Review Summary: Sam's Town is defintely one of my favourite albums for 2006 so far
After their trend setting, 'money signs in the eyes of their record company' debut album Hot Fuss sold millions of copies, there was a fair amount of hype around The Killers next effort, Sam's Town. "Justin can bring sexy back, The Killers will bring good music back" or so i read.
The thing i noticed first when i began listening to this album was the change in the voice of Flowers, but now as i listen to while reviewing and comparing both albums in my head, the differences are starting to blur away. If anything the vocal change matches the newly-grown moustache of Flowers. A good look if you don't me saying so myself.
The lead-in single of this album, When You Were Young is everything you can ask of a lead-in single. SOLID and giving the fans their old taste of the band that they had dearly missed but also showing the growth and potential that the new album would be showcasing. My favourite track off the album (subject to constant change) is by far For Reasons Unknown. To me it possesses all the attributes of great Killers. A killer synth line, heart tearing guitar lines, pumping drums and lyrics worthy of any young girl's myspace:
"But my heart, it don't beat, it don't beat the way it used to and my eyes, they don't see you no more, and my lips, they don't kiss, they don't kiss the way they used to and my eyes, don't recognize you no more."
Screw those young myspace girls, even I often find myself murmuring these lines randomly during random times of the day. It's just so damn catchy, i'm only human. The second single of this album, Bones, is something i struggle with. Flowers is quoted saying he rates it higher than Mr. Brightside yet it just doesnt do it for me. Not up until now anyway. While it is a great track it never reaches the pinnacles of its predecessors.
As much as i love the sound of piano/Flowers duets in the Enterlude and Exitlude, they really hinder the album by restricting the music inside its ground. After a great album, i don't want the experience to end. It plays around in my head abit then maybe i'll try and sing a few lines from my favourite songs and then it slowly fades away after a few days it'll fade away until i listen to it again. But with these 'ludes, the album doesnt feel as open ended for me particularly the Exitlude where i sit in its aftermath forced to conclude that "well that's the end of that."
Other impressive tracks include Sam's Town a synth/guitar spectacle but its the breakdown's group vocals that really appeals to me, and The River Is Wild a vocal-driven epic which Flowers does not let anyone down. The album is just full of drama and climax and is pure addiction.
The instrumentation is by no stretch of the imagination breath taking but does everything right. Flowers does try to push his range a few times but sometimes in showing your vulnerbility it really makes people appreciate what you got even more. Also his vocals seems to flow better with the instrumentation throughout this whole album rather than his vocals driving the instrumentation from what i remember in Hot Fuss. I'm yet to figure out whether its a good or bad thing or whether i like or dislike it. One thing i am sure of though is that Sam's Town is defintely my favourite album of the year so far.
For this and more future reviews; http://for-the-loveof.blogspot.com/
