The Good: Decent lyrics, Sound, Production
The Bad: Derivative of just about every classic rocker, SHORT!
The Basics: In a generally decent listening experience, Sam’s Town recreates a classic rock sound in a way that makes rock seem new again.
I worked for a time last year in a manufacturing job with men whose only joy in life, it seemed, was to listen to the same sixty classic rock songs over and over again day after day. The happiest time I spent there was in the early mornings and late evenings either before others arrived or after they left listening to classical music booming through the factory. The experience, other than leaving me doubting that unions could ever retake the manufacturing sector, left me with a profound antipathy toward classic rock.
It was something of a surprise to me, then, that I enjoyed the album Sam’s Town by The Killers as much as I did. Having now listened to it a couple of times, I have to say it's a decent album and it was overall a pleasant listening experience for me. For those tired of the endless replays of The Killers's bit U.S. hit "Mr. Brightside," you might be happy to know that Sam’s Town is not the album that song appears on. The only track I had heard, in this case only peripherally, before listening to the album, was "When You Were Young."
With twelve songs, two of which are essentially the same as an opener and closer, Sam’s Town is a new classic rock album. The songs are what one might expect of The Doors or Queen if they were making music today. In fact, track 5, "For Reasons Unknown" has the kind of groovy upbeat drumming and tambourines accompanying the lead vocals in the tenor range that make the song reminiscent of early U2. It's possible to close one's eyes and hear the lines "My heart . . . it don't beat the way it used to / And my eyes don't recognize you anymore" and imagine it is Bono singing them, so striking is the similarity in vocals.
All of the songs were written or co-written by Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of The Killers. It's rather impressive to see a group that actually manages to write a song using the entire band, which "When You Were Young" does. All four men in the quartet contributed to the writing of that track. And the band appears on the album as a credit in the production line. The bottomline here is that The Killers are artists in every sense of the word and every step of the process.
The band mixes keyboards, guitars and vocals well, which is probably why they evoke such a strong classic rock sound. As well, their lyrics are entirely comprehensible, which modern rock tracks don't always succeed with when they overproduce their albums. Moreover, the album has an excellent mix of fast and slow songs, making this a decent diverse listening experience. On "My List," when the group is crooning together, "Don't give the ghost up / Just clench your fist / You should have known by now / You're on my list," they utilize background brass instruments that make for a phenomenal backing sound.
So, at the very least, this is not quite like anything else that's out there on the radio right now. If it were the late 60s, the sound might appear more common, with tracks like the enterlude and exitlude reminiscent of the Beatles singing together simple ditties.
Who will like Sam's Town? Anyone who likes classic rock like Styx, Queen or other guitar and keyboard bands are likely to find something in this album to enjoy. It's a very masculine sound and most of the songs have the feeling of a yearning for something meaningful, even as they repeat themselves. Those who appreciate decent poetics in the music they listen to are likely to find lines on Sam’s Town worthwhile; the end of "This River Is Wild," after way too many repetitions of that title, ends with lines almost spoken word that are a nice change from the expected end.
As always, one of my problems with Sam’s Town is that it's too short. With twelve tracks, it comes in at just over forty-five minutes. It feels like it's cheating the listener. Outside that, it's mostly satisfying. I suspect it won't be as satisfying for someone looking for something completely original - this album is far too derivative to be considered a true original. At least the influences that The Killers are taking from are not current ones. They have this way of making the old sound new.
The best song is "For Reasons Unknown" and the weakest tracks are the enterlude and exitlude.
For other rock reviews, visit my reviews of:
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - David Bowie
Get Behind Me Satan - The White Stripes
The Uninvited - The Uninvited
6.5/10
For other music reviews, please check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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