Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect
7/10
The Killers peaked in 2006. Hot Fuzz was a gentle and friendly intro to the Killers and Flowers’ unique vocals, lulling us in with tambourines and Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll. Sam’s Town knocked it out the park. The world wasn’t ready though. Flowers started writing hits at a rate of knots. Too fast, in fact, for the band, so he has been moonlighting as a solo artist. And it’s good. The album’s opener Dreams Come True is perhaps one of the record’s weakest tracks. Singles Can’t Deny My Love and 1980s Madonna-esque I Can Change will drag you back in, and everything falls into place. There’s an 80s pop theme throughout, with synths, airy vocals and even a Pet Shop Boy. The combination of familiar vocals, bizarre lyrics, and electro-pop is definitely working. Apparently The Desired Effect is what the Killers second album was supposed to be. Maybe the world wasn’t ready for this sort of sound nine years ago, but the general reaction to the first couple of singles suggests that the world is definitely ready now. For the record, I’m still all about Sam’s Town. Sorry Brandon.
7/10
