Archive for November 23rd, 2008

Posted on November 23, 2008 - by Jon

The Killers - Day & Age Review

For a band there’s nothing worse then having a hit debut album and then falling short on the second.  But this is exactly what happened with The Killers and their first two albums Hot Fuzz and Sam’s Town. Hot Fuzz made the Killer’s indie-pop darlings while Sam’s Town had many believing that the Killer’s were a one album wonder.  The Killers had strayed far from what worked on Hot Fuzz and their popularity steadily declined.  With Sam’s Town the Killer’s had a desire to appeal to their fans emotionally.  They wanted to have that same emotional connection with their fans that U2 and Springsteen have enjoyed throughout their careers.   Sadly, the fans did not respond in the way that the Killers had hoped and the album failed in that regard.  Now with the release of Day and Age the Killers are looking to show that they are still relevant and that they can connect with their listeners.  The real question is whether the Killers have done it and revived their music careers in the process or whether they have finally sealed their fate.

The Killers - Day & Age

I can say without doubt that from the strength of Day & Age that the Killers are back.  Thankfully, this band doesn’t resemble the bourbon soaked quartet of Sam’s Town but they don’t exactly resemble the 80’s laden synth band seen on Hot Fuzz either.  They are instead a hybrid of these styles and they pull this off elegantly.  The Killers are definitely influenced by the 80’s and there’s nothing  wrong with it as this album sounds great.  For once the Killer’s don’t take themselves so seriously - the Killers finally sound like they are having fun.

The album starts with “Losing Touch” which will catch many listener’s off guard as the song is laced with 80’s inspired horns ala David Bowie. It’s a strong opener telling the listener that there’s much more to come.  “Human”, the first single from the album took a few listens before it became enjoyable as their are some clearly weak lyrics, I’m not sure exactly what “Are we human or are we dancer?” means.  Maybe, lead singer Brandon Flowers is trying to sound more sophisticated then he really is or the phrase is some existential statement.  If you can overlook the lyrics,  “Human” is a strong song and very listenable.  “Joy Ride” (which really reminds me of the Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” for some reason), “Spaceman” and “I Can’t Say” are all fun songs and should have listeners bobbing their heads.

The real gems on this album are “A Dustland Fairytale” and “This is Your Life”.  “A Dustland Fairytale” shows the Killer’s literary / story telling sensibilities as Flowers sings his vocals with a sense of fragility backed over a delicate piano intro.  The song eventually climaxes as Flower’s triumphantly sings about a poor girl trying to find her way.   “This is Your Life” begins with tribal like African chanting and eventually becomes the most anthem like song on the album.  With lines like “You gotta be stronger then the stories don’t let it blind you” you can’t help but be drawn into the song.

Day & Age is definitely a strong album and one of the better albums to end 2008.  If you’ve been a fan of the Killer’s from the beginning you’ll be delighted with their evolution. The Killer’s finally sound like they care and this should endear them to listeners.  The Killer’s are back and they want to reclaim their throne as indie-pop darlings.

Rating: 8 / 10

Notable Tracks: A Dustland Fairy Tale, This is Your Life

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Released: November 25th 2008