Las Vegas indie pop-rock unit The Killers [ tickets ] return with "Day & Age," the group's third studio album and most experimental work to date.

The stakes have been set high for The Killers since the group raised the bar with its wildly successful 2004 debut, "Hot Fuss." The band met considerable criticism following their 2006 sophomore effort "Sam's Town" and last year's covers and b-sides release "Sawdust." This time around, The Killers again challenge listeners by stepping outside of their more recognizable sounds to take some worthwhile creative risks.

"Day & Age" expands upon the quartet's synth- and new-wave electronic rock and delves into Caribbean-flavored pop, flashy disco, Lou Reed-style heaviness and Hall & Oates-like retro ease. The album never settles into a single genre, and singer Brandon Flowers brings an undeniable force and style to every song with his showmanship style and precision.

The most classic Killers track is the dance-inspiring single "Human." Beyond that, the album gets a bit schizophrenic, but never feels lost. Energetic and catchy, most of the songs move with fury and purpose. "Spaceman" is a delightful collage of sounds and effects that majestically rise and fall. Another engaging track is the crescendo-fueled "A Dustland Fairytale." Flowers' desperate lyrics and vocal prowess are complemented by a spirited wall of sound. "The World We Live In," grounded by thoughts of world peace, flows like a smooth, '80s dance groove. Most unexpected, but highly impressive, is the dismal, eerie, Cure-like closer "Goodnight, Travel Well." When Flowers grimly sings: "This temporary flesh and bone, we know that it's over now. I feel my faded mind begin to roam," there's nothing Mr. Brightside about it.

The Killers fans should be warned: "Day & Age" veers from what the band has previously done. On "Human," Flowers sings, "Wave goodbye. Wish me well. You've got to let me go," and it's not hard to imagine that he could also be referring to The Killers we once knew. If this is the new chosen direction, well, it's really not so bad.