Stream Brandon Flowers’ ‘The Desired Effect’
After dropping a string of great singles from his forthcoming album (and a string of clickbait quotes), Brandon Flowers has offered up a stream of The Desired Effect a week ahead of its May 19 release.
The Killers front man’s second solo album follows his 2010 debut Flamingo, and it was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid. It starts out with “Dreams Come True,” which is a red herring — the driving, horn-filled anthem is more in line with his longstanding Bruce Springsteen fetish than any of the new wave-leaning material that follows.
“Between Me And You” is an early standout, starting as a hushed synth ballad before building into something bigger and brighter. “Digging Up The Heart” is a particularly bold blend of rockabilly and off-kilter synth-pop that might be the platonic ideal of Flowers’ weary-desert-traveler-with-neon-dreams aesthetic, and it’s certainly one of the album’s most memorable moments.
All in all, the whole thing is a more rewarding and engaging listen than The Killers’ last album — and no doubt Flowers would agree. Stream the album now on iTunes Radio.
