Most know Brandon Flowers from indie rock band, The Killers, who burst into fame with the 2004 debut album, Hot Fuss. After releasing 4 albums with The Killers, the frontman and keyboardist’s solo effort is named Flamingo after the Flamingo Casino & Flamingo Road in his hometown of Las Vegas.

The resulting effort, which topped the UK charts 2 weeks earlier and is now in the fourth position, has a more indie rock and less synth feel, while still retaining Flowers’ unique 60s indie rock style and his Brit accent.

The mix of upbeat happy songs and sombre emotional tracks in Flamingo is proof that the multi-talented musician found solace in his 2 sons and wife in dealing with his mother’s death in February, while he was recording the album. She had lost a 2-year battle with brain cancer.

The album starts off strong with “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas”, that begins slow but gradually builds up into a crescendo of guitars and drums accompanied by Flowers’ distinctive deep but crystal clear vocals.

Another great song is the second track, “Only the Young”, an emotional number with electronica sneaking in. The slide guitar, used sparingly, and mixed with punchy drums and electronic beats is another highlight of this excellent track.

Flowers also partnered Jenny Lewis of indie rock band Rilo Kiley fame, on “Hard Enough”, a catchy little duet. However, it’s a pity that Lewis, who was also born in Vegas, was confined to only singing with Flowers in the chorus. It would’ve been great to hear more of her since her  sweet, high vocals contrasted well with Flowers’ deeper tone.

All of the songs in Flamingo were written by Flowers, no doubt helped by his experience of penning songs with The Killers, with co-writers like Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Lanois and Jenny Lewis chipping in.

As can be expected from someone who has declared the importance of religion to him, the album is sprinkled with religious references and phrases such as ‘Father thy will be done’ from “Only the Young” and “On the Floor”, a gospel song that wouldn’t be out of place in a church.

Also present is sophisticated imagery in lyrics, like “ten thousand demons hammer down with every footstep, ten thousand angels rush the wind against my back’ from “Playing With Fire”, that have become a trademark of The Killers.

Fans of The Killers need not fear that his success as a solo artiste will threaten their beloved musicians, as Flowers has said he’s looking forward to rejoining his band next year to record another album for a tentative release in 2012. In fact, he told UK newspaper The Daily Mail that his band was fully supportive of his solo outing as they were planning on going on a break anyway.

For all fans of The Killers, this is definitely an album worth picking up, even though it occasionally sounds like an album full of The Killers’ B-sides.

Artiste: Brandon Flowers
Album: Flamingo
Rating: ★★✭✭✩

Language: English
Genre: Pop Rock
Record Label: Island Records
Release Date: 3 September 2010

Track list:

  1. Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
  2. Only the Young
  3. Hard Enough (Featuring Jenny Lewis)
  4. Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts
  5. Playing with Fire
  6. Was It Something I Said?
  7. Magdalena
  8. Crossfire
  9. On the Floor
  10. Swallow It

Only in Deluxe Edition

  1. The Clock Was Tickin’
  2. Jacksonville
  3. I Came Here to Get Over You
  4. Right Behind You