Album assessment: Battle of the front men (Fran Healy & Brandon Flowers solo work)

It's turning out to be another stellar autumn, full of new music from old favourites. Before the onslaught of the X Factor appearance driven winter charts, it's nice to sit back, relax and chill (as I thrill) with two quite charming, though very different albums, from two frontmen going solo, naked if you will, without their bands. A lot of attention has been lavished on the latter review, though it's the former who has quietly delivered a delightful album equally worthy of your time...

Fran Healy (Travis) ~ Wreckorder:


Travis were and essentially have been a very good group to follow. You may be familiar with some of their bigger hits such as the glorious Why Does It Always Rain On Me and Sing. In recent years their popularity has settled down somewhat to a smaller, dedicated fan following but in ways their output has been no less delightful. Fran has taken some time to go solo, play the majority of instruments himself and draft in a few friends to help him out along the way. An older, more sombre Fran adorns the album cover (above), looking older, wiser and a facial expression that mirrors the albums themes of reminsicing, recrimination, regrets and a careful optimism about the future. It's heavy on pretty melodies and engaging lyrics that draw the listener into a rewarding aural experience. Fran's vocal is still effortlessly emotive and delicately fragile; sunshine tinged with sadness. For example, the first single "Buttercups" - a tale of rejection and woe is tempered with a strong melody and enjoyable chorus. It's an obvious first single and 10 years ago, would have set the charts alight. Now, it eschews trend for timeless, classic songwriting and structure which may get overlooked but bodes well for the longevity of the work.

Elsewhere, the collaborations are quite quite lovely. His duet with Neko Case on Sing Me To Sleep is the kind of pseudo country duet that will sound amazing performed in a dusky, late night bar. Their voices play off each other perfectly and it's another classic tune that would make a lovely single, if not a huge chart hit (though fingers crossed)!! Paul McCartney joins in on As It Comes (a collaboration that apparently sent Fran vegetarian!) and it is more McCartney than Healy but works very well - interestingly, Fly In The Ointment is more music that transports you back to subtle beatle-esque music and has absolutely gorgeous use of cello amidst it's score. Moonshine (jazzy!) and Shadowboxing (almost electro!) mix things up a little bit and provide a nice change of pace to the introspection contained within the lyrics.

Ultimately, it feels like a well deserved project for Fran - a return to form and a culmination of his work within Travis. A lovely set of tunes that remain with you long after the album is over.

Brandon Flowers (The Killers) ~ Flamingo:


I adore the B-Flo. The Killers have presented a variety of styles on each of their three proper studio albums and each has yielded at least 2-3 moments of stadium roof raising genius. This was originally intended to be Killers album number four, but when a year long hiatus was announced it became a Brandon solo project. And thank (mormon) heavens it did. It's a lovely, intimate, personal and confessional piece of work that sounds potentially better coming from a solo artist than as part of a collaborative band effort. Lead off single Crossfire seemed too tame and subdued to be a Killers or Brandon single, but it has blossomed over the summer becoming a true insiduous tune that just got more erudite and huggable with each listen. There's a glorious opening moment in Welcome To Las Vegas where the melancholy opening piano teases the listener into believing that it's a Sam's Town era tune, before crashing into a huge choral cry of "hosanna" leading into a brilliantly epic chorus that belongs out there with Human and Mr Brightside. It's seemingly a celebration but listen hard and it's a warning cry to all seduced by the city of sin and vice. It sets up the album nicely and there are plenty more nuggets to follow.

Highlights definitely include the duet with Jenny Lewis on Hard Enough. Their voices melt together like honey, an alt-country duet that works well and is another flirtation from Jenny with a mainstream sound. It manages to be bittersweet, mixing in some tempo changes and a lovely guitar line at the end. Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts is a full on aggressive rocker that manages to balance noisy with appealing - more sterling guitar work, crashing cymbals and an impassioned vocal delivery. Hot Fuss influences abound on potential singles like the synth driven Something I Said (all about an Elvis wedding gone wrong) - it's both retro and modern all at once with Brandon assuming the role of the female in this little ditty; and the more southern California sounding Magdelena - a song about the cleansing of the soul, of unmentionable sins and the path to redemption. All to a latino beat! There is a lovely subdued middle 8 with some truly spiritual lyrics leading into a joyously uplifting final chorus. It's music that moves you inwardly as well as making you want to raise your hands and cry "hallelujah"! Good stuff.

The album closes with an impressive twofer. On The Floor is a gospel tinged tune that knits together the themes of the album into a musical masterpiece. Brandon absolutely shines here and it's not just relevant for vegas - it works everywhere a heart is hurting. Swallow It works well and is a tune that Brandon says he is most proud of. It's initially jarring as the album closer and works better on repeated listens as track ten with On The Floor ending the album. Ultimately it's a fine track that closes an album that reads like a greatest hits of a solo Killer...