Brandon Flowers' New Album "Flamingo": A Review

Many music critics seem to be obsessed with Brandon Flowers' religion and how it perhaps informs his music. I find this bizarrely voyeuristic. We're all steeped in Judeo-Christianity as it the fabric of our world. What what believes in or whether one believes in this or that is really inconsequential. Belief and reference-making are definitely not self-reflexive, necessarily. I illustrate. Bertolt Brecht, the self-proclaimed atheist, was once asked by a reporter which book had influenced him the most, His reply: "Sie werden lachen. Die Bibel." In English: "You will laugh. The Bible."

We are the product of our culture and mythology and I don't understand why religious and cultural references are seen under a microscope for some. Flowers is a musician and who he is culturally and experientially will naturally color his music. His Utah and Las Vegas roots are happily embraced by him and they do inform his music rather generously. At least, that's what one may glean from his music.

I've long wondered about the depth of Brandon Flowers's artistic ability and I'm always at a loss when it comes to coming up with an answer. He seems to have a kind of insight into human emotion that I'd generally expect from an older, seasoned, and well-lived person. In many ways, I see Brandon Flowers as one of the contributing cultural voices of the generation. What makes his relevant is his prolific creativity. Ever since The Killers broke into the music scene back in 2004 with their excellent album Hot Fuss, they have not relented.

Flowers has the kind of 'it' that oozes natural ability and rich instinct. In addition, he has that right aesthetic presentation that adds significantly to his appeal. He knows what it's like to be a performer. And not only that. He gets the extravaganza that is a Vegas presentation. (And, if you've seen him and The Killers live you know what I mean.) I guess, he gets it because, well, he lives it. He's from it. His first full album is almost reminiscent of a total work of art a-la-Wagner. I don't know where someone like him would get this kind of insight but wherever he gets his inspiration there seems to be a whole lot of it. I felt like I related to every song. That rarely happens to me. And I listen to lots and lots of music.

The track 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' is as Vegas-true as it gets. It took me back to my first Vegas trip back in 1996 and the many others that followed. The Vegas experience is not one that can be explained without being experienced and visually observed. Flowers sings of love, broken trust, youth and its departure, and love of place. The track "Jacksonville" is so well-done, I literally slipped when I was jogging. No, I didn't fall.

And the track "Hard Enough." Ah, what about this track! It's chillingly beautiful and one of the best break-up tracks I've heard in years. And what makes it so great? Well, the fact that he can sing about true attachment in such a believable way that you are bound to relate to the breakdown of said attachment, too. Ah, that, and the fact that he smartly got Jenny Lewis to sing along on it.

So, how do I review this in a nutshell in case my previous laudatory notes are not sufficient? I've been listening to it non-stop and plan on continuing to do so for a while. If that's what a first solo attempt looks like for this guy, who knows what other great music will continue to come out of this West-based, Vegas-digging musician. Brandon, you've done it again!

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Brandon Flowers' New Music: A Comment

Brandon Flowers' new track "Crossfire" from him soon-to-be-released album Flamingo is another beautiful melange of sensitivity, poetry, Western imagery, and unencumbered aesthetics. Just what do I think about the sound of this track? Well, let's see. I've been listening to the track for days now.

The video is also a good supplement to the track. Where it delivers is in its minimalism. While the video has a few ninjas flying around, a distressed Flowers, and an uber-fit Charlize Theron, it is washed with polite sentimentality. In concrete terms, notice the quick smiles of the main characters' faces. If that is not an example of visual poetry, then I'm letting my liking of the track blur my vision.

I have a hard time liking things that a whole lot of people also like. It's not snobbery, really. Ok, maybe it is. What makes me cautious of things that have much appeal is one thing: fear of mediocrity. Flowers' art, however, was not always mainstream. It was indie long before it entered normativity-landia. And, I reckon, that's what makes it ok for me to keep reacting so positively to his new work. We're all entitled to having favorites. And he happens to remain one of mine.

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The Killers: A Concert Report

Two nights ago I saw The Killers in concert in Cleveland. I will be discussing it in next week's videocast, as well.
My right ear is still not at full capacity thanks to our standing in close proximity to six giant loudspeakers.
One has to sacrifice for music, after all.

Frontman Brandon Flowers is the main reason behind the band's cache. And he has much of it. Flowers is always in sync with his music and his band members. Like an involved conductor, he makes sure all the instruments are attended to and, thanks to his quick movements, he managed to have eye contact with his band members as well.

Flowers does not stay put in one spot.
Those who are hyperactive by nature will especially get his modus operandi. When in his element, singing or playing the keyboard and guitar, he accompanies his vocals with constant movement. What's truly amazing about this performer is that regardless of the constant sprint-like moves on the stage, his voice quality doesn't suffer.

And then there was the stage. It looked like a spot of Vegas had been extracted from the Strip and had been planted in Cleveland. His initial getup was also oh-so-Vegas. It looked like a showgirl helped him with the extravagantly bejeweled jacket which he kept on for the first few songs. The rest of the time, the band's outfits fit comfortably with their sound and stage.

A few times Flowers looked a little perturbed at the mic as it evidently wasn't behaving the way it needed to. He left the stage for a few seconds to talk to the behind-the-scenes powers that be about said mic.
He re-entered the stage at the loud welcome of his eager fans.

I like The Killers not only because of their definite role with the post-punk revival. That, after all, is not a primary reason to like any act as, in my case, at least, it's not what informs my taste primarily. I like their music because since they entered the scene and my radar over 6 years ago, their work has fueled mine most exquisitely. And, at the risk of narcissistically quoting a previous audio piece of mine, after all, one needs to be a 'grateful receiver' of such musical favors.

The concert experience lasted about 1.5 hours and it felt like 1.5 seconds. I never have the urge to play with my iPhone or check my watch or even think about anything else of substance or inconsequence when in the presence of their music. And to me, that's something. Something novel.

The Killers do seem to have gotten to the point of comfort with their level of popularity. It might just be that they believe they are deserving of it. I most certainly think so and those who object to their music/performance style need to make a good case for themselves for this band has created the pattern, I think, of what it means to translate 80's SynthPop, Electronica, and Punk into the reality and consciousness of the twenty-first century.

In sum, you should try and watch them on their current tour promoting their last album, Day & Age. It will be nigh impossible for you to take your eyes off the stage.

Kudos, Killers, kudos.

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Brandon Flowers and Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan

Black Book Magazine has a gripping bit on The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers and Depeche Mode's main guy Dave Gahan. It tackles both artists' unique performance styles, overall artistry, respective religions, music/lyrics choices, and much more.

Those of you who like Depeche Mode, will especially react well to this piece as it places much attention on the music of Depeche Mode and how much they have influenced so many new acts.

A bit says:

"Adorable and grandiose, Killers frontman Brandon Flowers maintains a contradiction that matches any to which Depeche Mode can lay claim: he is a resolute Mormon, a religion not exactly known for turning out glamorous rock ’n’ rollers. Gahan’s only significant rival in the rock-star-as-Christ-figure stakes is probably Bono. But while Dublin’s finest unwaveringly professes his faith in the only Son of God, Gahan, especially in the lyrics to the deliciously blaspheming “Personal Jesus” (“Someone to hear your prayers / Someone who cares”), has offered himself up as an earthly substitute, a heresy you surely won’t find any of his worshipping public objecting to, no matter their religious affiliations."

Read more here.

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Brandon Flowers Is Ticked Off!

Granted, the lyrics of Human are a tad odd. Well, for lack of a better word, they are grammatically problematic. Flowers uses the noun 'dancer' in the predicate which is, well, not the best of choices.
The chorus says: 'Are you human or are we 'dancer'?'
Many people are speculating that he's actually saying 'denser.'
I am not one of these folks. While I did find the lexical choice odd, I did some research and found out that he is actually making a deliberate reference to Hunter S. Thompson's quote: 'We’re raising a generation of dancers.’ The only problem is that Thompson couched the noun 'dancer' correctly. Flowers not so much. But then again poetic license might be worth something here.

Here's the a bit from the RS on the topic:

The Killers’ Brandon Flowers continues to be frustrated by fans being frustrated with the lyrics to the chorus of his new single “Human.” “Are we human, or are we dancer,” Flowers sings, imploring that the ambiguous word is the grammatically-incorrect “dancer” and not “denser.” “That sucks a bit. I don’t like, ‘Are we denser?’ as an alternative,” Flowers said. “I really care what people think but people don’t seem to understand ‘Human.’ They think it’s nonsense. But I was aching over those lyrics for a very long time to get them right.” Part of that time aching was evidently spent reading books by Hunter S. Thompson, as Flowers himself has admitted the “dancer” line was inspired by the former Rolling Stone contributor.

Read more here.

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