The Killers Xmas Song Is Uncomfortable Enough To Consider Life Choices

It is, quite reasonably, the season of guilty pleasures. One of the guiltier musical ones is awaiting the appearance of The Killers now regular annual offering of seasonal cheer. For a decade, the best Mormon-related band out of Vegas since The Osmond Brothers – and please, just let the weight of that statement sink in for a second – veer from their sometimes little-too-earnest moodiness to send joy to the world, with what have been some very bent yuletide offerings. Sometimes awfully dark, Dirt Sledding (Island) keeps up the fine traditions with band associate/actor/musician Ryan Pardey as the extremely dusty bad Santa, some costumes which may have been left over from a previous Flaming Lips tour, cheap fireworks and, of course, a slightly fractious Shetland Pony. Naturally. Add the spoken word section from Richard Dreyfuss (proper actor), and it’s just uncomfortable enough to make you consider their life choices. Then you remember it’s for charity, thus absolving some blame, and telling your conscience to shut up.

Is it their commercial success that allows your misgivings about something like the above? And what separates them from a band like Mystery Jets? They call themselves ‘indie’ – while listing Pink Floyd in the list of influences. And is that a bad thing in itself? To further confuse, their new thing Telomere (Caroline), has an almost anthemic sci-fi edge which may well reference the Floyd, but probably more accurately heads them toward Muse territory. So, is it some against the alternative code of conduct for a band to want to be as big as Coldplay? Maybe it’s OK if you don’t take yourself as seriously as the former, or think your advancing your art by recording with Beyonce as the latter has recently. Sorry, just need a moment to try and get that thought of the Chris Martin and Ms Knowles-Carter duetting out of my head.

You need some beauty in your life. But even that’s not straightforward with Hudson Mohawke. His often gorgeous waves of electronica are certainly not the defining point of Indian Steps (Warp/Inertia). That would be the ‘Featuring’ element, being always other-worldly vocal emotionalising of Antony Hegarty. To further the puzzle, the Johnsons’ singer is apparently now to be addressed as Anohni, and identified with female pronouns. With many lesser artists, you might consider that a gimmick, but the sheer sincerity with which, er, she has done everything in her musical life, an acceptance of gender fluidity is completely acceptable. Whatever the choices, that voice remains an instrument of human feeling. Speaking of human feeling, the video is even likely to provoke mixed feelings, the tenderness of elderly bodies suggesting Rodin sculptures means this is unlikely to get a run on one of the Saturday morning chart clip shows. Their loss.

Over in the world of corporate pop culture, they’re now about maximising returns – as well they should. It now seems a matter of course that the runners-up of the TV talent quests now get signed up as well, and have their Grand Final song rush-released to capitalise on the halo effect as the ‘journey’ of the latest series diminishes into the distance. Thing is, Louise Adams – contestant ad campaign identifying phrase ‘Country Mum who just loves to sing’ – can damn well sing. Possibly on her way to being the best artist out of Mount Gambier since Dave Graney, I like that she always looks just that little uncomfortable with the wardrobe chosen for her, but still puts some heart in the singing of the song chosen for her. History (Sony) is tailored. Or might we spell that ‘Taylored’? Constructed by committee, including people who have songsmithed for Meaghan Trainor, it’s of the proven commercial model of Adele-ish confessional, which she handles easily. But there’s the hope she’s allowed a bit more rein on the attendant album, to let her own talent out. 

That aforementioned school of Adele’s contemplation of love rising in crescendo ‘til the string section kicks in to bring it home, also colours Sandi Thom’s Earthquake (MITA). If you recognise the name, you realise that’s a long way from I Want To Be A Punk Rocker, Flowers, Etc., of her greatest hit. Background: she was romantically partnered with noted blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, but that went the way of all flesh, so naturally she has to write songs about it. Result (mostly): music for shopping centres. So, we’ll probably need a gimmick to shift some more units, thus – if you’re viewing this through the right device – you can view the clip in 360-degree wraparound style. Please, keep your excitement in check.

Things are often better when they’re kept simple. Aside from his work as one half of traditional country duetting of Jep & Dep, one-time - and now a long way from – Gerling member Darren Cross is also working under his own banner. Just Got Along (La La Le) (Independent) is warm kinda alt.country, with that slightly forlorn feeling of a man with things on his mind. You want to be in the conversation with him, although he’ll break out the harp solo if the chat gets a bit too close to home. The video was – self-evidently – made on the streets of Paris pre-Bataclan, and somehow that adds to the melancholy of things lost, as you can’t quite look at the surroundings the same way just now. 

Then there’s things you just don’t expect. Julien Baker is 20. She is from Tennessee. But the truths that fall from her mouth so plaintively are aching, but not emo – and not really of the country the locality might expect. It’s of the tract suburbs rather than the wide open plains and mountains. The thoughtfully picked-at guitar that codas Sprained Ankle (Spunk) underlines the often uncomfortably personal music this girl makes. It’s sometimes a little awkward, but utterly honest. That makes it good, if you haven’t worked that out already.

And then there’s things that sound almost exactly as they should. The band are called Die!Die!Die! They are a punk band, from New Zealand – with all that slightly odd sentence entails. Coming from an upcoming EP cunningly titled to reinforce my first thought, What Did You Expect?. Previewing track I Love Space Travel (Bad Health) is much yelling through a fog of guitars being played very fast and loud. The kids prove, yet again, that they might just be all right. Even if the intergalactic journeying referred to in the title here sounds a bit like a space shuttle breaking up over Florida.