10 Rock Bands That Completely Avoided The Sophomore Slump

It was nothing short of amazing watching the Killers take the world by storm with Hot Fuss. As opposed to the garage rock revivalists and the nu metal crowds reigning supreme on the charts, tracks like Mr. Brightside and Somebody Told Me had that spark of energy and fun that was sorely needed in the rock scene at the time. Once you start playing that for long enough though, you want to start exploring past the '80s pastiches.

When Brandon Flowers started work on what would become Sam's Town, he became absolutely fixated with Bruce Springsteen, whose signature heartland rock really struck a nerve with him. Looking to broaden the horizons of the band, Sam's Town almost feels like listening to a completely different group, as Flowers drenches their sound in Americana on tracks like When You Were Young and For Reasons Unknown.

Taking an even bigger creative leap, Flowers deliberately chose not to have any effects on his vocals, thinking that the bare honesty in his voice would resonate with audiences much better, which works in spades on Read My Mind and This River Is Wild. Despite some overly-hyped interviews from Flowers, this entire album feels like a tribute to the glory days of rock and roll, down to Flowers and co. donning signature clothes you'd find from acts like Led Zeppelin or The Rolling Stones. We've grown accustomed to throwback acts at this point, but Sam's Town is one of those rare albums that both sounds like a product of the past while paving the way for something new.