Day & Age is the third studio album by American rock band The Killers, released on November 18, 2008 by Island Records.[1] Frontman and lead vocalist Brandon Flowers stated that it is the band's "most playful record."[2] By May 2015, Day & Age had sold three million copies worldwide.[3] Following the release of the album, the band embarked on the Day & Age World Tour.
Production
The band began writing the tracks for Day & Age while on the road during the Sam's Town tour. Producer Stuart Price had worked on some Killers remixes, but the band had still never met him until they connected in London in 2006. Price and the band had dinner, before returning to his home studio and recording the lead single "Human" in just two hours.[4] Work on the album was conducted on an international basis; demos that were made in Las Vegas were sent to producer Price in London over the Internet, who would then call back to discuss the recordings.[5][6] With the album largely done, the Killers met at their Las Vegas studio in May 2008 to put the finishing touches on the album.[4] Flowers stated that the concept for the album is a "continuation" of Sam's Town,[7] saying "it's like looking at Sam's Town from Mars".[4]
In an interview with The Quietus, Flowers said that songs on the album were inspired by Elton John, David Bowie and Lou Reed.[8]
When asked where the album's title came from, Flowers replied, "I don't know. You wait for moments. I just wait for it to come, and I knew that [Day & Age] was right when I had it."[7] The album's title is also part of the lyrics to two of the album's tracks: "Neon Tiger" and "The World We Live In."
The Killers selected Paul Normansell to create the artwork for the album. Portraits of the band members themselves are included in the album. These portraits can be seen at various parts of the "Human" video, as well as the cover of Day & Age and the CD insert. On December 8, 2008, Rolling Stone named the album cover for Day & Age the best album cover of 2008.[9] On December 15, Rolling Stone readers voted Day & Age the Album of the Year.[10]
In September 2009, Flowers commented on the album, stating:[11]
“ |
"It sits well with our other two albums. It's obviously a little more on the pop end of things; it's not quite as masculine as Sam's Town, but I like it. "Spaceman" is such a playful tune, it makes my body do things I've never done before. "Human" is one of our best recordings so far. I don't think we've made our best album yet, and that makes me happy, to know it's still out there." |
” |
Singles
The first single from the album, "Human", was released to radio on September 22, 2008, and became available for download on September 30, 2008.[12] The band performed "Human" and "Spaceman" on the October 4, 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live.[12] They released the video for "Human" in October 2008.
"Spaceman" was released for download on November 4, 2008 in the US. The vinyl edition was released in the US on November 18, 2008, and included a free download of the album from Island Records. The music video was released in January 2009.
The third single varies from country to country. "The World We Live In" is the third single in Europe and Australia while "A Dustland Fairytale" is the third single in the United States.[13] The single "The World We Live In" has been described as "a song that gives you a disney/floating in the air feeling" by music critic Brian Narvaez.
As with the album cover, the singles' covers were designed by Paul Normansell and consist of the same individual band member images that appear in the album's booklet. Dave Keuning's picture was used for the "Human" cover, and the "Spaceman" cover was Brandon Flowers. Ronnie Vannucci's picture features on the single "The World We Live In". Mark Stoermer is on the cover for the single, "A Dustland Fairytale".
Additionally, the band released a video for "Goodnight, Travel Well" in partnership with MTV EXIT, UNICEF, and USAID in order to raise awareness about human trafficking. It premiered globally on MTV on July 13, 2009[14] and on UNICEF's YouTube page the next day.
Promotion
After the release of the album, The Killers embarked on their third concert tour, the Day & Age Tour. The tour became their biggest effort to date, with sold-out shows across six continents.
Critical reception
Critical response to Day & Age was mostly positive.[15] USA Today, which gave the album three-and-a-half stars, called the album "outstanding" and a "fresh and immediate arena-rock triumph". The newspaper continued, "The sound isn't just bigger, it's transnational, yielding the kind of radiant, whip-smart rock album you seldom hear in this day and age."[26] Billboard called Day & Age a "gamble" and said "if nothing else, this band keeps fans on their toes, and they're likely to buy in for another round."[27] Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+, commenting on the albums' influences from Duran Duran, Bono and David Bowie and ultimately saying "Like Vegas itself, Day & Age sometimes leans toward sensory overload. But the pull of its showgirls-and-fool's-gold glory is undeniable."[18] Stacey Anderson of Spin called it "a respectably vivacious dance-rock album."[25] Michael Franco at PopMatters stated "The bulk of the album, though, sees the Killers doing what they do best: crafting new wave dance songs that sound like lost classics from the '80s."[22] Drowned in Sound reviewer Andrzej Lukowski described the album as "breezy synth pop" and as a "simple, fun album".[28]
Commercial performance
Day & Age debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 193,000 copies in its first week.[29] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 27, 2009,[30] and by July 2012, it had sold 774,000 copies in the United States.[31] Day & Age debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 200,299 copies sold in its first week, becoming the band's third consecutive number-one studio album on the chart.[32] On February 12, 2010, it was certified four-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[33] The album had sold 1,246,822 copies in the United Kingdom as of September 2012.[32]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by The Killers.
11. |
"A Crippling Blow" |
3:36 |
11. |
"A Crippling Blow" |
3:37 |
12. |
"Forget About What I Said" |
2:57 |
11. |
"Tidal Wave" |
4:13 |
12. |
"Forget About What I Said" |
2:57 |
13. |
"Human" (Thin White Duke Remix) (pre-order only) |
|
11. |
"A Crippling Blow" |
3:36 |
12. |
"Forget About What I Said" (pre-order only) |
2:57 |
Personnel
The Killers
Additional personnel
- Daniel de los Reyes – percussion
- Alex Dromgoole – mixing assistant
- Dave Emery – mixing assistant
- Tommy Marth – saxophone
- Paul Normansell – artwork, paintings
- Stuart Price – production, mixing
- Robert Root – engineering
- Ted Sablay – engineering
- Tim Young – mastering
- Kadir De Guverte – mastering assistant
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Awards
Accolades
Publication |
Country |
Accolade |
Year |
Rank |
Q |
UK |
250 Best Albums of Q's Lifetime 1986–2010 |
2011 |
144[100] |
Q |
UK |
50 Best Albums of the Year |
2008 |
22[101] |
New York Post |
US |
Top 10 Albums of the Year |
2008 |
2[102] |
Rolling Stone |
US |
Readers' Top 30 Albums of 2008 |
2008 |
1[103] |
Rolling Stone |
US |
Top Album Covers of 2008 |
2008 |
1[104] |
Rolling Stone |
US |
Most Underrated Album of the Decade: Readers' Poll |
2010 |
6[105] |
Release history
Country |
Date |
Label |
Format |
Catalogue # |
Japan |
November 19, 2008 |
Universal |
CD, download |
UICL-1085 |
Italy |
November 21, 2008 |
Universal |
CD, download |
602517872875 |
Australia |
November 22, 2008 |
Island |
CD, download |
1785121 |
United Kingdom |
November 23, 2008 |
Vertigo |
Download |
|
CD |
1785121 |
Vinyl LP |
1785123 |
United States, Canada |
November 18, 2008 |
Island |
Vinyl LP, download |
B0012197-01 |
November 24, 2008 |
CD |
B0012197-02 |
References
- ↑ "Release Date Set For Kanye, The Killers and Ludacris". Island Records. 2008-11-10. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ↑ 11/24/08 (2008-11-24). "For The Killers, It's Back To The Future (Again), By John Norris - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
- ↑ Hunt, Chase (May 9, 2015). "Brandon Flowers of The Killers confident band will record another album". AXS. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Scaggs, Austin (2008-10-02), "Killers Return With Disco Epics". Rolling Stone. (1062):14
- ↑ "Killers singer discusses long-distance LP". Digital Spy. 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ↑ "The Killers Aim For Greatness On Third Album". FMQB. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- 1 2 "Brandon Flowers Talks Day & Age: Best Killers Disc Ever!!!". Rolling Stone. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ↑ "The Killers interview on The Quietus". Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ↑ Archived December 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Archived December 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ http://www.thekillersfansite.com/article%20pics/rssept09.jpg
- 1 2 "The Killers". The Killers. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ↑ Benson, John (April 23, 2009). "Killers Prepping Live DVD, Covers Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
- ↑ "UNICEF Press Release". UNICEF. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- 1 2 "Metacritic score". Metacritic.com. 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ Day & Age at AllMusic
- ↑ Hawthorne, Marc (2008-12-04). "The A.V. Club review". Avclub.com. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- 1 2 Greenblatt, Leah (November 28, 2008). "Day & Age Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
- ↑ Dave Simpson (2008-11-21). "The Guardian review". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ "NME review". Nme.com. 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ "Pitchfork Media review". Pitchfork.com. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- 1 2 Franco, Michael. "PopMatters review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ Melissa Maerz (2008-11-27). "Rolling Stone review". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ "Slant review". Slantmagazine.com. 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- 1 2 Anderson, Stacey. "Spin review". Spin.com. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ Edna Gundersen (November 24, 2008), "The Killers age with perfection". USA Today.
- ↑ Menze, Jill (November 29, 2008), "Day & Age". Billboard. 120 (48):41
- ↑ "Album Review: The Killers - Day & Age". DrownedInSound. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ↑ Hasty, Katie (December 3, 2008). "Kanye Edges GNR, Ludacris For No. 1 Debut". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
- 1 2 "American album certifications – The Killers – Day & Age". Recording Industry Association of America. January 27, 2009. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- 1 2 Zemler, Emily (July 22, 2012). "The Killers' Flowers: 'Runaways' Is 'A Great Starting Point' for Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Jones, Alan (September 24, 2012). "Official Charts Analysis: Gangnam Style sales increase 445%". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved February 10, 2016. (subscription required (help)).
- 1 2 "British album certifications – Killers – Day & Age". British Phonographic Industry. February 12, 2010. Enter Day & Age in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "Australiancharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Killers – Day & Age" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Killers – Day & Age" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Killers – Day & Age" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "The Killers – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for The Killers. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Top Kombiniranih [Top Combined]" (in Croatian). Top Combined Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 200910 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Danishcharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Killers – Day & Age" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "European Albums: Week of December 13, 2008". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Killers: Day & Age" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Killers – Day & Age" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ Top 50 Ελληνικών και Ξένων Aλμπουμ [Top 50 Greek and Foreign Albums] (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 48, 2008". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Italiancharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ デイ&エイジ | ザ・キラーズ [Day & Age | The Killers] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "The Killers – Day & Age". mexicancharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLIS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Killers – Day & Age". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Killers | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- ↑ "The Killers – Chart history" Billboard 200 for The Killers. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "The Killers – Chart history" Billboard Top Alternative Albums for The Killers. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "The Killers – Chart history" Billboard Top Rock Albums for The Killers. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2008". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Annual Charts – Year 2008: Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" [Annual Charts – Year 2008: Top 50 Foreign Albums] (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Best of 2008 – Albums". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Los Más Vendidos 2008" [Best Sellers 2008] (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 2008". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Årslista Album – År 2008" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2008" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Jahreshitparade Alben 2009" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2009 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Canadian Albums: Year End 2009". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Album 2009 Top-100" (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Year End Charts – European Top 100 Albums". Billboard.biz. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Archived from the original on August 7, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2009" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Los Más Vendidos 2009" [Best Sellers 2009] (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums: Year End 2009". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Alternative Albums: Year End 2009". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Rock Albums: Year End 2009". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Official Album Chart – 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. p. 9. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ↑ "Austrian album certifications – The Killers – Day & Age" (in German). IFPI Austria. April 29, 2009. Enter The Killers in the field Interpret. Enter Day & Age in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – The Killers – Day & Age". Music Canada. February 3, 2009.
- ↑ "Guld og platin i februar og marts" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. April 18, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Killers; 'Day & Age')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "Greek album certifications – The Killers – Day & Age" (in Greek). IFPI Greece.
- ↑ "Irish album certifications – The Killers – Day & Age". Irish Recorded Music Association.
- ↑ "Certificaciones – The Killers" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. February 25, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – The Killers – Day & Age". Recorded Music NZ. February 2, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Trofeer" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 21: del 18.05.2009 al 24.05.2009" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 6, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2009" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. February 12, 2009.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (The Killers; 'Day & Age')". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2009". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
- ↑ Q Magazine. February 2011.
- ↑ Q Magazine. January 2009, p. 84.
- ↑ Aquilante, Dan (December 7, 2008). "Best Of 2008". New York Post.
- ↑ "Rock List: Readers’ Top 30 Albums of 2008". Rolling Stone (December 15, 2008). Retrieved on December 16, 2008.
- ↑ "". Rolling Stone
- ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/staff-blog/readers-rock-list-most-underrated-album-of-the-decade-20091214
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