Battle Born, by the Killers

Nevada's finest are back in action with guns blazing. After nearly four years, the Las Vegas-based alt-rock band the Killers released their fourth studio effort, Battle Born. After the band's previous release, Day & Age, which dropped in 2008, the Killers toured extensively, took a brief hiatus, and explored various side projects. Battle Born is a progressive next step for the group, reflective and mature, even as it retains the grand flourishes and heavy synth trademarks the band is known for.

On tracks such as "A Matter of Time," "Miss Atomic Bomb," and the first single, "Runaways," the Killers deliver the kind of energetic pulses and deep sonic layers that made "Mr. Brightside" and "Read My Mind" hits in the past. "Here with Me" and "Deadlines and Commitments" are slower, more serious, evidence of the group's evolution as musicians and maturation as songwriters. New developments aside, Battle Born delivers the traditional sounds and narrative lyrical styles that fans and critics have grown to expect, revealing a comprehensive work that is another triumph for the Killers.

• Album: Battle Born
• Artist: The Killers
• Label: Island Def Jam Music Group
• Songs: (1) Flesh and Bone (2) Runaways (3) The Way It Was (4) Here With Me (5) A Matter of Time (6) Deadlines and Commitments (7) Miss Atomic Bomb (8) The Rising Tide (9) Heart of a Girl (10) From Here On Out (11) Be Still (12) Battle Born