Rob Sheffield, one of our favorite rock journos, is not impressed with Killers 2.0.
Why, Killers? Why? It’s the oldest story in the New Wave book: (1) Boys get famous wearing makeup and acting tarty to impress girls; (2) Boys wash off makeup and act sincere to impress boys; (3) It never works. Loads of the original New Wave bands fell into this trap, but the difference with the Killers is that we all thought they were too smart to take themselves seriously. On their smash 2004 debut, Hot Fuss, the Killers were dance-punk New Romantic glitz pimps, goosing David Bowie’s “Queen Bitch” into their own ready-made classic, “Mr. Brightside.” It was a perfect pop record, and a lot less superficial than it pretended to be. But on their second album, Sam’s Town, the Las Vegas party boys ditch their cheerfully fake Bowie moves and try to get heavy by copying Bruce Springsteen. Yes, that means glockenspiel solos. Yes, it means anthems about the road and looking for America and girls named Mary. No, it’s not a good move.So this is the Killers in 1980s Springsteen-clone mode: better than Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers; not as good as John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band; about even with Billy Hicks and the New Breed. (That was Rob Lowe’s band in St. Elmo’s Fire, though the Killers have better fashion sense.) In the single “When You Were Young,” Brandon Flowers blares about highways, heartaches, mountains, Jesus and the devil, and sprains his larynx trying to sell lines like “We’re burning down the highway skyline/On the back of a hurricane.” (Hurricanes don’t burn, actually; check your copy of Neil Young’s Guide to Weather Metaphors.) So why is it the single? Because it’s the closest thing to a good song on the album.
Read the rest of the article here. He gives the album 2 stars. We’re giving the review 5. Oh, and carry on, Mr. Yorke.
UPDATE: Now that it’s leaked, we gotta ask ya: is this the best album of the past twenty years or what?
UPDATE #2: And for the lawful citizens of the blogosphere who want to weigh in, Sam’s Town is streaming in all its glory at MTV’s The Leak.
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I have to disagree. I heard a bunch of the new stuff live and it sounded great. I’ll admit to liking the Killers, but this is just another case of loving the band before they were big then it being “cool” to tear them down on their sophomore release.
Who reads Rolling Stone anymore? It used to be a great music magazine, now its just filler
thank you. finally. well put. they’re pretenders. all style. no substance. and their “style” is forced hollow… karoke clowns.
fck you!!!!
This review is spot on. Having seen them debut songs from Sam’s Town last Friday night, I was disappointed with a lot of the new (more epic, less heady) material, which really didn’t hold a candle to anything on Hot Fuss. The Fillers, anyone?
Wait.
I heard from a reliable source “Sam’s Town” was going to lay waste to at least two decades worth of recorded music and start a new time period from which to judge.
Don’t forget, technically we’re still in B.S.T. (Before “Sam’s Town.”)
Let’s hold judgement at least until post-Oct. 3 (A.S.T.)
while i respect rob sheffield’s review, it won’t keep me from looking forward to the album when it’s released next week. “hot fuss” didn’t get approving reviews either when it came out 2004 (RS gave it an average 3 stars but certainly it deserved more than that, EW gave it a C and pitchfork media “awarded” it with 2 stars). they had their big bets on the likes of similar-sounding secret machines, the stills and the like. and where exactly are those bands now?
let’s face it, some people just can’t get over the fact that the killers was the only band to actually get somewhere with such fierce competition. if i was one of them, i’d really hate the killers too.
putting aside whether the album is good or not, seriously, anyone looking to Rolling Stone for musical opinions is just wasting their time. RS’s reviews and ratings were rendered meaningless well over a decade ago, possibly longer depending who you ask. and Sheffield? isn’t he that annoying mosquito-looking guy in all those VH1 specials? again, the album may suck, but pardon me if i don’t take RS’s opinion seriously.
so the blogosphere has come to this. reviewing reviews of albums you haven’t heard.
i hate my generation.
secret machines, the stills are going to be around a lot longer than the killers.
I caught a Killers performance on SNL recently.
It was just awful. I thought it was the local cable channel broadcasting a karaoke singer’s band, or something.
Secret Machines sound NOTHING like The Killers. What the hell are people smoking? And The Stills just released a fabulous album.
Besides, stellastarr* were The Killers before The Killers were. And their sophmore album was actually good.
Dude’s giving Thom Yorke tips?
Ballsy move for Sheffield, especially when DeRogatis was shitcanned for trying to give a two-star review to Hootie, as Jann Wenner believed that any band who had been on the cover of RS deserved at least 3. Jim publicly complained, and blam! Security was escorting him out the next morning.
i agree with your comment until you mentioned stellastar..then you lost me. the only thing worse than the killers is stellastar.
anyway, back on topic: the killers are ghey, guay, gai, gae, gaille and probably gay.
well, i was a closet killers fan. i didn´t buy their record or listen to their music by choice, but i enjoyed mr. brightside.
but fuck them now. don´t tell thom yorke what to do.
has this album even leaked yet?
i agree with george. i’m kinda sad for my generation right now.
wtf is up with all these ass clowns and everyone adoring the killers’ obnoxious shite new new wave musack? there is no substance in what they do, just fabricated and regurgitated unoriginality. and who the fuck does flowers think he is to question thom yorke?! you got to be fuckin kidding me man?! you’ve got no credentials to be telling yorke what he should be doing. unbelievable
there’s more talent in thom yorke’s feces than there is in Brandon Flowers’ entire body.
yeah, well unfortunately brandon is completely 100% correct about thom yorke.
Here’s your leak, people.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/14g3qz
http://rapidshare.de/files/34526247/tk-st.zip.html
oh yes, i’m sure the stills and secret machines would be around longer than the killers… if they could just sell records.
i didn’t imply that the killers was the best band to come out of its time ‘coz they obviously weren’t — music experts didn’t think so, their live performance skills were certainly lacking (yes, sam endicott was right, they were wax figures!) and brandon, even from the start, wasn’t really a darling of a frontman given his inflated ego. in short, they certainly didn’t go by the book that rock stars usually go by to make it and yet they did. and big time at that. that’s why it’s real easy for people to hate them. i would too except that i don’t. and i can’t really figure out why.
Finn, if you’re going to base everything on record sales maybe you should go check out NSync too… the Stills and Secret Machines will last longer if only because everyone hates the killers. i liked hot fuss, saw them two years ago before all the buzz, and i still hate them. douchebag flowers creates more animosity than island creates buzz for them. that’s why every band who tours with them hates them, why every journalist salivates with the chance to quote brandon saying something stupid, and why despite not even having two albums out yet people are distancing themselves from admitting liking the music for fear of being associated with the stygma his personality has created in everyone’s head.
i dont care about the killers.. but i have to bring up people who are mentioning THE STILLS.
that fucking band is a poor man’s killers, their first album was new-wave inspired, now all of the sudden they’re alt country? fuck those dudes, hopping to whatever genre could get them blogged about. at least the killers can write a chorus.
I’ve had a rip of the Japanese release all morning. And, um, I dig it. Sue me.
god this site is a wasteland. am i really this bored at work?
waiting for a good rip to show up on oink.
i’m sure they didn’t make that record so they can get “blogged” about. actually probably the exact opposite. actually i really dig without feathers and logic. and i’ve seen them live and seeing both records represented in one set goes great great together. like whoever said.. they’ll be around for while.
I hate what you people have done to me. Please pull the plug.
Sincerely,
The Internet
hey internet, the killers suck. please remove them from yourself.
Look, The Stills can’t really be a poor-man’s Killers when they were FIRST. See, when you use that whole ‘poor-man’s’ comparison, the idea is something original is a pale and obvious imitation or made more easily accessible. It doesn’t work if someone comes AFTER THE FACT. It’s like calling Johnny Depp the poor-man’s Skeet Ulrich.
Regardless, what exactly were we all expecting from a Las Vegas band that claimed Oasis as their inspiration? It’s akin to claiming inspiration from a print on the wall of an Applebees.
i’d be calling johnny depp a poor man’s skeet ulrich if skeet ulrich was a better actor. are you following me here?
album isn’t best of the last 20 years, but the title track could be song o’ the year.
Anyone try try the new Key Lime Chicken Sizzler at Applebees?
Get on the mothership.
Well…In defense of the killers. Sam’s Town is definitely not Hot Fuss.
I dunno. i’m sorta dissapointed in the new wave/garage band era. I seriously hoped that they would take over the universe. And they did at first. But it may be because of the copy cats, but it seems to me all the bands have faded into black.
Y’nno!? Like the strokes were big and then went away. Franz ferdinand was nice but i can’t remember a song from there new one. And where the hell are the hives and that one austrailian band? And now the killers…
R.I.P. Saviors of Rock
Nick, I’m following you. What I’m suggesting is you’re misusing the phrase. Regardless, I think the title track isn’t bad. Definitely better than ‘When You Were Young’.
Scott, I think people are saying they’ll outlast them creatively. Plus, your indignance seems baffling given you posted this bad review with a preface of Sheffield being one of ‘your favorite rock journos’. So clearly by your own posting there are people outside the ‘blogosphere’ that think this is a lousy follow-up too.
is there something wrong with my speakers or does that leak suck in terms of the actualy physical sound quality? brandon flowers, go hold hands with yourself. while you’ve been squealing like a peacock in heat, ben kweller has quietly released a much much better album.
it’s not my speakrs. that rip blows. oh well it’s not worth it. i wanted to listen to it just to see how bad it really was but who cares. i hate the killers but i will admit that a few of the hot fuss tracks were pretty good. sheffield is pretty much 100& right, even though he shouldn’t talk crap about john eddie like that- bruce loves john eddie!
here here on the review!
George, you are so brilliant.
Any mp3s of this leak? I’ve heard most of the album, but there’s a couple I’ve yet to hear.
I’m not twenty, but I can tell you now this isn’t the best album of the last twenty years. I only like seven songs out of twelve, when I listened to Hot Fuss without skipping a single song. I miss the boys pre-moustaches. Now being a Killers fan is almost…embarrassing.
Whoops. Didn’t see that link up there. Thanks macphista!
Listen, the real news here is that Rolling Stone has given a review under four stars. Someone call CNN.
this is the worst shit ever…this blog gets worse and worse…
The real news is Stereogum going back into the closet for the day and not posting about the Scissor Sisters. Is their ad still up?
Can anyone tell the viewers what the Killers ACTUALLY add to popular culture besides entertainment?
It will be interesting to hear this album when I get home from hell, I mean, my job.
I don’t like Brandon Flowers telling Thom Yorke what to do. Then again, that did come from contact music, and it’s not a very reliable source. Mr. Flower’s arrogance amuses me. He’s only 24 or 25, so he has time to grow up and learn.
…And I can’t believe the Boss comparisons. I wouldn’t touch that one with Tommy Lee’s johnson in an official review of their album. The Boss is a line of American legends, who shed light into the American Spirit…to even mention The Killers and The Boss in any light, in context together is a tragedy in itself. Oasis would be a better comparison…Tons of hype, tons of albums sales at the beginning, but did they ever come close to the cultural impact of the Beatles. I don’t think so. They were hailed as (insert anything here), but they ended up being a fun, entertaining, overindulgent band. 12 years later they’re growing up. The Killers have a ways to go before gaining any artistic integrity whatsoever.
j: what’s wrong with music being purely for entertainment?you must live a pretty fucking tedious existance.
I must say that this new album is quite possibly the greatest acheivement ever for Mr. Flowers. Or it could be his morning poop.
Yipes. This is what happens when you read your own press. Pompous. The bridge in “uncle johnny” is a fucking joke.
If they decide to re-make the movie Mannequin, this is the soundtrack.
maybe i’m getting old, but i just don’t get the appeal of this band. i picked up their first album as a bootleg overseas just because it was cheap, and i didn’t even want to finish listening to it. i think i threw it away after that. not the worst thing i’ve heard by any means, but certainly nothing worth devoting any time too.
i’m not even going to bother listening to this new one, and i’m sure they don’t care, cause i’m not the intended audience…i’m older than 21, haven’t been to a dance club in ages, and have never tried coke.
i do feel certain that in five years they will be remembered with about the same amount of passion as better than ezra or something similar. this is music made by fame ladder climbers explicitly for top 40 radio…nothing wrong with making tunes like that or even liking it, but don’t blow it up to be more than it is.
So it sounds like someone who’s ripping off bob dyaln ripping off bob dylan?
No thanks.
Jesus, you guys all have some super human hunger to slash and bite at anything the Killers ever do. I’m a little afraid to post on the Killers’ side, but I will anyway. First of all, if you ever read a REAL, WHOLE interview with Brandon Flowers, or even better watched one, you would see this guy is sweet, shy, and barely what you would call egotistical. Maybe he has some big illusions of gradeur but it comes more from a hunger to get better and bigger rather that an inflated ego. Almost all of his statements are taken out of context. For example you can esily imagine that he said that Thom Yorke comment just as an expression of opinion (I read the real interview), but this snip of an article makes it look like he was ordering him to do something. I feel bad that he ever said their new album will be one of the best of the last 20 years. He said it more out of excitement and pride for what he has accomplished but people take it way too seriously and blast him with insults. If he never said that statement I’m sure there wouldn’t be this much hatred towards him and Sam’s Town. Speaking of which, I think it’s not bad so far but it might need to grow on me. Just like When You Were Young did. I think Rob’s review is pretty rediculous because it’s mostly based on their image rather that the songs themselves. Plus why the hell is he saying that the album is practically an exact copy of Bruce Springsteen? Was he listening to the same album I am??
But basically what I’m trying to say is that you guys should give the band, and the guy for that matter, a break. Seriously.
Uuuh damn, I was really looking forward to this… uh …shiat.
But now I have a sneaking suspicion why this album wasn’t leaked earlier: All the leakers died listening to it.
Dear God, “Why Do I Keep Counting” sounds like freakin’ Meatloaf.
jt..you’re missing out on coke…
The Stills can’t outlast the Killers, because the Stills are already long forgotten and unimportant. And I loved Logic Will Break Your Heart. Most disappointing sophomore release ever? (wait, could that belong to Sam’s Town?)
And Stellastarr* are better than all of the bands mentioned in this section.
I loved Hot Fuss (I’m 16), and I was looking forward to Sam’s Town. I even pre-ordered it on itunes. However, after listening to the leak, I have decided that I hate it, and I cancelled the pre-order. It’s pretty sad that the only good song is the one that i’ve been hearing since June.
And as for the Thom Yorke thing, who the hell does Flowers think he is to give advice to someone who’s sold more albums than him? And who has never been dissapointing? Just a thought.
I’m defintely gonna go with you dom on this one. The only song my ears can even manage, is the single.
Uh dom, Hot Fuss sold 5 million copies. I am pretty sure that is close to if not more than the number of sales for every single fucking Radiohead album put together.
And Sam’s Town is ablosute shit. The Killers’ had great potential but it’s all gone down the toilet.
Its actually not that bad. Certainly its way different than Hot Fuss but its still catchy music.
Just listened to this anticipated release and I was greatly dissapointed. As a fan, i tried to enjoy it, but the lyrics seemed forced and the production value is ostentatious. I put in Hot Fuss right after, and my anger subsided. I’m selling my Killers tickets to avoid this embaressing atrocity.
there are a frightening number of ‘j’s on this thread, so i thought i ought to weigh in as well.
was looking forward to the record, but it’s rough. all bombast, none of it earned. it’s like they thought they could give the songs meaning and weight simply by making them endless crescendos. a few bright spots, but not many.
I was really looking forward to this new Killers album, but I’m really disappointed after listening to the songs. It makes me sad to have to say that.
the Hives will be back, oh yes
El Guapo, are you kidding? Based on gold/platinum status (and since I couldn’t turn any solid numbers up on Google), I will conservatively estimate Radiohead have sold 6 million albums in the U.S. alone. I hear people in the U.K. bought a few of their records as well.
ah, remember the simpler times when brandurst flowers would only be made fun of for his mormonosity and the fact he got married to a manager of an urban outfitters? rock n roll indeed…
glamarous indie rock n roll
haha I don’t know what the hell this review is talking about but it is completely wrong. The album is pure genious, and while it isn’t HOT FUSS all over again, it is something new and better.
Some of the songs are growers and just like they are on Hot Fuss, and after a while people will love this album.
But just fyi- THIS RIVER IS WILD is a freakin sweet song.!
You are right corey; about 5.5 mil in the U.S. For some reason I’ve always percieved their commercial success to be minimal outside of the U.K.
so sam’s town is not one of the best albums of the past 20 years but i’m liking it so far. it’s definitely not hot fuss 2.0 and of course they’re going to lose fans ‘coz of that reason alone. there was already the risk of losing fans the second they named the album “sam’s town” (i mean wtf, right?).
not really a fan of brandon’s humongous ego (and yes it does exist!), but does that really matter? why would i let a thing like that get in the way of my enjoyment of their music? i got hooked to their radio-released songs and that was enough to make me buy the CD… before i knew their names or what they looked like or what they were like in interviews. so the guy comes off as an ass! it’s not like i’m planning to meet him in person, invite him to several dinners and eventually take him in as an additional member of my family. his band makes music that appeals to me (bruce springsteen-esque, meatloaf-esque, whatever) and i’m focusing on that.
by the way, jamie, there are more things more embarrassing than admitting to being a fan of the band… like calling yourself mrs. flowers in your myspace profile. now that’s embarrassing and pathetic, don’t you think?
Is anyone else feeding off of these sincere comments of dissapointment about the album? Is it wrong to relish in the idea that people actually thought a horribly shitty album could be followed up by a good album? A better album? If you’re upset or hung up about the new killers album, what’s wrong with you? There’s nothing remotely redeeming about them… they’re a waste of time. If you want cheap pop glitz listen to a band that specifically makes that, if you want talented progressive music you can find it elsewhere. Why settle for the former trying to be the latter?
The negative vibes from these postings leave me completely dumbfounded. I don’t know why all of you are so angry with Brandon and The Killers and their success. They make music that millions of people love ? and there?s nothing wrong with liking music purely for its entertainment value. I have been to two Killers shows in NYC in the past week and in both Brandon appeared nothing more than humbled, slightly shy and appreciative of the fans who love him. The smile he exudes when he takes in the excitement of the crowd is completely genuine and even touching to see.
As for the new album itself, of course it’s not Hot Fuss and nobody should expect it to be. But why does everyone insist on bashing it after hearing each song only once, especially when it is that of poor quality on the Internet. When You Were Young took about five listens to really grow on me, but now I can?t get it out of my head, in a good way. As for the others songs, I’ve now heard Bones, Bling, Read My Mind, Uncle Jonny and My List twice each live in concert and am beginning to enjoy them just as much as When You Were Young. Obviously everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but I wish people would give the album a fair chance before casting it off – for instance, maybe wait for it to actually be released and give the songs a few listens while not constantly comparing them to Mr. Brightside.
hey.. at least a ton of you probably downloaded it to see just how much you actually hated it. i know i did. any publicity is good publicity and all that jazz. super intelligent viral marketing campaign?
did anyone really expect the Killers to do otherwise? that is, make a successful play for legitimacy?
as for the review, Rob’s opinion is dead on as usual.
Actually, I remember Rob as my TA from an English class at UVA many years ago. Mostly he and the class would play “If this were a movie, whom would you cast?” for whatever ancient text we were reading.
A trivial way to pass time, admittedly, but how else do you keep interest in Gawain and the Green Knight?
and there?s nothing wrong with liking music purely for its entertainment value.
you’re absolutely right. which is why it’s such a drag that Sam’s Town isn’t entertaining. it’s a bloated, self-important drag.
http://www.samstownlv.com/main.cfm
If anyone actually reads this far down, I played in a band that opened for the Killers on their Hot Fuss tour, and they sound checked with most of Dark Side of the Moon (for more than an hour). To this day it is the best thing I’ve heard from them. In his defence though, when I met him, Brandon Flowers seemed to be the least egotistical Killer, he was sincere and humble and wanted to talk only about music, I was impressed by his taste in good soul. I’m happy to know that he isn’t as much of a jerk as his bold press statements might make him seem, I think he just genuinely cares about music and has strong opinions… he just has a difficult time shutting the fuck up about it to the press.
UK sales figures from BPI
PABLO HONEY – 300K
THE BENDS – 900K
OK COMPUTER – 900K
KID A – 300K
HAIL TO THE THIEF – 300K
Total: 2.7 million
HOT FUSS – 1.2 million
I heard most of the new tracks live and they sounded good to me.
So I have to admit, I’m not paying too much attention to the cunt who wrote the RS review.
Anyway, I think I’ll wait until the album is actually released, and form my own conclusion.
Oh, and I’m sick of hearing about Bruce fucking Springsteen. Anyone else?!!!
Boring. They went from being a jubilant copy to an unexciting copy of a copy. I’ll continue to like ‘Hot Fuss’ (which I purchased after hearing ‘Somebody Told Me’ once…and I wasn’t disappointed) but this new album, along with this new single, bore the shizz outta me.
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I HACE ALREADY LISTENED TO THE LEAKED ALBUMS, IT IS RIGHT HERE IN THE LINK IF YOU WANT TO DOWNLOAD IT, IT’S JUST A STEP AWAY, REMEMBER THIS IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL!!!!!
http://rapidshare.de/files/34607043/TK-ST-06.zip
THIS IS THE NEW ALBUM
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HAVE FUN
http://rapidshare.de/files/34607043/TK-ST-06.zip
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THIS IS THE LINK
If I had a penny for every biased album review in this thread I would be a very rich person.
The Killers are basically a fake band of poseurs striving so hard to be real. Have you ever seen the New Order video Crystal, with the pretend “original” Killers band? Well, anyone who says they want to model themselves on and be “perfect” like that imaginary band is truly crack-crazy.
The lead singer is arrogant and probably does this in the name of publicity, but he has yet to see the true results. The Killers offer nothing new but only re-hash, and constantly compare themselves to the greats. I believe the singer said they were hiring a fifth member to back-up their live shows “like Pat Smear for Nirvana”. He thinks they are the 00′s equivalent of Nirvana? Of U2? Of Bowie? Who knows…
Nothing against shorter people, but the singer is basically the poor man’s version of Napoleon+Gary Numan. In my humble opinion.
Younger folks who really like this music should do themselves a favor and realize the original New Wave was much better, and yes, recording technology was about as developed as today. Those old records still sound great, kids. Buy ‘em over this mediocrity.
Not to state the obvious, but musicians have been ripping each other off for as long music has been around, and I’m not talking Elvis or the Stones or Muddy Waters or Blind Eyed Williams (fictious)was bending notes down by the bayou.
I’m talking about when Matthew, Mark and Luke had a band called The Scrolls, sure as shit another band came along trying to emulate them.
Call me crazy but I like to hear 5-10 influences in one song. It’s not that easy to do. Listen to Read my Mind and tell me it doesn’t spark up some feelings of great new wave, without actually feeling like you were back in Jr. High School and feeling a bit awkward and unable to get laid.
Now I can put it in this awesome album and hear those influences, but not complete ripoffs of anything, along with Flowers’ fresh stylings and the great music as a whole, while having a smoke and a scotch while having my salad tossed, and feeling defnitely in the present and pumped about it.
Just me maybe, but also, on the Killlers as a whole, watch them perform “All These Things,” and tell me you’re not blown away. You won’t be the only one, because later that night Robbie Williams incorporated “I got soul bit I’m not a soldier,” into one of his songs in his town (say what you want, England loves him), and later U2 and Coldplay did the same thing in Vegas at shows while the Killers looked on. I’d call some pretty heavy hitters singing your shit to you out of homage, especially when you were a bellhop 3 years ago, pretty remarkable.
Not to state the obvious, but musicians have been ripping each other off for as long music has been around, and I’m not talking Elvis or the Stones or Muddy Waters or Blind Eyed Williams (ficticious)was bending notes down by the bayou.
I’m talking about when Matthew, Mark and Luke had a band called The Scrolls, sure as shit another band came along trying to emulate them.
Call me crazy but I like to hear 5-10 influences in one song. It’s not that easy to do. Listen to Read my Mind and tell me it doesn’t spark up some feelings of great new wave, without actually feeling like you were back in Jr. High School and feeling a bit awkward and unable to get laid.
Now I can put it in this awesome album and hear those influences, but not complete ripoffs of anything, along with Flowers’ fresh stylings and the great music as a whole, while having a smoke and a scotch while having my salad tossed, and feeling defnitely in the present and pumped about it.
Just me maybe, but also, on the Killlers as a whole, watch them perform “All These Things,” and tell me you’re not blown away. You won’t be the only one, because later that night Robbie Williams incorporated “I got soul bit I’m not a soldier,” into one of his songs in his town (say what you want, England loves him), and later U2 and Coldplay did the same thing in Vegas at shows while the Killers looked on. I’d call some pretty heavy hitters singing your shit to you out of homage, especially when you were a bellhop 2 1/2 years ago, pretty remarkable.
flowers isn’t napoleon…he isn’t even short. all those guys are about 6ft-ish (and over), for what its worth. not much, i know.
i think they tried to emulate recent u2, as if they were trying to fast forward to the ends of their careers, inexplicably. i listened to this album and how to dismantle an a-bomb, and i get the same sick cringy feeling of being force fed a big cloyingly sugary cake. it is too overblown and too slickly produced, even with the glitches and mistakes left in so that it wouldn’t seem as slick as it is.
Sam’s Town is a solid recording. People can hate the Killers all they want, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve produced a good record. And, as someone else mentioned here, Hot Fuss (which all the critcs refer to as if they loved it the first time out of the gate), didn’t get good reviews either. It was word of mouth that eventually made people listen to it– it will be, and actually is the same story with Sam’s Town. It’s a completely different record than Hot Fuss, and although I enjoyed a few songs from Hot Fuss, I love most every song on this new record. What RS or any other reviewer out there has to say is really meaningless to me when it comes to listening to music. Music is about what picks a person up personally or what tickles the ears. Also, RS’ review like so many others were just too personal to be taken seriously. It’s like they were gunning for this band to fail and there really is no reason for wishing anyone such ill will. Who cares about what Brandon Flowers says or what the band looks like right now….soon these same critics will be all over Sam’s Town as the next best thing the way they did with Hot Fuss after they talked ‘smack’ about it. A bunch of music snob hypocrites.
I like Sam`s Town, a lot!!
I think Sam’s Town is an amazing album. The Killers made changes on their own, because they became tired of being known as the best British band from America. I think on this album they tried to embrace American influences, and get away from people thinking they were British. They are an amazing band, and a relatively new band, so they are still improving, and trying to get better. I’m absolutely in love with Sam’s Town, and The Killers.
Whether you like this album or not,you have 2 admit,it takes guts to try something totally diffferent,especially after the success of Hot Fuss.Most artists would just stick with what works,and if they did that,you would probably accuse them of not being man enough to try something new. Christina Aguilera got the same amount of backlash for rebelling against her pop princess image and doing Stripped. But her new sound grew on everyone,she got two Grammys for that album. I’m not comparing her and The Killers in terms of talent,but at least they’re not afraid to take risks.Yes Brandon Flowers can be an absolute ass sometimes,but you’re suppose to judge his music,not his inability to keep his mouth closed.
Whether you like this album or not,you have 2 admit,it takes guts to try something totally diffferent,especially after the success of Hot Fuss.Most artists would just stick with what works,and if they did that,you would probably accuse them of not being man enough to try something new. Christina Aguilera got the same amount of backlash for rebelling against her pop princess image and doing Stripped. But her new sound grew on everyone,she got two Grammys for that album. I’m not comparing her and The Killers in terms of talent,but at least they’re not afraid to take risks.Yes Brandon Flowers can be an absolute ass sometimes,but you’re suppose to judge his music,not his inability to keep his mouth closed.
By the way, Sam’s Town is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stop hating on the poor guys, even if Brandon is an arrogant jerk. It hasn’t stopped people from listening to Kanye West. Sam’s Town will be remembered as a classic 20 years from now, I guanrantee it.
By the way, Sam’s Town is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stop hating on the poor guys, even if Brandon is an ass, as I said before. It hasn’t stopped people from listening to Kanye West. Sam’s Town will be remembered as a classic 20 years from now, I guanrantee it.