08/23/2006: "Epic Soundtracks"

music: on the back of a hurricane

Has everyone seen the new Killers video for "When You Were Young." A trailer was released a few weeks ago, and while I was bit turned off by the pretentiousness of the idea of having a trailer for a music video. Then again, this is a band with enough cred that they can name-drop Jesus without sounding like Jars of Clay (currently there's only one other artist from Chicago who can do such a thing, and I'm not talking about Sufjan Stevens).

After watching the video, all I can say is that it has my vote for video of the year (so far). Brandon Flowers has been saying in interviews that the sophomore album is one of the best albums of the last 20 years. That's a big statement, but it's not bragging when you can actually back your shit up, and "When You Were Young" still gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it on KROQ on the long drive into work.

While the story isn't exactly pop music video content, I do appreciate the band's attempt to do something different. I expected a Sophie Muller-epic with extensive performance footage, so it was surprising see such limited band time (Sophie Muller directed the band's excellent video for "Mr. Brightside" which heavily featured the band and Eric Roberts in a Moulin Rouge-style setting).

The narrative of the Mexican girl and her lover/husband suggests stronger sentiments about youth and what it feels like to be young, more so than a video shot in a roller-rink. Oddly enough, I was not turned off by the religious overtones, but found them to be very appropriate.

"And sometimes you close your eyes and see the place where you used to live." The lyric is simple enough to understand, but in the context of the video and my current state of mind, it's the most emotionally-crushing proclamation in song I've heard all year.

Lastly - and I think I may be the first to say this - the narrative of the video seems to be the reverse storyline of Frank Miller's "The Babe Wore Red" a self contained story from his Sin City series. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend you stop by your local comic book store and pick it up.