"Are we human/ Or are we dancer?"
Brandon Flowers' mystifying lyric from "Human" is an assault on logic and clarity, whether or not it's loosely derived from the words of Hunter S. Thompson, who formerly remarked America was breeding a generation of dancers.
Once listeners advance from this scofflaw, they will note the gift of rhythmic glory has returned to The Killers on its third disc, Day & Age. The Las Vegas quartet tests out a world-music aesthetic and a renewed emphasis on vocals.
The band's lackluster sophomore slump Sam's Town was critically attacked for awkwardly borrowing from a certain legendary Asbury Park rocker.
The tracks on Day & Age are catchy and accessible, reclaiming the danceworthy nature of 2004 debut Hot Fuss. A ribbon of commerciality with scattered remnants of indie glam binds the album.
The synth-pounding '80s new-wave influences are still on high reserve, but the album draws on a broad cross-section of the band's music. The way Flowers rattles "some kind of slick chrome American prince" off his tongue is so Lou Reed -- or David Bowie in the guise of Reed circa 1972.
The saxophone in "Joyride," Caribbean steel drums in "I Can't Stay" and double-track vocals in "The World We Live In" keep things vibrant and flourishing.
"This is Your Life" has an ethnic/'80s feel, infusing the sound of echoing guitars, harpsichord and African tribal chanting courtesy of the bandmates (reminiscent of the opening credits of Coming to America). It makes for a trance that is encapsulating and almost serene. In the vein of Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," the use of African backbeats is not an uncommon indie trend.
"Neon Tiger," which Flowers admitted was his effort to write like MGMT, is a quality mid-tempo vocals-driven track that ends too soon.
Flowers is maturing as a songwriter, inching closer to his niche, but he still needs some lessons (e.g. the "Human" chorus). The lyrics, a somewhat weak point, are sometimes corny and nonsensical like Coldplay in its X&Y stage.
The songs are less a unified batch than randomly placed stars above the desert sky as shown on the purple mosaic album cover. This is more an evocation of feeling in place of a story.
Like Sam's Town, Day & Age has epic aspirations. But instead of indulging in self-conscious spectacle rock, it chooses instead to counterbalance ambition with poppy pragmatism.
The music of Flowers and the gang refrains from getting too wrapped up in melodrama, but the boys take it seriously and it shows.
Day & Age is a step forward to tomorrow.
Grade: B+
Sounds Like: The Cure, Joy
Division, Interpol
Download: "This is Your Life"
