Stream Albums: The Killers ‘Battle Born,’ Band of Horses ‘Mirage Rock’
This week’s “albums you can stream before their release date news” stars the Killers and Band of Horses.
Both the Killers’ Battle Born and Band of Horses’ Mirage Rock are slated to drop next Tuesday, September 18, but both can be heard in their entirety today. The stream of Battle Born can be found on iTunes, while Mirage Rock is available on Minnesota Public Radio.
Battle Born will be the Killers first album since 2008’s Day & Age. After that album was released, the group went on a brief hiatus while frontman Brandon Flowers released a solo album called Flamingo in 2010. The new album is named after the state motto of the band’s home state of Nevada, “The Battle Born State.” The first single from the albums, “Runaways,” was released in July.
The band also will appear on an upcoming episode of American Express’ web series “Unstaged,” which couples rock bands with notable film directors for a performance. The Killers will work with legendary director Werner Herzog.
Band of Horses most recent album was Infinite Arms, released in 2010. For Mirage Rock, the group teamed up with legendary producer Glyn Johns, who has worked with artists including the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and many others.
“It was a natural fit: Given how much Glyn’s fingerprints were all over the parents’ record collections we grew up on, it’s not hard to imagine how Glyn influenced so much of not only our tastes and musical voices and personalities, but Rock n Roll as we know it,” Band of Horses’ frontman Ben Bridwell told the Minnesota NPR station. “Glyn is part of the fabric of this music and it’s all been part of us since childhood.”
He also spoke of the making of the new record.
“Mirage Rock was more fun and easier to make than any record I’ve ever played on,” he said. “…In the five or so year’s that this line-up has been writing, recording and solidifying as a live powerhouse and second family, we’ve all learned how crucial collaboration is to our formula, and that no one person’s idea is more important than another’s.”
