By Billy Gedney
By Billy Gedney
With all the new albums coming out this season, our friends the Killers have come up with a new compilation CD that gives one back to the fans.
Earlier this week I, being a 22 year old male, got to act like a 10 year old child as I waited patiently next to my mail box for the mail man to bring me my copy of The Killers new album Sawdust (incidentally learned the hard way that the mail man in my new neighborhood came earlier than I thought). A smile instantly appeared on my face as I removed the vinyl record from its sleeve (yes, I said record. What can I say? I am a whore for the classics).
The Killers, formed in 2002, are from Las Vegas. The band consists of Brandon Flowers on lead vocals and synth, Dave Keuning on guitar, Mark Stoermer on bass guitar, and Ronnie Vannucci Jr., on drums. The new album, Sawdust, was just released Nov. 12. The two previous albums, Hot Fuzz in 2004 Sam’s Town in 2006, have worked to mold the sound that is known as The Killers.
Sawdust is a compilation and is a result from an array of recording sessions and a quick look at the track list will show which studio session each song was recorded. The Killers worked with Lou Reed, from The Velvet Underground, on Tranquilize, the first track.
At first listen, the familiar sound of the band is hidden a bit and this allows for the influence of Lou Reed to come through. As the album comes to life, The Killers distinct, unique lyricism comes to fruition.
In the song ‘leave the bourbon on the shelf’ Flowers sings of the moment of a bad break up, stating “Oh, Jennifer, You know I always tried, Before you say goodbye. Leave the bourbon on the shelf. And I’ll drink it by myself”
If you’ve ever seen the Killers live, the song ‘Under the Gun’ could familiar.
The beginning of ‘Show You How’ is a beautiful example of the progress of the band’s production skills. The track starts like you are answering your voicemail and the message is Flowers starting to sing the song. The song continues to build to full speed and intensity.
The Killers included a copy of the title track from ‘Sam’s Town’ as an Abbey Road tribute. It is another treat for avid fans that are familiar with the original version of the song.
The album ends with ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Dire Straits. In a interview on The Killer’s fan site (paid registration required) had Flowers stating that besides the respect he and the rest of the guys have for Dire Straits, they wanted to maybe turn people who may have not heard Dire Straits on to them. I know this was the case with me.
There are 12 more songs on the album that are all worthy of a listen if you are not going to buy the album. (Sorry, the LPs are limited edition)
The long and short is that if you are a fan of The Killers, you wont be disappointed. This album isn’t a new direction like Sam’s Town was but it is new content that any fan would be happy to pop in to a CD player and enjoy.
