Christmas is a time of excess, of over-eating and feeling sick. Trust in The Killers then to replicate the mood with the bloated, Elton John-featuring (RED) Christmas EP which pushes the boundaries of Christmas goodwill. The most wonderful time of year in the hands of Brandon Flowers is a chance to collaborate with those who formed his sound. Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys fame appears alongside Elton John on the star-studded Joseph, Better You Than Me. Those religious experiences that formed Flowers and the band’s use of visual imagery are laid bare here, a nice flourish for those wanting to connect with the gospel reasons of Christmastime. There is enough of that Las Vegas tint to give The Killers a chance to rock on through this nearly half-hour Christmas EP.
Opener A Great Big Sled presents those festive inevitabilities. Sleigh bells to note this is for the season and not just an extraction of their usual instrumentals. Snowmen, robots, and the big preparation for Christmas are paired with some neat and slick guitar work on A Great Big Sled. It is as forgettable as it is harmless but Flowers gives it his all. Christmas can be split into two parts – the desire to be young and live the thrills of unwrapping gifts and the present where excitement comes from family and food. A Great Big Sled hits on neither with much interest but has all the extra instrumental layers, those magical sound effects and sleigh bells ringing to muster up some courage in the face of festivities. But this soft opener serves as a chance for comfort before the true horrors and terror of Don’t Shoot Me Santa. Santa as a villainous caricature is nothing new but for The Killers to adapt this to song marks a unique moment in the festive spills of the genre.
This is where The Killers kick on, and it makes (RED) Christmas EP not a memorable time but a fun experience. These are not Christmas classics. Flowers and the band have no interest in making those. Even the knockout punch appearances of Tenant and John are filled with a festive malaise that highlights a move away from the commercialism of the season and a new fixation on the joys of searching for religious clarity. Joseph, Better You Than Me holds firm with this. EP releases like this are a chance for a band with an already established sound to experiment, to play around with the form of their material and what could be. ¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe! is fairly soft material but benefits from the mariachi sound in the background. The Killers’ efforts for this Christmas treat feel as genuine as the rest of their pop-ready songs.
The Killers continually lean into a sound and style here that cannot come from their mainline works. Country-like tones from The Cowboy’s Christmas Ball show where their hearts lie. Later collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and a sudden single, Bright Lights, hint at where the band wants to be but such is the life of a group popular for a different sound entirely. Head into (RED) Christmas EP expecting more of the same soft-styled pop-rock from the band but leave pleasantly surprised. There is depth to their Christmas songs and while none of them are classics, they certainly serve as a neat addition to those festive playlists which are, by this point, already in need of some fresh material.
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