The Killers - Sawdust

The Killers' last record, Sam's Town, attracted a lot of attention (and scorn) for being a blatant rip-off of Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run. I never understood that. Musicians mimic their idols all the time. Oasis was beloved for ripping off the Beatles, but the Killers aren't allowed to rip off Springsteen?

The album's first single, "When You Were Young," was brilliant - the best single of 2006, in my estimation (and one hell of a challenge when playing SingStar Amped karaoke.) But the rest of the album was entirely ignored. Even by me. It sat on my shelf and I never really felt compelled to play it again.

I recently got around to checking out the Killers' latest effort, a collection of B-sides called Sawdust. This is an unusual B-side album, because most of these songs could've fit right in on Sam's Town. They're not inferior tracks at all. It almost feels like a brand new Killers record, instead of a collection of leftovers.

Lou Reed appears as a guest vocalist on the solid opener "Tranquilize," and the Killers also cover Joy Division and Dire Straits. Also included is a nifty remake of the Kenny Rogers 1969 hit "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town."

Overall, it's almost as good as Sam's Town itself - if I were going to give it a grade, it's a solid B.

MP3: The Killers with Lou Reed - Tranquilize Amazon