| Brandon Flowers – Flamingo |  |
There seems to be something out for Killer’s fans every year. Whether it’s compilation albums, or live albums, or a solo album, there’s always something, but I have to keep reminding myself “This is not The Killers” it’s just Brandon Flowers and maybe that’s why the magic is missing.
Brandon is the main creative force in the band, so it makes sense that he might have a backload of songs he’s been saving. Perhaps songs he feels don’t quite fill The Killers mold and lucky us it’s a batch of lengthy ballads. Don’t get me wrong some of my favorite Killers’ songs are ballads “Read My Mind” or “All These Things That I’ve Done” but once again “This is not The Killers.” You don’t have the Reverb drenched guitar of Dave Keuning or the the rhythm section of Mark Stoermer or Ronnie Vannucci. This album is mostly built around piano and synth parts with wandering melodies.
The album is supposed to be Brandon Flowers tribute to his hometown of Las Vegas but I’m stumped on why there’s such a lack of rockers. Vegas is supposed to be the city that never sleeps, so why does Brandon want to put us to sleep? There’s a couple of numbers that build up some much needed energy, “Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts” and “Was it Something I Said?” seem to have a pulse bur they’re forgettable. “Crossfire” is definitely the best track but still only feels like a Killers B-side at best.
I’m disappointed because I’m often amazed by how catchy and memorable Killers albums are and they are more or less my favorite modern group. Brandon’s written so many great songs in the past so I’m not sure exactly what’s going on here. On a good note I hear he had a real “ace” song that he was going to put on Flamingo but decided he’d save it for the next Killers’ album. So at least I have something to look forward too.
Favorite Tracks: “Crossfire”, “Only the Young”, “Was it Something I Said?”