The Killers - Sam's Town
Have the group managed to top their debut?
1. Sam’s Town
2. Enterlude
3. When you were young
4. Bling (Confessions of a King)
5. For reasons unknown
6. Read my mind
7. Uncle Johnny
8. Bones
9. My list
10. This river is wild
11. Why do I keep counting?
12. Exitlude
13. (Bonus track) Where the white boys dance
Following the massive success of The Killers’ debut album Hot Fuss, there was a huge expectation for the band to deliver equally good material in their follow up. Considering the quality of Hot Fuss, this with no doubt posed as a difficult task for the Texas group. In my opinion, the band succeeded, with their second album Sam’s Town which was released in autumn 2006.
2006 was the year that indie style music finally entered the mainstream. The Killers, with their retro style alternative sound (not quite rock, not quite pop) therefore appealed to a wide range of fans, so the album was an immediate success. Compared to many try hard groups, The Killers are effortlessly cool: I believe that this adds to their appeal.
The album itself is amazing. It has a slightly different feel to their debut and you can definitely tell how much the band have grown up since they first started out. However, it’s still the trademark Killers sound which we have come to know and love. By this I mean plenty of synthesised backing music, slightly strange yet wonderful vocals and that definate feel good quality.
Upbeat songs with plenty of synthesised sounds and quick drum beats such as Sam’s Town, When you were young and Bling (Confessions of a king), plus the excellent Bones (which always puts a smile on my face) add the feel good factor to the album.
Meanwhile, songs such as My list and Why do I keep counting? (about lead singer Brandon Flowers’ fear of flying) and Read my mind put more emphasis on the synthesised backing and less on the heavy guitar work. I think we get plenty in Uncle Johnny, a darker sounding song about drug abuse. The song may seem slightly out of place on the album, but it certainly makes you think and it is a personal favourite of mine.
We get a further guitar and bass fix in For reasons unknown: a song with wonderfully catchy lines-
But my heart, it don’t beat,
It don’t beat the way it used to,
And my eyes, they don’t see you no more,
And my lips, they don’t kiss,
They don’t kiss the way they used to,
And my eyes don’t recognise you no more
The bonus track, Where the white boys dance, is slightly strange, but has some great bass and is a cool song once you get to know it.
All in all, the album is fabulous. I’ve had it since November and I still have all the songs on my iPod – I love them that much. I would recommend the album to everyone. It may be classed by some of pop, but that’s no reason to turn your nose up at it. The music is out of this world.
