Back with a bang
and again raps about his deadbeat dad. It’s a fun song, despite the heavy abandonment subject matter. The album stands at 16 tracks, including duets with Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Skylar Grey. Get the deluxe edition for five bonus tracks. It includes Beautiful Pain, a heart-rending duet performed with Sia of Zero 7 fame.
The Killers
(Universal Music) A DECADE after the release of its debut album Hot Fuss, American indie rock band The Killers feels it has enough material for a greatest hits compilation. There are 15 tracks laid out in chronological order on this package, a sheer delight for those with obsessive compulsive disorder. Direct Hits takes listeners back to The Killers’ breakout year in 2004 with heartbreak anthems Mr. Brightside and Somebody Told Me, along with recent releases from its last studio album Battle Born. The album also includes synth pop hits like Read My Mind and Human from its third studio album Day & Age. For those who recently discovered the band, they will love this compilation as it includes most of the band’s popular songs. Longtime fans can also enjoy two new tracks, the 1980s-inspired power pop Shot At The Night and lovelorn theme Just Another Girl.
My only gripe with Direct Hits is the omission of Bones. If you’ve got a friend with (per- sistent) love problems, play him or her every song on this album. Nothing says “get over it” like Brandon Flowers singing away the anguish of heartbreak in a Killers song.
Various Artists
(Warner Music) THERE are two sides to this album, depending on how much you listen to the radio when you’re stuck in traffic. The first half consists of popular (and overplayed) songs and Record of the Year nominees Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, Imagine Dragons’ Radioactive and Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines. The rest consist of gems by artistes that are somewhat obscure.
There’s Kendrick Lamar with social drinking advisory song Swimming Pools (Drank), Kacey Musgraves’ dark country offering Merry Go ‘Round and James Blake’s soulful electronic track Retrograde. There are also songs from Best New Artiste nominee Ed Sheeran ( Lego House) and Album of The Year hopeful Taylor Swift ( Begin Again). I have two problems with this album.
Firstly, the lack of rock or alternative songs. I believe there are better tracks by nominees like Jack White and Nine Inch Nails that deserve to be on this album. Secondly, there’s the inclusion of Katy Perry’s Roar and Sara Bareilles’ Brave. Seriously, why bother including these tracks as they are both essentially the same song? Get this album if you only like a selection of these artistes’ songs and not their entire albums.