This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
With an aggressive handle like The Killers, you might think these Las Vegans are part of the garage-rawk revival. You’d be wrong — sort of.
The Killers are indeed a nostalgic bunch. Only the sound they’re jonesing for owes more to the synth-rock of the ’80s than the crunch-rock of the ’70s. Hot Fuss, their memorable debut CD, revisits the glory days of Psychedelic Furs and Duran Duran with its choppily ringing guitars, howling synths, danceable grooves, dark vocals and giant choruses — although you’ll also find more than enough serrated guitars and downtown vibes to endear these 11 tracks to the Interpol and Strokes crowds. That doesn’t necessarily make this CD a stone-cold killer, though it sure helps explain what the fuss is about.
