I've owned this album for so long now and it still finds its way into my CD player all the time.
"Sam's Town" is really underrated. The Killers have definitely shown growth from their first record on to this one. Lyrically, this album has so much to offer and is quite thought-provoking.
The album is built around "When You Were Young," "Bones," "Bling" and "This River Is Wild." - Four amazing songs. The rest of the record is almost equally good with a complete lack of filler songs.
I REALLY reccomend this album. If you don't own it, please give it a try :)

It's a good album. It definitely does not sound like their debut album, but it's not bad at all. Fewer songs stick out individually to me, but the album as a whole flows better.

Where do I start. First off this is a good CD and a great selection of songs from the Killers. Personally I just love the Killers and the more I listen to this CD the more they become my favorite band. You just have to give this a listen and you'll feel the same way.

I can't say I was a fan until I saw the Killers in concert on their 'Sam's Town' tour. That really made me go back and listen to their material with a bit more interest.

Save three songs, I think this disk is extremely solid.

At first I was put off by the Springsteen-esque riffs in "When You Were Young", but they really make them work. And though I loved "Bones" when it first came out, I think I overplayed it a bit. It's still good, I just overdid did it.

But I am a huge fan of the title track and actually almost all the songs. I can do without "Uncle Johnny", "Bling" and "My List". They are the three that keep this from being a 5-star disk.

I even like the "Enterlude" and "Exitlude" - though like others, I think it would have kind of made more sense for the former song to be the first cut....but that's hardly a big thing.

Sam's Town I loved the previous album but this one was disappointing; a self-indulgent sophomoric snooze.

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

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".

"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.

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.

Disappointing follow-up to their multi-platinum smash debut, "Sam's Town" owes less to the synth/new wave/post punk stuff they mined so successfully on "Hot Fuss" as the emotional epic rockers of the 70s, such as Meat Loaf and most notably (and most obviously) Springsteen's "Born to Run." But this is no "Born to Run" (not even close, in fact) and the band's attempt at maturation and broadening is met mostly with indifference.

Which of these identities defines this band? "Hot Fuss" was more a collection of good songs than a proper album, but their debut is considerably better than "Sam's Town." Since they seem to look to "Born to Run" as a model, it's a simple comparison. "Born" was a start-to-finish rock album, but it had the great individual songs to go along with it. "Sam's" follows that epic pattern, but the Killers seem more confined (even trapped) by the formula, and the tales grow wearisome and bland. It's an interesting experiment, but either it's not what the band really wants to do or it's not what the band is capable of doing well.

The songs have little juice and even less identity. It's a sorry state of affairs when first single, "When You Were Young," was a let-down the first time heard and yet remains one of the better tracks on the album. The other hit, "Bones," barely registers on the first couple of listens. Even album highlights like "Read My Mind" and "Uncle Johnny" wouldn't compete for airplay with their best hits from "Fuss." Although this is not a bad album by any means, it still becomes yet another of the dozens of sophomore albums in recent years that fails to meet the promise of a strong introduction. A mixture of overreaching ambition and sudden-fame pretension makes for a bad tonic.

Best cuts: "Uncle Johnny," "Read My Mind," "When You Were Young," "This River Is Wild," "Why Do I Keep Counting," "Bones," "My List"

I'm writing this not as a critic, not as a Killers fan, but as a music lover. I'd only heard "Mr. Brightside" off "Hot Fuzz" and was really moved by it; the lyrics matched my experience during a tumultuous time in my life. In fact, I never bought "Hot Fuzz" for that very reason; that song matched my experience a little TOO closely.

It just so happens that last fall found me in a very similar situation. As I've done at other difficult times, I turned to music to help soothe my feelings and to help make sense of what had happened. I picked up a copy of "Sam's Town" (along with CDs from several other various artists) from the local public library and gave it a spin. And once again, I was blown away. I'm a sucker for a catchy tune, and the Killers are nothing if not catchy. But the lyrics--God!--were what really struck me. Feeling the pain of broken dreams, being "sick of all my judges" ("Sam's Town"); remembering the anticipatory thrill of seeing someone I loved ("I pull up to the front of your driveway, magic soaking my spine" from "Read My Mind"); realizing that one of the main aspects of truly loving someone else is wishing for THEIR success ("I don't shine if you don't shine" from the same song); wishing desperately for one more chance to prove myself to someone I loved but had let down ("My List"); and who knows how many other similar insights--this album summed them all up in a beautiful, messy package.

I acknowledge that musically, "Sam's Town" is a little high on bombast--it's more Wagner than Mozart--but man oh man, is that a breath of fresh air. It's certainly what I needed. To me, the bombast said, "Don't be afraid of your passion. If you're gonna fail, at least fail BIG." ("Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah. It makes absolutely no difference what people think of you." [Rumi])

So sure, maybe I filtered this CD through my somewhat altered perception during a difficult time, but isn't that what we all do? It's only a matter of degree. At its best, music can serve as a safe way of experiencing and expressing difficult emotions; through some sort of alchemy, it can help transform them into something even more precious. Along with the support of true friends, this album done that for me over the past month and a half.

Which brings me to Brandon Flowers's apparently often-ridiculed statement about this album: Is it one of the best albums of the last 20 years? For what it's done for me, I'd say it is. It's helped give me hope during a very difficult time, more so than any other record I can think of. It's quickly become one of my favorites of all time, and is among only a few that I can imagine turning to again and again to remind me of where I've been, where I am and where I hope to be one day.

Finally, for the people who gave "Sam's Town" lousy reviews or who couldn't see past the bombast, or who worried that the singer wasn't quite hitting the notes to their satisfaction, I have only one question: Are you really so robotic and clinical? Come on, live a little. Live a little BIGGER. Remember what's most important to you; remember what it's like to lose it. And then ask yourself one more question: Am I really that much different?

I had initially heard that the Killers second CD (Sam's Town) failed in comparision to Hot Fuss. After listening to this album, i have to disagree. I feel that the Killers just took a different direction musically with this album. I also feel that it is just as good as Hot Fuss, If not better. The sixth track, Read My Mind, is an exceptional stand out on this album.

Like most people say, it takes a while for this album to grow on you, but it does, i love this record, great songs, great music, and a great replay value, each time it gets better.

Favorite tracks:
Read my mind
Sams town
Bones
Bling

Sam's Town is an "album" and if you are saying, "well of course its an album" then, you just dont get it and never will. Great music, concepts, tunes it makes you get up and scream some of the anthems. It also has some great singles released like "when you were young", "bones", and "read my mind". flowers does a brillant lyrical job, and i just love the into/outro used to wrap it all into one neat powerful package

Well, I got this CD after much deliberation. I had heard many people saying that it was completely different from The Killers first shot, and not in a good way. Well, I listened to it and was disappointed. I really wanted to like it, but it was too different. Since I wanted to love it like I love The Killers, I checked it out again and found myself singing along with some of the tracks. Then again I listened and I kept thinking "Wow, this is really well done!" Well, after listening to it quite a few times, I am starting to like it more than Hot Fuss. I really can't wait to see what these musicians have in store for us next.

I loved the Killers previous album--it was great. This one, while good, is not as great. Some of the songs are absolutely fabulous. But not all.

This album sounds very 80ish which I love.I saw them live and believe me when I say all their music is played exactly like it is on the album.Brandon Flowers is a incredible musician playing piano guitar,he could probably play a harp if you gave him one.There is so much energy and passion in his voice like on the song Bling(Confession of a King)He says "higher and higher" and you just want to jump up and start dancing.It took me a while to really feel this album.For any killers fan this album should live up to your expectations!!

There are 2 GREAT songs on this record, "Bling" and "Read My Mind." This album definitely shows the artists are growing. Sometimes it sounds like the lead singer, Brandon Flowers, is imitating someone else (Bruce Springsteen especially.)

I don't know about anybody else, but as a guy who grew up during the late 70's and into the 80's, I really have to say the the '90's were an absolute cultural vacuum, especially with all the bland, depressing sounding alternative rock groups that all sounded completely the same. (Not to mention the horrific gangsta rap crap that invaded the airwaves of the 90's as well as all the movies with their down and out depressing "Forest Gump"-type endings.) Ah, but here we are now in the mid 2000's and I can honestly say that things on both the music and the movies front have seem to taken a turn for the better--MUCH better. This is clearly demostrated with bands like The Killers, who, with their upbeat hard rock mixed with synth pop, have, (gasp, shock, horror!) resurrected the seemingly long-dead notion of raw talent with music that makes you want to dance the night away! (You mean to tell me its not a SIN to love great music and be HAPPY for a change?)

Give this album a few spins and enjoy great music! A notion that seemed to had vacated this planet during the 90's and early 2000's.

Thanks to glamorous indie rock and roll for saving us from the depressing, dismal abyss of the no-talent 90's.

I'm not a Killers fan. I liked a few tracks from "Hot Fuss", but I was not impressed enough to become a fan. However, upon first listen to "Sam's Town", I was more inclined to take another look at the band.

Admittedly, I am not a fan still. But, I am interested in the music and the genre that the band attempts to create. It's not a pop/rock, and it's not an alternative. It's like a fusion, with a little techo mixed in. For some reason, Flowers' voice flows over certain tracks. And, interestingly, the poetic and sometimes over the top lyircs work well at times.

However, it's the hit and iss that makes this album fall short. While you have highs like "Uncle Johnny" and "For Reasons Unknown", there are lows like "My List". Still the overall storyline effect the band was going for is executed, however unstable it may be.

Not the best sophomore effort, but not the worst. Worth a listen for tracks listed as highs with the addition of "Read My Mind" and "Bones"

I waited until now to finally buy this because I'd heard such bad reviews. Not to mention, Brandon Flowers had given an interview before it was released proclaiming Sam's Town as the best album in the last 20 years. Quite a statement to make, and Sam's Town doesn't even make the top 200 of the past 20 years. The vocal styling is downright annoying at times and the songs are over the top. The Killers seem to take themselves too seriously, and they might be able to get away with it if the songs were better. It's not all bad - there are a few good tracks (Read My Mind, My List, For Reasons Unknown, When You Were Young). But it is largely a disappointment cosidering what Mr. Flowers built it up to be.

I say mad props to The Killers for their tribute to America. Sam's Town is a much better whole than Hot Fuss which sounded like a mash of singles. It has the "concept album listen through all the way without skipping tracks" feel. Some of the tracks are completely forgettable though. My List, Uncle Jonny, and This River Is Wild will slip your mind as fast as they play through your speakers. However just as there are cons on this record there are pros. Read My Mind, Bling (Confession Of A King), Bones, and When You Were Young are all smashing icons of the year that was 2006. The Killers are wonderful lyricists and writers and their next effort may be flawless. I definitely recommend this for purchase but DO Not expect another Mr. Brightside :) This is the mature real deal from the quartet. I have one problem though with Brandon and his "god complex". He stated in Blender magazine that he would put Sam's Town up against Achtung Baby and Ok Computer. Mr. Flowers, I don't believe you have the privelege of making that statement. Only time can say. Whether you agree or disagree thanks for reading.

This record is a hopelessly flawed sophmore effort. It starts out reasonably well with "Sam's Town", an OK rock number. "When You We're Young" is the only real single and the album's sole bright spot. Beyond that, it's a waste of plastic. They've even gone to the point of remixing tracks like "Read My Mind" into synth-dance numbers to make them more palatable to radio. Probably what they should have done in the first place. Synths, sizzling guitars, screaming vocals and the posh disco polish from "Hot Fuss" have been replaced by banal lyrics, over-production, and Brandon Flowers' overdone tremolo vocal style. He's well on his way to becoming the Dennis DeYoung (Styx) of his generation, a shameless ham with no clue how bad he is. Fix it boys, and soon.

As a big fan of Hot Fuss, this album was a big disappointment...BUT several songs did REALLY grow on me. The production is low and they lost a lot of their Brit pop feel. There are just a couple songs though that are really catchy and a couple that really choke me up. mas o menos, I say...

I have to admit I was incredibly hesitant when purchasing this album. I had heard the singles from Hot Fuss and I was unimpressed. They were just another generic piece of whatever music happened to be selling at the time. Poppy, catchy, fun, but completely lacking any kind of depth that would make them worth listening to more than once. Then I was thrown a 180. I heard the first single, When You Were Young, and something about it grabbed me. Clearly the same band, but something about that song was sounding different then everything else I had heard by them. Then I heard another song off the album, I can't remember which, and I was surprised to find that I was really digging it. It wasn't long before I decided I might actually have to buy this album, and this would be no routine purchase, contemporary music is not my thing. The most recently released album I had purchased before this was Weezer's Green album, based entirely off the strength of the music they had released in the 90s, and it was a huge let down for me.

I started with the first three tracks, and they were good. I was surprised by how good they were, but I really wasn't liking the beginning of that 4th track, and I put the album away for a while. After a few weeks I put the album on again, for another go, and this time I actually listened to the whole thing. I was amazed. The fourth track isn't all that satisfying when it starts out, but it quickly develops into a very enjoyable song. I was surprised to find most of the songs had a very nice build up in a similar fashion. When I was finished I was convinced I had heard one of the best albums released in a very very long time. I jumped online to see what kinds of praise this album had received. Were the Killers everyone's new favorite band?

No, not at all. Not even close. I was taken off guard when I discovered that the album was not well received at all, not even by their own fans, despite the huge growth in between the former album and the current. Everything about the album showed drastic improvement and maturity. These weren't songs written with the intention of getting two or three good singles, and there was no filler here. This was a real, cohesive album, like bands used to make in the glory days of music.

It's not hard to see why this album was dismissed so quickly by the general public. It's the same thing that happened with the Pet Sounds album by the Beach Boys back in the 60s. The music had grown far too complex for the pop loving fan base they had begun with, and anyone that actually would have enjoyed the brilliance in the music would never believe the group was capable of creating it. I have a feeling Sam's Town is destined to the same fate. It will disappear into obscurity, with only a small group of loving fans to keep the memory alive.

Upfront I must admit that I am 55 years old and maybe I am just out of the demographic for this stuff nowadays. I bought this based on the reccomendation of my kids, (Should have seen this coming, since they have led me to other stuff that was just a bit beyond my comprehension at my rapidly advancing age.), but alas I was not impressed by what I heard.

It is just too dark and gloomy for my taste. I have by the way worn out my copy of Costello Music by the Fratellis so I think there may just be hope for the old geezer! LOL :)

The 2nd album from the killers doesn't dissappoint at all, it has 7 to 8 songs that easily could be picked as single, track 6 "read my mind" being my favorite. Sam's town, When You were young,Bling, For Reasons Unknowned, Uncle Johnny, Bones, This River is Wild, all great songs, and above all this is not a carbon copy from hot fuss.

SAM'S TOWN immediately hits the listener with a sound that is significantly different from HOT FUSS. If it wasn't for the vocals, it would be fair to say you were listening to a totally different band. This type of change is risky in a new band; the fear being that fans will be alienated. Personally, I love when bands continue to evolve and search for new sounds and themes. It keeps things from becoming boring and it prevents that, "Didn't I hear this before?" feeling.

The question is it successful? The answer is, "Yes."

Hard driving anthems relating to genuine emotions triumph over artifice and The Killers pull it off very well here. Flowers' voice strains for creditability when pushed, but he pulls it off and while lacking the force of many other rockers, his vulnerability makes the songs that much better. While they don't all come off with the same power , the songs hold up in their new settings and the total package comes together. While still not a classic, this is a worthy effort from The Killers and I hope they continue to push themselves to make music worth listening to.

The title says the bulk of how I feel. I listen to the album in its entirety whenever I listen to it... I like every song though there are some that I like more than others (which is the same with Hot Fuzz).

The music is a bit bolder, and a bit more grandiose (musically and lyrically), but the synth is still there and after giving the album a listen or 3 you'll be singing along to each track. The lead singer's (Flowers) voice sounds a bit different to me on this album, but not for better or worse, just slightly different. The album definitely seems to be more mature (but I have no idea where the Springsteen analogy came from), the songs and the hooks aren't as poppy (at least not in every song) and it takes more than one listening for some songs to grow on you. (For instance I didn't like 'Sams Town' (track 1) the first couple times I heard it, but now its one of my favorites).

Overall, if you like popular music, or alternative music in general... its worth listening to, but I wouldn't expect a life altering experience.

sorry to all of you who really like this album, but in my own opinion, it can't measure up to 'hot fuss'

The only thing that upset me was that there is no Killers c.d that has all my favorite songs by them on it. I do like most of the tracks on this one and on each c.d. that I bought they have great opening songs to start you out.

Sure some of Sam's Town is a lot closer to two stars than five stars (think the pointless brace of enterlude and exitlude, or Uncle Jonny, the inevitable nod to every rock band's friend or relative with a voracious appetite for drugs, or the painfully banal Why Do I Keep Counting), but like former Giants/Cubs/Mets slugger Dave Kingman, when The Killers aren't striking out, they are hitting some mammoth and memorable shots. I was driving as Read My Mind spun up when I first played the CD. I had to pull off the road to avoid being a danger to myself and others. Nothing has changed in the hundred or so listens since then -- it is as thrilling a four minute compendium of longing and bravado as anything I've heard in a long time. (And, for me, it doesn't hurt a bit that its two bridges -- "the good old days; the honest man..." etc. -- recall David Garza's wonderful Crown of Thorns on his Overdub CD.) Nothing on the rest of the CD quite reaches that same high point and even the best songs of the second half, e.g. Bones and This River is Wild, come off like reworkings of the strongest material on earlier cuts, e.g. Sam's Town and When You Were Young.

But here's the thing -- The Killers are not afraid to stretch themselves. No playing safe here. They do bombast fit for an arena, they do humor, they do tender, and, with this bittersweet Valentine to their home town, they tell a pretty good story. Some of it doesn't work so well; a lot of it does. My personal guess is that as they mature there will be more and more successful blendings of those disparate elements. As they say about NFL draft picks, there's a lot of up side in this band. They just have to keep producing more "It's funny how you just break down/Waitin' on some sign/I pull up to the front of your driveway/With magic soakin' my spine" and less "am I strong enough/to be the one/will I live to have some children."

Look, this album is no Hot Fuss, so I wish that people would stop comparing it. I mean do you compare Led Zeppelin I to Physical Graffiti??? No. It's the same band folks, just on a different path ---- and that's certainly no reason to write the whole album off. Besides, it wouldn't be right if they went in and simply made "Hot Fuss 2". That's not what GREAT bands throughout rock history have done, unless were talking about Metallica or AC/DC, which have earned the respect to do so.

There are many good tunes on this record --- of course, "When You Were Young", "Bones", and the hauntingly beautiful "Read My Mind". The album was worth purchasing for the later of those songs alone. Even so, the remaining of the album is still enjoyable and of great quality. For all the haters (who are more than likely disgruntled 90's alt. fans)--SHUT UP!!! This is a good album and worthy of appreciation.

After listening to Hot Fuss and completey falling in love with it I thought that this band coulden't really get any better.Well guess what? They did.I recently went to there concert in Atlanta Ga and this band is even more amazing preforming these songs live.It is very very rare that i listen to an album where i do not have to skip songs.This album is one of those.Every song gives a whole differnt meaning and new sound.It definatly is added to my favorite all time album list.Buy this album and you will not be dissapointed at all!

I absolutely ADORED Hot Fuss, and was excited about the Release of Sam's Town. After several back-to-back listens, I had to say that it just sounded overdone. They had new producers with much bigger budgets, but to me, the music just didn't have the in-your-face, raw emotion that I came to expect from this band. However... check out the Spider-Man 3 Soundtrack - the first 30 seconds of "Move Away" let me know that the Killers are still rockin'! It's my 8 year-old son's favorite track on the disc, and we listen to the Spiderman 3 soundtrack constantly.