The Killers' Brandon Flowers has had a pretty life-altering 23 months. He saw his band's debut album, Hot Fuss, go triple platinum, he toured the world, got married and got in a fair share of verbal sparring with his contemporaries. And somewhere in the midst of all that, he found time to turn 12 years old all over again.

"I prefer to call it my rebirth," Flowers said. "I had something happen that I didn't ever think could happen. I fell in love with the Smiths and the Pet Shop Boys when I was 12 years old, and I never thought that could happen again. But after meeting a lot of those people, who were my heroes and idols, and seeing them onstage, something changed. We'd drawn large crowds, and it felt like we were getting to the same sort of place, and it made me feel like I couldn't look at those people in the same light anymore.

"And that was kind of sad, but then I had another one of those 12-year-old experiences when I was 23, but this time with Bruce Springsteen. And it was just — it was elation," he continued. "I couldn't believe how happy his music made me and how good it was. He's a gift, and I didn't know. I mean, I knew 'Born in the USA' and 'Glory Days,' but I didn't know that he covered so much ground, and there was something in his music that touched what I was going through, the process of falling back in love with my America."

And it's that feeling of reconnecting with America — which began when the Killers returned to the States at the end of the touring cycle for Fuss in October (see "Killers Give Details On New LP, Admit They Kind Of Like Fall Out Boy") — that fuels the band's second album, due in September.

"Springsteen touches on the American dream, and that's everybody's dream. And it's such a great idea — whether or not it's still happening today. Most of the songs are about getting to that place, of making it to the promised land. I don't think it's about getting rich; it's the idea of working hard and having your castle in the sky," Flowers said. "And that idea runs through the record. It's very optimistic. And we're all from working-class families, and that's why our songs are good, because we don't do it half-assed. Nothing was handed to us, and so we don't settle. We're not afraid to throw a song away because it's not good enough. A lot of people won't do that."

Since early January, they've been holed up in Las Vegas' luxurious Studio at the Palms with producers Flood and Alan Moulder, working on 16 songs (titles include "Bones," "Where the White Boys Dance," "For Reasons Unknown" and "My Lists") that feature horns, strings and even a glockenspiel. And if it sounds a bit adventurous, and a bit mature, well, that's exactly the way the Killers wanted it to be.

"We're still influenced by English rock and pop music, but we're all kind of transforming or getting older," Flowers said. "[Guitarist] Dave [Keuning] had a baby, I got married, and you look at things differently. I mean, I don't really know anything about Manchester, England. I've been there a couple of times, and I realized, 'This feels like the Smiths, but it's not me.' "

While Flowers has matured as a songwriter, he's still not above getting in some choice digs at a few of his old sparring partners, including Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, who recently offered to take Flowers out to dinner to bury their feud (see "Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz Asks Killers Singer On Dinner Date").

"Yeah, I heard about that. Our lawyer sent us something about it. I never said anything bad about him, I just said I didn't want to share our A&R guy [Island Records' Rob Stevenson], and I still don't. He's a busy guy, but he should just be busy with us," he said. "I don't know if I'd go to dinner with [Wentz]. I mean, I go to Nobu all the time."

Clearly Flowers hasn't lost any of his frontman swagger. Just ask him about the new record, and he'll give you a response that should make the Killers' fans and detractors very happy.

"I can't walk around with a chip on my shoulder all the time. I have to realize that people aren't going to like us," he said. "We just have to make the best album that we can. And we're doing it. This album is one of the best albums in the past 20 years. There's nothing that touches this album. And that sounds like I'm being cocky, but I'm just so excited. I hope that helps people. I hope people hear this album and realize that you don't need to worry about the second album."

I am greatly anticipating the ability to defacate on this record.

their first one was really solid, i loved it.

Count me in, these guys are a major piece of shit

I saw them at some festival and i felt like i was in 7th grade again, the lead singer should be nominated for the douche of the universe award

terrible

i still can't believe that i saw them in front of like 150 people opening up for Stellstarr* 2 years ago, then last year they were f'n playing Live 8???

they have like 3 decent songs, one being a b-side

I probably wouldn't mind them so much if their singer wasn't a dick.

me too

I don't find these guys appealing in the slightest, but the lead guy is now saying the new album is "one of the best of the last twenty years". What a shmuck.

I liked their album, but from what I've seen, though, they aren't that great live. I'm sure I'll still give this album a download.

i eagerly awaiting hearing these new songs done by every cover band in every bar everwhere

this is about how i feel

me too...

They have a few ok fluff pop songs. I know I'll be forced to listen to this new album at work 100 times, so I hope it's listenable. But why the hell are Flood and Alan Moulder wasting time on these guys, instead of working with artists that have some actual creative vision?

Just because Anton Corbijn directed one of their videos, that doesn't make them Depeche Mode. It makes them a band that WANTS to be Depeche Mode. And now Flood, who produced the classic Violator and Songs Of Faith And Devotion, is going along with the charade? Shameful.

Alan and Flood got families too, man.

Behold, the work of a mastermind,...

Nevermind Mad Season, or No Code,...

And for that matter,... nevermind the fact that the killers suck monkey twat,...

And then nevermind that there are other bands still making music and the Killers aren't the last band on earth,..



Even then, I'd rather eat dog shit than listen to a killers album,.... and admit it was good,... let alone the best album in all of music for the past 20 years,... what a fag,...

If you take it for what it is -- a pop record -- Hot Fuss wasn't too bad. Some catchy hooks and some interesting lyrics.

One of the best albums of the past 20 years? Mr. Flowers needs a little lesson in humility, I believe.

When is all this Emo shit gonna stop? I mean they aren't as bad as Fall Out Queer or Panic at the Gay Brothel but they blow balls. What happened to bands who were actually good at playing their instruments. This crap has to stop and has to stop fast.

Does the fact that those bands are homosexual turn you off or something?

I don't necessarily think they are homosexual but I think their music is. IMO it just has a really feminie quality to it, which is fine to me if they were actually female. There were these male singers in ancient Greece or something who actually crushed their testicles to keep their voices at a higher more feminie pitch; I think Castrotto is the term, my spelling could be off. When I hear these bands I think they may have resurrected this ancient practice. I guess I could've come up with more creative insults but they just seem to fit these bands so well. I have friends who are in an emo band and they try to sound just like these bands without any ambition to sound original. They actually go to the mall and buy girls jeans and I just don't get it.

giggle

and isn't this THE KILLERS third album???
The first one was called Boy and that was by U2
I liked them, the killers & u2, better then