Mr not-so-Brightside?

I said I was going to start with some slightly older albums, and here is one. Brandon Flowers: Flamingo

For a start, Brandon Flowers is one of the most enigmatic and energetic front men of our generation. A bastion of modern music whose live performances simply inspire! However, I know Brandon's 'flamboyant'... but Flamingo.. Really??

Ok so. I am completely, unequivocally, unquestionably a huge fan of The Killers. From the second I heard the demo of Mr. Brightside I was hooked. Their first offering, the 2006 'Hot Fuss', was/is the perfect contradiction, Glamorous Indie Rock'n'Roll. An almost too perfect first album. With real grit, and use of fascinating metaphors made this a defining musical moment.

The second, 'Sams Town' was three quarters genius, and a quarter questionable... however not to go without mention, involved possibly one of the most creative, holistic and (not to be a cliché) genius pieces of rock music ever written.. When You Were Young.

The third album 'Day and Age' (not completely ignoring 'Sawdust'- but strictly keeping to major releases) was in my opinion less than impressive. With only a few top tracks, it really lacked the punch and grit of earlier releases.

Taken from the video for 'Crossfire'

This first solo effort from Flowers, for me, continues a similar pattern. The album, less 'Indie Rock'n'Roll' more 'Country', shows a different side of Flowers. With a slower tempo, and a more reminiscent, crooning approach this album claims to be ‘Playing With Fire’, but I feel merely smoulders…

Flamingo has flickers of the Brandon Flowers genius that ignited the world in 2006, with the first single ‘Crossfire’ being a solid offering. BUT ‘Jilted Lovers And Broken Hearts’ is the real tour de force, starring as an anthemic Killers-esc track with a big chorus, and Flowers own cryptic way of telling stories of love and life experience. Also ‘Magdalena’ tells the story of a religious pilgrimage which takes in Mexico: A truly extraordinary showing of Brandon’s creative talents, staging the use of his own diverse inspiration.

What I feel is really disappointing about Flamingo is that the Best offerings, are only as good as some of the more average of Brandon’s earlier efforts. Tracks such as ‘The Clock Was Tickin'’ and ‘Jacksonville’ are prime examples of this. With no real tempo, the album as a whole is deflated by such lacklustre contributions. I really want to like this album, as Brandon Flowers is one of my favourite artists, but I find it hard to gain any sort of upbeat experience from Flamingo as it lacks flow and consistency. 

Flamingo is not going to be one of the albums I’ll request on my death bed, but in the wise words of one of my friends: you have to enjoy and accept when an artist attempts a new direction with their music, as without progression you get stagnation…. And nobody wants to hear another ‘Hot Fuss’… 

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 … Well…  .... ... ..... I wouldn't say no!

A little less production value and slightly more focus on the music, perhaps deviating and throwing in a few more Rock ‘n’ Roll riffs could have made this album a real force to be reckoned with! What I really want to say, is that sometimes less is more.

I do want to stress however that with The Killers Brandon is easily one of the best live front men going, and from personal experience puts on one of the most fantastic and complete gigs you could possibly imagine (and this goes for ALL of his music regardless of album, or period in his musical progression). So I have no doubt that when he puts on a show of Flamingo, it will be nothing short of this (and having heard their BBC Maida Vale session in September I get the impression my thoughts are not unfounded!)

Cheers for reading!

Tx