This Town Ain't Big Enough...

The Killers caused quite a stir with the release of their second album, Sam's Town. No, it wasn't just the gobs of eye makeup being replaced by worn Old Western attire and scruffy facial hair; They've now traded the glitzy, glamorous pop-rock essence of their first album, Hot Fuss, for a grittier, more raw type of sound which, as a result, has left the door wide open for them musically.

So what makes Sam's Town so different from its predecessor? Well, the most obvious change is in the vocals. Unlike those on Hot Fuss, in which lead singer Brandon Flowers admitted to using auto-tune technology, the vocals heard in Sam's Town are completely genuine, which I think gives them an entirely new sense of emotion and depth.

The vocals, however, aren't all that's changed on the new album. The song structures have become much more complex, and have broken away from the traditional verse/chorus/bridge arrangement. The song "This River Is Wild", for instance, is possibly the most unpredictable track on the album. It opens with heavy blasts of drum crashes and power chords, only to settle into a subdued, bass-driven verse, as a palm-muted guitar sneaks in to build up to a chorus of epic proportions. Finally, just when you think the song has reached its peak, the energy suddenly subsides, leaving nothing but Flowers' gentle lyrics floating over a distant piano.

The album does, much like any other album, have its flaws. There are a couple of songs that are less than impressive, mostly because they sound like they had been made just for the sake of having more songs on the album. "Bling (Confession of a King)", which I find to be somewhat reminiscent of U2's old material, is structured so awkwardly that you could almost take the last half of it and create an entirely new song. Other tracks, such as the album's hit "Bones", retain the upbeat catchiness featured in Hot Fuss, yet lack the profound skill exhibited through the other songs on Sam's Town. All in all, though, the Killers have come a long way...and I think that if they continue in the direction they went in with this album, the possibilities for them are endless.
The Killers - When You Were Young
The Killers - Read My Mind
The Killers - Bones