Pitchfork

Making big fat rock records, lacing tracks with/getting props from Lou Reed ("genuinely great," he calls them), trying to hang with the Beatles, and dropping a "rarities" collection only two albums into their not exactly storied career; those Killers got spunk. And those of us with a soft spot for Salt Lake-sized choruses and nifty little moustaches could do a lot worse than the Killers, who've got a couple upcoming projects not lacking in spunk. Wow, that came out wrong.

This fall, those Killers drop the aforementioned Lou Reed-blessed rarities comp and a Christmas single besides. First, the rarities comp: it's called Sawdust, and besides Lou and them's "Tranquilize", it features "All the Pretty Faces" (a B-side from the "When You Were Young" single), a cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" from the Control soundtrack, Spider-Man 3's "Move Away", the band's take on Mel Tillis' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", and 12 more jams. Sawdust drops November 13 from Island.

And that Christmas single? It's called "Don't Shoot Me Santa" (was there some danger of that, Brandon?), it'll go to benefit the (RED) African AIDS relief campaign, and it's out December 1. The track, of course, is a follow up of sorts to last year's "A Great Big Sled". Hey, didn't the Beatles do a Christmas single every year, too? Maybe these kids can hang.

And they're touring! Ah, Killers, you slay me.

Sawdust:

01 Tranquilize
02 Shadowplay
03 All the Pretty Faces
04 Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf
05 Sweet Talk
06 Under the Gun
07 Where the White Boys Dance
08 Show You How
09 Move Away
10 Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll
11 Who Let You Go?
12 The Ballad of Michael Valentine
13 Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town
14 Daddy's Eyes
15 Sam's Town (Abbey Road Version)
16 Romeo and Juliet
17 Mr. Brightside (Jacques Lu Cont's Thin White Duke Remix)

Killers:

10-19 Mexico City, Mexico - Motorokr Fest '07
10-21 Zapopan, Mexico - Auditorio Metropolitano
10-27 Rio de Janiero, Brazil - Marina de Gloria (TIM Festival)
10-28 São Paulo, Brazil - Anhembi (TIM Festival)
10-31 Curitiba, Brazil - Pedreira (TIM Festival)
11-02 Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio de Velez
11-04 Santiago, Chile - Arena Santiago
11-09 Brisbane, Australia - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
11-10 Sydney, Australia - Sydney Entertainment Centre
11-13 Melbourne, Australia - Rod Laver Arena