I was vaguely aware The Killers had a new album out, but it wasn’t pinging too brightly on my radar.  Aside from the first single, I had been by and large disappointed by their sophomore effort, Sam’s Town.  I understand the need for a band to grow their sound and explore new territory musically, but the direction of the album just didn’t resonate with me.  The Killers’ appeal was in their edgy dance-influenced rock sound, and such a dramatic departure left me feeling a bit bereft.

What sealed the deal on my apathy for the Killers was their performance at Edgefest 16 in Dallas, TX (aside: one of the greatest concert lineups I’ve ever witnessed).   For me, the live show is always the ultimate for a band– it will make or break me as a fan.  Bands whose recorded material has me incredibly exicted are bands I want to see live, so I can fully fall in love with them.  The Killers, despite my feelings about Sam’s Town, were on the list of such bands.  I felt a great live show that reminded me why I loved them circa Hot Fuss could trump the Sam’s Town ambivalence and cement me as a true Killers fan.

Thus, I was thrilled to see them at the top of an already packed bill for Edgefest, which took place in April 2007.  The energy of the festival built through the day, with kinetic main stage acts such as AFI, Muse, and My Chemical Romance.  However, many people began to leave before The Killers even came on (no doubt owing to the long delay before they hit the stage), but even as they played, people continued to leave.  I can’t necessarily guess what drove every person out of the stadium, but I know I heard more than one person comment that they were simply bored by The Killers’ sound, especially following bands with such dynamic sounds and stage presence.  I felt the same; it wasn’t that The Killers were bad, or even unenjoyable– they just didn’t fit.  Their set for me wasn’t fun, exciting, heart-pounding, or provocative.  Because of that, I count The Killers as one of my biggest live music disappointments.  My Edgefest experience is representative of my feelings for The Killers’ music in general up to this point:bored and disappointed.

That is, until the video for their new single, “Human,” was played at my moonlight job (where I bartend at a bowling alley that has a weekend glow bowl where they play music videos on projector screens).  Of course, Brandon Flowers’ voice is unmistakable, and the return of the beloved dance-beat edge to The Killers’ sound captured my immediate and whole attention.

My customers were forced to wait for several minutes while I absorbed with glee Flowers’ now-smooth face, the relative lack of Old West garb on the band, the campy playfulness that was there during the Sam’s Town era but overwhelmed by the rest of the retro schtick…  I returned to mixing drinks while bobbing my head and humming along.  The sound had immediately captured my attention again, and I couldn’t get the tune out of my head.

I came home to watch the video again and listen to the lyrics more closely.  To my delight, Flowers and company have managed to combine the vocal and lyrical maturity of Sam’s Town with the provocative rock/dance sound of Hot Fuss to create a sound they can really own, something current and fresh that has an enduring quality to it.  Part of what made Sam’s Town so difficult to listen to for me was that it sounded dated the moment the CD hit my computer to be ripped.  I can see myself enjoying “Human” far into the future.  I’m looking forward to listening to their new album, Day & Age, when it’s released on November 24, to see if they’ve fulfilled the promise of “Human.”

And perhaps even more telling, I’m eager to see The Killers live once more.