Music rules. I’ve always liked the band The Killers. Sometimes I feel like its bordering guilty pleasure music, but the drummer is astounding and that’s what got me into that band back when Hot Fuss was released. I remember hearing Jenny Was a Friend of Mine and thinking wow, these drums are energizing. Hearing more of the album I realize the drummer can really play behind the beat, in front of it, and right on top of the beat and he has some really cool fills. Nothing complicated, but the kind that make you play air drums during the song for emphasis. What’s more is I’m even hearing the bass in these songs. Maybe it’s being a guitarist, but I rarely find bass that interesting, see Schism by Tool for one of the best bass leads I’ve ever heard. (photo: Ronnie Vanucci of The Killers putting an emphasis to a few simple notes)
So besides how cool it is that all this is already flowing through my head in just a few seconds of hearing music - two days ago I realized The Killers had a b-sides album I had never heard about. That this is pretty bold to release a b-sides album when you only have something like 3 full length albums. Regardless, I picked it up and they have a cover of a Joy Division song called Shadowplay. I know nothing about Joy Division other than who they were, but this song basically has the drums as the lead (main) instrument which sounds so awesome. Not many songs like that; Everlong I’d argue the drums are the lead instrument in that song. Anyway, the beat of this song is amazing. There is an electronic drum beat, but a real kit in there too and the way Vanucci makes use of an open and closed high-hat in between verses really hooks you in. Soon enough I’m on YouTube comparing The Killers version to the original by Joy Division and there is a live video of them from 1978 – cool! This tune is VERY catchy and the sound of an electronic beat getting interupted by a real drum kit sounds amazing. Listen to this Killers version solely for the amazing drum beat by Vanucci.
But the whole point of what I’m getting at here is that an often overlooked band like The Killers just introduced me to Joy Division. How cool is that? Music does this to me all the time. It’s rarely with cover songs though. Usually I’ll hear a phrase of a song that sounds like another song and it’ll remind me to listen to that song/band and it’s just a domino effect from that point on. Pretty soon I’m holding my guitar and trying to play different things or just improvise over them. We rip off music from each other every day, but it’s ok. That’s music. You take snippets here and there and make it your own. Anyone who plays rock n’ roll I would argue is ripping off Chuck Berry and maybe Berry ripped off Robert Johnson, etc. Plenty of professional musicians will tell you they made a living on ripping of other licks and beats and phrases they have heard. Although that is exaggerating things, there is truth to it as well. Yesterday I had never heard the music of Joy Division, now I have a new respect for them and have an interest in acquiring some of their tunes to see if I’d like more of them.
I’ll end this with going back to The Killers. I really like the album Hot Fuss, but every day their album Day & Age grows on me. Not so much because the whole album is good – it’s not. But the first half of the album has an amazing tribute to 80’s music. There are so many traces of licks and beats and just little things from the 80’s that I can’t begin to start naming the bands they borrowed these ideas from (The Cure, Depeche Mode, lots of one hit wonders that I couldn't place, and even a reminiscence of Cindy Lauper). I'm not saying I like any of that 80's music - it's not the point. To me this is pretty amazing how we take music and re-arrange the puzzle to make something completely new, yet we never lose sight of those before us regardless of our like or dislike for a band.
So besides how cool it is that all this is already flowing through my head in just a few seconds of hearing music - two days ago I realized The Killers had a b-sides album I had never heard about. That this is pretty bold to release a b-sides album when you only have something like 3 full length albums. Regardless, I picked it up and they have a cover of a Joy Division song called Shadowplay. I know nothing about Joy Division other than who they were, but this song basically has the drums as the lead (main) instrument which sounds so awesome. Not many songs like that; Everlong I’d argue the drums are the lead instrument in that song. Anyway, the beat of this song is amazing. There is an electronic drum beat, but a real kit in there too and the way Vanucci makes use of an open and closed high-hat in between verses really hooks you in. Soon enough I’m on YouTube comparing The Killers version to the original by Joy Division and there is a live video of them from 1978 – cool! This tune is VERY catchy and the sound of an electronic beat getting interupted by a real drum kit sounds amazing. Listen to this Killers version solely for the amazing drum beat by Vanucci.
But the whole point of what I’m getting at here is that an often overlooked band like The Killers just introduced me to Joy Division. How cool is that? Music does this to me all the time. It’s rarely with cover songs though. Usually I’ll hear a phrase of a song that sounds like another song and it’ll remind me to listen to that song/band and it’s just a domino effect from that point on. Pretty soon I’m holding my guitar and trying to play different things or just improvise over them. We rip off music from each other every day, but it’s ok. That’s music. You take snippets here and there and make it your own. Anyone who plays rock n’ roll I would argue is ripping off Chuck Berry and maybe Berry ripped off Robert Johnson, etc. Plenty of professional musicians will tell you they made a living on ripping of other licks and beats and phrases they have heard. Although that is exaggerating things, there is truth to it as well. Yesterday I had never heard the music of Joy Division, now I have a new respect for them and have an interest in acquiring some of their tunes to see if I’d like more of them.
I’ll end this with going back to The Killers. I really like the album Hot Fuss, but every day their album Day & Age grows on me. Not so much because the whole album is good – it’s not. But the first half of the album has an amazing tribute to 80’s music. There are so many traces of licks and beats and just little things from the 80’s that I can’t begin to start naming the bands they borrowed these ideas from (The Cure, Depeche Mode, lots of one hit wonders that I couldn't place, and even a reminiscence of Cindy Lauper). I'm not saying I like any of that 80's music - it's not the point. To me this is pretty amazing how we take music and re-arrange the puzzle to make something completely new, yet we never lose sight of those before us regardless of our like or dislike for a band.
Sometimes something so abstract and new sounding isn't so abstract afterall and can be traced back to other musicians. Even a band like The Killers who are to most I’d argue a take it or leave it band can still get your brain moving with ideas and thoughts and remembrances about music. And we all understand how music triggers other memories. And someday someone might even hear The Killers sound in another song and maybe they won't be able to place it as The Killers. There really are no limitations to music if you let it be your own interpretation; and I mean that as in playing music AND listening to music. One of the multitude of reasons of why music means so much to me. On a side note, if you’re interested in any of these 80’s style songs off Day & Age: Losing Touch, Human, Spaceman, Joyride, Neon Tiger, This Is Your Life are the main ones I’d recommend.
