*Editors note: This album gets worse with almost every listen. Basically, there are three amazing songs here and the rest is not good. It’s gone from an 8.5 to a 6.9 in about a year. So keep that in mind when you read this misguided review.*
The Killers just get it. By managing to make a record in Sam’s Town that was even better than their terrific debut Hot Fuss, the band entrenched themselves as one of the few relevant mainstream rock acts left. They are adored by fans and critics alike and are back once again with another terrific album, Day and Age.
After successfully avoiding the sophomore slump, The Killers return to a sound closer to the new wave flair of Hot Fuss on Day and Age. Gone is the pure Americana and straightforward rock of Sam’s Town. Back are the synth/keyboard swells, pop, and the general glitz.
Day and Age is really the Brandon Flowers show. The Killer’s lead singer takes his craft to a new level here and really shines. There is a hushed confidence to his voice; so smooth and beautiful. It is as if he knows how good he and his band are, but does not want to flaunt it and seem cocky. He takes the listener along with every high and low note that he expresses. If there are better frontmen in music today, the list is very short.
One criticism often leveled against Flowers takes aim at his lyrics. The outcry has been especially fervent towards the chorus of “Human”, which goes, “Are we human or are we dancer”? After many listens, however, I do not mind the grammatical error which has drawn such ire. In fact, I believe it’s the correct lyrical choice. It has much more impact by signifying a collective instead of individual “dancers”. People just need to chill out.
Easily discernible lyrics have never been The Killer’s strength. For goodness sake, their breakthrough single’s chorus was about “a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend”. But unlike some bands that really just throw a bunch of rhyming words together (I’m looking at you Red Hot Chili Peppers), The Killer’s lyrics do make sense because of the way Flowers delivers them. The emotional earnestness in his voice allows the listener to know exactly what he means even if they don’t know specifically what he’s singing about. It’s a really fascinating thing that few vocalists can pull off.
Enough cannot be said about how perfect the first three tracks of this album are. The opener, “Losing Touch”, begins softly rising until it is bombarded with saxophone flairs. This, along with Flowers’ slyly cool vocals singing of “impending doom”, the track sounds like the best James Bond theme song ever, all it’s lacking is an actual accompanying film. The second song, “Human”, is wonderfully simplistic, combining a distant feeling musical arrangement with a warm and inviting vocal performance. It’s the kind of new wave song that feels comforting and familiar even on first listen. Then there is “Spaceman”, a song that has about 110% chance of being the huge hit off of Day and Age. It is practically oozing “Mr. Brightside”’s DNA. I defy anyone not to move to this song. I’ll even go out on a limb and say it’s the best song about alien abduction I’ve ever heard.
The rest of the album is never able to reach the heights of these three songs, but it’s a very high bar to reach. There is not a single song this disc that is bad, just some that are not as good as one would expect. The album really only hits snags when The Killers experiment with world music sounds. The dub influenced “Joy Ride” sticks out like a sore thumb; it feels like a completely out of place b-side. “This Is Your Life”’s tribal-like chanting completely unnecessary, it distracts from the actual song instead of adding to it. “I Can’t Stay” Caribbean-feeling rhythm feels forced instead the typical blissful spontaneity of The Killers’ other work. These all unfortunately lead to the album feeling as if everything is not on the same page.
While Day and Age ends up falling just a hair short of the band’s first two efforts, it is by no means a disappointment. It just it is just not quite as cohesive as Sam’s Town, nor does it have the sheer number of fantastic tracks that Hot Fuss did to compensate for its lack of cohesion. That said, in a down year for music, Day and Age might just be the best album of 2008. It, like anything The Killers do, is just too good to be ignored.
Review Score: 6.9
*Published in today’s Gonzaga Bulletin*
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