Bind.

‘Flamingo’ proves Flowers’ not ready to soar

    

Angela Espinoza

ack in high school, lacking in
B self-respect, I drowned myself

in the daily mishaps of various
eyeliner-drenched, pale-faced front
men. I’ve matured a considerable
amount since then, yet despite my
attempts to leave the past behind, I
was shocked to hear that The Killers
had gone “on hiatus”.

Deciding they needed a break
from constantly working for the last
six years, The Killers agreed to wait a
year or two before writing their next
album. Flowers figured this would
be the best time for him to begin his
solo career. His first album, Flamingo,
was released in North America on the
fourteenth, with subsequent tour dates
provided just days prior.

After giving the album several
listens, I’ve come to the conclusion
that Flowers’ decision to go solo
should’ ve stayed in his wet dreams.
It’s no surprise “Crossfire” was
selected to be the lead single; there’s
enough of a positive Killers-vibe
to fool any diehard that Flamingo’s
entirety is worth owning. Granted,
there are two or three songs that
aren’t too terrible. “Was It Something
I Said?” is the liveliest song worth
keeping on the life support system
that is your iPod, due to its Beatles-
heavy riff and shorter length. If you
can tune out Flowers’ cluttered lyrics
and staccato vocals, “Magdalena” also
makes for a descent listen. The rest
of the album, however, is a collection
of mechanically jumbled Las Vegas
break-up ballads.

Many of the tracks I bobbed my
head to made me question if I was
being too harsh. On my second listen
I realized those songs sounded like
rip-offs of several other Killers tracks.
“Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts”,
for example, is a messy combination
of “Bones” from Sam’s Town (2006)
and “Mr. Brightside” from Hot Fuss
(2004). But of the ten tracks featured,
“Hard Enough”, “Playing with Fire”,
“On the Floor”, and the second single,
“Only the Young”, have to be the
worst.

Flowers seems to be doing
his best Morrissey impressions (or

6

worst, depending on your opinion

of Morrissey) on “Only the Young”.
“Playing with Fire” takes a good
minute and thirty seconds to get
started, and you can feel every second.
It’s one of many other examples

of Flowers getting far too excited
about his vocal abilities. “On The
Floor” shares a combination of the
previous songs’ problems, but at
least it manages to be another one

of the shorter songs. Meanwhile,
“Hard Enough”, accompanied by
Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis, is just an
embarrassing attempt at a tug-of-war
duet.

While some of the songs hold
obvious meanings and symbols, such
as “Swallow It” (that’s right, overreact
indie-girls), most of them contain
distant and confusing lyrics. Some of
the more baffling songs share Flowers’
song-writing credits with Daniel
Lanois, so I'll hold back my accusing
finger for now. Although Flowers
does maintain sole credit on some of
the equally confusing bonus tracks.

I genuinely like Flowers’ voice; I’ve
heard The Killers live and they were
fantastic, so what the hell happened?

What it comes down to is that
Flamingo literally sounds like a
Killers album minus The Killers. It’s
Flowers’ first time on his own and we
can clearly hear it. To the diehards
who I already know will buy the
album, spare yourselves the extra five-
to-ten dollars for the deluxe edition; if
Flamingo doesn’t disappoint you, the
bonus tracks will. My best advice is to
hold back on this album altogether and
just wait patiently for The Killers to
get back in the studio.

 

VV. Vaan
QOOQOOOO

 

The Word on the Street; sure to be a treat

Vancouver literary festival set to wow attendees

wae

   
 
   

By Cody Klyne, Arts Editor

he leaves have started their
[se descent from lush green,

to lively orange, to crunchy
brown. The kids are back in school.
Retailers have dropped summer fun
in exchange for holiday hell. It’s
late September, and it can be hard to
remember that elusive silver lining.

Thankfully for local literary-
types and their kin, late September
also signifies an important (and
more importantly fun-filled)
day of readings, workshops, and
performances. That’s right; it’s time
again for The Word on the Street in
Vancouver!

Taking place Sunday, September
26—from 1lam — Spm—at
Vancouver’s Library Square and
CBC Plaza, now in its 16" year,
the Word on the Street Festival
in Vancouver has become British
Columbia’s premier literary festival
for the whole family. Really, who
couldn’t benefit (and thoroughly
enjoy) a day of good old-fashioned
edutainment dedicated to celebrating
the written word?

So, if you haven’t already picked
yourself up one of their snazzy
programs—available now at a library
near you as well as a variety of
locations across the city—let’s take
some time out to cover the basics and
address the all important question:
what does WOTS Vancouver 2010
have in store for attendees?

¢ Fiction and non-fiction

author readings from some
of Canada’s top writing
talent: Jack Whyte, Billie
Livingston, Derek Lundy,
Robert Bateman and more!

 

Magazine & Poetry focused
panels, demonstrations,
talks and readings with local
hotshots.
¢ A great line-up of live
performers including the
always entertaining Carnival
Band, Pepe Danza and The
Upbeats; as well as comedic
acts from David C. Jones
and The Bobbers, and The
Sunday Service.

¢ Acolossal marketplace
where you'll be able to
purchase a ton of awesome
books, magazines, and other
related products as well as
the various Word Under the
Street events (downstairs
in the library) focusing in
greater detailed on the world
of comics, zines, and the
in-betweens.

e A fully-featured Kids,

Tweens & Teens Tent

for the young’ins (and
young at heart). Readings,
storytelling activities,
panels, sessions and more
will be sure to be a top
draw throughout the day for
families.

For more information on the
festival, its history, and the events
taking places throughout the day
this Sunday, head on over to their
website (www.thewordonthestreet.
ca/vancouver). Oh, and did I forget
to mention admission is entirely
free? Yes, free. A bargain at twice the
price! So, take your family, take your
friends, take your significant other, or
fly solo: WOTS 2010 is looking to be
the Fall celebration in Vancouver. Or
at the very least...one for the books.