3/5 stars
The Killers are a torn band. When they debuted in 2004 with their critically acclaimed album Hot Fuss, that’s exactly what was made about them. The band’s New Wave-rock was by far the best out of that genre’s explosion that year. The breakout single, “Mr. Brightside,” was popular for not being a typical rock single. They had the most potential of any new band and many touted them as the saviors of good mainstream rock.
Then when their new album, Sam’s Town, debuted, many critics cried foul over the band’s new changes. The Killers almost completely abandoned the New Wave sound that made them popular, they wiped off their make-up and donned cowboy get-up and lead singer Brandon Flowers’ voice was virtually unnoticeable. It seems The Killers were tired of their own genius invention and wanted a more down-to-earth sound.
This is not to say that the new change is all bad. It’s an improvement on what was an already great sound. The songs have more melody, and it’s clear the guys are trying for a more stadium-worthy sound on Sam’s Town. The only problem is Flowers’ voice. He tries to sing much higher than he actually can, and when he strains to reach those high notes, he sounds so flat one would think William Hung was a guest vocalist.
But despite Flowers’ singing, the songs on Sam’s Town are more Coldplay-ish than Coldplay’s last album. And they rock harder than Coldplay’s falsetto piano-rock, so you’re not ashamed to listen to them.
The title track begins with a symphony (one of many on the album) swirling around crashing cymbals and guitar before synths fly in to add that small New Wave touch that The Killers are known for. The lyrics are rife with Bruce Springsteen posing, but they still work with The Killers new ambitious sound: “Nobody ever had a dream ’round here,/But I don’t really mind and/That it’s starting to get to me.”
The standout track is the first single “When You Were Young,” a tale about a girl pining over her lost youth: “We’re burning down the highway skyline/On the back of a hurricane/That started turning/When you were young.” The soaring guitars and symphonic strings make it sound more grandiose than it is, but it’s the best Coldplay imitation from any band since. Flowers may not sound great singing it, but he sings the words with such conviction, you feel his desperation in trying to save the girl’s life.
Even more bombastic melodies surface in songs such as “This River Is Wild” and “Bling (Confession of a King)” (and no, I’m not kidding). But The Killers sound the most like their former selves in the outstanding “Read My Mind.” Keeping it simple, New Wave guitars and synths quietly dance around Flowers’ lyrics about unmet expectations in a “two-star town”: “The teenage queen, the loaded gun;/The drop dead dream, the Chosen One/A Southern drawl, a world unseen;/A city wall and a trampoline.”
And on “Bones,” trumpets blast in on the chorus to bring a swinging carnival atmosphere to Flowers’ inquiries to get physical with someone he has no interest in: “Don’t you wanna come with me? Don’t you wanna feel my bones/on your bones?/It’s only natural … But I don’t really like you …” And Flowers really tries to make a statement on “My List” when he almost busts a lung trying to convey his love for his girl: “Don’t give the ghost up just clench your fist/You should have known by now you were on my list.”
The best parts of Sam’s Town are when the boys are unapologetically ripping off other artists’ music and styles. Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay are so obvious, it makes you appreciate The Killers willingness to acknowledge their influences so blatantly. And the fact that The Killers already had their own sound is confusing as to why they would want to change it. But all the changes aren’t as bad as they could’ve been. Their grand aims to say something Earth-shattering on Sam’s Town may be filled with air, but they make it sound like the most beautiful nothing there ever was.