Not Hot Fuss but a great sophomore debut
Music Fan, concert-goer
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JUL
20
2007
First, the not so good: If the first Killers record teetered on the edge of overproduction, this one goes over the edge hard and fast. It's very slick, and there is little continuity between the songs (in other words, it's not so much an album as a collection of twelve individual tracks). Brandon Flowers' voice, which worked strangely well on their debut, sounds out of place on this one. The arrangements don't mesh well; they try to go in several different (and incompatible) directions within each song. Is it stadium rock, or is it synth rock, or is it some kind of country-rock thing? Apparently they couldn't decide. I get the impression they were trying too hard to make a diverse and epic masterpiece..
The good: I was very afraid that the Killers would turn into a vapidly commercial bubble-gum group, of, say, Daniel Powter caliber. It happens to a lot of bands when they sign big record deals; but thank God, not this time. The songs are poppy but not predictable. That slightly sick, twisted "something" that set the Killers apart to begin with is still here. There's nothing quite as unsettling as "Midnight Show," but you still get the feeling that these guys have a real dark side, which goes a long way toward making them more interesting than their peers. The songs, in terms of writing, are less solid than those on Hot Fuss, but they are energetically performed and have mostly good melodies.
Bottom line: I recommend it if you are prepared to forgive some serious shortcomings, including it being nothing like Hot Fuss. I get the feeling that the band was anxious to get this oneon the shelves but, I've heard worse, and still I think the Killers are talented. Hopefully, they'll do a better job of showing it the next time around.
The Killers - Sam's Town is recommended by runnin262
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