Weak Sophmore Efforts

I just listened to the new Killers album that just came out, Sam's Town. I held off on listening to single "When You Were Young", just so I could enjoy it more when the whole thing came out; I was pumped. Hot Fuss is still one of my top playlists on iTunes. All the hype was building up in my head, I should've known better. Disappointment was inevitable. Even seeing the track titled "Bling (Confessions of a King)" didn't deter me. Finally, after pressing play did it all set in... the album just wasn't all that great.

It makes me think of all the weak 2nd efforts out there. My buddy Sean was the king of getting those albums of bands after their really huge hit. Remember the Presidents of the United States and that song Peaches? Yeah, it was huge. Sean got the album AFTER that. I don't even know what it's called or what songs are on it, but he has it. There's Oasis' What's the Story (Morning Glory) with Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova and all those big ones, not their debut, but easily their top album. Sean? Album after that.

It's not just music. The sports landscape is littered with these breakthrough and fall apart guys. It's in every sport too, football, baseball, basketball, hockey, whatever. One of my favourites comes from an unlikely sport, Golf. David Duval was such a golden boy that one year. With every win, everyone was talking "Tiger Killer" (on a side note, how many years have we heard the phrase "Tiger Killer" now?). The guy was young, brash, perhaps best of all, white. His sunglasses net him a deal with Oakley. Even my brother, overall pretty ignornant in golf, was talking. What's has happened since? I think I saw him begging for change beside a highway offramp. Seriously though, "bum" is an apt way to describe his followup performance.

In the NFL right now, there's Michael Clayton on the Bucaneers. He's probably responsible for at least 4 fantasy football owners' broken hands from hitting a table when watching him play. Closer to home on the Blue Jays we had Hinske (who actually did decently this year, I was always a big fan even when Matt was not), and Russ Adams.

There's always hope though, Look at the NBA. Carmelo easily could've been rookie of the year. He took the Nuggets from being a laughingstock to the playoffs. Granted, he didn't do it alone, but he was huge. Year after, the guy decides to spend his endorsement money on donuts or something and relegates himself to taking awful jumpshots because he's so out of shape. If the World championships are any indication though (and I hope they are, because I'm a big Yao fan and there's always my Raps), Carmelo is back to take the crown from "King" James.

Here's to hoping that whatever follow up to Sam's Town will be Melo-esque rather than more of the same. In any case, at least they didn't Ryan Leaf-it and blow it on the first go.

This column is dedicated to my buddy Matt's famous album, released to critical disdain. Track 4 was atrocious, buddy!