Mark Green 2009-01-05

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I have very broad musical tastes that can change extremely. I don't have a STYLE that I don't like. I may be a product of this DAY & AGE. I am bombarded with information, that may or may not be true. It can be overwhelming finding a place to just sit back and relax. When I first heard the Killers album, it felt comfortable. Several songs from DAY & AGE, have remained on my playlist, since it's release. The lyrics have depth. The sounds are familiar yet innovative. Currently, critics seem to deride bands that are comfortable or popular. Don't miss this album because of the whims of current critical trends.

Micah Collard 2008-12-25

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People heard Hot Fuss, and clamored for more. Sam's Town hit and confused the fans in equal numbers of cheers and boos as much as it garnered attention to their progress. Then Day and Age came out.

I'll be forward... this isn't like EITHER of their prior albums. It's distinctly The Killers, make no mistake, but if you're looking for Sam's Town Part 2, you're not going to find it. If you're hoping for a return to the biting singles and "humability" of Hot Fuss, it's not here either. But it is worth a listen if you like progression in your music.

To begin with, there is no single that "rocks" like "When You Were Young", "Somebody Told Me" or any of their prior singles. If you're looking for that, then just keep waiting. It isn't in here. But if you like the second half of Hot Fuss or wanted a less organic sound in Sam's Town, this is indeed right up your alley.

I'll walk you along the tracks...

"Losing Touch" is a clear response to the "judges" that Brandon Flowers alluded to in the chorus of "Sam's Town" one album ago. It is a steady moving opener, midtempo, lyrically similar to 70's/80's alumni Bowie and Echo and the Bunnymen.

"Human" is as close to a polished single as it gets in this album... the pace picks up after the first lyric, and it works, gives a good idea of what the album is comprised of without giving too much away. Nonetheless, it's also obvious radio candy.

"Spaceman" I honestly didn't connect with. A Bono-esque lyric with a uncomfortable pace on lyrics, and it feels like it's trying to cram a memory together that doesn't quite want to go together. This could have taken more time to develop into something more memorable I think, but it's not bad enough to write off the rest of their work.

"Joy Ride" kind of has a "Clash" kind of feel to it, a good tune to drop your windows down on a calm night and just roll... I like this track a lot.

"A Dustland Fairytale" is reminiscent of Sam's Town... Feels like a meeting of the content "(Bling) Confessions of a King" flirting with the imagery and of style "Why Do I Keep Counting?". Definetly interesting.

"This Is Your Life" had me confused in the beginning... the acapella at the beginning and the Synthetic Harpsicord caught me with a questionmark in my mind like something People in Planes would try, but it's got a trepidative marching drum sound to it, I could see this being used in a movie credit roll... not uninteresting, but has a conclusive kind of feel to it. Probably would be a good ending track to a different album down the line.

"I Can't Stay" has a acoustic feel to it, a track that gives a feeling of longing for a place you can't find anymore. Audibly, it's a bit of a departure from the rest of the album, but I like it.

"Neon Tiger" has a Toto-like feel to it... I advanced past the track the first two listens to the album, but after hearing it through it definitely belongs with the rest of the album.

"The World We Live In" I like a lot... What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good melody, and this one has the best of the album. Obvious Annie Lennox/Hall and Oates kind of flirtation. I think this is the next obvious single of the album. If not state-side, then a sure-fire hit for the UK, this song is right for their kind of scene.

"Goodnight, Travel Well" ends the album on a bit of a down note... Darker than the rest of the album... Feels like staring out over a mountain-range or gazing down on the planet itself from space. Then again, Flowers did describe "Day & Age" as "Sam's Town as seen from Mars."

So, more of a synth-pop album... and the Hot Fuzz fanatics will be happy to hear that, but overall the pacing is slower than either of their albums: their singles aren't the driving, pounding fare of the past, but this is not the concept album that people had a knee-jerk reaction to from Sam's Town: all together, these tracks don't tell one cohesive story, even in implication. But in all, Day & Age shows further progression towards the same reminiscent sound we all kind of miss from the 70's and 80's, (and if you don't miss it, you're probably not liking The Killers very much in the first place) while pushing away from their prior work at the same time. It has it's own voice.

I think more time and polish could have been spent on making things just right, but one must also be careful in Pop not to work too much on the message over the feel of things... if it works in the slightest cohesion, scant as it may be, it's an album, simple as that. And from the tracks on Sawdust that were post-"Sam's Town", the direction doesn't seem that far off from what they were heading to in the first place when it all began.

Day & Age isn't at all a surprise, but it doesn't let down. In short, this works as an album. Mind you, it's not legendary, but it's not horrible and it does largely have a motif like the others did. If I could make the rating 3.5, I would, but I can't justify rating it at 4 stars when I would rate Sam's Town the same.

B. Winslow 2008-12-24

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

It's a good album, but it seems like the Killers are trying something new...

I like it!

Lynton Ferris 2008-12-19

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

At first, I only picked up Day and Age because it was 3.99 and I hadn't yet downloaded Human or Spaceman. Though after about three listens, I realized this was a much more complex album. Losing touch is very motivational, and a must for jaming loud. And other songs like Neon Tiger and Joyride are so different and fun that they seem to cast you away in your own little disney fairy-tale [but that's just me]. Anyway, If you like Human, or the Killers in the past I would reccomend picking this one up, maybe not for 8.99 though, and happy dreamin'!

Dean S. 2008-12-17

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

First off, I'd like to say that I regarded The Killers simply as a peripheral band that was so-so on my scale. A couple of the songs from Hot Fuss and Sam's Town stuck, but that was about it.

I hadn't had much new music to listen to recently, so when a friend recommended this album, I bought it, and it has far exceeded expectations.

Personally, I find the best tracks as A Dustland Fairytale, Spaceman, and Human with Losing Touch coming at a close fourth. The others are very good, but none come close to touching these three tracks. I didn't particularly like I Can't Stay and The World We Live in. Goodnight, Travel Well appealed in a darker sort of way, but good nonetheless.