Thursday
Sep162010
"Didn't nobody tell you... the house will always win"
Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 11:31PM
Apparently nobody told Brandon Flowers, for he bet against the house, risking the credibility of his stardom status as Killers' frontman to go it alone with his debut album. Yet for Flowers, the gamble paid off, as 'our Nicole' describes in this brilliant article written for the Badger Herald, a local newspaper here in Madison.
http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2010/09/12/killers_frontman_deb.php
I think most of you will have already seen this article by now, having linked to Nicole's blog, but I wanted to post it anyway, and offer my own opinions on Flowers' new album. Of course, Nicole should have had this published in real print in the newspaper, but somebody had already been assigned the task of reviewing it. Someone I might add, who just found the tracks on youtube. She didn't like the album, but did not give a very comprehensive view. The article can be found on the above website too, should you feel so inclined to compare.
Anyhow, my opinion of the album. Well right off that bat, I love it. The whole album has quite an 80s feel to it, but I just love the synth, the poppy, lively attitude of the songs. Some songs are through and through ballads, but they too have a great quality. And I reallylike the lyrics too, the ones I actually know (learning lyrics and me just don't go together).
I never knew that Brandon, despite hailing from Sin City, is a practising Mormon; the religious aspect is evident in a number of these songs. For some reason I often think I won't like songs which have religious tones to them, maybe because I feel they are going to be preaching at me when I'd rather just be enjoying the tunes. However, I find every Killers and Flowers songs great, and I really enjoying listening to the Fray too, another heavily religious band.
In contrast to the religious lyrics, Brandon also offers various advice on gambling, evidently having grown up around it, encouraging listeners to "show your cards and roll the dice."
As for the sound of the album, though it does have a unique Flowers flair- see ha ha ha ha, on Only The Young - it still retains all the elements one would expect from a Killers album. In fact, in many ways, it can hardly be called a debut, for Flowers largely continues what we would expect from him. Sure, just as Flowers himself has evolved from nervous, emo kid to moustache touting superstar, so too has the Killers' sound steadily improved. And yet essentially, it is the Killers, without the rest of the band; almost every song can be matched to a previous Killers track, if you listen carefully. However, that is no band thing, for though the songs are similar, they are different enough to make them stand out. And, I don't want different- I like the Killers sound, and that's what I want to hear. Therefore, Flamingo gets a big thumbs up from me.
It also assures Brandon Flowers status as a name in his own right, not just a member of a band. Some great bands are just that, bands with names. I couldn't give you the name of lead singers. But others, Queen, U2, Coldplay, and the Killers, are largely impotent without their lead names. Freddie, Bono, Chris and Brandon. With this effort, Flowers deserves to stand among the greats.
http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2010/09/12/killers_frontman_deb.php
I think most of you will have already seen this article by now, having linked to Nicole's blog, but I wanted to post it anyway, and offer my own opinions on Flowers' new album. Of course, Nicole should have had this published in real print in the newspaper, but somebody had already been assigned the task of reviewing it. Someone I might add, who just found the tracks on youtube. She didn't like the album, but did not give a very comprehensive view. The article can be found on the above website too, should you feel so inclined to compare.
Anyhow, my opinion of the album. Well right off that bat, I love it. The whole album has quite an 80s feel to it, but I just love the synth, the poppy, lively attitude of the songs. Some songs are through and through ballads, but they too have a great quality. And I reallylike the lyrics too, the ones I actually know (learning lyrics and me just don't go together).
I never knew that Brandon, despite hailing from Sin City, is a practising Mormon; the religious aspect is evident in a number of these songs. For some reason I often think I won't like songs which have religious tones to them, maybe because I feel they are going to be preaching at me when I'd rather just be enjoying the tunes. However, I find every Killers and Flowers songs great, and I really enjoying listening to the Fray too, another heavily religious band.
In contrast to the religious lyrics, Brandon also offers various advice on gambling, evidently having grown up around it, encouraging listeners to "show your cards and roll the dice."
As for the sound of the album, though it does have a unique Flowers flair- see ha ha ha ha, on Only The Young - it still retains all the elements one would expect from a Killers album. In fact, in many ways, it can hardly be called a debut, for Flowers largely continues what we would expect from him. Sure, just as Flowers himself has evolved from nervous, emo kid to moustache touting superstar, so too has the Killers' sound steadily improved. And yet essentially, it is the Killers, without the rest of the band; almost every song can be matched to a previous Killers track, if you listen carefully. However, that is no band thing, for though the songs are similar, they are different enough to make them stand out. And, I don't want different- I like the Killers sound, and that's what I want to hear. Therefore, Flamingo gets a big thumbs up from me.
It also assures Brandon Flowers status as a name in his own right, not just a member of a band. Some great bands are just that, bands with names. I couldn't give you the name of lead singers. But others, Queen, U2, Coldplay, and the Killers, are largely impotent without their lead names. Freddie, Bono, Chris and Brandon. With this effort, Flowers deserves to stand among the greats.
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