Hot Fuss

Wouldn't call myself a killers fan but the first half of the album is full of hits. Reminds me of uni. Second half isn't as good All killer(s), half filler..... I'll see myself out

This album was massive and inescapable when it was released, and it's a banger. I believe that as time goes on and the band is less oversaturated in the popular culture, appreciation for this album will grow. Best track: Mr. Brightside

** VOMITS LOUDLY **

Today, in 2023, I am no longer a 12-year old American boy. No longer am I the pimpled king of "Roller Kingdom," scared to death to meet the eyes of my middle school crush in the adjoining Birthday Party Room. Nor do I wait for the 6:45am bus, scribbling frantic answers to a history worksheet– a poor writing surface, those bus seats!– that has small, pitying holes in it from my erasable pen. These facts put me at an extreme, almost disqualifying disadvantage to rate an album like this. A genuine handicap for an album whose influence is foundational to many of my 2000's peers, but in retrospect may only be a good time if you're deep in Angst Mode. I knew kids who picked up guitar because they listened to this CD! The patron saints of Lazer Zones everywhere. In seriousness. I like my Blur, I like my Arctic Monkeys, I like my Strokes. This is hard to get through. Grating. This shouldn't happen, because I know all the songs already. Halfway through, I'm thinking, "Maybe I'm having fun! Maybe I should sneak one of these songs in at my wedding." Alas. Not Enough Fun. A generous 3 might be possible. But I have dutifully deducted a point for the refrain, "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier," sung forty times behind a gospel choir. That line's been bouncing around in my head since the Roller Kingdom Days, and unfortunately, now illuminated by the scribes of Genius, it yields no special magic. 2/5

I find the Killers fatiguing. They fatigued me when I first listened to them when this came out in high school, and they still fatigue me 18 years later. They just zap my energy. I will say, Mr. Brightside is the one bright spot on the album. They really nailed a particular emotion, and it resonates. I was at a karaoke bar in Minneapolis this weekend, and someone sang that song - the whole bar sang along, which was really a blessing since the guy was tone deaf. But the song still resonated, and we could all feel the energy. I watched a Song Exploder episode on one of their songs recently - I like that show, but this episode was boring, it lacked content, and I blame The Killers. The song was not from this album, but it doesn't matter that much because all their stuff sounds kind of the same. It added to my dislike of them, hearing how they could barely articulate where the lyrics came from, or what the song was about. The most compelling moment was when they said the guitar riff sounds like "the desert" - they are from Las Vegas. But the song sounded more like Las Vegas itself - a grotesque manifestation of capitalism, an illusion of prosperity and vitality, a thin veil concealing a vast emptiness. That's how this album makes me feel, and not in a good way.

How is this album better than their greatest hits one

Not ground-breaking, not deep lyrics, but simply banging tune after banging tune.

I remember when I first heard “Mr. Brightside” in a middle school PE class where we had to select songs to choreograph a dance too. We played that song 500 times and it never got old. I remember the first time I heard “All These Things That I’ve Done” on the radio on KROQ in my Mom’s Ford Explorer and it stopped me dead in my tracks; I had to know who wrote this; probably the first time I ever felt that. I remember first hearing “Somebody Told Me,” also on the radio, and wondering how a boyfriend could look like a girlfriend. I remember when I finally bought the CD and discovered this band of 3 radio-friendly songs had numerous other hits on the very same debut album; namely, “Jenny,” “Smile,” “Andy,” and, my favorite, ”Change Your Mind.” I remember high school, and feeling ashamed for ever having liked these songs. I remember in college when it became cool to play these songs again, at parties and karaoke and such; later, weddings. I remember Phoebe Bridgers’ atmospheric rise and how she and her moment suddenly made Brandon Flowers “cool” and “significant” again. I remember at one time thinking this album was front-loaded with hits, but listening again, I can attest it is truly front-to-back loaded with hits. Last week, this album hit me like a ton of bricks. Not only because of the nostalgia I have wrapped up inside it. But truly because of how solid and emotional a record it is. How good the songwriting is. How good it all sounds. I have it on CD. The same CD I bought all those years ago—one of the first CDs I ever bought honestly—and still in great condition. The production and mix is awesome. This album and this band is as good as any that came to fruition in the mid-aughts. I’d take this in the same hand I’d take the Strokes debut. And honestly, a comparative study of those two albums might yield an interesting piece on music criticism, fashion trends, song-writing, rock populism, and stardom in the first decade of the century. They are perhaps the two most significant debuts of the era, after all. Sadly, where the troubled Julian Casablancas was heralded as some kind of genius and critical darling, Brandon Flowers was written off as a pop star. When critics turn their back on bands, bands tend to turn their back on critics. And when band’s turn their back on critics, they play for fans. I think you can see that happen to The Killers after this album. Where this album is specific, nuanced, and personal, latter efforts are broad and populist. Where Hot Fuss finds a group of Las Vegas natives stumbling upon songs that would speak to hundreds of millions all across the globe, subsequent efforts finds that same group working to write more songs like that. All I can say is it’s a shame. It’s a shame we didn’t foster and encourage the artistry of a band that gave us one of the best debuts of any era. I’m giving this a 5 for posterity’s sake if nothing else. But Hot Fuss is every bit deserving.

The front of this album is phenomenal, hard to believe they had so many hits on their first release.

I don’t know who decided this band was good, but it wasn’t me.

Amazing

Love

Initial thoughts: some good moments shine through but overall the vocals are mediocre and the mixing is terrible. You can tell Mr. Brightside is what they put effort in because they knew it would be the radio hit, everything else is filler so far. Final thoughts: bad. Mixing and vocals stay horrible, lyrics are lame and sometimes misogynistic or slightly transphobic?? Best song: Mr Brightside Worst song: Everything else (specifically On Top, Midnight Show, Everything Will Be Alright)

Absolute classic - entire album is sublime.

Classic all time rock album

Hot Fuss is one of the best alternative albums of the 2000's. An absolute classic. "Mr.Brightside" is one of the best songs ever made in the genre and it's popularity proves that. You'll discover something new you love about the album every time you listen. For me this listen, I really appreciated "On Top". 5/5. Favorite Songs: "Mr. Brightside", "Smile Like You Mean It", "All These Things That I've Done", "Jenny Was A Friend of Mine", "Change Your Mind", "On Top"

Booo

Great album

Plenty of skill there, a great mix of electronic and rock. Kept being surprised at how many great songs kept coming

What a strong debut album. With several hit singles, it's got a great combination of new wave and post punk influenced indie rock.

I felt sure this would be a 5 based on personal history with this record; an actual listen left me feeling it was a 4 but I will maintain my rating based on nostalgia (which is probably wildly inconsistent with other scoring decisions). There were many THE ALBUMS during my college tenure, but this one might have been the most played of all of them. Wore this album out with friends, it was perfect background music for a party, a card game, or a quieter Sunday morning. The Vegas synth vibes are so unique and defining. Every song such a turn from the last, but still cohesive. My recollection was that this was a non-stop 12 tracks of greatness; my revisit made me realize I don't remember the last 3 tracks on it very well at all, and there is a fall off. Strange how memory is. Regardless, there is a 7 song tear here that's unparalleled.

Cuando el primer disco de un grupo es así de bueno luego pueden pasar dos cosas, que se superen (creo que lo hicieron al menos con algunas canciones) o que nunca brillen tanto. Es un grupo que me sigue gustando, pero creo que el impacto general que me causó este disco no lo han repetido. Imprescindible del nuevo siglo. Empieza fuerte con 4 canciones como son "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine", "Mr. Brightside", "Smile Like You Mean It" y "Somebody Told Me". Tiene un parón y remonta con "On Top", "Change Your Mind" y "Believe Me Natalie" para llegar al final catártico de "Everything Will Be Alright". 5 estrellas *****

Not one of the 1000 most valuable albums of all time in my opinion

Sound of my childhood. Got weirdly emotional listening to it again.

So gooooooooddddd

*inhales* SOMEBODY TOLD ME was no one going to tell me the other killers songs are actually good too? I should have listened to this sooner

Oh I know this one, so many fave Killers songs. Jenny was a friend of mine is a banger opener, love that bass line. A couple songs I did not recognize.

The perfect early 2000s alt-pop album. Hot Fuss is one I revisit a few times a year. The Killers is a solid band all around.

great bass playing, full of classics, and before what i think is their best album. shame they didnt fire on as many cylinders afterwards.

It’s hard to disentangle nostalgia from merit on this album, but I definitely enjoyed listening to it. The songs do a good job of feeling distinct but tied together

Huge nostalgia bump for this one - was popular with the crowd I ran with when I first moved to Japan. "Mr Brightside" is a stonking karaoke tune, but there are a bunch of other tunes I regard fondly too, it turns out. Fave track - toss up between "Mr Brightside", "All These Things That I've Done", and "Somebody Told Me"... They really front loaded this one, eh.

que buena banda the killers

Ja lekker hoor, lekker vrolijk, goede beats en paar echte klassiekers. Misschien iets te poppy/fout, maar ach. 5*

Great album!

Wahnsinn. Teil meiner Jugend. 10/10 für mich!

I really wasn't expecting to give this 5 stars but I don't see any other option. There was a little bit of a lull in after the first half or so, but that first half was pretty incredible.

i'm not sure how it got in my head that this had soured for me, perhaps a slight overdose of mr. brightside and the fact that i maybe never spent as much time with the album as a whole as i thought, but wow does this still hold up start to finish (listened previously) 1 albums listened/heard previously

In a full circle moment, as the album's penultimate track "Everything Will Be Alright" plays, that first curious memory and through today, the absolute satisfaction of an album being more than a single song plays into the rating. While nostalgia is an unreliable judge, here is an album where it gets it right without much if any argument.

Know most of these already

Overplayed but still a classic

such an iconic album. can’t get better than mr bright side and somebody told me when you’re going 2000s. i loved this throwback 😂 also sweet disposition by the temper trap came on after the album ended and nothing can put me in a better mood. such a jam

Fantastic album from start to finish, just straight up good music with a rollercoaster of sounds and feelings starting off just above mid-level, rising up to peak and then gradually coming back down with some fast bumps finally tailing off with a bit more subtlety and delicacy. Full of great hits and not a single bad song among them; this is an album that almost anyone can listen to in some sort of capacity and not really have anything negative to say about it other than a song or two has probably been overplayed when it came out but those were certainly deservedly overplayed.

Very nostalgic and reminds me of my best friend

Maybe I’m just looking for a (mister) bright side right now but this was a nice throwback to arena alt-rock, lots of songs I thoroughly enjoy. Really didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but in terms of surprises, this was a nice one.

Did you know that in Super Metroid if you place bombs in sync to Mr Brightside you can propell yourself up and sequence break?

The first half is seamless and truly remarkable. After that, you're just waiting for the album to end. Nevertheless, it's still a feat.

Throwback, strange to listen through again. Mr bright side isn’t even the best song.

Really liked this. Knew Mr. Brightside from many a club night obviously, but some of the others were surprisingly familiar too.

I'm old enough to remember the 1980s when indie/alternative music was a genuinely alternative industry to mainstream music with independent radio, labels, venues and stores, not just a genre label to create commercial radio playlists. And this album is where "indie" ended up after a decade... the singles are anthemic and the album overall doesn't suck, but I'm not enthused. 2.5 stars.

Fine. I feel like I’m watching TV in the late ‘00s. Full disclosure: I’m pretty bummed and currently not in a music mood. Sorry, The Killers.

Perhaps it’s just the dim aftermath of the events of yesterday that have left me with a disconnected inability to enjoy things, but the numbness I felt while listening to this gave me a pretty “meh” reaction to it. It’s fine.

I was surprised how much I knew some of these songs having never intentionally listened to them. Almost a manufactured in a lab feel. The hits are full on ear worms. The vocals are often obfuscated to probably make up for something lacking or it seems to be just a producer obsessed with a new vocal effect. It's one of the more listenable versions of New Wave. Sonically it can feel a little repetitive at times. Andy, You're a Star had some cool bits. I hate the last track. Started as a high 4 for me but halfway through cracks formed.

So these are the lads who did "I've got ham but I'm not a hamster"?

Not super into it, but it wasn't bad either. The Killers are good at writing tunes that are catchy at first but don't have a lot of real substance. But there's nothing in their music I actively dislike, so I guess it's a solid "average" record for me.

This album was incredibly front-loaded. The first 5 tracks are all great and some of the best that The Killers have ever put out, but it takes a sharp dive in quality afterwards for the rest of the album. The lack of consistency in quality is what drags the score down so much.

Corporate indie for elliptical machines and hockey games. Super high-energy hype up music expertly assembling the most excitable elements of millennial guitar rock from alt rock, emo & pop-punk, post-rock and garage revival (epic reverby guitars, driving bass, synth hooks, marching drums) to create an explosive anthemic sound. They blow their wad on track two with Mr Brightside though and the rest can't reach that level. A compilation of the best of Killers, Bloc Party, Snow Patrol, Twilight Sad, post Is This It Strokes, mid-career Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, the Arcade Fire jock jams and all the other bands from this era that sound like this would be an awesome CD-length album representing the last gasps and final dying fling of guitar rock. But there's too much samey filler on this album and oh my god the 'soul not a soldier' and 'INDIE ROCK AND ROLL' bits made me throw my headphones into the bin. What about this makes it sound incredibly British?

literally only tried for the first three songs, they're calling it the worst closer in history, tragic loss of life, etcetera, etcetera.

Good pop-alt rock, but overall it does feel like it lacks something to make it special outside of the popular singles

It's like Wonder bread.. flavorless, mushy, boring, soft and pale white.

Never listened to this album end to end before, but felt like I had already such was and is the frequency with which they seem to get air time. Not really my bag. Over produced to hide a poor vocal performance, and the songwriting seems to become progressively more low-effort stadium rock towards the end. Stinks of trying to wrap up an album because you've already written the money-makers. Generous 2.

U2 have a lot to answer for. Soulless arena rock for chartered accountants. Stopped after 4 songs and put on Spirit of Eden 😡.

You can boil this record down to three or four things: Two hit singles A bunch of U2 impersonations A couple Beatles impersonations And the dumbest lyric your ever heard: “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier…” I don’t know about you, but when I think about people who have soul, soldiers are the first people that come to mind…you know how they’re always following and not questioning orders…very soulful. Also, bold choice to include a song with the refrain “It’s Indie Rock and Roll for me” on your MAJOR LABEL DEBUT. Maybe it’s making fun of indie purists like myself (which I doubt, this band is too dumb for that), but the lyrics are too vague and devoid of any real meaning to actually tell what the song is about. This is “indie rock” for people who couldn’t tell you if “Matador Records” was a record label or just another way of saying “Bullfighting Statistics”.

Womp womp

One of the best indie albums of all time, hit fulled to fuck

Banger after banger AND every song is good. The vocals are a perfect pair for the instrumentals. Expectations were high, and it delivered; just a really fun album. Favourite Song: Mr. Brightside Honourable Mentions: On Top, All These Things That I've Done, Change Your Mind, Somebody Told Me

Vaya temazos en el disco súper míticos, no sabía que estaban todos en el mismo disco. Para tenerlo en consideración y recordarlo para el futuro, he recordado a Camerón Díaz cantando it was only a kiss!

Mood

BANGER

Crazy good, crazy catchy, crazy Killers. I've listened to this and Sam's Town countless times and will probably never get bored of them. The way Flowers almost never truly hits a clean note on this is impressive. Catch the UK version so you get the superior 'Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll' instead of 'Change Your Mind'.

When “Mr. Brightside” is one of the first songs you write as a band, it should be smooth sailing from there. My Danish edition of the book told me to listen to the version with “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll” on it - lucky, as it’s easily the superior track. It would have almost made sense as a track on The Black Parade; killer track. Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town was quite the one-two combo, influencing the direction of rock in the 2000’s.

may be biased, love the killers albums filled with hits and iconic songs

An album packed with Killer(s)-songs. Every time a fun listen. Easy five stars for me.

Never actually listened to the full album, and didn’t realized that it basically contains all their jams.

I've got soul but I'm not a soldier.

Also hadn’t heard this in about a decade & surpassed my memory of it. Real good

Mr Brightside remains the GOAT song of the 21st century

I love this album. Every single is great. I haven't listened much to some of the songs, but they're all good Killers songs. Mr. Brightside and Smile Like You Mean It are two of my all-time favorites.

Absolute banger.

To jest mój gimnazjalny klasyk. Słuchałam tej płyty do upadłego. Łączy syntezatory, rock i emo w taki bardzo znośny miks. No i jest na niej hymn millenialsów. 8.5/10 równane w górę.

Oh this is 5 I don't need to listen (I did). Thought my mum was having a mid life crisis when she bought this on CD to play in the car. So nostalgic.

I absolutely love this album. It's nostalgic but still fresh, and nearly every track is a banger.

I fukin love this album (Mr Brightside was My fav song in 2021)

now i see what all the hot fuss was about

Top 10.

I’m in.

This is one of my favorite albums period. Great to listen again. The only thing I have a gripe about is in the streaming era, they added Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll as the last track, after Everything Will Be Alright. EWBA is the perfect ending to this album and what I still consider the correct ending, just like my original CD album had. Call me old, it’s just a better ending.

имба.

This album is fantastic. My only possible criticism would be that they front-loaded the singles but even still, no skips on this one.

Their debut album. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine is such a cool yet dark opening track. The tune belies the dark lyrics. The next four tracks are all 2000s anthems. Mr Brightside, Smile Like You Mean It, Somebody Told Me and All These Things That I've Done. Half an album of bangers! The final track, Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll is also a great track. Such a punchy and dancy album. Brilliant!

This came out in my first year of university. Nonsense lyrics aside this album (and The Black Parade) was omni-present in the most formative years of my life. Five stars all day.

I liked it, very dinamic and rebelious.

Probably one of my favorite debut albums of all time, Hot Fuss is an absolute banger of a way to kick off a career in music. Legend has it that this album was set to release in 2001, until Brandon Flowers heard "Is This It" and scrapped the album, saying they needed to do better, and they sure did. Obviously, little needs to be said about "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me" that hasn't been said before, but there's a reason why those songs have come to define what it means to be Caucasian. They're certified suburban classics. That said, if this album were a baseball lineup, the half-of-famers aren't the only ones scoring runs on this album. "All These Things I've Done", "Smile Like You Mean It", and "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" would still be the best songs on most of their contemporary artists' albums, and the back half of the album is entirely comprised of solid to better-than-average songs. While not every song is the most memorable, there aren't really any tracks that I ever feel a strong desire to skip, and an album entirely comprised of unskippable songs is worthy of some of the highest praise a record can receive. 9.4/10

This band saved my life

Banger after banger

I liked it! My teenage baby punk-rock-emo self got a kick out of it

Sehr nah an dem, was ich eh höre

There’s not a bad track on Hot Fuss, plain and simple. But those first five tracks? Hard to deny their greatness. “Mr. Brightside,” “Smile Like You Mean It,” “Somebody Told Me” it’s just one banger after another. I bought this album when it was released, and honestly, it still holds up incredibly well. Whether it's nostalgia or something more, there's a fun energy that’s hard to beat. It captured lightning in a bottle, and I’d put it up there with the best debut albums of the 2000s.

One of the best debut albums ever. Hard to separate this from and review more objectively because of how much these songs colored my teenage years. Lots of nostalgia, but also alt rock that goes supernova popular but is still good and enjoyable even if they weren't bringing much new to the table from a creativity standpoint. Standouts are the first five airwave-permeating tracks ("Jenny Was a Friend of Mine", "Mr. Brightside", "Smile Like You Mean It", "Somebody Told Me", and "All These Things That I've Done"), but "Change Your Mind" a personal favorite as well.

One of the best freshman albums to be released

Full of hits and such a great opener. Loved it!