Last year, the Killers plucked this Utah quartet from obscurity by bringing them on tour. As if in repayment, Neon Trees' debut plays like a ham-fisted hommage to their Vegas buddies, down to the surging synths and "whoa-oh" chorus of their single, a scoop of dance-rock mac 'n' cheese called "Animal." Other tracks wrap sparkling keyboards around angsty melodies and lyrics like "I'd love but don't know how to." The biggest problem is how hard the band tries: Rockers like "Love and Affection" go for the gut punch with huge, pained choruses. Habits is more Sam's Town than Hot Fuss — and that's not a good thing.

“The Pretender”

This song wasn't part of the planned track listing for 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, and was put together in a day. "It happened after we recorded a lot of stuff," said Dave Grohl. Yet it ended up as the album opener and the lead single. Grohl called it "a stomping Foo Fighters uptempo song with a little bit of Chuck Berry in it." The singer hinted at the lyrics' political overtones: "Everyone's been f---ed over before and I think a lot of people feel f---ed over right now and they're not getting what they were promised."