Go Down to Sam's Town

After begging Lauren to take me to Best Buy last week to get The Killers' new album Sam's Town, I had ample time to listen to it during the drive time. It carries off the concept of Las Vegas desert heat pretty well, but it comes off like a hot summer album, and I'm disappointed that they held its release for the fall.

The overall sound has an 80s glam rock tinge to it, bringing to mind The Cure, Queen and David Bowie. Though he gives a good go at it, Brandon Flowers doesn't quite have the showmanship of Freddie Mercury or David Bowie, but maybe with another album or two he'll get past some of his posturing. For now, at least he is very hot.

Sam's Town moves away just slightly from the heavily layered techno-beat of Hot Fuss and opts for a fuller sound. Standout tracks are the first single "When You Were Young", "The River is Wild" and "Why Do I Keep Counting?" is growing on me. "Bling (Confessions of a King)" has little U2 thrown in and strangely evokes the E.R. theme in my head. "Uncle Jonny" is a more modern rock track whose lyrics bring Billy Joel's "Captain Jack" to mind. And "Reasons Unknown" is another of my favorites because it's got a dash of Psychadelic Furs in it that makes me think that in some universe, Andie and Duckie are listening to it together at Tracks.

If you liked Hot Fuss, you'll like Sam's Town. The Killers deliver a cohesive, well-done album, although parts of it felt a little too glossy and rock opera-ish, rather than possessing the ragged energy of some of the tracks on Hot Fuss. It's great music for getting ready to go out on a Friday night, driving with a car full of people to somewhere fun or for throwing into a party mix for a kick of adrenaline. If I got invited to Sam's Town, I'd definitely go.