Hot Fuss by The Killers (US)

The Killers (US): Brandon Flowers (vocals, synthesizer); Dave Kuening (guitar); Mark Stoermer (bass instrument); Ronnie Vannucci (drums). Although they are Las Vegas, Nevada natives, the Killers have more in common with the retro-New Wave sounds of New York City than with the casino crooners most often associated with Sin City. On HOT FUSS, the shaggy-haired quartet matches 1960s garage attitude and Strokes-like vocal swagger with a danceable, bass guitar-driven sound that pays lavish tribute to '80s pop heroes Duran Duran and Simple Minds. With "On Top," the combo adds the soaring, delay-laden guitars of U2 and the Fixx, while "Somebody Told Me" features a bouncy disco beat that recalls the Pet Shop Boys. Not content to be pegged as a retro-revival act, however, the Killers imbue each song on this fierce debut with a healthy dose of new-millennium rock snarl.