The Killers – Spaceman

In many ways the second single from ‘Day & Age’ is an answer to those criticising The Killers for leaving the dancefloor in favour of the stadiums and arenas of the world. ‘Spaceman’ is better than ‘Human’ by a yard, is without the ‘controversial’ grammar issues and by far the highlight of its patchy parent album.

Told from the viewpoint of an abductee, this is the tale of being driven mad by an extraterrestrial encounter and manages the previously unthinkable in making Brandon Flowers seeming even more unhinged. This image is perpetrated by the colourful video where we see him seemingly dressed as something from a Scissor Sisters interpretation of Star Wars. Luckily he pulls some great lyrics out of the bag, “they’re zipping white light beams, disregarding bombs and satellites” being one example, that shows Flowers can nearly do sci-fi as superbly as Ash’s Tim Wheeler.

Musically, this is the exactly what that The Killers do best. Swathes of stunning synthesiser and some brilliant drumming from Ronnie Vannucci who’s making a name for himself as one of the best drummers in mainstream music. It’s epic, yet retains its heart and although it’s now aliens rather than gender confusion that’s the subject it’s easy to once again see The Killers that we fell in love with.