The Killers – Rebel Diamonds Review

Favourites of the festival circuit, of hometown Las Vegas and just about every club with two working speakers, The Killers are as big as they always will be. No escape from Mr. Brightside can ever be afforded if you enter a bar and ask for anything mixed with vodka. This is the imprint Brandon Flowers and company live on in the surface-level UK music and club culture, and with a tour slated for next year, it can only get worse. Their exceptional talents are overshadowed by hit after hit – the deep cuts of their efforts in the mid-2000s now synonymous with those old enough to booze their way through the 2020s. Rightly so. There is no greater gift in life than blasting a few moves to Human, and best-of compilation Rebel Diamonds features all those early hits, loses steam and collects itself with new song, Spirit.

Also along for the ride is thrown out single Your Side of Town from the now disregarded and defunct record The Killers were set to release. Whether they are back for more next year is yet to be seen but this best-of compilation feels like a crossroads for a group taking stock after a successful Leedsfest appearance in summer. Sift through these nostalgic recollections and enjoy them for what they are. Stripped from their proper albums and thrown together, the likes of When You Were Young and Human have time to flourish here. They are overlooked somewhat by the bigger hits of Mr. Brightside and Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, but not here. It does feel, at times, that The Killers are just lobbing a few tracks from every album on here. 

They run out of steam and include acceptable pieces Spaceman and A Dustland Fairytale though the inclusion of later pieces like My Own Soul’s Warning is a real fascination. Not enough in the backlog to cover more than twenty? Extracting the title from Ready My Mind is a fitting moment for The Killers, their rebellious spell falls in line with an unrivalled commercial success which means they are forever tied to the major shows. They cannot fall back on the intimacies of a smaller show and their music followed suit. Rebel Diamonds categorises this thoroughly – a clear change of pace developed throughout twenty songs and setting to rights just how these developments can turn. Positively well-paced and a nice trip through the backlog of The Killers, Rebel Diamonds serves as both a compilation album but also a taster session for their lesser-known works. Be Still and The Man stand out nicely compared to those inevitably heralded bangers. 

Why The Killers put their bang-average back catalogue on their best-of compilation is beyond the sane minds who remember their glory days. But the fine line between experiencing the new and now with the blur of old and overplayed is a hard nut to crack. Rebel Diamonds is stuck between a classic rock piece and a hard, new design. No winners here though the songs on display are arguably the best and most popular of each album they are ripped from. Settle into the likes of The Man. The Killers release another compilation record, in time for Christmas no less. Smart moves there, especially when the studio album fell through.