The Killers
Sawdust

THE REVIEW

"Sawdust" is the new work by The Killers.

It arrives in stores just over a year after the global success of "Sam's Town," with about four million copies sold worldwide (following the five million from the dazzling debut "Hot Fuss"), top ten upon release in nine different countries, and four successful singles extracted ("When You Were Young," "Bones," "Read My Mind" and "For Reasons Unknown").

Produced (like the previous one) by two excellent names such as Flood and Alan Moulder, "Sawdust" is not (just) an album of new material: it is rather an intriguing blend of new songs, excellent covers, b-sides both in original and re-recorded (or just modified) versions, tracks discarded from the sessions of the previous two albums (or ghost tracks from the same) and a remix.

The set was preceded by two singles, including the long-awaited collaboration with Lou Reed "Tranquilize", the only spanking new song and the opening of the album. The track is typically the latest Killers style and attempts to develop certain menacing and redundant tones already heard in "Sam's Town" without losing catchiness, thanks to a notable and effective melodic opening in the chorus. The dark atmosphere is accentuated by a sinister children's choir that comes in about halfway through the track. The rhythm is steady and measured, the instruments often take center stage alternating (especially bass, acoustic guitar, and piano), and Reed and Flowers’ voices intertwine wonderfully. The other extraction is a cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" (originally appeared in "Unknown Pleasures" of 1979), already played live at the NME Awards 2007. Compared to the original gem, the Killers add a thick electro patina very eighties and a new falsetto chorus, making it less emotional but certainly more dynamic. Two other makeovers present in the album are "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town", a revival of a country piece by The First Edition already appeared in the single "Smile Like You Mean It," and the classic by Dire Straits "Romeo And Juliet."

The two completely unreleased tracks are "Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf", a song born during the "Hot Fuss" sessions and featuring a great chorus and a rhythmic and very pleasant guitar plot, and "Sweet Talk" (this time coming from the studio works for "Sam's Town"); it's clear, listening to the latter, why it was excluded from the final tracklist, being a song with dry and "synthetic" sounds, not conciliatory with the rest of the reference work.

Among the noteworthy b-sides are "All The Pretty Faces" (from the single "When You Were Young"), perfectly "adherent" to the sounds of "Sam's Town" and "Under The Gun", a good track (re-recorded for the occasion) that willingly recalls certain sounds proposed by post-punk "revivalists" like Interpol and Editors. "Where The White Boys Dance" is among the most interesting pieces of the new work; it unfolds indeed between a hypnotic and dark refrain and an energetic finale pleasantly dominated by guitars. "Show You How" is a short and intense britrock appreciable and nothing more, unlike "Move Away" (also re-recorded), part of the Spiderman 3 soundtrack; six strings that seem to come from the most obsessed Frusciante and aggressive but catchy rhythmic plot. "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" takes a jab at certain fake and pompous stadium rock citing (or better yet mocking) in the refrain that "The Reason" which granted worldwide success to Hoobastank. "Who Let You Go" does not convince, too repetitive and monotonous, "The Ballad Of Michael Valentine" is a rock with regular and decisive guitar lines while "Daddy's Eyes" is pure sandpaper. Also standing out are a "Sam’s Town (Abbey Road Version)" for piano and voice and a redundant remix of "Mr. Brightside."

A nice work, this "Sawdust," certainly not essential, but interesting for those who want to delve deeper into the discussion about the American band. Needless to say, it is a godsend for fans waiting for the new album.

Surely, there might be some interesting hints here about the Killers to come.