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PlayRadioPlay! revamps the Killers.

In 2003 and 2004, the Killers stormed the airwaves with their single Mr. Brightside. The catchy tune was both loved and hated by throngs of music fans for mostly the same reasons. The ladies loved Brandon Flowers' voice and the rhythm of the song that lends itself so well to dancing. On the other hand, scores of people hated the song mostly because it got more radio airplay than any other song and therefore became instantly annoying.

The Killers debut album, Hot Fuss, hit stores in 2004 and flew off shelves for almost an entire year. It was in the Billboard 200 for 50 weeks. One unique thing about this album is that it was released in a special edition box set of eleven 7" vinyl records. Each one includes an album track on the A side and a non-album track on the B side.

For "Mr. Brightside," three videos were made. The first version was a very simple black and white video of the band playing the song, with shots of a woman cut in. The second version of the video was a more theatric production, set in a bordello. The final video for "Mr. Brightside" was made, in cooperation with MTV2, using graphics from video game company NCSoft's game Lineage 2, to promote the game. This is another reason for the dislike of the Killers amongst music fans. Many think that the band sold out in allowing their song to be used to promote a video game.

Now you may be asking yourself, "With so many great songs out there, why would someone choose to cover the Killers?" The answer to that is fairly obvious after listening to PlayRadioPlay!'s cover of "Mr. Brightside".. Dan Hunter, the young Texan who took the internet by storm last year with his electropop songs, turns the Killers hit into something that's probably more likely to get stuck in your head than the original recording.

Gone are all traditional instruments with the exception of drums. PlayRadioPlay! is all about electronics. Synthesizers and bass tones abound in this recording. One of the best changes is the lack of any real distorting effects on the vocal track. Hunter's voice is left almost completely clean, with the exception of a couple ambiance filters and it was a very good choice. Any further vocal effects would have made things seem too overwhelming and could have caused the vocal track to fade into the background. If you hate the Killers, you may hate them a little less after listening to this track.

PlayRadioPlay! - Brightside [mp3]

Posted by Cory Roop on Jun 02, 2008 @ 12:00 am