Enterludes
First, I have two probs with this album; one is the fact that they open the album with the title track then have a little acoustic styled track `enterlude' which you would think is the beginning of the album as the last cut is `exitlude' and is basically just a reprise, so why put a full song on before the `enterlude'?

And the second is there aren't any lyrics in it, and if they want me to sing along, and I know they do, then they should give me a lyric sheet.

Okay, with that off my chest, I like this album. I don't love it, it's not going on my top ten list of all times, but it definitely is better than a lot of the stuff that has not only been released lately but that I've actually bought.

I definitely love the energy of Sam's Town, and the kick off single "When You Were Young" actually makes me quite giddy. The pseudo classic style of "For Reasons Unknown" and the music build up to the end is pretty thrilling and reminds me of many bands before.

"Read My Mind" is probably one of my favorite tracks on the album, and again has that sort of retro feel. Supposedly influenced by Springsteen this time around, Brandon Flowers' vocals remind me more of classic singer Roy Orbison than Springsteen's growl and even the music doesn't seem as Springsteen-ish as it does 80's rock/new wave people like The Fixx or even INXS.

Of course there's a little more rock steam in these pipes than INXS and that comes through on almost every song even the ballads like "My List" which I like a lot as well. The winding guitar loops of "Uncle Jonny" and Flowers' voice is cool and once again it reminds me of songs that have come before.

In fact, almost every song reminds me of someone else and it becomes a tad distracting trying to figure out who they sound like in each song. Oh well, I guess I'll just keeping playing Sam's Town until I have all the answers I need.

exitlude

The Killers did it right..
They didn't try to make a second 'Hot Fuss' album, but they made a completely new album. And this was the best thing they could do.
Of course, if you buy this album and expect to hear more songs like those on Hot Fuss, you'll get disappointed. But not for long. Because if you have listened to Sam's Town a few times you will realize how great and incomparable this album is. Every song is an own masterpiece and every song is special in its own way. Brandon Flowers was right with saying that this album was one of the best in the last 20 years.
It's always hard to make a good second album and many bands fail in it because they try to make it just like the first one, but The Killers invented something new and the result couldn't be better than Sam's Town.
For me it is a masterpiece and it is so worth buying!

What a disappointment
With most bands, the sophomore effort isn't as good as the first. The Killers are poster children for a less than stellar sophomore album. While I wasn't expecting "Hot Fuss v. 2.0", I was expecting the same level of awesome, if you will. Unlike Hot Fuss which was refreshing and memorable, this is rather dull and forgettable. One word that keeps coming mind to describe this album is "themed". All the tracks seem to related somehow; they all sound the same. They seem to just blend together. It's so boring that with as many times as I've listened to it, none of the songs really stick out to me. I'm honestly surprised I can even sing along to any of the songs. You're much better off just sticking with "Hot Fuss" and "Sawdust".

Packed with Clean, Sharp, Poppy Songs
"Sam's Town" release from the Killers comes two years after their amazing debut of Hot Fuss which mixed alternative/synth/pop/punk-ish rock into a danceable fashion. They enlisted producers who are known for over-producing and filling space on songs which helps, yet sometimes hurts on this album.

"Sam's Town" is packed with clean, sharp and poppy songs being compared to U2 and The Cure, which I can hear yet in a more modern version. Singer/Keyboardist Brandon Flowers has an excellent sense for melody and mixed with his quirky and entertaining vocals makes their songs stand out above a lot of the rest as immediately heard on the title cut. The lyrics aren't quite as witty as on Hot Fuss, but he still is an excellent songwriter and has a way with lyrical cliches. Lead single "When You Were Young" has Flowers warbling over huge guitars in the traditional song anthem sense, "Uncle Johnny" tells the story of a drug addicted relative and "Bones" opens with huge Queen like vocal harmonies singing "Come with Me".

The band overall doesn't let you down like most bands do with their second release. Drummer Ronnie Vannocci is a stand out member with his solid, pounding sounds. I definitely recommend this album to be added to your collection.

Great album
I bought this album 2 weeks ago and have probably listend to it 6 or 8 times and I like it more each time. The album just makes you feel good when you listen to it, and there are a couple of songs that are really great. I typically fast forward in most albums to get to the tracks I like, but I find I do not do that in this album because even the lesser songs are enjoyable.

I had not heard The Killers before this album so I did not come in with expectations of what they should sound like, so I can not compare how this album is compared to their prior work, but I do think that all bands evolve and it would be a shame if they always kept giving us the same material.

Overall, a great album that I think I will be coming back to again and again.