Day & Age

Performer: The Killers (US)
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: On their third proper full-length, DAY & AGE, the Killers blend the glitzy glam of their smash debut, HOT FUSS, and the heartland rock of its follow-up, SAM'S TOWN, while throwing some stylistic curveballs along the way. Like HOT FUSS, DAY & AGE focuses on hooks and an energetic, highly polished sound. Yet it still manages to incorporate the experimental ambitions of its predecessor, this time out with a penchant for genre-hopping pastiche. Brazilian, blue-eyed soul, disco, and Afro-beat can be heard, all threaded into the Killers' trademark dance-rock. But even while expanding their arrangements with saxophones (on the attention-grabbing opener, "Losing Touch") and steel drums (the tropical and immensely catchy "I Can't Stay), the Killers haven't lost their love of 1980s synth-pop. The anthemic "Human" is a case in point, proving that the New Wave influences that gave the band its initial appeal are still intact. Buffered by gleaming, pristine production, DAY & AGE soars and seduces; it's irrefutable proof that even as the Las Vegas quartet mixes up their sound, the appeal of their button-pushing pop endures.

Rolling Stone (p.120) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "When the Killers really push the theatrics, they shine: 'Spaceman' re-imagines New Order's 'Temptation' as an alien-abduction anthem with a great singalong chorus." Spin (p.99) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "They remain fascinated by heartland mythos, but by becoming more comfortable with their glitzy roots, they've actually found the pulse of something more authentic." Entertainment Weekly (p.74) - "[S]inger Brandon Flowers and the band construct an album that is one-third Duran Duran glam, one-third Bono majestic, and one-third fresh retro." Billboard (p.41) - "Here the band trades in the slick mega hooks and stadium-sized rockers for steel drums, bongos and a whole lotta sax....This band keeps fans on their toes...' Clash (magazine) (p.63) - Ranked #35 in Clash's "The 40 Best Albums of 2008" -- "[A] brave change in direction towards a glorious, glossy pop sound..."

Though a batch of 1980s-New Wave-inspired bands started making noise in the early 2000s, it wasn't until the Killers' 2004 debut album HOT FUSS (and its crossover hits "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr. Brightside") that the style really broke through to the mainstream. Heavily indebted to the likes of the Smiths, Psychedelic Furs, et al, the Las Vegas, NV quartet brought a contemporary sense of urgency to their retro-loving dance-rock sound and taught a new generation of kids that it doesn't have to be disco to be dance music. For follow-up SAM'S TOWN, the group obviously feasted on a gorge of Bruce Springsteen style rock, and while the sound boasted a slightly harder edge, the group retained the critics' and fans' adoration.

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