The Killers - Sam's Town

Deriving from Las Vegas, even though their sound is mostly based on British influences, particularly New Wave Music, The Killers have released their 2nd album this month. Following the major success of their great debut 'Hot Fuss', Sam's Town has received a mixed response from critics and fans. Some even claiming they have fallen into the obvious trap of taking themselves seriously, ditching their cheerful Bowie glam moves for a more serious Springsteen approach. But should we be expecting a Hot Fuss 2 ? It is likely everyone will, merely because they entered the scene with a bang, so big things are expected with this follow-up. The fact is this darker set of songs has probably moved them away from what made the band instantly recognizable in the first place.

The album begins with "Enterlude" and ends with "Exitlude", suggesting we have been taken on a tour of the Casino the album name is based upon. (Frontman Brandon Flowers has mentioned in interviews that the larger than life sound of many of the band's songs is due to the influence of living in Las Vegas, a city where everything is about flash and who can top whom). On the lyrical side, I find them to be cliched at times, certainly not as catchy and original as in Hot Fuss. Throughout the album, Flower's vocals are noticeably rougher and deeper, and I would even say they are less playful. They seem to match the new musical direction the band is aiming for. What all of this means is that you probably will not love this album at first listen, however, repeated turns might reveal more.

Although there is no 'Mr Brightside' or 'Somebody Told Me' in Sam's Town, (the closest sound would be 'Bones', an upbeat melody), the band deserve kudos for having the courage and ambition to attempt a total recreation of their music and image, and not re-package or rekindle the sound they delivered in Hot Fuss. In my opinion, they have wandered too far away from what made me love them in the first place...

RRR