Record Label: Island
Release Date: September 14, 2010
Parental Advisory?: No
The Killers' first album, Hot Fuss, struck a special chord with me- and its success reminded us that modern rock radio isn't all about post-grunge jock-rockers like Nickelback and Godsmack (though it is mostly about that). The Killers' music was so infectious and rhythmic. Aesthetically, I was very fascinated by them because they managed to pull off that sort of androgynous, new wave sheen in a very modern setting. They came along in 2004, the year I graduated from high school, and their music and style made me feel like I was entering a new world in which I could really flourish, far from all of those jerks in high school who simply didn't understand me. Of course, beginning with their second album, Sam's Town, The Killers began to shed some of the sheen. There wasn't a huge dynamic shift in their sound, but it all felt a little dirtier. Flowers, as you may know, is from Las Vegas and his music, to me, has always sort of sounded like Las Vegas. Sure, he literally writes songs about Vegas on occasion, but it goes beyond that. It's more of a feeling. That city has a flashy surface, full of glitz and glamour and celebrity socialites throwing parties in nightclubs. If you're really looking for that kind of lifestyle, however, you'd be better off going to somewhere like Miami, 'cause it ain't really what Vegas is about. Below the surface it's a dusty, desert town full of alcoholics, gambling addicts and washed-up performers waiting to help you indulge every vice you've ever had.
Brandon Flowers is an expert at exploring every side of his hometown and setting it to music. This has never been more apparent than on his first solo album, Flamingo (named for the hotel and casino on the Vegas Strip). The same types of characters that appeared in Killers songs are back, only this time he's all but completely abandoned his old new wave sound in favor of one that's a lot more, well, 'Vegasy.' Every song is an anthem that's as big and flashy as a Lance Burton magic show but as heartbreaking as the middle-aged waitress at the diner who actually has to live in the giant tourist attraction that is Las Vegas. On "Hard Enough," a duet with Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, Flowers portrays a man trying to change in order to save his relationship with the woman he loves. It's the type of song that's been written a million times before, but when it's done this well you really don't mind hearing it again. Like a lot of the songs on the album, "Hard Enough" is a great piece of power-pop with a bit of an outlaw country twist and would sound right at home performed by Kenny Rogers and Linda Ronstadt. First single "Crossfire" is perhaps the highlight of the album. I'm a sucker for a good power ballad and this one is pitch-perfect. It's one of the best songs Flowers has ever written and certainly better than anything on The Killers' last album.
Flowers can be a little cheesy at times, especially when he makes the most blatant references to Vegas culture. In the 'gambling-as-a-metaphor-for-relationships' lyrics of "Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts," he sings, "Why did you roll your dice, show your cards?/Jilted lovers and broken hearts," in a manner that suggests even he thinks he should take it down a notch. Still, most of the time Flowers comes across as very sincere and heartfelt, a difficult task for someone whose rock and roll persona is close to reaching Bono levels of grandeur. The only really disappointing moment of the album comes with closing track "Swallow It." It's not a bad song, per se, but it's kind of quirky and mid-tempo and doesn't really go anywhere. It sounds out of place and would have been a poor choice for a closing song on any album, but particularly on one like Flamingo that is otherwise filled with arena-sized rock and roll anthems. Although, I suppose ending the album like this makes it feel like an actual trip to Vegas: You expect to go out with a bang, but end up going out with a hangover and a lot less money in your pocket. But either way, you had a good time!
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