Maps of Music

Day & Age (2008)

Where the lyrics of Day & Age take you, and where it was really made.

The album cover shows the band members' own portraits, and Rolling Stone named that cover the best of 2008 before readers voted the album the year's best.

Key places

Las Vegas studio behind the album (2008)

Recording site Battle Born Studios — The band recorded demos in Las Vegas and sent them to Price in London. Engineering for the album is credited to Battle Born Studios in Las Vegas. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Day & Age is the third studio album by American rock band the Killers
• Released November 18, 2008, by Island Records
• Frontman Brandon Flowers described it as the band's "most playful record"
• As of May 2015, sales reached three million copies worldwide
• The band followed the release with the Day & Age World Tour

Background

• Writing began while the band was on the road during the Sam's Town Tour
• Flowers said the concept continues Sam's Town, likening it to looking at Sam's Town from Mars
• Asked about the title, Flowers said he did not know and that he waited for it to come
• Stuart Price had remixed for the Killers before the two first met in London in 2006

Recording

• Price and the band had dinner before recording the lead single "Human" in two hours at Price's home studio in London
• The band recorded demos in Las Vegas and sent them to Price over the Internet
• The Killers met at their Las Vegas studio in May 2008 to put the finishing touches on the album
• Engineering credited to Battle Born Studios in Las Vegas
• Mixing credited to Olympic Studios in London, mastering to Metropolis Studios in London

Cover

• The Killers hired Paul Normansell to create the artwork
• The album includes portraits of each band member, which also appear in the "Human" video and the CD insert
• Rolling Stone named the cover the best album cover of 2008

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals).
• Mark Stoermer (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion) joined in 2002, completing the lineup.
• The name comes from a fictional band in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal".

Members

• Brandon Flowers: lead vocals, keyboards, synthesizer.
• Dave Keuning: guitar, backing vocals; on hiatus since 2017, returned in 2020.
• Ronnie Vannucci Jr.: drums, percussion.
• Mark Stoermer: bass, backing vocals; on hiatus 2020–2022.

Career

• Seven studio albums, each topping the UK Albums Chart, from Hot Fuss (2004) to Pressure Machine (2021).
• Sold more than 35 million records worldwide and performed in over 50 countries.
• Annual Christmas singles for Product Red from 2006 to 2016 raised over $1 million for AIDS-related charity.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Music critics gave the album generally positive reviews
• At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 69, based on 31 reviews
• USA Today's Edna Gundersen called the album "outstanding" and a fresh, immediate arena-rock triumph, adding that the sound is transnational
• Billboard's Jill Menze called the album a "gamble" and said the band keeps fans on their toes
• Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt noted influences from Duran Duran, Bono and David Bowie, and said the album sometimes leans toward sensory overload
• Spin's Stacey Anderson called it a respectably vivacious dance-rock album
• Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal gave a mixed review, calling it the band's spitball album where they try everything and see what works
• Q concluded the album contained four great songs, two so-so ones and four duds, while noting the spirit in which it was made merits goodwill
• Drowned in Sound's Andrzej Lukowski found an enjoyable but fairly throwaway pop record

Records

• Debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 193,000 copies in its first week
• Debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 200,299 copies in its first week, the band's third consecutive number-one studio album there
• Certified gold by the RIAA on January 27, 2009
• Certified four-times platinum by the BPI on February 12, 2010
• Sold 1.31 million copies in the United Kingdom as of August 2020

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Brandon Flowers said the album's title is also part of the lyrics to "Neon Tiger" and "The World We Live In"
• Rolling Stone named the album cover the best album cover of 2008 on December 8, 2008
• The band performed "Human" and "Spaceman" on Saturday Night Live on October 4, 2008
• During the Day & Age World Tour, the band recorded their first live album, Live from the Royal Albert Hall
• The tour also marked the band's first shows on the continent of Africa

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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