Day & Age

The Killers | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: November 24, 2008
• Release Date: November 24, 2008
• Label: Island Records
• Copyright: (C) 2008 The Island Def Jam Music Group
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file metadata contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 41:38
• Genres:
  • Alternative Rock
• ASIN: B001L8LCXY
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (218 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,869 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

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!