Nobody could roar the way The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers could. And boy did he roared in My Own Soulās Warning, the Las Vegas bandās opener for their upcoming album Imploding the Mirage.
While it was the first song on the new album, it actually written near the end of the bandās recording session, when Brandon felt he didnāt have something for a single yet. In an interview with Rolling Stone he said it was his favorite song in the album and that they are troubled by getting the right kind of mix for the song.
The band, however, got it right after more than 90 mixes later. It was loud. The kind of loudness I didnāt hear from the band since the days of When You Were Young, which still send shivers to this day whenever that iconic chord progression comes up.
The song opened gently enough with Brandonās questioning of his own decision, saying over the piano that āsomething just didnāt feel rightā despite his attempt to go against his guts. And then the curtains lifted, the synths kick in and the first verse throw you straight into the kind of soul-searching mood that was the evident throughout the whole song, as he asked whether you would turn away if you see something beyond the sun. āWhat if it knew you by the name?ā
The synth progression would not be out of place in big arenas. Brandonās vocals in the tracks seemed like he was singing to the whole stadium, after all.
It was an inversion of sort. While we were treated with an amazing guitar solo in When You Were Young, you wouldnāt get one here. Dave Keuning, the bandās guitarist and one of its founding members, did not participate in the recording process for Imploding the Mirage, citing creative differences, among others. Other band members, however, said he remained the member of the band.
It was incredibly refreshing to hear a brand-new song that is so life-affirming in 2020. Itās as if, after one disaster after another that had plagued us (pun intended of course) throughout this year so far, life still need to be celebrated in one way or another.
