SVANAPAPER » the Killers

The Killers' Debut Killed the Night of Kuala Lumpur

Zafran Aqil — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:17:28 +0000

Make haste, The Killers need no introduction as they opened their 90 minute set with the 03’ breakthrough, ‘Mr. Brightside’ jumping to recent times with “Spaceman”. With an inauguration like this, crowd of thousands dwell in nostalgia jumping timelines along with their liberating performance. Showmanship is nothing foreign to this band from front liner, Brandon Flowers to drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. All dapper, all panache, Flowers introduces the band with the classic greet to the country as well as proclaiming “Kami Mat Rempit!” to get the crowd going followed by contrasting Malaysia’s national motto “Maju Dan Makmur” to Vegas’ iconic slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in vegas”. Definitely a crowd pleaser with his charms ideally making Flowers one of the most iconic leads in the era.

Picking back up the pace, Flowers went acoustic by making a short on “Human” prior to hitting covers from 80’s rock legends, ‘Shadowplay’from Joy Division and Tommy James & The Shondells ‘I Think Were Alone Now’. The time machine experience jumping from era to era gave the concert the spice it needed. Coming back to the present with ‘Reasons Unknown’ crowds sang their online slots hearts content, impressing Flowers even at the love they have for the band. Undisputed crowd interaction was evident (really, Ronnie even threw drumsticks to the floor). Flowers shook the earth underneath as the empathetic chorus of ‘I”ve Got Soul But Im Not A Soldier’. Crowds of thousands belted at the top of their lungs to sing along to the hit just to shatter their glass with the band leaving the stage after (But wait!) to come back with a three-piece encore to blow the crowds minds starting with ‘Hot Fuss’s Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’ to the song that the cool kids played on guitar hero ‘When You Were Young’ to close the night.

Other than the lack of accentuation of guitarist Dave Keuning’s solos the gig definitely made a mark on the music scene in Malaysia making their gig one of the more notable ones in the year thus far. With live sounds that don’t stray far from the records it’s undeniable that The Killers are one of the best indie rock bands of the decade with tracks old or new, there’s no areas of grey in their established sound. (Zafran Aqil/Photos : FSA)

Bet You Didn’t Know : The Killers

Alcander Alonzo — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 03:42:53 +0000

Bet You Didn’t Know : The Killers

It’s our hobbies to collect all of the fun facts for you, the music fans! For this time, we are bringing up about The Killers’ fun facts since the band is making a debut in Kuala Lumpur on September 22^nd 2013. Here we go, the 10 fun facts that you didn’t know and you should know about the Killers ;

1. Some bands were formed through music festivals or by living in the same neighbourhood. But the Killers? They did it in a different way to complete the band. The Killers’ guitarist, David Keuning, put a small ad to get a band member for the band and the words that he put were : “Looking to start or join band? Influences: U2, Pumpkins, Oasis.”

2. Still from the ad, Brandon was clearly not the first person who responded to David’s ad. According to David, Brandon was the first “non-freak” applicant who responded to it.

3. The Killers’ music video, ‘Mr.Brightside’, was inspired from a romantic musical movie, Moulin Rouge.

4. New Order’s ‘Crystal’ inspired the band’s name!

5. Before being everyone’s candy-eye or one of the best rock band vocalists, Brandon worked as a bellboy at a hotel in Las Vegas. And Ronnie Vannucci worked at a flower shop.

6. The Killers once got offered to perform as one of the headliners for Glastonbury due to Kylie Minogue’s withdrawal to perform since she had a breast cancer on that time. However, the band turned down the offer just because they didn’t have enough songs to perform.

7. Love or hate it, Brandon Flowers did a solo record before, ‘Flamingo’, and he is planning to do another solo record. Guess we are going to face another hiatus from the band.

8. Remember when some bands do some different version for their music video? The Killers also took part in this kind of thing. “Mr. Brightside” the UK version is in black and white while the US version portrays “Moulin Rouge”.

9. It’s not only British bands’ hobbies to badmouth about the other bands to the press. The native American band like the Killers, are also known for their bad-mouth about Fall Out Boy, Panic At the Disco, and the Bravery.

10. The Killers love using a chapel choir to glorify their music. Sweet Inspirations are the name of the choir that the band. And it’s also the choir who worked for Elvis Presley.

The Killers to Make Malaysian Debut in September 2013!

svanapaper — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 06:25:54 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 JULY 2013 —The Killers will perform at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) Helipad on Sunday, 22 Sept 2013. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets for “The Killers Live in Malaysia” (#TheKillersMy) will be available at early bird prices this weekend (27-28 July 2013) at Rock Corner, Mid Valley. Full-priced tickets will go on sale at all six Rock Corner outlets and www.boxtix.asia July 29 onwards.

The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr are best known for hits such as, “Mr. Brightside”, “When We Were Young”, “Somebody Told Me”, “All The Things That I Have Done” and more.

Named after a fictional band in a New Order video, The Killers hail from Las Vegas, Nevada. Their debut, Hot Fuss, catapulted them onto the global stage upon its 2004 release. Since then the band has released four albums that collectively sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The band has also received seven Grammy nods and won a variety of MTV, BRIT, and NME awards.

The band toured for two years straight after Hot Fuss, playing over four hundred shows. They’ve also headlined some of United Kingdom and Europe’s largest festivals, including Glastonbury, the Reading and Leeds Festival and Pukkelpop. They have played sold out shows in prestigious venues such as Madison Square Garden in the United States.

Future Sound Asia (FSA) director Ben Law said: ‘’We’re thrilled to finally bring one of this decade’s most prominent rock bands to our shores. The Killers’ songs have been rock anthem sing-alongs for years. ‘The Killers Live In Malaysia’ is not to be missed.”

Event information:

Event name: The Killers Live In Malaysia (#TheKillersMy)

Date: Sunday, 22 September 2013

Time: Doors open 8pm

Venue: Helipad @ Sepang International Circuit (SIC)

Website: http://www.fb.com/officialfuturesoundasia | www.futuresoundasia.com

Ticketing details:

EARLY BIRD: RM208 (Limited | Available on July 27 & 28 only @ Rock Corner Mid Valley only)

EARLY BIRD PREMIER: RM328 (Limited – 18 years & above only | Available on July 27 & 28 only @ Rock Corner Mid Valley only)

TICKET PRICE: RM238 (Sale begins on July 29 @ ALL Rock Corner outlets)

PREMIER TICKETS: RM358 (Limited – 18 years and above only | Available online July 29 onwards)

ONLINE TICKETS: www.boxtix.asia

Buy Tickets at Rock Corner:

MIDVALLEY 03 – 2201 1423

1 UTAMA 03 – 7733 5667

KLCC 03 – 2181 5560

SUBANG PARADE 03 – 5613 1139

THE CURVE 03 – 7733 1139

THE GARDENS 03 – 2201 4893

Famous Musicians’ Job Before They Were Famous!

Alcander Alonzo — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:45:48 +0000

Just because these people are drop dead wealthy and famous right now, it doesn’t mean they get things right away. Musicians like Kanye West, Lady GaGa, Kurt Cobain, Madonna or Gotye once had a job that you would never imagine they were one of them! After doing some research, we will reveal what was their job before they turn into a hit maker!

1. Brandon Flowers (The Killers) : Hotel’s Bellhop

2. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) : Hotel’s Night security guard

3. Nick Hammer (Death Cab for Cutie) : Sanitation Worker

4. Moby : Golf Caddy

5. Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips) : Long John Silvers’ Chef

6. Jack White : Upholsterer

7. Gwen Stefanie : Dairy Queen’s floor-cleaner

8. Mick Jagger : Porter At Mental Hospital

9. Gotye : Library’s Staff

10. Madonna : Employee at Dunkin Donuts

11. Lady GaGa : Waitress

12. Kurt Cobain : Janitor

So, if your occupation happens to be like the names above, don’t get yourself under, Who knows something big is coming at you!

Svana Paper’s Best Song Selection For Holidays

Alcander Alonzo — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 17:51:02 +0000

Holidays! The best thing about holiday is you have a chance to do what you gotta do without have to think your stacks of assignments and stuffs. Mostly, people are doing vacation during holiday season. And we all know that sometimes it takes hours (or maybe days) on your journey to your getaway destination. So, to ease your boredom while waiting to arrive there, we have picked 15 Best song selections to accompany your day (we also put a short review for some songs and put the video for all of the songs) :

1.Vampire Weekend – Holiday
Just by seeing the title of this song, we already know that this song will cheer-up your day. The upbeat melody and catchy tunes will easily take you to hum along with this song.

2.Young The Giant – Apartment

3.Bombay Bicycle Club – Beg

4.Miike Snow – Paddling Out
Synth Pop Trio , Miike Snow put a really schizophrenic synths and contagious vocals in “Paddling Out”. And Paddling Out is chosen as the best track in “Happy To You” by Pop Matters’ Evan Swadey. The catchy riff of this song is inescapable.

5.Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend

6.Cut Copy – Take Me Over
The familiar sounds of 80s Soundwave in Take Me Over really put you in a disco pop level. Tell us when does disco pop themed song ever make you feel bored? True, It never happens.

7.Pop ETC – Yoyo

8.The Vaccines – No Hope
The snottier sounds of this song will never put you fell asleep (unless you just drank 20 pins of beer or you just consumed a palm of sleeping pills). Well, beside No Hope, we actually recommend you to listen to their “If You Wanna”, they both sound really good. And alike.

9.The Killers – Bones
This track is just so lovable. The 80s tunes and its scratchy riff is one of the reasons why we think this track should be on your holiday’s playlist.

10.The Kooks – Shine On

11.The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing
This is a very excellent single by New York-housed but Florida-reared band. A very beamed pleasantly melody of this song always boost up the holiday feelings. Well, the best situation for you to listen to this track is when you are about to…. Surf.

12. The Caesars – Jerk It Out

13.Animal Collective – Honeycomb

14.Arctic Monkeys – Fluorescent Adolescent

15.Weezer – Island in The Sun
Okay, you can’t go wrong with this song, especially when it’s on holidays! The laid-back cheer “hip-hip-hip-hip” sung by Rivers Cuomo is just so earcatchy and kind of gimmick for this song. The instrumental in the arrangement is summery and cool.

Those are our best 15 songs to accompany your might-be-so-boring holidays or maybe your so-boring-to-get-there moment! Hope you all enjoy it! (Alcander Alonzo)

Edelweiss: Pre-Columbians

svanapaper — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:02:25 +0000

Edelweiss are a four piece indie band from Pennsylvania, comprised of Tommy, Niko, Tony and Coby, and are set to release their debut EP ‘Pre-Columbians’ on September 13th. Think Foals style drumming and guitar riffs augmented with a noticeable 80s vibe, giving musical nods towards the likes of Joy Division and New Order. Edelweiss achieve a contemporary-yet-aged musical juxtaposition with these influences, producing their own diverse sound.After a New York meet up with the band’s two brothers, Coby and Niko, they divulged that Foals were in fact the reason that they became a band. 1965’s ‘The Sound of Music’ starring Julie Andrews however, was not, for they admit to having never seen the film and so is not the origin of the name for those wondering. Furthermore, they pronounce their name “Idle-veiss” which should provide further differentiation from the song in the musical.The band’s feat is even more remarkable when you consider that the band is of school age with the youngest member, Coby, being fifteen. You shouldn’t be deterred by their youth; their sound is distinctive and fully fledged, most bands of this age would just be finding their feat. Furthermore, they are the true role models that the industry craves, for I couldn’t have met pleasanter people. I also commend them for their originality; it would have been easy for them to replicate the sound of Foals as most teenage fans would have done. Yet incredibly, the band has produced something new and quirky that I much prefer.

Having been listening to Pre-Columbians in its entirety for a few weeks now, I’ve really grown to love the tracks and they have found their way in to my day-to-day playlists alongside names such as Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club, Tokyo Police Club and the Strokes. They firmly compliment any library with similar tastes and rack up nicely against the big boys in the industry. More surprisingly however, they’ve found their way in to my Dad’s library alongside the Stone Roses, James and New Order.

This really practically demonstrated the wide age demographic to which this EP could potentially serve and the whole ‘old-new’ ambiance that they sport. Despite their American upbringing, it has a distinctly English sound, undoubtedly from their influences. It even manifests in them singing with a slight English accent. It’s reminiscent of how people mistake the Killers for being British. The EP encompasses five tracks, but how do they individually tally?

1. Icarus
Icarus (also the band’s second single) sets the standard high with a heavy beat and almost haunting vocals, yet it still retains an air of positivity. From the first track alone you can note the high quality of the production and a quality of lyrics rarely seen of new or young bands. The track hits the ground running and continues to deliver with quirky guitar melodies and a kind of fanfare affront every line of the chorus that works really well. The instrumental bridges also really work well.

2. A Sound From Pennsylvania
For me, A Sound From Pennsylvania is like a tamed version of You! Me! Dancing! by Los Campesinos. The fully instrumental track starts at a gentle pace and builds to something altogether more exciting and climactic. Coby envisages it being used in adverts, and I could most definitely see it being used to build tension towards a sporting montage or such on television. After the tension building plateaus, it has an almost metropolitan sound and sends images to my brain of those long exposure videos of car lights in a city centre. It also throws to mind a kind of chase and of footsteps gaining pace. The track adds texture to the EP and breaks it up nicely, given that the other tracks share more similarities. It’s the sore thumb that you’ll relish.

3. (NO)
Whilst the tracks all individually shine, (NO) is the true gem on the record. The lads had previously correctly identified it as the track to be their first single. It’s an upbeat track with clever melodic vocals, but what really stands out here are the instrumental segments and the chorus. There’s a beautiful guitar riff behind both, making it the catchiest of the set for me. Luckily, there’s a version of the track available for you to sample, have a listen below.

4. Witches & Vampires
Witches & Vampires is the true underdog of the record. It’s perhaps the most simplistic track on the EP, yet it is bold and defined. Its structure is more regular than the other tracks. But it works, with a fast paced intro and remaining pacey throughout, it’s one I expect to have the crowds dancing at gigs. It also pairs nicely with Icarus in terms of haunting vocals. My hat goes off to them for the ending also, it’s original and works fabulously. I’ll leave it for you to discover yourself.

5. Fiasco
Fiasco sounds a little more Two Door Cinema Club than the other tracks. It deviates from them enough to bring the EP to a gentler end. It was originally the B-Side to the (NO) single and you can see how the two pair well, as they both kind of have that indie-pop feel. Fiasco is another solid track with a memorable and catchy chorus. The close of this track seems to mimic the beating heart which the lyrics portray, a really fitting and satisfying end I found.

The EP’s roots themselves deserve a mention. Being unsigned the band had to fund the studio time and production themselves, but luckily were able to attain funding through internet donations from supporters. Having listened to a couple of tracks before the EP, I have to say I had high expectations. But none as high as what they have produced, I was blown away. I’d be astonished if they remained unsigned for much longer. They seem very suited to the likes of Kitsuné – so the pressure is on them! Considering that we are now ten years on from the Killers first being showcased to the world; we could easily have just discovered the Killers of the new decade. I wish the band luck and every success, for they are certainly promising. ‘Pre-Columbians’ will be available on CD and digital download from September 13th. (Joe)