2008 Woodie Awards
The Killers return in style with 'Sam's Town'
Doug Graham, Entertainment Editor
Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: After Hours
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| Well, "Sam's Town" is not one of the best albums of the last 20 years. But with this, their second album, The Killers have managed the near-impossible: They've taken their signature sound, made it a little more rocking and written up a slate of new songs every bit as captivating as the old ones. That doesn't mean it's perfect. The album has two annoying, self-indulgent bookends. Luckily they're short. A few songs, like "Uncle Jonny" and "Bones" strive for epic emotion but just don't make it. "Won't you come with me/Don't you want to feel your bones on my bones?" Flowers sings on the appropriately titled "Bones." That cornball line ain't gonna win anybody over. Still, things are set right a few minutes later with the genuinely thrilling "This River Is Wild." Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly both disparaged the band for ripping off Bruce Springsteen on "Sam's Town." Listening to songs like "Read My Mind," it's clear some cues were taken from the Boss. But listening further into the song and hearing the sparkling chorus, I found it hard to complain. Most important,\ The Killers always sound like The Killers - never Springsteen Light. That Springsteen business doesn't matter much anyway. Most of the knowledge my generation has of the guy comes from an Adam Sandler parody on "Saturday Night Live," and maybe that song from "Philadelphia." "Born to Run" was made before I learned to walk. If The Killers want to take the Boss' style, combine it with their own and present it to a new generation, that's cool with me. Just as long as it sounds as good as the barnburner and current single, "When You Were Young." That's the trend on "Sam's Town," as it was on "Hot Fuss" before. The Killers have an incredible knack for taking whatever material they have (even if a little of it is borrowed) and wringing out a killer hook, a rousing chorus, an unexpected melody. The group's ability to pull off songs so catchy they won't leave your head for days and the fact that you won't want them to makes "Sam's Town" a place worth visiting. |
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