Inside music album guide

The Killers, Paul McCartney ride high

By: Stephen Mason

Posted: 12/4/08

The Killers - Day & Age, 4 out of 5

Recovering from 2006's dreadful Sam's Town, the Killers have revamped and returned with a much more subdued album. Their last effort saw the band scribbling tunes that were all generally the same - laughably serious lyrics and dry melodies. Day & Age starts and ends with feeling. Brandon Flowers isn't overly emotional, and instead he's very laid back. Shouting wouldn't fit on grandiose soundscapes like "Losing Touch." Instead of going for theme, they're more focused on sound. And since many of the songs here are excellent (the synthesized-stricken "Human" or the piano ballad "A Dustland Fairytale"), it sets the lyrics as secondary. That's not bad, because even though they rarely make a whole lot of sense, they match the sweeping-not to mention varied-styles that back them. What they lack in creativity they make up with experimentation. Who would have thought the authors of Hot Fuss would ever opt to tackle a worldbeat sound on "This is Your Life"? Unlike Sam's Town, the Killers have never sounded so sure of themselves, and it's their confidence that boosts these numbers, not their nonsensically-vague messages that plagued their last album. Good job, boys, you've shown the world you can rock.

The Fireman - Electrical Arguments, 4 out of 5

Paul McCartney's solo material has always been criticized because it didn't sound like the Beatles, and to a much lesser extent John Lennon. It was never supposed to. McCartney wanted to be a rock star, not a king of pop. On his long-forgotten side project The Fireman, McCartney unleashes a flurry of dreamy psychedelic songs as well as hard-hitting howling blues. The ridiculously soulful blues-rock of the opening number, "Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight," sets the stage for an album packed with unpredictability. "Two Magpies" screams of early Cream, and even "Sing the Changes" hints at Bruce Springsteen. "Light From Your Lighthouse" is beautiful in its simplistic acoustic bounciness. That's not to say that McCartney is drawing from everyone but himself, as this collection, no matter how across the map it might be, never loses the precious sound he made for himself with the pseudonym 10 years ago. It may not be apparent in the first listen, and that's because there's no real style to Electrical Arguments; it's wild and it's messy. To say the least, it's one of McCartney's most electrifying efforts since the Beatles split, and that's saying a lot for a guy who hasn't exactly been a slacker since 1970. If Electrical Arguments doesn't seem to be cohesive as an album (which it really isn't, as it functions independently from song to song), it doesn't matter. As Paul himself would say, "let it be."

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.