10 Legendary Music Artists That Never Got Better Than Their Debut Record
5. The Killers
For as much new music was making waves in the '00s, the rock scene really seemed to be in love with the throwbacks. From the '70s pastiches that happened with the garage rock revival to the post grunge that was still clogging the airwaves, these artists were clearly respectful of the kind of music they were pulling from in their songs. And while the Killers wrote the best album 1985 never produced with Hot Fuss, they knew they needed to change fast on their next records.
Looking to win back their cred at being more than a nostalgia trip, Sam's Town was a much different beast, which got shot in the foot when Brandon Flowers talked it up as one of the greatest albums of the decade. While most Killers fans have come around on Sam's Town in recent years, none of the subsequent albums seem to have the same spark that came with Hot Fuss back in the day.
Throughout albums like Wonderful Wonderful or Battle Born, the band have never reached the same kind of heights they saw on their debut, with none of the songs having a knockout chorus like Mr. Brightside or Smile Like You Mean It. While everyone might still remember songs like When You Were Young from back in the day, the pop sheen of that first record is both dated and timeless all at the same time.