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The days of "Mr. Brightside," "Somebody Told Me" and "When You Were Young" are gone, and in their new release "Day and Age," The Killers explore new territory with expansive production, retro synthesizing and instrumental experimentation
Frontman Brandon Flowers and the band teamed up with Brit synthpop producer Stuart Price to create a backdrop of electronic fusion to the band's established indie rock sound.
"Human," the most approachable of the experimental smorgasbord, is Bono-philosophical and expansive. The chorus: "Are we human / Or are we dancer?" questions whether we have the capacity to act as individuals or if we act like string-controlled puppets, or dancers. Searching for the answer on "the platform of surrender," Flowers knows "My sign is vital / My hands are cold." The retro '80s beat and epic melody make the track an automatic hit.
"I Can't Stay" is an island sultry track with a traditional rock hook and an odd mixture of Hawaiian percussion, saxophone and harp. The beginning starts with a pulsing rock bass and Flowers' typical Killers-synthesized vocals singing, "The emotion it was electric / And the stars, they all aligned." One by one, the unusual instruments come in, introducing the tropical-rock theme. The instrumental combination works surprisingly well, giving an optimistic, fun feel to the lyrics of departure: "I can't stay much longer / Riding my decision home / In the dark."
Although not entirely pop radio material, "Spaceman" is one of the more catchy tunes on the album. It's a silly account of getting abducted by aliens: "It started with a low light / Next thing I knew they ripped me from my bed / And then they took my blood type / It left a strange impression in my head." The beginning "oh, oh, ohs" are almost mockingly good before Flowers begins. His shaky vocals come through awkwardly, especially during the poorly composed melody of the pre-chorus before he gets backup help in the chorus. The cryptic message of the chorus admits different perspectives of the incident: "The song maker says 'It ain't so bad' / The dream maker's gonna make you mad / The spaceman says, 'Everybody look down. It's all in your mind.'"
"Joy Ride" breaks out the Latin percussion, retro bass and saxophone. The scene is set: driving into the sundown with a beautiful girl through the Sierra Desert. The upbeat groove speaks of leaving your worries behind: "When your chips are down / When your highs are low / Joy ride." Lyrically, the song is not especially provocative, but the feel-good ethnic beat makes the song worthy of a driving-with-the-top down listen.
Ghostly eerie "Goodnight, Travel Well" brings the album to a close. The epic orchestral beginning of low brass and percussive ticking is mysteriously strange. As the eerie strings enter in the chorus, "There's nothing I can say/There's nothing we can do now" the track proves as an excellent pick for a horror flick. The pessimistic realization of mortality ("This temporary flesh and bone / We know that it's over now") ignites fear of "The unknown distance to the great beyond."
Some tracks are provocative, but on some tracks, you're just like "What were they thinking here?" But when you remember Flowers' wildly outlandish personality and lyricism, the experimental nature of the album begins to make sense.
"Day and Age" still has the varied, catchy, yet explorative vibe that Killers fans remember from their 2006 release "Sam's Town." Most tracks are provocative, but they need to lay low on the heavy production and synthesizers if they want to make a serious comeback.
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