Maps of Music

Battle Born (2012)

Where the lyrics of Battle Born take you, and where it was really made.

The title phrase is printed on Nevada's state flag, and it is also the name of the Las Vegas studio where most of the album was made.

Key places

Recording at Battle Born Studios, Las Vegas (2012)

Recording site Battle Born Studios — Most tracks on the album were recorded at the band's own studio in Las Vegas. The studio shares its name with the phrase on the Nevada state flag. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording at Blackbird Studios, Nashville (2012)

Recording site Blackbird Studio — Tracks 2 to 4 were recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville rather than at the band's Las Vegas studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Battle Born: fourth studio album by American rock band the Killers
• Released 17 September 2012 in the UK on Vertigo Records; 18 September in the US on Island Records
• Title phrase also appears on Nevada's state flag
• Named after the band's own Las Vegas recording studio, where most of the album was made
• Five producers worked on the record

Background

• The band ended its hiatus in October 2011 to start work on a fourth studio album
• The hiatus followed the Day & Age World Tour, completed in January 2010
• Frontman Brandon Flowers released the solo album Flamingo (2010)
• Bassist Mark Stoermer released the solo album Another Life (2011)
• Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. released a studio album with his side-project Big Talk
• Initial sessions after the reunion were strained
• The single Runaways was described as a turning point in the reunion

Recording

• Most tracks were recorded at Battle Born Studios in Las Vegas
• Blackbird Studios in Nashville handled recording for tracks 2 to 4
• Producers: Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor, Brendan O'Brien, Stuart Price, Daniel Lanois
• The band first wanted a single producer, but scheduling difficulties led to several producers
• Alan Moulder partially mixed the album; he had also worked on the band's first two albums
• Mixing also took place at Golden Ratio in Montreal, Assault and Battery 1 in London, and Germano Studios in New York City

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals).
• Mark Stoermer (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion) joined in 2002, completing the lineup.
• The name comes from a fictional band in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal".

Members

• Brandon Flowers: lead vocals, keyboards, synthesizer.
• Dave Keuning: guitar, backing vocals; on hiatus since 2017, returned in 2020.
• Ronnie Vannucci Jr.: drums, percussion.
• Mark Stoermer: bass, backing vocals; on hiatus 2020–2022.

Career

• Seven studio albums, each topping the UK Albums Chart, from Hot Fuss (2004) to Pressure Machine (2021).
• Sold more than 35 million records worldwide and performed in over 50 countries.
• Annual Christmas singles for Product Red from 2006 to 2016 raised over $1 million for AIDS-related charity.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score of 64 from 27 reviews, indicating generally positive reviews
• Entertainment Weekly: Kyle Anderson wrote that the album only knows how to be epic, with big songs built for stadium climaxes
• The Guardian: Kate Mossman gave the album three out of five stars
• Mossman said the stagey soundscapes were closer to Meat Loaf than Springsteen
• Mossman singled out Heart of a Girl, co-written with Daniel Lanois, and From Here on Out as the most sincere tracks
• Rolling Stone readers voted the album the second Best Album of 2012
• Fuse staff listed it as the 23rd Best Album of 2012

Records

• US Billboard 200: debuted at number three, selling 113,000 copies in its opening week
• United States: 344,158 copies sold as of September 2014
• UK Albums Chart: debuted at number one with 93,989 first-week copies, the band's fourth consecutive UK number-one studio album
• United Kingdom: 371,000 copies sold as of August 2020
• Canadian Albums Chart: debuted at number three, selling 12,000 copies
• Reached the top 10 in 20 countries
• 45th best-selling album worldwide of 2012, with one million copies sold by the end of 2012

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The name Battle Born appears on Nevada's state flag and is also the name of the band's Las Vegas recording studio.
• Daniel Lanois, one of the producers, helped create three songs, and Francis Healy of Travis co-wrote Here with Me.
• Battle Born contains the band's first studio-album song written by someone outside the band.
• The single Runaways leaked on Tumblr only hours before its official radio preview.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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