Cut out for a reason

Since 2004, The Killers has been one of the biggest bands in rock music. A band always criticized by its peers, The Killers has still been able to land both mainstream and indie acclaim. Sawdust is a collection of rarities, new material, covers and b-sides from its first two albums, and it is composed of both good and bad cutouts. \nThe album's selling point and opening track "Tranquilize," its collaboration with Lou Reed, serves as a possible look into the new Killers. "Tranquilize" is a rocker that is quite a bit darker than the rest of the band's work but is a great track. "Under the Gun" was a song performed plenty on the band's Hot Fuss tour, and it's nice to see it's found a home on an album, since it's one of The Killers' most infectious songs. "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" is the third and final part of a murder trilogy that started with the Hot Fuss songs "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" and "Midnight Show." While those two are straightforward rockers, "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" is the dramatic finale with a great slowed-down Springsteen-esque finish. \nBut with the good comes the bad. "Show You How" is a mid-tempo bore-fest, with no memorable qualities. "Who Let You Go?" has some of Brandon Flowers' simplest and worst lyrics to date, and the Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Mix of "Mr. Brightside" is a horrible eight-minute dance version of the band's best single. \nThe album's covers fall short of its originals but still present something new in their approach. The cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" doesn't have the original's raw hypnotic quality, but instead becomes brighter and harder. The take on Dire Straits' "Romeo and Juliet" loses its understated beauty with Brandon Flowers' dramatic vocals, but it's still a decent version of an undeniably great song. \nWhile Sawdust has its fair share of strong points, it lacks the overall quality to make it worth purchasing. Unless you are a Killers fan looking to collect all the band's rarities on one disc, I suggest just downloading "Tranquilize" and "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf"