Brandon Flowers: 'Crossfire'

It's easy to forget that when The Killers released the daft-but-fun Hot Fuss back in 2004, guitar-based indie-pop was still a step away from the chart-obliterating peaks it reached a few years later. Brandon Flowers's outfit were certainly part of that all-powerful wave, as their subsequent albums smoothed out their sound with a Vegas gloss, shifting several million copies apiece. With the band taking a well-earned break, Flowers has popped into the studio for his debut solo album Flamingo, and 'Crossfire' gives us a first taste.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it sounds an awful lot like The Killers. While someone like Kele took a bold step in direction only hinted at during his "day job", Flowers's first solo offering could probably slip onto Sam's Town unnoticed. Starting off in languid Bruce Hornsby-ish fashion, it soon builds towards a soaring (of course) chorus that invokes some classic love / religion stuff ("And we're caught up in the crossfire / Of heaven and hell"). His voice is as distinctive as ever - and there's even a warbley bit of falsetto that approaches a yodel. Some will moan that he hasn't taken advantage of his new-found freedom and spread his wings a little, but 'Crossfire' is still perfectly pleasant fare that should keep Killers fans entertained until the band return in the next year or so.


> Click here to watch the video for 'Crossfire'