Wonderful Wonderful arrives at a turbulent point in time for Brandon Flowers and The Killers. The old gang mentality has dissipated, all four members now residing in different states with two of them (bassist Mark Stoermer and guitarist Dave Keuning) also having announced that they will no longer be touring. Flowers was battling with severe writer’s block whilst, most seriously of all, his wife Tana revealed her own struggle with mental health issues as she suffered from PTSD. Combined with thoughts of legacy and life’s meaning as he fast approached 40, Flowers looked closer to home for inspiration and the results are the best album by the band in more than a decade.

As the title track opens the album, it is so close in style to Achtung Baby era-U2 that it is tempting to check and ensure that U2 haven’t done another iTunes-style stunt. Even down to Flowers’ vocals which are filtered through a Fly-style distortion and his plaintive cry of: “rescue, rescue”, it is a startling opener. The Killers have never been afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves and have always sat comfortably amongst the big rock bands of the 80s in style and influence (hell, this album even has a Mark Knopfler cameo). ‘The Man’ is a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek apology-slash-acceptance of Flowers’ arrogance in their early days (“I got gas in the tank, I got money in the back/I got news for you baby, you’re looking at the man”) that you could easily imagine sitting on a Ferris Bueller soundtrack, complete with the sound of cash tills ringing and an over-the-top guitar solo.

From there the album takes a more introspective feel with ‘Rut’, a beautiful tribute to his wife’s battle with PTSD (“Don’t give up on me, ‘cause I’m just in a rut/I’m climbing but the walls keep stacking up”). It’s emotionally frank and totally honest, building into a repeated refrain of “I’ll climb and I’ll climb” which is destined to echo around arenas everywhere to the accompaniment of lighters and phone lights. Wonderful Wonderful feels like a true sequel to their second album, 2006’s Sam’s Town, carrying the same spirit of classic American rock but still possessing the trademark Killers glossy finish. ‘Life To Come’ and ‘Run For Cover’ have the breathless urgency and rhythm that Springsteen and Petty have always employed to great effect.

Yet, amongst all the bluff and bravado, there is a sense of vulnerability at the heart of this album. ‘Tyson vs Douglas’ is less about a 1990s historic boxing match that resulted in one of the biggest sporting upsets of all time and more about Flowers’ desire to never let his children see him stumble or fall. Always a consummate showman and frontman, there was always a sense that he was holding something back from the world but, by singing about himself and his fears, he has opened up endless possibilities. The band stretch themselves sonically too at times, ‘Some Kind Of Love’ being based on a Brian Eno sample which drifts and twists into something like ambient stadium rock.

As the album aptly closes on ‘Have All The Songs Been Written?’ – a title inspired by a conversation about writer’s block with (of course) Bono – there is a sense that this has been a coming-of-age album for the band and one that heralds a new era for them. Everything fits together with an ease and precision not seen since Sam’s Town, still containing big radio-friendly singles but all containing an extra level of maturity. With a new touring regime set up in the hope of extending their recording life, there should be plenty of mileage left for a band who even as ubiquitous as they seem, are still only on their fifth studio album in 13 years. At this stage in their career, it’s fascinating to see a band with nothing to prove but plenty to fight for.

Jamie MacMillan

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