The Killers

Compiled for the fans, Sawdust is a collection of mostly b-sides that found life on the band’s UK singles over the last four years. That should be enough to disinterest most casual fans, as such compilations rarely involve an artist’s best material, and Sawdust is no exception. New song "Tranquilize” is a slow-burning, acoustic-led track featuring a duet with Lou Reed and a chorus of kiddies that opens things on a surprising high note, packing the dramatic build that steers every Killers single. From there, however, it gets murky, and I don’t mean because a crudely blasphemous cover of Joy Division’s "Shadowplay” follows, featuring clownish synths and a soulless vocal turn by Brandon Flowers. Of the remaining 15 songs only Sam’s Town reject "Where the White Boys Dance,” a bleak R&B/rock hybrid filled with Bowie-esque turns, and an enjoyably out of character stab at "Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town,” made famous by Kenny Rogers, give something to this record. At the other end of the spectrum are the especially offensive "Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll,” which is as absurd lyrically and spiritually as the title suggests, and a pompous, string-led "Abbey Road” version of "Sam’s Town,” which only goes to show Flowers doesn’t always have those high notes in him. As hit and miss as their two albums to date have been, this impulsive bunch of odds’n’sods confirms that the Killers are extremely good at missing.