Day & Age

Imagine the musical offspring of a Europop dance party and an island jamboree.

I remember when that hit Killers song “Somebody Told Me,” came out. On first listen, with lyrics like “Your girlfriend’s old boyfriend looks like someone from high school” (or something like that) I recall thinking, “Wait, what?” Well, their new album, Day & Age, has a similar aesthetic—it’s hard to figure out what’s going on. On one hand, “Human,” the first single off the album, sounds pretty much like you’d expect it to—a typical synth/pop/electro hipster jam. On the other, you have songs that completely break out of this mold. Imagine the musical offspring of a Europop dance party and an island jamboree and you’ll get an idea of how varied the vibe of Day & Age is. I respect a band that explores new territory with every album, but the sax solos and steel drums found here, mixed over the Killers’ standard power-pop sound, is some far-out genre bending. Having said that, the album still had me tapping my foot. Touché.