The Killers - 'Sawdust' (Island) Released 12/11/07

Having climbed the lofty heights of Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage with a coming-of-age headline slot in support of an album that harked back to the blood sweat and tears of Springsteen’s 'Born in the U.S.A', Las Vegas’ The Killers now bring us 'Sawdust' - a collection of B-sides and rarities. Complied from sessions dating back to the now seemingly ancient 'Hot Fuss' (2004) and more recently 'Sam’s Town', 'Sawdust' is a revealing set for a band constantly squirming with the thought of their own identity.

While there’s little doubting the astronomical success of 2004’s 'Hot Fuss', the constant barrage of revivalist theories and ‘80s Brit indie poaching accusations sent the band back to their tumbleweed-cum-casino-strewn home for some serious soul searching. Returning late last year everything but dust covered, the band strutted their stuff once more with the gritty, swaggering rock sound of 'Sam’s Town', in turn proving to their many naysayers they were more than just a one trick pony.

In contrast to the hot dog mustard and Bourbon-soaked Anytown U.S.A of 'Sam’s Town', 'Sawdust' sees the band confidently peeling back the layers of their designer clobber. Boldly rather than sheepishly, some of the band’s influences, heard here in two covers with Joy Division’s ‘Shadowplay’ and Dire Straight’s ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ are celebrated and exonerated as if the band is finally coming to terms with who they really are. Similarly, the band strut easily between Brit-inspired glam stormers like ‘Under The Gun’ with its monolithic guitar posturing and glitzy synth to swaggering retro-rock gems in ‘Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf.’ Curiously though, their newest offering ‘Tranquilize,’ featuring Lou Reed’s deep sombre vocals manages to bridge the gap between both 'Hot Fuss' and 'Sam’s Town' brilliantly like all stopgap singles should. Its political undertones are brilliantly fused with a wavering pop chorus, Flowers building up to his trademark wail before easing nicely with Reed ambling by his side soothingly.

Add ‘Shadowplay’s’ nihilistic thump and an Abbey Road-recorded version of ‘Sam’s Town’ that sees Flowers’ singing triumphantly behind a gleaming black and white Grand like Macca some decades before him, and 'Sawdust' quickly marks itself as a kind of soul to the band’s soldier. While the album has been dedicated to the quartet’s fans who will indeed find it essential listening, Sawdust is strong enough its own right to sit alongside the band’s studio albums as an individual body of work.