Item: Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect
Rating: 4

Reviewer: Sarah Jamieson

Released: 18th May 2015

Label: Virgin EMI

After over a decade of releasing music, it’d be easy enough to assume you’ve got Brandon Flowers pegged. Having released five albums – one of which was his own solo effort 2009’s ‘Flamingo’ - you might be fooled into thinking you could rest easy feeling like you finally know what he’s all about. Yet, it only takes those first few seconds of his latest album’s opener to go and unravel any previous misconceptions you might’ve had of him.

As the frontman of The Killers, he had done it all: from glitter-drenched Las Vegas anthems to stadium-wide singalongs that make no grammatical sense at all, he’s never been shy when it comes to over-the-top showmanship. From eyeliner to cowboy boots, he’s always been at his most comfortable creating huge pop songs and with his last solo effort, he proved to do just that.

Yet, with his new album ‘The Desired Effect’, it’s everything you wouldn’t expect and more. From the opening brass section of ‘Dreams Come True’, it heralds a bombastic return to form, introducing his new solo album with an explosion of addictive ridiculousness. Melodramatic drums reign supreme while 80s synths echo, and backing vocals blend themselves into spine-tingly layered choruses. It’s a little bit Eurythmics, a little bit Footloose and then a bit of everything in between. Here is Brandon Flowers being potent and playful, funky yet flourishing.

Granted, his new record comes complete with quite the supporting cast: not only is pop master supreme Ariel Rechtshaid at the production helm, but the record features appearances from Danielle Haim, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., Bruce Hornsby and Tony Levin. Yet, one thing remains undisputed: Brandon is still very much the star of this show, and he’s not going to be giving that up that place any time soon.

Tags: Album Reviews, Reviews, The Killers, Virgin EMI

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