Before I begin, I'd like to get something out of the way. I'm sure, if they exist, my readers will be curious about Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy." I will tell you what everyone else is saying: It's not bad, it's not good, it just is. It exists, and after 17 years and 13 million dollars, that's an accomplishment in and of itself. But amid the Axle anxiety, during the last three-week frenzy over the cornrow-comeback, another album made its quiet debut.
It's beginning to look like the Killers are batting one thousand; everyone knock wood. Each of their albums, three now, is a success. There really aren't any egregiously bad songs on any of them. Why is that? Brandon Flowers knows how to write the hookiest melodies and the band knows how to lay down an irresistibly foot-tapping beat. And this is why their newest album, "Day and Age," is a success.
"Day and Age" is, more than anything, a dance album. Last year, when the Killers released "Sawdust," their collection of singles and B-Sides, they dipped their toes into the dance music pool. "Day and Age," however, is a cannonball of epic proportions. It's no surprise either. Their producer, Stuart Price, helped the Killers jump the gap from arena rock to dance-rock fusion. Stuart Price is the brilliantly successful producer for Madonna, Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani and Daft Punk, and his signature is all over "Day and Age"'s rumbling bass synth and the monstrous kick drums. Everything about this album forces you to move, and like all great dance songs, each track has memorable and singable choruses with swelling synthesizers that compliment Flowers' crystal clear voice.
"Day and Age" is more than just catchy; it's a mature piece of writing. While the album is best defined as a dance-rock album, stylistically, it is indefinable. The album manages to exist in multiple decades of music and still sound like it was released in 2008. The songs, collectively, are a mix of '70s disco, '80s pop anthems and '90s power chords, yet their electronic arrangements anchor them in the present (if not future). The album also exists in multiple places at once. For example, the songs of "Day and Age" boast southwestern American, Latin, Carribean and even Euro-house flavors. Even with all of these genres packed into one album, it never feels stretched too thin. Flowers' melodies are consistently engaging and his Springsteen-esque lyrics paint each song with an equal amount of detail and emotion.
The Killers have taken a giant step forward with this album. Their willingness to look out of their own genre proves that they are students of music as well as musicians. The references to Elton John, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, U2, MGMT and even their contemporaries Coldplay do their musical influences justice. This album proves what I have believed to be true all along: Good writing is good listening. "Day and Age" takes what it likes from the masters and says something new and extremely entertaining. The tracks to look out for are: the single "Human," the ballad "Dustland Fairytale" and the earworm "I Can't Stay." Happy listening.