Powerstars

Okay, so I've been dead around here despite saying I wasn't, so I'm going to review the followup to one of my favorite albums of all time. Described by vocalist Brandon Flowers as "the best album made in 20 years," it leans more towards a Springsteen-esque heartland rock style than the synth-drenched rock of their debut "Hot Fuss." Well, let's get into it.

1. Sam's Town
We open with a hard-rocking track. Fantastic opener, very catchy song, and it gets you hyped for the album ahead.

2. Enterlude
Nice little interlude into the album proper, simple, short, and nice.

3. When You Were Young
First song I knew from the album, it just brings me back to 2006. A lovely song, with everything that makes a lead single. And the solo is also pretty cool.

4. Bling (Confession Of A King)
The key this is in just brings the dramatic feel of the song to such a higher level. One of the best songs on the record, with a sing along section at the end ala "All These Things That We've Done" but shorter (And the song is overall less ballady and way more dramatic), it's one of the most heart-wrenching songs on the album.

5. For Reasons Unknown
Note, I said one of. This song was catchy and cool when I didn't know what it meant, but when I found it was about the lead singer's grandfather who has Alzheimer's, I got choked up. The song is still but so hard yet so easy for me to listen to because of just how catchy the melody is. Of special note is the low-harmony vocals at the beginning that add an odd element of creepiness to the song.

6. Read My Mind
The favorite Killers song of vocalist Brandon Flowers, it's hard to argue that this song is as touching as it is catchy. Synth everywhere, it's a pretty good match with "Smile Like You Mean It" from the debut. I particularly enjoy the music video which is The Killers dicking around in Japan. Good stuff.

7. Uncle Jonny
Another solid rocking track about an "uncle" with a cocaine addiction. One person called it the worst track and the album and went on to say it just shows how good the album is. Indeed, one of the album's weaker tracks, but still so strong in it's own right that it can't be faulted.

8. Bones
Well this is weird. The choruses are really catchy and light-hearted, but the verses take on sort of a creepy tone. Considering this is a song about taking a girl to a beach and the overall song is rather creepy, one can't help but draw parallels with "Midnight Show" from the much-mentioned-in-this-entry debut, "Hot Fuss." In that song, the narrator takes a girl to the beach...and drowns her to death.

9. My List
An anthematic track, complete with handclaps. It is the weakest song on the album, but like "Uncle Jonny," it's still a great track in it's own right.

10. This River Is Wild
Faster-tempo track with some cool harmonies. Flowers just gives a particularly amazing vocal on this one (though he'd been doing so on the rest of the album), and you can't help but sing along after you know it.

11. Why Do I Keep Counting?
A song about Flowers' thoughts of suicide, he also holds a particularly touching sustained note near the end of the song. It's a great track to "properly" end the album, but we have one more song left to look at.

12. Exitlude
An extended reprise of "Enterlude." Not much to say except where the original was 40 seconds, this is 2 minutes. Anyways yeah. That was Sam's Town

Conclusion: I have a very difficult time choosing whether I like this album or their first one better. They're both completely different, yet so similar. So yes. Overall, this is an amazing album, and I'd highly recommend it, even if you don't like The Boss.

Final Score: 95/100 (BECAUSE THIS RIVER IS WILD! GOD SPEED, YA BOY!)

__________________