Sawdust

Product Details

Inspired by '90s b-side collections such as Oasis’ "The Masterplan" and Nirvana’s "Incesticide", trendy Las Vegas rockers The Killers have gone and cooked up their own rarities and b-sides collection: Sawdust. That the band have only released two albums to date should have been warning enough that they couldn’t possibly have enough solid material to fill such an album, though evidently not. The band certainly give the concept their best shot, gathering together some stimulating outtakes from 2004’s Hot Fuss and 2006’s Sam’s Town, a slew of b-sides and several unreleased songs. Of the latter, the opener "Tranquilize," which features rock icon Lou Reed on vocals, their tantalizing cover of Joy Division’s "Shadowplay" (recorded for Control, Anton Corbijn's biopic of Ian Curtis); and potent live fave "Leave Your Bourbon at the Door", are all major highlights. Jacques Lu Cont’s Thin White Duke remix of "Mr. Brightside", the Abbey Road version of "Sam's Town" and Hot Fuss offcut "Under the Gun" also hit the spot, but the rest of the album falls flat, with a collection of largely forgettable tracks. And what’s with the covers, guys? Was it really necessary to record versions of songs by the likes of Kenny Rogers ("Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town") and-–gasp!–-Dire Straits ("Romeo and Juliet")? A half-decent collection then, that would have doubtless benefited from a one or two-album delay. --Danny McKenna