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Billboard

While it doesn't have the cohesive impact of "Hot Fuss" or "Sam's Town," it's an appealing set that brings a bit more breadth and depth to the group's catalog.

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Uncut

A collection that aims to sweep up the moments when the spotlight isn't on, Sawdust, therefore, might just be their defining document [Jan 2008, p.91]

The Phoenix

In spite of its self-depreciating title, this odds-and-sods collection of the usual B-sides and other spare tracks lives up to some of the best material the Las Vegas foursome have delivered.

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Entertainment Weekly

Like the band itself, Sawdust is erratic, though at times, gratifyingly great. [30 Nov 2007, p.131]

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Some of Sawdust's best moments are "Sam's Town" rejects that sound like they were discarded for sounding too much like "Hot Fuss."

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Hot Press

A respectable collection which raises the question: why do the Killers pad their albums out with mediocre filler, when they have at least some decent alternative material to spare?

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Prefix Magazine

The tunes don’t vary much from the originals, but the band renders them with vigor and style.

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Blender

It’s easy to see why these songs didn’t fit on their record but, while a full listen turns unrelentingly dour, they’re better than discards have any right to be.

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Q Magazine

This ragbag of an album suggests the tying up of loose ends before impending reinvention. [Jan 2008, p.118]

All Music Guide

Sawdust does indeed contain some moments of grand pomp, but its scattershot nature works against the band as it winds up emphasizing the lingering question from "Sam's Town," that the group has a hell of a lot of ideas but they just don't know what the hell to do with them.

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NOW Magazine

There's enough decent material on Sawdust to exempt Brandon Flowers and his Vegas boys from cynical gap-filler accusations.

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musicOMH.com

A nice Christmas present for that hardcore Killers fan in your life, but most casual observers will be happy to give this a miss and wait for the third album.

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Rolling Stone

The cover of Joy Division's 'Shadowplay' should have stayed in the vaults, but it's hard to deny Brandon Flowers' melodic gifts.

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Slant Magazine

Sawdust will still fill in the void for fans--to which the album is dedicated, natch--while they wait for a new LP.

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New Musical Express

Sawdust reveals a band with a healthy blueprint for success, sure, but "The Masterplan" it ain't.

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Pitchfork

Overall, there's a strong sense of exploration on Sawdust; if the Killers don't seem to have much intuitive understanding of balance and songcraft, the overproduction at least suggests a strong musical curiosity underlying their obvious career ambitions.

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PopMatters

Sawdust is an interesting look at other aspects of the Killers’ sound, but as a standalone disc, it’s largely hit-or-miss.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 31 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Lici M. gave it a10:
Releasing the B-sides in a collection was a great way to get the songs to the fans who don't have the opportunities to purchase all of the singles individually. Tranquilize is another one that highlights Brandon's song-writing talent and the Abbey Road Sam's Town version also shows his awesome talent on the keyboard. My Boys give yet another treasure of timeless tunes!

Eric C. gave it a5:
Dang, I was shocked at how good that track with Lou Reed was (Tranqulize). But the rest of these tracks just don't impress me. Which is too bad. I've followed the Killers from the beginning, and they always seemed ready to release a classic, unarguably good album. They should be the ones who make mainstream, radio-friendly rock that's actually good (not to sound snobbish). But they can't seem to reach that level. But when they finally do, well. I can't wait.

Music M. gave it an8:
If you like the Killers, you should definitely pick this up. If not, this isn't going to change your mind. The quality varies widely, as one might expect on a b-sides collection, but there are many songs that compare favorably with their biggest hits. Many of them date back to the Hot Fuss sessions (although some have been re-recorded). In addition, they cover artists as diverse as Joy Division, Dire Straits, and Kenny Rogers. They even bring in Lou Reed as a guest on the leadoff track. All in all, a treat for fans.

Michael S gave it an8:
Good album until we get the latest and greatest. Hot Fuss is a 9 and Sam's Town is a 10. Sam's Town does not get the credit it deserves but there is not one bad song on that album. In fact they are mostly phenomenal. Fans would appreciate the genius of Sam's Town by downloading the album into their Ipod and walking the streets of New York.

Marcin K. gave it a5:
This album wasn't bad, but it wasn't worth buying. The best songs were previously released on Sam's Town or Hot Fuss. I was disappointed.

Pahlo gave it a10:
I'm generally not a huge fan of compilation albums, whether its best of albums (useless) or b-side collections (oftened sounding scattered), they're usually quite boring. Sawdust, however, is a very good compilation from The Killers. I've been waiting for them to record Shadowplay which they've been playing live for quite a while now. other covers include Romeo and Juliet and Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town. the rest are b-sides, unreleased/new tracks and remixes/live recordings. especially two unreleased tracks, Leave the Bourbon from Hot Fuss era, and Sweet Talk from Sams Town sessions were real gems. this is a definite buy for any Killers fan.

Roger L. gave it a10:
Wonderful, essential album for Killers lovers...Or not!

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