Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Brandon Flowers Scrutinized Again


I've already outed myself as a bona fide fan of The Killers. Most of my playlists have at least one song from their albums and just today I gave "Uncle Johnny" a listen. And the past six years have been richer musically on account of my fondness for the band and my renewed appreciation for and continued visitation of the solid artists who have informed them artistically. Whether you like their music or not, The Killers reveal as much about the 'scene' and culture of indie rock by virtue of how they perform, what they wear, and who they like musically as they do via their own art.

The Rolling Stone has a bit about frontman Brandon Flowers and his penchant for not always expressing rightly what he feels, per them.
Frankly, I don't understand why Flowers' speech is worthy of such continued scrutiny. As an artist he needs to express himself. Some journalists are more fascinated by his eye for couture and his personal religious beliefs than they are about his influence on contemporary rock and his own art. To me it makes full sense that Flowers would be the kind of rocker he is. Like basically everyone else, he is multilayered and influenced by various things. Maybe my experiential knowledge of the West has something to do with my unequivocal acceptance of the band's music and Flowers' lyrics. Their music, after all, feels much more authentic to me when I play it out West.

At the end of yet another year, I am grateful to the The Killers' many contributions to my music experience. And to Brandon Flowers' ear and eye for the right indie, synth-pop, rock sounds and 'mad' couture.

Here are two snippets from the piece. The entire article is here.

"Brandon Flowers is having trouble explaining himself. Maybe it's because nothing about him adds up: a couture-wearing synth-pop fanatic who wants to be Bruce Springsteen; a devout Mormon who sings in a decadent Las Vegas rock band. Maybe it's because when Flowers talks, he tends to get in trouble — like when he bragged that Sam's Town, the previous album from his band, the Killers, was "one of the best albums in the last 20 years" before anyone heard it."
...

"What does he mean by the line that provides his album title, "I want the new day and age," in the song "Neon Tiger"? "It means, I want a new day and age — I think that things could be better," Flowers says, then pauses for nearly 10 seconds, looking down at the table. "I don't feel like I'm allowed to say some of the things that I feel." Why? "I'm too handsome."






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