Albums

The Killers - Day & Age

Charlie Ralph 01/12/2008

Rating: 4/5

So, 2004, crazy times, weren't they? Back then everybody loved The Killers. Their wave of synth-rock took the public by storm (and rightly so, Mr. Brightside is undoubtedly one of the greatest chart singles of the decade) and their album rode through the charts for months afterwards. However, slowly, people have been doubting The Killers, there's trouble amongst the ranks, and despite the far superior Sam's Town being released two years later, people's trust in The Killers seems to have been depleting by the day. So, Day & Age's release is far more significant than you might think at first. This is the band's last stand, to see if their's any chance of a redemption for their artistic credibility, or are they doomed to performing for the fleeting attention spans of T4 viewers the world over.

So, simple and to the point, do they manage it? Well...no. But have they gone and made a brain-dead pop album and given up all hope of a solid fanbase? by no means. In fact, they've done pretty much the exact opposite and made a great album for anyone who's willing to expand their mind beyond anything they know of The Killers so far. Tracks like Spaceman and lead single Human show they still have an eye on the Top 40, but dig deeper into the album and you'll find songs like the spirit-raising, but not at all saccharine A Dustland Fairytale and the haunting Goodnight, Travel Well.

Obviously there's still slip-ups on Day & Age, it is still a Killers album we're dealing with here, and they still suffer from being unable to make an even album, and there are downs as well as ups. Primarily, the frankly confusing Joy Ride, a rather dull melody lost in a nonsense of "funk" riffs and the vision of Brandon Flowers in Hawaiian shorts attempting to flirt with an overly sun-tanned girl on a budget cruise ship. Then there's a song like Neon Tiger, which sounds like a song that even Brandon himself would call 'pointlessly OTT'.

But despite this, Day & Age is definitely a success, maybe it's not a commercial success, or even a critical success for the most part, but any Killers fans willing to give this album a chance, and give up on the hope they'll make 'Hot Fuss 2', is sure to find a fantastically bizarre album from the Las Vegas stars.