Sam's Town, The Killers' recent release, is reminiscent of Springsteenian anthems and "Piano Man" therapy. It's still the Killers, but they've moved from Vegas main stages to an off-the-strip gin joint where you might find transvestites and Hunter S. Thompson. Where its 2004 debut album, Hot Fuss glittered like a shattering chandelier, every copy of Sam's Town puffs out clouds of dust from the Vegas desert when you open it. Sam's Town is the Killers' major attempt to shake the Ziggy Stardust routine but as every American boy knows, eyeliner is tough to wash off.
The first single off the album, "When You Were Young" is as close to the Killers who sold five million copies of Hot Fuss as this album gets. It has the explosive flair that held listeners' attention on the first album and serves as a good transition single for the newly revamped band.
"Read My Mind" also lives up to the Killers' mystifying glam-rock potential. Unlike most of the album, "Read My Mind" successfully creates the appropriate atmosphere for the band's image.
Songs like "Why Do I Keep Counting" and "Uncle Johnny" come close to being climactic, fist-pumping classics, but the bar sing-along effect loses its impact when it's used more than once on the same album. These songs simply lack the explosiveness found on Hot Fuss.
In the stripped-down second track, "Enterlude," Brandon Flowers and his piano serenade solitary vagabonds as they drift across the country in search of 'America.' Although Flowers will never be Paul Simon or even Art Garfunkel, he executes the song well.
"Enterlude" is a beautiful song and an interesting track. If you hear it alone, without the rest of the album, it paints a picture of Flowers at a sleek black piano in a swanky nightclub with a martini, a moustache and a wink. This is where fans want the Killers — in the spotlight. When you listen to "Enterlude" with the rest of Sam's Town, however, the image changes, which seems to be The Killers' intention. The martini turns into a whiskey sour and Flowers' dapper ensemble now has patches on the elbows. Putting the Killers in this off-the-strip gin joint flattens out their sound and mutes the palette of a more naturally colorful band.
Sam's Town is a good record, but fans expect more from the Killers. Adjectives like "ruddy" and "grizzled" should not be attached to glam rockers. Rejuvenation is healthy, but it's unnecessary for the Killers on their second album, especially because it doesn't quite match up with their sound. The Killers are still a great band, but flirting with self-mutilation. Look what happened when Kiss took off their make-up.
The Verdict: **1/2