole album.
Dave stepped away from recording and touring with the big band in 2017, but has contributed to the next project from The Killers. ‘A Mild Case Of Everything’ is proof that 20 years of anthemic skills remain, injected with a huge dose of fun, for himself, and for listeners too. The resulting effort is a pleasure for long-standing fans of 80s power-pop and glistening synths.
Keuning is calling the shots this time, and on this evidence, he should do it more. The anthemic vision seeps through every bar of the album. It might not be as big as The Killers, but it shares the same heart and melody – and that’s everything worth celebrating, mildly or strongly.
Words by Samuel Draper