okay...i'll share the awesomeness...do you have MSN?

Killers do their best to kill buzz

 

The Killers’ second album, Sam’s Town, has been the subject of gossip and rumors for months. It has been said that the boys with the eyeliner and bright white suits have been planning to go all-Americana on our asses.

 

Is it true? Although it is usually clear that you are listening to the same Las Vegas showboats, the pre-album rumors prove to be resoundingly true.

 

The most heavily hyped influence (by The Killers themselves), Bruce Springsteen, is very real. The Boss haunts nearly every song.

 

U2 and Coldplay’s presence can also be heavily felt in the guitars.

 

These new influences are odd for sure, but they are made all the odder by the fact that people seem to enjoy the dance-hall geeks of Hot Fuss. The boys appear to be trying to fix what isn’t broken.

 

Many of the things that make The Killers The Killers are still here, but the band, already serious to a fault, have felt the need to up the seriousness tenfold.

 

So though The Killers are taking steps they believe will give them greater staying power, they don’t realize that their desire to become tough and serious might be what makes them fade away before their time. Where sincerity and clever songwriting makes bands timeless no matter what their sound is, the posing and preening here threaten to make the band more disposable and forgettable than its previous sound ever would have.

 

The album is riddled with absurd lyrical clichés. We hear things like, “My brother, he was born on the Fourth of July,” and “Watch the clouds fall from the sky.” No song passes by without us hearing about some back road or the years flying by.

 

The Killers are also angrier than before. Singer Brandon Flowers bellows lines like “I am sick of all my judges/so scared to let me shine,” and “I never had a lover/I never had soul.”

 

Someone has made The Killers mad, and like a little brother trying to prove he’s tough to the older kids, they seem to be begging for approval from the bands that inspired them and the magazines that made fun of them.

 

Despite all of its bizarre musical mixtures and lame lyrics, Sam’s Town still manages to be a fairly enjoyable listen.

 

Songs like “Read My Mind,” and “My List,” are dismal, but other cuts like “Bones” and “Why Do I Keep Counting?” succeed in spite of their bombast.

 

Especially “Bones.” Despite some embarrassingly Edge-esque guitar and not so ear-pleasing harmonizing, it is one of the album’s best songs because of its soaring chorus, charming horns and signature Killers synths.

 

The heavily Springsteen influenced bookends “Enterlude” and the unfortunately titled “Exitlude” fare even better. Despite downright hysterical lyrics referencing “bonfires of trust,” and “flash floods of pain,” they exude the goofy wink-wink charm of past Killers’ classic “All These Things That I’ve Done,” and remind us that even though the band might have some ill-advised ambitions, it can also write good pop songs.

 

The Killers have come tantalizingly close to an all-out sophomore disaster here, but they display just enough conviction and song-writing smarts to avoid the annals of all-time sophomore slumps. Let’s just hope next time the four can start singing about boyfriends who look like girlfriends again and leave the eagles and rivers to the man so good at it he’s called The Boss.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Artist: The Killers

Album: Sam's Town

Genre: Pop rock

Record Label: Island

Release Date: Oct. 3

Most Listenworthy Track: 'Exitlude'

Reviewer's Rating: 2.5 out of 5Ms

 

http://www.themaneater.com/article.php?id=25004

That's a horrible review.

It not coherent at all, I take it that the person hasnt heard the album more than once, he described the songs all wrong:laugh4:.

 

And Read My Mind isnt dismal. OH god:laugh4:

Bones is not that very good of a song. The article says: Especially “Bones.” Despite some embarrassingly Edge-esque guitar and not so ear-pleasing harmonizing, it is one of the album’s best songs because of its soaring chorus, charming horns and signature Killers synths

 

Maybe Im not a good reader or a music virtuoso for that matter, but if the song has a NOT SO EAR-PLEASING HARMONY...how does that make it good? No matter how good of a chorus or charming horns or whatever other sounds the song might have, if its not harmonizng then its just garbage. Yes, the album does have an Edge-esque guitar, but NEVER on Bones. More like on Bling(Confessions of a King) I would say.

I really don't hear a lot of Coldplay in this one. U2, absolutely, and there is a definite hint of Queen in Why Do I Keep Counting?.

 

I don't think this reviewer spent nearly enough time listening to the album...

^Exactly. Where's the Coldplay influence?

 

U2 is obvious, and the Queen hint(I never would have thought) its starting to make sense now that Im listening to WDIKC?:D

 

Idiots! Writing half-assed reviews!:laugh4:

I love the new album. Bling, Sam's Town, and Read My Mind are my favorite songs.

 

Also, I agree with you guys. That reviewer doesn't know crap. I didn't hear a Coldplay influence anywhere in there.

Killers kill off what made them killer

 

Two sides of the Killers vied for the audience's attention Tuesday at the sold-out Congress Theater, and it was no contest.

 

The Las Vegas quartet, which sold 5 million copies of its 2004 debut album, entered to the type of extended orchestral fanfare reserved for Something Really Important. Pennants were draped across a banner reading "Sam's Town," the title of the band's latest album. Singer Brandon Flowers sported a jaunty mustache, a bolo tie and a rock-star swagger.

 

Only two years ago he and his band specialized in sleek, propulsive and relatively meaningless dance-rock, an expert imitation of British New Wavers such as Duran Duran and New Order. Now they're swinging for the rafters. The once fizzy boy-girl lyrics have taken a turn for the pseudo-poetic, and Flowers shook a fist while he sang, as if ready to muscle in on the stadium rock of U2 and Coldplay.

 

The band brought a big arena-ready sound to the Congress, but recent songs such as "Sam's Town," "Uncle Jonny," "When You Were Young," "Read My Mind" and "Bling (Confessions of a King)" brimmed with hackneyed arrangements and the kind of lyrics that sound meaningful but really don't say much of anything. Flowers redefined the band's music as a spiritual quest, beating his chest as he sang about pulling out of a "two-star town," then letting the music ebb before it roared again. But the newfound grandeur couldn't disguise that Flowers was busy rhyming "higher and higher" with "down to the wire" and "out of the fire." For the finale, the singer sat at the piano and declared, "We've seen it all." But some of us had seen enough.

 

The newer songs sounded especially ponderous next to the still-buoyant pop tunes from the debut, particularly "Mr. Brightside," "Smile Like You Mean It," "Somebody Told Me" and "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine."

 

At one point, Flowers struck a pose that harkened back to that more glitzy, glammy, fun-filled era. He reached down with his right hand to trick out a little riff on his electric keyboard while he gazed longingly at the microphone raised high in his left hand. For a minute, the trashy disco prince of the first album was back. Sure do miss that guy.

 

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/reviews/critics/mmx-gje2eiefp.8oct17,1,7286243.story

Killers lack fuss in 'Sam's Town'

 

The Killers know what they're capable of, and they do it well. After last year's smash hit "Mr. Brightside," the Las Vegas foursome became a household name, known for catchy singles that you just can't get out of your head. Lead singer Brandon Flowers has become a media darling, citing himself as a "savior of good music."

 

In the two and a half years since the release of the band's debut album, "Hot Fuss," Flowers has gained notoriety by picking fights in the press with fellow rock bands The Bravery and Fall Out Boy, blaming the former for cashing in on The Killers' success and the latter for being part of a "dangerous" wave of emo music. With all the bad-mouthing going on, Flowers had America anticipating what was next for the outspoken lead singer and his band.

 

However, with "Sam's Town," The Killers have failed to prove to America that they deserve the U2 and Coldplay comparisons they often receive. This record paints them as a band capable only of mediocre albums with a few hit singles thrown into the mix.

 

"Sam's Town," unlike "Hot Fuss," paints itself as a homage to the American Dream. While Flowers chose to slap on a faux British accent over the backdrop of Duran Duran-esque synth tunes in "Hot Fuss," on "Sam's Town," Flowers follows in the steps of arena-rock god Bruce Springsteen. He and the band go out of their way to follow an Americana theme. In the album's title track, Flowers wails about an "American masquerade" that runs through his veins and a brother who was "born on the Fourth of July."

 

To further prove its allegiance, the band has completely changed their image from a bunch of fresh-faced dandies in dapper suits to men who wear cowboy boots and grow out their facial hair. The album already has a Top 40 hit with "When You Were Young," a carefree, seize-the-moment ballad about "burning down the highway skyline on the back of a hurricane," which has all the ingredients of the pop success of "Mr. Brightside."

 

But, other tracks on the album don't quite deliver the goods. "This River Is Wild" has potential, but is so over-the-top and theatrical that its chances of becoming a radio hit are slim. "Uncle Jonny," while it tries its hardest to be a social statement against the cocaine addiction, succeeds only in proving Flowers' lyrical weakness with such lines as "test the Superman and hold on tight."

 

Other lyrical disasters are "Bones" and "Bling (Confessions Of A King)," which, along with its awful title, features the worst attempt at recreating the famous "I got soul but I'm not a soldier" chorus line in "All These Things I've Done" with a chirpy and weak repetition of "higher and higher!"

 

"Sam's Town" proves that The Killers may have chosen the wrong rock icon to model themselves after. While Springsteen was able to emote melodramatic songs without appearing whiny and lyrically inept, The Killers just seem to be blowing simple moments into theatrical spectacles. "Sam's Town" is nothing but a scruffier version of Hot Fuss: worth listening to for a few catchy songs, but unable to establish itself as a stand-alone album.

 

http://orient.bowdoin.edu/orient/article.php?date=2006-10-20&section=4&id=3

Killers Give Props to Coldplay, the Strokes

 

The Killers have revealed their new album 'Sam's Town' took some inspiration from Coldplay.

 

Though the Killers have made plenty of headlines for trading barbs with bands over the last year-plus, during our AOL Sessions interview frontman Brandon Flowers and guitarist Dave Keuning had nothing but kind words for some of their peers.

 

"We all listen to our favorite bands and are inspired on the drive to the studio by whatever's in our car," Keuning said. "We just try and make the best songs possible. I guess maybe we're trying to be just as good as Coldplay. You know, we use them as an influence, too."

 

But their appreciation for fellow musicians doesn't stop there. They also gave major props to the Strokes.

 

"The very first song on the third Strokes album is a perfect pop sensation and that made us [try harder]," Flowers notes about the making of 'Sam's Town.' "I remember playing pool and that record came out when we were at Dave's house and listening to that over and over."

 

AOL Music

Just found the video exclusive for their new song, Bones.. I would have chosen a different song to release next, but well.. The video is very creepy :P

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZmtsuQpnw4

Just found the video exclusive for their new song' date=' [b']Bones[/b].. I would have chosen a different song to release next, but well.. The video is very creepy :P

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZmtsuQpnw4

 

 

I gotta admit its a nice concept. Its very eerie, yet very creative and doesnt fall into the offensive or gruesome. Great job, and its hysterical to see Brandon Flowers as a singing skull:laugh4:

Ah man! :sick:

 

I really don't like the song Bones....but I had high hopes for the video, being Time Burton directing it and all that. But I actually really don't like it. What a let down. It's the first thing by The Killers that i've really disliked (well along with a few other duff tracks on the album).

 

It's just kinda tacky and....too literal i guess. Oh well :\

I love the Bones video too. Very creepy/weird, but awesome at the same time. I love the Killers.

p.s. - I kind of wish they would have released This River is Wild as their next single, or even Sam's Town. They have a lot of better songs on that album than Bones, imo.

Yeah, I'd have to agree with both of you! Bones wasnt the smartest choice. I really hate the song :sick: But I gotta say the video is very creative.

 

What I dont like, as Steph said, is that is faaaaaaaaar to literal. I had completey fogotten that Tim Burton directed it. I mean he is the is the king of doom and gloom, scary sort of deal yanno. I was hoping for like a clay-animation vid...but I guess that would have been tacky as well:confused:

I agree, I would have chosen Sam's Town (I get boosebumps whenever the album starts and goes off with this song.. amazing!), or "My List".. Gooorgeous song :D

p.s. - I kind of wish they would have released This River is Wild as their next single' date=' or even Sam's Town. They have a lot of better songs on that album than Bones, imo.[/quote']

 

 

Yes, its a very good song but I dont it'll get a lot of radio-play. I say that because its the last song I ended up liking...and now its one of my favorites. Its very signature to the album because its one of those that sort of have to listen non-stop and over and over in order to love it( not very commercial I say :confused:)

 

I think that if they want a succesful song they need to release Reasons Unknown or Read My Mind:heart: Sam's Town is amazing, I think It needs to be a single... its a song that people need to hear from them.

I loved the Killers' first album and I really looked forward to their second one but I thought it was quite disappointing.

I actually like Sam's Town more than Hot Fuss. ST is kind of a package-deal type of album. Hot Fuss was a bunch of hits put together that didn't really flow (even though the individual songs are good). But with this album you kind of have to listen to the entire thing, and it all makes sense. That's probably why it's hard to pick singles, cause they all flow together.

 

People really need to hear This River is Wild though. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite songs...ever. I love the "should I just get along with myself, I never did get along with everybody else" part. :) Also "Bling" is amazing. Every song is amazing. lol :D

You are right, I never really saw it that way. I gotta be honest, the first time I heard it I felt it was utter shit:sick: But it has slowly been growing one me! Maybe that's what they wanted to do, not another album filled with catchy tunes and 80's vegas rock, yanno?:thinking:

I still prefer Hot Fuss, but Sam's town isnt that bad either, in my opinion. But its its not great , some songs are just so disapointing.

 

BLING IS...wow:drunk:. That song is in my opinion the best in the album, I hear a lot of progress in this song.

blasting some " All the Pretty Faces" This bonus track is my fav on the album. And thanks for the link to the video. It was very refreshing. 8/10~

Yeah, I do like the flow this album has. Hot Fuss is one of the best collections of songs in a while, but Sam's Town actually has a sense of continuity.

 

And Marisa, if you like that song, I've got a live version that is absolutely fantastic. It blows the studio version out of the water!

Yeah' date=' I do like the flow this album has. Hot Fuss is one of the best collections of songs in a while, but Sam's Town actually has a sense of continuity.[/quote']

Yup yup, totally agree. :)

I'm digging Sam's Town as well.

 

It's not amongst my fav albums of the year though. It's just 'good', not great.

 

And I agree it's better than Hot Fuss. They're a very, very good band. Brandon Flowers isn't a great singer, but a fine frontman nonetheless.

 

Who knows, they might be huge someday.

[quote=

And Marisa, if you like that song, I've got a live version that is absolutely fantastic. It blows the studio version out of the water!

^Ditto to that. ;) I guess we have the same version....it's incredible.

 

My faves on ST are Sam's Town, Bling, ATPF and Uncle Johnny, they're amazing tracks.

But Hot Fuss (for me anyway) is like a total classic....I played that album to death when it came out but it will never get old. I just adore it, every second of it.

 

But songs like Where the White Boys Dance, Bones and For Reasons Unknown have gotten me a bit worried about the future for The Killers. :\