The Killers outthink themselves

Brandon Flowers is a rock star. He's a rock star in the most self-aware sense of the phrase; he knows what being a rock star means, what one must look like, say, do, how one must blend Bono and Bowie to achieve both popularity and critical acclaim. The problem is that Flowers isn't quite as smart as he thinks he is. On The Killers' ambitious sophomore outing, Sam's Town, Flowers and the boys try to put one over on us, trying to convince us that the coke-and-mascara act of Hot Fuss is behind them. What they didn't remember to do is genuinely change their sound, to shift their paradigms. Sam's Town is Hot Fuss with a little Springsteen mixed in. It's much simpler than anyone - especially the band - realizes. \nWhich is not to say that it's not good. It is, actually, quite so, with the exception of a few songs. This is a fine continuation of Hot Fuss, complete with surging synth horns, chant-worthy choruses and striving guitars. The title track opens the album. Flowers seems a bit out of tune until the rousing bridge: "I see London/ I see Sam's Town." \n"When You Were Young" is a nice track, "Bling (Confessions of a King)" overcomes its ridiculous name, "For Reasons Unknown" blends in nicely and "Read My Mind" is a terrific ode to love on the road. "Uncle Johnny" is an obvious song about the destructiveness of cocaine - boy, who knew Flowers had a drug-related conscience? - and "Why Do I Keep Counting?" ends the substantive portions of the album in complementary fashion. That's the meat of the disc. \nThen, there is "This River is Wild," a laughable lyrical attempt about "two-star towns." And then "Bones" is an awkward sex siren. But counting up the results, that's seven good songs against two poor ones. That's an acceptable success rate. \nWhere the Killers go wrong is where they convince themselves they're smarter than their subject matter. After the title track, "Enterlude" informs us that "We hope you enjoy your stay." Where are we, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club? The "Exitlude" - which is actually a much better, more developed version of the enter - bids us farewell. Huh?\nThis is a thinly executed concept. None of the songs reflect any sort of localized performance, any sort of adventure, except for general trapped-in-a-small-town platitudes. Considering how self-aware Flowers is, it's entirely possible he thought if he went through with the concept, he'd be criticized, so he kept parts of it in, to allude to it but never to complete it. Maybe he just wanted to bookend the album tidily. Either way, The Killers are taking themselves, and their audience of fist-pumping twentysomethings, far too seriously.