Music Banter - View Single Post - The Killers

WolfAtTheDoor · 11-28-2008, 04:33 AM

Losing Touch
Human
Spaceman
Joy Ride
A Dustland Fairytale
This Is Your Life
I Can't Stay
Neon Tiger
The World We Live In
Goodnight, Travel Well

Brandon Flowers & Friends should, by all rights, get on my nerves. Anyone who releases such a fantastic debut album and then follows it up with anything as pompous as Sam's Town should, in fact, be completely banished from making music ever again. It happened with Bloc Party, and it happened with Razorlight. But The Killers have carved their own path, one deeply rooted in hilarity and sheer 'what-the-****'ness. The release of first album single 'Human' completely proved my suspicions of them. They are, in fact, completely ridiculous and I wonder how in this age of indie snobbery they actually still manage to exist and remain popular.

"Are we human, or are we dancer", the lyric that has got everyone the world over scratching their heads. "It's mild social commentary", they say, whatever that means. Truth is, it doesn't make sense, and not much of this album does. From the aforementioned lyrics to the brief yet COMPLETELY ridiculous saxophone interlude in Joy Ride, Brandon Flowers never seems to realise that at points this album can be genuinely hilarious, continuing to bellow over the tracks with a preposterously sincere voice.

However, all these points are what make Day & Age THE definitive Killers album so far. Whereas Sam's Town took them in the direction of stadium-rock band with it's Americana roots, Day & Age obliterates the rule book for generic indie band turning mega mainstream and simply shows The Killers in playful mode. Spaceman is a joyous romp that wouldn't seem out of place on Hot Fuss and I Can't Stay is a baffling yet brilliant gem that somehow makes it appropriate to bring steel drums into the mix. Neon Tiger is perhaps the albums only true ballad moment, with Flowers beckoning everyone to 'make some noise', which is then followed by the sound of a crow, seemingly being strangled. Hm.

There are a fair few negative points, of course. The sheer eccentricity of the album never makes it feel cohesive in any way, and the constant change of direction between each song might put off the casual listener. The lyrics are, as mentioned before, complete nonsense and were obviously placed at the bottom of Brandon's 'things to do' list.

Day & Age is completely the opposite of what you'd expect from such a huge band. This is the sound of The Killers coming into their own, and though at times it's a rather peculiar experience, it's good to know that people like Brandon Flowers can take themselves way too seriously whilst at the same time creating something as extraordinarily playful as this. Listen up, Borrell.

11-28-2008, 04:33 AM	#32 (permalink)
WolfAtTheDoor ironing your socks Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: I'm in a rocknroll band. huh. Posts: 396	The Killers - Day & Age Losing Touch Human Spaceman Joy Ride A Dustland Fairytale This Is Your Life I Can't Stay Neon Tiger The World We Live In Goodnight, Travel Well Brandon Flowers & Friends should, by all rights, get on my nerves. Anyone who releases such a fantastic debut album and then follows it up with anything as pompous as Sam's Town should, in fact, be completely banished from making music ever again. It happened with Bloc Party, and it happened with Razorlight. But The Killers have carved their own path, one deeply rooted in hilarity and sheer 'what-the-****'ness. The release of first album single 'Human' completely proved my suspicions of them. They are, in fact, completely ridiculous and I wonder how in this age of indie snobbery they actually still manage to exist and remain popular. "Are we human, or are we dancer", the lyric that has got everyone the world over scratching their heads. "It's mild social commentary", they say, whatever that means. Truth is, it doesn't make sense, and not much of this album does. From the aforementioned lyrics to the brief yet COMPLETELY ridiculous saxophone interlude in Joy Ride, Brandon Flowers never seems to realise that at points this album can be genuinely hilarious, continuing to bellow over the tracks with a preposterously sincere voice. However, all these points are what make Day & Age THE definitive Killers album so far. Whereas Sam's Town took them in the direction of stadium-rock band with it's Americana roots, Day & Age obliterates the rule book for generic indie band turning mega mainstream and simply shows The Killers in playful mode. Spaceman is a joyous romp that wouldn't seem out of place on Hot Fuss and I Can't Stay is a baffling yet brilliant gem that somehow makes it appropriate to bring steel drums into the mix. Neon Tiger is perhaps the albums only true ballad moment, with Flowers beckoning everyone to 'make some noise', which is then followed by the sound of a crow, seemingly being strangled. Hm. There are a fair few negative points, of course. The sheer eccentricity of the album never makes it feel cohesive in any way, and the constant change of direction between each song might put off the casual listener. The lyrics are, as mentioned before, complete nonsense and were obviously placed at the bottom of Brandon's 'things to do' list. Day & Age is completely the opposite of what you'd expect from such a huge band. This is the sound of The Killers coming into their own, and though at times it's a rather peculiar experience, it's good to know that people like Brandon Flowers can take themselves way too seriously whilst at the same time creating something as extraordinarily playful as this. Listen up, Borrell.