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The members of The Killers.

(Island Records)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - You won't find too many of the it bands of 2004 still standing today.

My Chemical Romance has broken up. Franz Ferdinand hasn't released an impactful album in eight years. The Strokes didn't live up to the hype for too long. The members of Interpol are presumably doing something, somewhere.

Then there's The Killers, the band that probably made the biggest splash of all with its debut album "Hot Fuss" in June 2004. That album gets a reissue on vinyl this month, serving as a reminder of just how life-changing it truly was.

The UK press was the first to latch on to the Las Vegas new wave act, seeing The Killers as the second coming of New Order. For fans and press in the States, the appeal was simple - Listening to "Hot Fuss" was like discovering the greatest hits album for a band you'd never heard of.

To say "Hot Fuss" is top-heavy is simply to note how amazing the singles are. "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine," "Mr. Brightside," "Smile Like You Mean It," "Somebody Told Me" and "All These Things That I've Done" run in sequential order.

But "Hot Fuss" is an album anchored by the sentimentality of its second half. Tracks like "On Top," "Believe Me Natalie" and the powerful closer "Everything Will Be Alright" carry the kind of emotional weight that leaves a lasting impression.

Of course, there was more to The Killers than the music. There was the aura of a Las Vegas band with the style and ambience of a city still mysterious to people who had been there half a dozen times.

If Panic! at the Disco were the Vegas kids who weren't old enough to drink, the members of The Killers were the guys hosting the party that went till six in the morning.

Look no further than the video to "Mr. Brightside," which looked like Smashing Pumpkins "Tonight, Tonight" brought to modern life. Singer Brandon Flowers was the guy who couldn't get the girl. Joining him in his pain was all too easy. Becoming engrossed by it a pure thrill.

Just as much as "Hot Fuss" was something to marvel at, It's follow up "Sam's Town" came as a major shock. On the surface, Flowers and company didn't want to be New Order anymore. They were going for Springsteen.

A closer examination shows "Hot Fuss" hinting at such a left turn. At its heart, "All These Things That I've Done," the album's most personal record, is heartland rock through and through (Just look at the video).

There's a reason The Killers celebrated the 10th anniversary of "Sam's Town" more than they ever did for "Hot Fuss." The former is the album that more reflects the heart and soul of the band, even if, musically, it's quite inferior.

The Killers have spent the past decade trying to find the perfect merger between its early sonic sounds and those lofty Springsteen ambitions. And the band has failed admirably. Flowers gave it the best shot on his excellent 2015 solo album "The Desired Effect," where the pressures of living up to the name The Killers was gone.

Over time, music blogs and polls have honored "Hot Fuss" with weighty proclamations. Some have even called it one of, if not the greatest debut album of all time.

Such overstatements are less a reflection of "Hot Fuss'" level of excellence (no matter how high) and more a longing for days before The Killers became just another really good alt-rock band.