Album Review: The Killers - 'Pressure Machine'
With hard work, hard play and the power of rock music, it's time to relieve some pressure. There's no better band for the job than The Killers.
Thought to be one of the most successful rock bands of the century, there have been so few musical misses from the group and the latest album is one that fits the aesthetic uniqueness of The Killers. Pressure Machine plays through like a documentary-musical hybrid, where there is recorded speech between each track that adds to the overall story of the record. It's that trademark theatricality that made the Vegas outfit greatly popular from their very beginning. This begins from the first track, 'West Hills' and from the introduction to the record, it's shown that the band are still doing what they do best: their own thing.
Each song comes across with its own tones, feelings, vibes and meanings. The track 'Cody' is one that tells its own story through it's uniquely retro sound; combining that Killers-branded rock with a softer midwestern tone to tell the tale in the most appropriate way. For 'Cody', one of the best moments is the stellar guitar solo that breaks up the track. In the right places, solos can bring out the best in a song and that's the exact job it's worked in this one.
There's a reason they're called The Killers. They kill it every single time!
The title track, the penultimate of the record, is where they feel that fleeting summer feeling that everyone's holding on to as the year moves on. What makes the track shine bright is Brandon Flowers' specially used vocals, as he uses his voice as his own perfectly practiced instrument to add to the magic of 'Pressure Machine'. This is one song that will stun the fans once the band hit the stage again and perform it live, and this is a prediction that it will quickly become a staple in all live shows following. It would be a missed opportunity to leave this out of live performances, so they know what to do.
Pressure Machine is one of the most musically interesting albums to come out this year, and is one that will gain the band more love, more airplay, and with how special and individual the sound is, it will definitely gain them more fans. More listeners. More lovers.
It's been a dark and depressing 2021, but it's time to let go of the pressure with Pressure Machine.
Words by Jo Cosgrove