Sawdust Review

Release Date: Nov 13, 2007Label: American RecordingsGenres: New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Alternative Pop/RockNumber Of Tracks: 17Sawdust being a compilation of other albums, with only 4 completely new songs, is tough to compare to the other albums.



Sound:
8
Lyrics:
6.5
Impression:
7.5
Overall rating:
7.3
Users rating:
8.2
Comments:
30
overall: 5
Reviewed by: iamaguitarfish, on january 09, 20080 of 0 people found this review helpful

Sound: It will not come as a surprise to fans of the band that Sawdust is a mix of synth rock, guitar riffs and catchy vocal tunes. This album's sound provides no surprises or changes to the last two albums but then again with CDs selling millions of copys why change your sound? The only difference which I can see is that this album is (and this really is the only way to describe it) more boring than the last, the tunes are not quite as catchy and you can't really dance to it. // 6
Lyrics: Brandon Flowers' vocals are as competent as ever but unfortunatly his songwriting is not, many of the songs are cover versions so obviously I cannot comment on their lyrics but I must say that the cover versions' lyrics are much more impressive than the self written songs which do not have the excelence of the past two albums. Overall the lyrics are not very impressive. // 4

Impression: Well if you were wanting another Hot Fuss you will be sorley disapointed, this album is, as the astute among you have noticed, a collection of b-sides. However from any other band these songs would be acceptable as album tracks if not singles in their own rights. Despite the fact that the songs in this album are perfectly acceptable, from the killers they seem a bit of an anticlimax as many fans were expecting the CD to rival it's predecesors. If you liked the past albums by the killers and are thinking of buying this one don't bother get something new and exciting instead. I suggest the klaxons. // 5

overall: 9.7
Reviewed by: Greg Man, on november 14, 20070 of 5 people found this review helpful

Sound: From their indulging synthesizers, to their catchy acoustic riffs, to their classic power chord buffets, Sawdust is truly one of the greatest mish-mashes of B-side rarities I've ever heard. If you are so fortunate to fall into that small category of indie lovers, get ready for the ride of your musical life. The sound is incredibly captivating, you'll listen to every song and love it. Though most of the songs have already been on previous albums and singles, the presentation of this album is really something. Even though I've only listened to Sawdust a handful of times so far, I'd say this sound is truly unique and special. This is indie rock at it's best. // 10

Lyrics: If you are a fan of The Killers, you'll know they don't always come out and say what they mean. They speak in riddles and metaphors. I for one love it. Brandon Flowers is an incredibly talented and odd singer. His voice is captivating, he's not your generic singer, you really want to listen to the lyrics and not just his voice. Though Brandon doesn't always for the high notes, it was never really The Killers style anyways. Brandon's voice and the sound of Sawdust go hand-in-hand, I couldn't imagine any other voice to carry the music of The Killers. // 9

Impression: Sawdust being a compilation of other albums, with only 4 completely new songs, is tough to compare to the other albums. But the overall presentation of the album is magnificant. I've heard most of the songs before, yet they seem new through Sawdust. With more synthesizers than Sam's Town, The Killers have seemed to dig back to their roots, but with more experience. One of my favourite songs has to be Tranquilize, which is also the single released a month before the album. Listening to this song longer than the others, I feel more attached to it's strange and compelling lyrics and sound. Another song I really like is the new version of Sam's Town, which is composed almost only of a beautiful grand piano and Brandon Flowers. I love this entire album and you should too. I am appauled that these are considered "B-sides" since some of them are their best work. If this album was lost or stolen, I would definately go buy a new copy. This is The Killers at their greatest, please do yourself the favor of listening to this album. // 10