The Killers
“Day & Age”
The Killers have had a major transformation. Starting as the glam pop band from Las Vegas, going all the way to “Sam’s Town” and back, it seems that along the way to “Day & Age” they made a few worldly pit-stops.
“Day & Age” opens with “Losing Touch,” which has an overdramatic intro to a solid Killers tune. After the theatric saxophones start off the song, the real pop of the group is shown. Lead singer Brandon Flowers has his usual smooth voice, which is one element that thankfully didn’t change about the group. In this case, change isn’t a bad thing.
Aside from the second half of “Losing Touch,” The Killers really don’t follow their “Hot Fuss” or “Sam’s Town” style but end up somewhere inbetween. Complex pop put together flawlessly to make a simple track with a catchy chorus would be replaced by weaving stories and a variety of genres that they tap into.
“Joy Ride” has a pulsing, funky, beat that is joined by spurts of horn, occasional synth and a bit of twangy guitar. This proves to be one of the most energetic tracks on this album. “I Can’t Stay” also offers a different sound for The Killers. Flowers has his soothing voice backed by a smooth Caribbean sound. The island melody consists of a shaker, and sprinklings of horn and the steel drums make it even more tropical.
The Killers have broken all of the rules in “Day & Age.” Each track has a different sound from the rest, but still fitting together in perfect harmony with Flower’s voice uniting them to make them recognizable. They show that breaking the rules can have great consequences.
-Sam Stults

Kanye West
“808’s and Heartbreak”
It seems Kanye has become the new attraction in T-Pain’s circus. Kanye West’s fourth LP entitled “808s and Heartbreak” pits West into a boundary he hasn’t yet set foot in. West sings entirely under an Auto-Tune, uses a Roland TR-808 drum machine and doesn’t rap throughout the entire album. Kanye has completely dulled his acclaimed superstar mood. This is the man who claims he is basically as great as Elvis and is the voice of the generation. Apparently, the generation was spoken to under a pitch enhancer.
On “Heartless,” West sings, “Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul to a woman so heartless/How could you be so heartless?” It’s obvious the recent split with his fiance wasn’t the greatest. The album also features Young Jeezy on “Amazing” and Lil’ Wayne on “See You in My Nightmares.”
West is a lyrical genius and a talented musician, whether he’s full of himself or not. On his track “Robocop,” West sings, “Checking everything like I’m on parole/Up late night, like she on patrol.” He has the capability to make any song catchy and strong, whether he raps or not.
It will take time for it to settle through his fans that were there for him to drop “Stronger,” “Good Life,” and so on. But it is a great album that is sure to at least win him some credit.
If not, you’ll surely hear his two cents about it anyway.
-Mike Richards

Taylor Swift
“Fearless”
Despite the fact that her break up with Joe Jonas was more publicized than the release of her new CD, Taylor Swift’s sophomore album, “Fearless,” managed to sell 592,000 copies in its first week, according to Billboard.com.
Swift’s first single from the new CD is “Love Story,” a fairytale ballad about a romance between an average girl and her “Romeo.” Even though the lyrics are completely predictable and unrealistic (hey, a girl can dream) it’s a tune that can easily get stuck in your head.
Swift’s album does include its fair share of reality. In the song “15,” Swift talks about her best friend Abigail and their freshmen year in high school. In “Hey Stephen,” a catchy and upbeat song, Swift expresses her feelings to a generic, relatable—and real—boy.
What’s a Taylor Swift album without some good quality break-up music? The tracks “White Horse” and “You’re Not Sorry” will fulfill every heartbroken girl’s music needs.
Some of the songs, however, are just plain boring and unoriginal. Swift’s voice also sounds pitchy on a few of the tracks, making it hard to believe it’s the same girl from her breakout self-titled album from 2006. Overall, good try, T. Swift, but your new album left me anything but “fearless” for the quality of your future albums.
-Natalie Casper