A few years ago, just as the Killers were on their way up, I met an American who asked me what I thought of them. I commented that I liked them, but was surprised that Blur hadn’t taken them to court over Somebody Told Me, so similar was it to Girls and Boys. He agreed, but excused them, saying: “What can you expect from four guys from Vegas who own only a dozen records between them, and two of those are Parklife?”

Then he introduced himself as their manager.

Maybe he was their manager, maybe he wasn’t. But he unintentionally nailed the band’s appeal. Given their home town, the Killers are almost the definition of ordinary Joes who hit the jackpot. Their debut album, Hot Fuss, has sold five million copies worldwide, easily outstripping its unashamed influences, despite its decidedly patchy nature. Rarely has a record so obviously sold on the strength of its singles.

So it’s a relief to report that Sam’s Town, named after an off-Strip casino, retains the strengths and adds a note of seriousness that largely avoids pomposity. The title track and especially This River is Wild, virtually a rewrite of Born to Run, are narratives owing more to Bruce Springsteen than English electro rock. The single When You Were Young is daft, but no dafter than, say, U2, and its guitar hook is inescapable. And despite concerned rumours, only the closing epic Why Do I Keep Counting? sounds anything like Meat Loaf. Best of all is the horn-led Bones, which swings like a Vegas hotel ballroom showstopper. I can’t wait to hear the Tom Jones version.

They even retain a sense of humour. The catchy For Reasons Unknown kicks off with a steal from Pulp’s Common People, while Enterlude and Exitlude parody perfectly America’s superficial leisure culture, even as several other songs explore unfulfilled lives.

But however small the subject, every track sounds simply huge, designed to sound best blasting out of speakers as tall as the 30ft television screens alongside them. If there must be shameless stadium-friendly rock, then this excellent record really is as good as it gets.

(Mercury)

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