release date: Nov. 24, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Stuart Price, The Killers
label: Island Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Losing Touch" (3 / 5) - 2. "Human" - 3. "Spaceman" - 5. "A Dustland Fairytale" (3 / 5) - 6. "This Is Your Life" (3 / 5)
3rd studio album by The Killers following two years after Sam's Town introduces British producer Stuart Price, mostly famous for working with pop artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys. Price had previously in 2005 made a hit remix of the song "Mr. Brightside" from the band's debut album under the pseudonym of Jacques Lu Cont, and I guess the band wanted a new dance touch to its sound.
I think the album was a major disappointment when I first listened to it. It probably took me more than four whole years to recognize it as better than just that. And not that I found it great after that, but my initial verdict was that it was a lesser and only mediocre album. Nowadays, I consider it above average. Also, I do understand the critics who hold that the lyrical side is sometimes painfully bad. Well, I don't think Brandon Flowers (songwriter and vocalist) ever thought of being compared to novelists or poets when he wrote the songs. If you are able to look aside the lyrics, and just consider the flow, the vocal harmonies as... musical output, like that of a guitar, you may understand why some find it enjoyable. Still, "Are we human, or are we dancer?" is simply a bad phrase..., isn't it?! Even for an unscholared American. Sorry. I understand, he asks if we (the human race) are "human" (indirectly referring to humanity in human), or (are we just) "dancer" (hinting at the action of dancing as a state of just being, as opposed to being reflective and concerned fellow human beings...).
Nevertheless, the style has become much more pop-minded and the post-punk element seems totally gone. Tracks #2, #3 and #5 are included on the best of album Direct Hits (2013).
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]
