the killers

Top 20 Songs of June 2015

June was a great month for new music. Here are the songs I listened to most in June:

20. Django Django – Shake And Tremble

 

19. My Morning Jacket – Big Decisions

 

18. A Silent Film – Strong Enough/Message In The Sand

 

17. Walk The Moon – Different Colors

 

16. Mumford and Sons – The Wolf

 

15. Waitress – Hop Along

 

14. Brandon Flowers – Diggin’ Up The Heart

 

13. Ratatat – Cream on Chrome

These Brooklyn cats are such bad asses.

 

12. Muse – Dead Inside

Will and Kathryn from SYTYCD!

 

11. Death From Above 1979 – White Is Red

Probably my favourite tune this Canuck duo have ever done.

 

10. Jamie XX – Loud Places/I Know There’s Gonna Be Good Times

 

9. Awolnation – Woman Woman

One of the many catchy tunes on Awolnation’s latest LP.

 

8. A Silent Film – Paralysed

I’m miffed and sorry that this song and the EP from whence it comes have not not received more attention/YouTube views.

 

7. The Chainsmokers f. Great Good Fine OK – Let You Go

Massive dance anthem deservedly getting a tonne of play.

 

6. Tame Impala – Cause I’m A Man

So unique, so fresh, so good.

 

5. Best Coast – Feeling Ok

Took me maybe 4 or 5 listens before I was hooked.

 

4. Beirut – No No No

Welcome baaaaaack Mr. Condon! So happy new Beirut music has arrived.

 

3. Awolnation – I Am

What a great album from Aaron Bruno and company. Even this sort-of ballad sounds raw and rife with energy. Love the vocal harmonies on this track.

 

2. Ed Sheeran – Photograph/Photograph (Felix Jaehn Remix)

I guess I was out to lunch, as I didn’t know about “Photograph” until recently. I’m not surprised it’s become a worldwide smash; Ed Sheeran is damn near incomparable at writing simple yet affecting melodies and lyrics. The original is great, but I might even dig the remix more. Felix Jaehn is on fire right now.

 

1. Miguel – Coffee

It’s his voice. It’s that melody. It’s that this ‘clean’ version is more hard-hitting than the explicit one. It’s that, “word play, turns into gun play, gun play, turns into pillow talk, pillow talk, turns into sweet dreams, sweet dreams, turn into coffee in the morning.” It’ll go down as one of my favourite lyrics of the year. One of my favourite songs too.

 

Ranking The Killers’ Christmas Songs

In addition to being one of the best and biggest rock bands on the planet and the best cover band around, The Killers also have oodles of holiday spirit. Since 2006, they’ve released one Christmas song every year in support of the Red Campaign which purports to help combat AIDS in Africa. (Whether it’s an efficient campaign is another story altogether. Google Red Campaign or Red Campaign Criticism to read different takes on the subject.)

Some of The Killers’ Christmas songs have been awesome. So good, in fact, that if they weren’t Christmas songs (a divisive category of music if ever there was one), they’d be hits based strictly on the strength of the melodies alone.

I assume The Killers will continue to release a Christmas song each year for the foreseeable future, but since they’ve already accrued a good number of such tunes to date, I’ve decided to fire up a list of my favourites.

9. Joel The Lump Of Coal f. Jimmy Kimmel (2014)

Cool chorus, not sure about the rest of the tune. Cute sentiment also.

 

8. Joseph, Better You Than Me f. Elton John & Neil Tennant (2008)

Despite having legends Neil Tennant and Elton John on the track, there’s something about the track that I can’t really get into.

 

7. Boots  (2010)

I like Dave Keuning’s guitar work here.

 

6. I Feel It In My Bones f. Ryan Pardey (2012)

The most ominous of The Killers’ Christmas tunes, and probably the most “rock ‘n roll” of the bunch too. If you like a little touch of morbid in your festive cheer, this song’s for you.

 

5. Don’t Shoot Me Santa (2007)

Great chorus. Also a tad macabre, but that’s what makes it work.

 

4. Christmas In LA f. Dawes (2013)

This song has a fantastic melody. I love the vocals from Dawes and Flowers.

 

3. A Great Big Sled (2006)

The Killers first ever Christmas release. The song, particularly the synths and guitars, that sounds most like their indomitable debut, Hot Fuss.

 

2. Happy Birthday Guadalupe! f. Mariachi El Bronx & Wild Light (2009)

Tonnes of fun with a super high earworm factor. This is one of the warmest Christmas cuts I’ve ever heard. It’s rotated with the song below as my favourite Christmas tune from the Vegas lads. It doesn’t sound like a Christmas song so much as it sounds like a really good Killers song. This is a good thing.

 

1. The Cowboy’s Christmas Ball (2011)

I love everything about this song, and I smile ear-to-ear whenever I hear it. I think it’s the catchiest Christmas song The Killers have yet done. The song is one giant hook, and the harmonies near the end of the tune are amazing (every Brandon Flowers vocal on this track is on point). Again, there are very few elements here that make it sound like a Christmas song. More than that, it’s just a fantastic Killers song.

I don’t think any other band can match what The Killers have done over the last decade, from albums to covers to Christmas tunes. All these things that they’ve done have been awesome, and I can’t wait to see and hear what they come up with next.

Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, and any other denominational holiday celebration to one of the best bands of the last decade!