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Review: Killers' 'Day & Age' Is Mostly Hit And Miss

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By CURTIS ROSS

cross@tampatrib.com

Published: January 2, 2009

Updated: 01/02/2009 03:03 am

It's a thankless task, bridging the considerable gap between Erasure and the E Street Band, but Brandon Flowers has taken it on.

Never mind whether that bridge actually needs to be built. Flowers sounds more determined than ever on The Killers' third album to fuse synth-fop, dance-pop and a Vegas-alternative take on anthem rock into something he can call his own.

"Day & Age" wisely acknowledges the side of the span with which Flowers is most familiar. Where 2006's "Sam's Town" self-consciously and unsuccessfully aped fist-in-the-air arena rock, "Day & Age" eases closer to the nouveau wave of the band's 2004 debut, "Hot Fuss."

Listeners may experience an unpleasant flashback when opening track "Losing Touch" begins with a glockenspiellike keyboard and some Clarence Clemons-ish saxophone. Fortunately, the song quickly finds its footing and turns out to be one of the disc's most rock-solid numbers.

The following cut, "Human," is more typical - a full-on dance track filled with swooshing synths. Andy Bell's falsetto wouldn't sound out of place here, although it still couldn't save lyrics such as "Are we human or are we dancers."

There are occasional lapses of the "Sam's Town" variety. Flowers apes Bono so closely on "This Is Your Life," the track could pass for U2 in a blindfold test. A clever arrangement just about salvages it, though. The same goes for "I Can't Stay," a pedestrian tune elevated by an island-tinged backing.

Closing track "Goodnight, Travel Well" is slow, grandiose and encouraging, spotlighting an ambition that suggests The Killers may be in this for the long haul.

Download this: "Joy Ride"

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