The Killers>All The Things I Have Done

Of all the bands around at the moment, The Killers stand out from the crowd. This became plainly evident to me whilst watching the otherwise dull Live 8 concert in 2005 (good cause of course, but hijacked from the real Make Poverty Campaign and the music got in the way of the issues as well as being decidely mediocre). I'd never even heard a Killers' song before they took to the stage that day. They sang 'All The Things I Have Done' and I was smitten.

Actually, Hot Fuss (2004) is a great album. The best song, 'All The Things I Have Done' has everything - a catchy riff, enigmatic lyrics, a building thumping vibe and to top it off a gospel choir half-way through. The UK video to accompany the track is apparently shot in Brick Lane just down the road from me, so even more resonance for those of us living in East London.

I particularly like the line 'I've got soul but I'm not a soldier'. I'm not sure why. I suppose it's just slightly left-field and in my case not true (in The Salvation Army sense). But the song runs deep - there are many themes there and it can be read as a plea for God's help in the midst of a troubled life. Whatever the writer intends it's a gospel song of sorts - at least that's how I hear it!