Hello gang, this is Kyle. I want to start this post off with an apology to the 9 of you who claim to read our blog. It's been about a week since we updated it, and we're sorry. With this being a time of first tests and other homework, we've just been a little busy. But let's get back into, eh?
Today I'm going to do something that you probably don't care about, but I care, so therefore I can write about it. I am going to review the new solo album by Brandon Flowers entitled Flamingo. If your interested, read on. And if not, read on anyway because you might become interested. Deal? Deal.
So first, a little background. Brandon Flowers is the lead singer of the band The Killers, which I'm sure most of you are familiar with. In late 2009, there were rumors that he was going to be doing a solo album and, of course, he did. The album is titled Flamingo and is named after the Flamingo Casino & Flamingo Road in Las Vegas where Flowers grew up. Let's get started going through the tracklisting. I'm going to write a little blurb on what I think of the song and I will bold the one's I feel are highlights.
- Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas: The first track of the album kicks things off with an ode to Flower's hometown. It's very Bruce Springsteen-esque and has a bit of a country twang to it. The lyrics are a bit strange, as it's hard to tell whether he is painting the city in a good light or a bad one. With lines like “Give us your dreamers, your harlots and your sins” and “Disciples hand you catalogues of concubines as you stumble down the boulevard crying Hosanna”. Perhaps he is intending to show you the city as it is. However, it is a very epic song and I like the arrangement.
- Only the Young: The second song is a little more subdued than the first, at it sets the tone for the rest of the album. It sports a more electronic and synth-based sound, with acoustic guitar. As far as I can tell, the song is about changing your ways when you are young, before it is to late. Also, something that is shown here as well as throughout the entire album is reflections of Flower's faith. “Father thy will be done” and “Redemption, keep my covers clean tonight” are examples of this.
- Hard Enough: This brings back some of the country influence but keeps the tone pulled back for the most part. It's a song that basically is about two lovers that had to break up for an unknown reason. It features vocals from Jenny Lewis, the lead singer of a band called Rilo Kelly. She doesn't seem to add much to the song though, just providing harmonies during the chorus.
- Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts: This is the hardest rocker on the album, and it defiantly sounds the most like The Killers. However, the song is only so-so. It's basically about a guy finding out that his lover is cheating on him (there's a better Killers song about that, it's called Mr. Brightside). Flower's uses tons of gambling references here to go along with his Vegas theme, “You did a fine job of hiding that crooked ace up your sleeve” and “You're gonna wish you could go back and fold” to name a few. It's hard to say whether it's necessary or not, but it adds consistency.
- Playing With Fire: This the quietist, longest, and in my opinion the best song lyrically on the album. It stretches close to six minutes and deals directly with Flower's beliefs and his life. It's a bit vague on exactly what it's about, but I like the interpretation of how he feels it's hard to keep his faith being a famous singer and living the life he is living. “I've got this burning belief in Salvation and love, this notion may be naive but when push comes to shove I will till this ground” really represents his message well. Possibly my favorite on the album.
- Was it Something I Said?: This song is just really fun. It's got a kinda 80's pop feel to it, and is one of the more upbeat tracks on the album. The song is tells the story of a girl named Valentina, and how her lover doesn't know what he did to lose her (a theme going on here?) Just an overall bouncy and catchy song.
- Magdalena: This song is quite confusing to me. It's very Spanish influenced, perhaps coming off of a song The Killers did for Christmas last year. I also really like it. But I have no idea what it is about. The most I can gather is this: Magdalena is either a city or church in Mexico, and the main character is making a journey there from San Francisco in order to go there to be forgiven. Or something like that. Just enjoy it, it's a good song.
- Crossfire: This song was a toss-up for me. I really think that it's quite weak lyrically, but the arrangement and power behind Flower's vocals bring it up to a recommendation. I'm not the biggest fan of it, but it's certainly catchy and better than some songs on the album. It seems to me to be about temptation. It's worth a listen.
- On the Floor: This is a slow building song. It begins with just Flowers and a quiet instrumentation and builds up to a full choir backing him up in the final chorus. It's a very religious song, about being humble and and asking for forgiveness. Definitely a keeper.
- Swallow It: Not really a fan of this one. It seems so strange at the end of the album. I feel like any other song would have been better to end the album with than this one. It just kinda...stops. Doesn't feel right. It is somewhat catchy, but the lyrics are to silly for me to really get into. Not really fitting for this album if you ask me.
So, there we go. I wrote way more than I anticipated, but if your interested I hope I gave you something to read. Overall, I think that this album is a good effort from Brandon Flowers, but his best work is still with The Killers. If your a fan of The Killers, picking this up should be a no-brainer. But if you haven't heard their work, you would be better of picking up Day & Age instead.7/10
Legendary
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