Wonderful Wonderful [LP]

by The Killers

Overview

In 2017, it's hard to figure out where Brandon Flowers ends and the Killers begin. Just prior to the September release of Wonderful Wonderful -- their fifth album and first in five years -- the band announced that neither bassist Mark Stoermer nor guitarist Dave Keuning would be touring in support of the record, all the while stressing that neither musician had left the group. Listening to Wonderful Wonderful, it's hard to discern their contribution because Flowers completely dominates the proceedings, to the point where this feels like a sequel not to 2012's Battle Born but to his 2015's solo album, The Desired Effect. To an extent, Flowers always has been the focus of the Killers, but at the dawn of their career they were unified in their fusion of new wave and arena rock. Ghosts of that sound flutter through Wonderful Wonderful, but they get pushed aside by disco struts, brooding celebrity name-drops, Mark Knopfler cameos, and Fleetwood Mac harmonies so uncannily real you'd swear Lindsey Buckingham guested on the record. Such odd juxtapositions and untrammeled ambition have been the Killers' stock in trade since at least Sam's Town, but the impressive thing about Wonderful Wonderful is how the Killers are able to execute Flowers' overstuffed ideas so precisely. Being able to evoke certain sounds and eras is a skill that means Wonderful Wonderful can sound diffuse, as if it's racing in opposite directions simultaneously, but that grandly inflated pomp is ingratiating not in the least because the years have proven there's not a hint of irony in Flowers' stadium-sized emotions. By this point, Flowers' obsessions and signatures are so idiosyncratic, he's clearly the auteur behind Wonderful Wonderful just as he was with The Desired Effect, and the record charms because its ridiculousness is sincere and his sincerity is ridiculous -- two qualities that make him and his art messy and quite genuine. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/22/2017
Label:	Island / Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602557771718
Rank:	45884

Tracks

1. Wonderful Wonderful
2. The Man
3. Rut
4. Life to Come
5. Run for Cover
6. Tyson vs. Douglas
7. Some Kind of Love
8. Out of My Mind
9. The Calling
10. Have All the Songs Been Written?

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Killers   Primary Artist
Mark Stoermer   Guitar,Fretless Bass,Bass
Jacknife Lee   Guitar,Keyboards
Brandon Flowers   Vocals,Keyboards
Erol Alkan   Percussion,Synthesizer
Stuart Price   Keyboards
Ronnie Vannucci   Drums
David Keuning   Guitar
Roger Manning   Keyboards
The Las Vegas Mass Choir   Vocals
Becca Marie   Vocals
Justin Diaz   Choir/Chorus
Nina Fechner   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Mark Stoermer   Composer,Group Member
Garret Lee   Composer
Robert "Kool" Bell   Composer
Ryan Tedder   Composer
Robert "Spike" Mickens   Composer
Ronald Bell   Composer
Matt Bishop   Engineer
Dan Grech-Marguerat   Mixing,Programming
Jimmy Robertson   Assistant
Woody Harrelson   Narrator
Jacknife Lee   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Brandon Flowers   Composer,Group Member
Donald Boyce   Composer
Anton Corbijn   Photography
Erol Alkan   Drum Programming,Additional Production
Brian Eno   Composer
Stuart Price   Composer,Programming,Additional Production
Ariel Rechtshaid   Mixing
Ronnie Vannucci   Composer,Group Member
Dennis "D.T." Thomas   Composer
Rich Costey   Mixing
Richard Westfield   Composer
David Keuning   Composer,Group Member
Alan Moulder   Mixing
Shawn Everett   Mixing
Nicolas Fournier   Assistant Engineer
David Kutch   Mastering
John Davis   Mastering
David Massey   A&R
Gabrielle Rosen   A&R
Joe Spix   Design,Art Direction
Otha Nash   Composer
Martin Cooke   Assistant Engineer
Robert Root   Engineer
George "Funky" Brown   Composer
Steve Yegelwel   A&R
Claydes Smith   Composer
Charles Hicks   Assistant
Alex Cameron   Composer
Caesar Edmunds   Mixing Engineer
Paul Lane   Package Production
Joel Davies   Assistant
Malcolm Harrison   Assistant
Bob Marley   Composer
Davide Rossi   String Arrangements