Day & Age

The Killers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 24, 2008)
• Original Release Date: November 24, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island Records
• ASIN: B001FWRZ46
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (218 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,792 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #25 in Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > New Wave

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Inspiration has never eluded Las Vegas' The Killers, and it's a damn good thing it hasn't, because their newest record, their third studio album entitled Day & Age, is full of their finest songs to date. "I think about moments when we were coming up with 'When You Were Young,' or, in this case, 'Spaceman,'" Flowers says. "If we'd decided at that moment, 'Let's go to the park,' they might not have happened. It's scary. It almost makes me not want to stop because I could be missing out on these wonderful songs. They're out there for the taking--you've just got to grab them."

Together with bassist Mark Stoermer, guitarist Dave Keuning, and drummer Ronnie Vannucci, Flowers helped to mold the album into 10 songs that work best together as a whole, each individually describing an evolution of the Las Vegas band's sound. "We're always pushing ourselves," says Stoermer, "and there's a lot of diversity here--from anthemic rock to dance songs." Flowers adds: "We felt like Sam's Town was a continuation of Hot Fuss, and we feel like this is a continuation of Sam's Town. But at the same time, Day and Age is totally different from both of them, while still sounding like us. It's kind of looking at Sam's Town from Mars."

Those familiar with the band's oeuvre will recognize their signature in the synth-heavy "Human," four minutes of sweeping, epic rock, on which Flowers sings: "My sign is vital/ My hands are cold/ And I'm on knees, looking for the answer/ Are we human, or are we dancer?" He says the lyrics were inspired by a disparaging comment made by Hunter S. Thompson about how America was raising a generation of dancers. But the song also had some help from album producer Stuart Price (aka Jacques LuCont), known for his work with Madonna and Missy Elliot, and who'd previously remixed "Mr. Brightside." "He was the icing on the cake," says Stoermer.

"We had just put 'Human' together, and we wound up shooting over to his house after dinner [in London]," Flowers recalls of his first time in the studio with Price. "A few hours later, we had something very close to what you hear now. I was on cloud nine." He continues: "When we walked into his flat, the first thing I saw was picture of the cover of The Man Who Sold the World, and further down the stairs there was a picture of Eno in his Roxy Music days. I just kind of felt that we'd found our man."

That he'd find comfort in the signifiers of those artists shouldn't come as a surprise: The band's made no secret of their admiration for both art-rock and stadium giants (collaborating with the likes of Lou Reed, who guested on "Tranquilize," a single from Sawdust, 2007's collection of B-sides, rarities, and new songs). Formed in Las Vegas in 2002, the band belongs to the lineage of high-energy rock bands that manage to be both commercially successful and critically acclaimed (both of their studio albums have received endless column inches bursting with praise), and it's almost mind-blowing to consider that without the classifieds section of a local paper, they might have never been.

Flowers first met guitarist Keuning while perusing said classifieds for fellow musicians; when Dave's ad mentioned The Beatles, Oasis and more, Flowers knew he was on the right track. They claimed the name The Killers (taken from the bass drum of a fictional band in a New Order video), and eventually recruited Stoermer and Vannucci into the fold, all of them agreeing that there seemed to be an intangible something to the music they were making, as well as the response they were generating from people who saw them play. And as these performances became bigger and bigger, and praise for the band began to spread rapidly, A&R men came from the UK and the US to see them, eventually leading them to sign with Island Records in America. Their debut, Hot Fuss, catapulted them onto the global stage upon its 2004 release, selling millions of copies around the world. The band toured for two years straight behind Hot Fuss, playing more than four-hundred shows, and eventually returned to Vegas to begin to work on the follow-up album with legendary producers Alan Moulder and Flood. The result, a love letter of sorts to their hometown entitled Sam's Town, was released in 2006 and spent forty-two weeks on the Billboard Top 200. In between all of this, the band managed to fit in two appearances on Saturday Night live, in addition to performances on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman and more. One might think this would produce a generous amount of pressure as the band began to work on their newest collection of songs, but this was not the case. "We're confident together, comfortable with the way we work as a live band," Stoermer says. "So when we were writing this record, there was less anxiety, not that we're resting on our laurels."

This comfort in their work together is apparent on Day & Age. The album sees The Killers experimenting with different instruments: "I Can't Stay" has a tropical sound--thank the saxophone and steel drums--and, as the singer says, "could be the most perfect pop song we've ever written." "Losing Touch," meanwhile, is a gorgeous uptempo track with bright horns and grim lyrics ("impending doom, it must be true/ I'm losing touch") that lend it an ominous vibe. "Spaceman," an unabashedly arena-sized glam-rock number whose associative lyrics reference, among other themes, alien abduction. ("We've been playing it between 'Read My Mind' and 'Mr. Brightside,' and it feels like it's been there forever," Flowers says.) More than anything, The Killers are excited for their fans to hear what they've been creating, though, says Stoermer, "We're always a little nervous about whether people are going to like it."

The people have in the past. Besides the sales figures--including moving 4.4 million units of Sam's Town abroad--the band has received seven nods from the Grammys, and won a variety of MTV, BRIT, and NME awards. They've headlined some of the biggest festivals in the UK and Europe, including Glastonbury, the Reading and Leeds Festival and Pukkelpop, and have sold out prestigious venues such as Madison Square Garden in America. The attention has, at times, made it difficult for them to keep their composure, but this time out the band is trying to remain more level-headed.

"We got thrown up to the position very quickly that we're in now --the test is to retain it," says Flowers. "I want us to be a positive force. People think that we're overconfident and cocky, but it comes from excitement. It's not 'I'm better than you,' it's that I can't wait till you hear this song because I know what it does to me physically. I'm able to listen to our songs and not think 'this is us playing,' I'm able to allow the music to affect me and I know if it's good or not. Sometimes people think I'm running my mouth, when I'm truly excited."

Product Description

Inspiration has never eluded Las Vegas' The Killers, and it's a damn good thing it hasn't, because their 2008 record, their third studio album entitled Day & Age, is full of their finest songs to date. Together with bassist Mark Stoermer, guitarist Dave Keuning, and drummer Ronnie Vannucci, Flowers helped to mold the album into ten songs that work best together as a whole, each individually describing an evolution of the Las Vegas band's sound. "We're always pushing ourselves," says Stoermer, "and there's a lot of diversity here-from anthemic rock to dance songs." Flowers adds: "We felt like Sam's Town was a continuation of Hot Fuss, and we feel like this is a continuation of Sam's Town.'

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars They are Human: Day & Age November 24, 2008

By Nathan Beauchamp TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Killers have a special place in my heart. They excel at writing engaging lyrics, creating passionate musical riffs, and forming choruses that are sometimes so good they're magical: "Bling (Confessions of a King)" and "Read My Mind," from Sam's Town, or "Mr Brightside" or "Smile Like You Mean It" from Hot Fuss.

It's safe to say I had huge expectations from Day & Age. Most of the tracks met them, but a few were genuine disappointments.

I was ready to accept a new style and sound from the Killers in Day & Age, based on their transformation from Hot Fuss to Sam's Town, as well as their live performance of "Human," on Saturday Night Live in the fall of 2008. Based on Human, I was expecting an album with more synth-pop influence and maybe even an electronic vibe.

While there is a significant synth feel to some of the tracks, The Killers have thrown in dance beats, some reggae influence, and even a synthetic harpsichord (This Is Your Life) into the album. It is a mash-up of musical styles that at times feels too much like a collage of influences instead of a finished album, but on my third listen I think they actually did pretty well over all. If you want a seamless album that traverses from song to song effortlessly, Day and Age will disappoint you. If you want a strange, intelligent, and always entertaining collection of songs that defy classification to a specific genre, this is a great choice.

"Human," is my favorite track, a song which I initially wrote off as having silly lyrics, until I read this quote from Flowers: "It's taken from a quote by [author Hunter S.] Thompson. 'We're raising a generation of dancers,' and I took it and ran. I guess it bothers people that it's not grammatically correct, but I think I'm allowed to do whatever I want," he laughed. " 'Denser'? I hadn't heard that one. I don't like 'denser.' " (from the MTV webpage)

"Losing Touch," "Spaceman," and "This Is Your Life," are also fantastic.

That said, there are some major losers in this collection.

Specifically, "I Can't Stay," actually made me angry listening to it. Incorporating steel drum into a song that sounds like the worst of the Beach Boys mashed-up with 80s pop made me wonder if I had entered a nightmare where the Killers were transforming into in a bubble-gum pop band. They could have left this track off the album in my opinion.

Thankfully, after the awful "I can't stay," they launch into "Neon Tiger," which is a tight little track and sounds like the Killers I know and love. However, the reprieve is short lived.

The next track, "The World We Live In," is again reminiscent of 80s pop, with a beat that I would expect from an Annie Lennox single from the early nineties. Really solid lyrics get lost in the dreary beat and uninspired instrumentation.

A shorter album than Hot Fuss (14 tracks) and Sam's Town (12 tracks), Day & Age at a mere 10 tracks feels a lot less 'dense,' than either of their first two offerings. 10 tracks minus a couple duds leaves you with only about 7-8 songs worth listening to. If you include Sawdust with it's 18 tracks (some of which are remixes or duplicates) this is easily the lightest offering to date from the Killers. That might not be a big deal if the quality of each song was very high, but that isn't the case in my opinion.

I would give this album 3.5 stars, but chose to round it up, because some of the songs are so good. If you're a Killers fan, it's a must buy. If you're new to the Killers, get Hot Fuss instead, and follow that up with Sam's Town, then Day & Age, and then Sawdust.

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than I expected December 2, 2008

By Erik Raymond

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is my first purchase of Killers' stuff. I typically brush against 80's alternative and attempts to resuscitate it. However, after previewing track after track, I was sold.

I can't think of another contemporary band who is able to do what these guys do so well. Each song is unique, the music is arresting, the lyrics are engaging, and the songs are flat out well done.

My album has been on repeat throughout the weekend. I'm officially down with the Killers.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Holy smokes! December 2, 2008

By It's Always Sunny

Format:Audio CD

And a late 2008 release takes the lead!!

I NEVER expected to love this album as much as I do. There is little, if anything, that I can think of that is wrong with this album. To be honest, I liked them before, but not enough to go out and buy one of their albums. This one I bought on a whim because I sort of dug "Human"... oh man, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.

As far as Brandon's vocals/lyrics go, his range has impressed me with this outing to a level that few have before... from the Queen-esque "A Dustland Fairytale" to The Cure-level epic stylings featured in "The World We Live In", every track has its own signature catch to it that continues to draw me in during what is probably my 150th full listen to within the last week (seriously, this album has taken over fully).

To all of you non-believers in band redemption from one great album, to a wasteful b-side album, and a triumphant return back to greatness, in my opinion... this will be your greatest example if you're looking to believe again.

I LOVE THE KILLERS!! Woo... I mean, come on! Why can't I be as slick as these folks?!

Enjoy it, everyone!