Search - Killers :: Sam's Town

Packed with Clean, Sharp, Poppy Songs

Diane Mcgough | Lake Oswego, OR | 04/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This release comes two years after their amazing debut of Hot Fuss which mixed alternative/synth/pop/punk-ish rock into a danceable fashion. They enlisted producers who are known for over-producing and filling space on songs which helps, yet sometimes hurts on this album.



"Sam's Town" is packed with clean, sharp and poppy songs being compared to U2 and The Cure, which I can hear yet in a more modern version. Singer/Keyboardist Brandon Flowers has an excellent sense for melody and mixed with his quirky and entertaining vocals makes their songs stand out above a lot of the rest as immediately heard on the title cut. The lyrics aren't quite as witty as on Hot Fuss, but he still is an excellent songwriter and has a way with lyrical cliches. Lead single "When You Were Young" has Flowers warbling over huge guitars in the traditional song anthem sense, "Uncle Johnny" tells the story of a drug addicted relative and "Bones" opens with huge Queen like vocal harmonies singing "Come with Me".



The band overall doesn't let you down like most bands do with their second release. Drummer Ronnie Vannocci is a stand out member with his solid, pounding sounds. I definitely recommend this album to be added to your collection."

The best Killers album as of yet

Carlos Donoso Kronfle | Miami, Florida | 02/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This follow up to the groundbreaking `Hot Fuzz' was not welcome by many critics, hoping for a sequel from their great debut. I don't know if it was the lack of listening to the album one more time forgetting who this band was in the first place to actually appreciate a great masterpiece.



By far, possibly one of the most underrated albums I have encountered and all this was due to the bands previous success. On the first listen of `Sam's Town' I realized how quickly The Killers matured from two years back. They surpassed that dancing tune from their first album and decided to try something new. The results in my opinion were magnificent.



Different is not a bad thing, and even though the quartet from Las Vegas did let go a bit of their original roots this album should be valued at least for their efforts. `Sam's Town' should be owned by any alternative music fan.

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