Top Albums and Mini-Albums of 2015: Number 7

ALBUMS

7. Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect



By streamlining all of his classic rock and pop influences into a handful of potent, perfectly composed songs, Flowers created the album of his career. It feels incredibly nostalgic, yet just what the music world needs this year. Despite releasing four singles, the album didn't get nearly as much recognition as it deserves.

MINI ALBUMS

7. Seventeen - 17 Carat



Simply put, it's Korea's best debut group of the year. I'm not sure if anything can beat the one-two punch of 17 Carat's opening pair of tracks. Even the lesser songs are bolstered by a palpable sense of youthful energy. They're hungry, and eager to prove themselves, and that hunger is felt in every beat.

Top 50 Singles of 2015: 50-46

50. Darin - Ta Mig Tillbaka



A gentle, nostalgic ode to childhood that ushered in Darin's new mature sound. Not the flashiest track on the countdown, but one with a lot of staying power.

49. Brown Eyed Girls - Brave New World



At first you'll mistake it for some bizarro reinterpretation of Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, but then it just gets trippier and you're not quite sure what it is you're hearing.

48. Brandon Flowers - Lonely Town



The most majestic track on Brandon's brilliant second album, it's best paired with the hypnotic, moody 80's video. That hook is everything.

47. Emil Berg - Du Swipa Höger 



A left-field Euro-dance anthem, with one of the most irresistible beats of the year. It's the kind of debut that sets the bar impossibly high.

46. Magnus Carlsson - Möt Mig I Gamla Stan 



The only Melodifestivalen track this year that I bother still listening to, and the only schlager song in the competition. Magnus always delivers the goods.

Track-by-Track: Brandon Flowers - The Desired Effect

I've always been a casual fan of the Killers, but I'm shocked at how completely this solo album by frontman Brandon Flowers has pulled me in. It's been awhile since an artist has captured this specific American rock 80's sound, and even though this album is pretty much 90% homage rather than pushing forward into something new, that's exactly what makes it feel like an instant classic.

1. Dreams Come True - A surging opener, performed with a nearly-gospel fervor. It's the first time we hear the female backing vocals, which play such an integral part in the album. The chorus is absolutely massive, and reminds me of Meat Loaf at his very best. 10/10

2. Can't Deny My Love - For some reason, the production here reminds me of Madonna's Like A Prayer. It's one of the poppiest tracks on the album, but retains a sense of epic grandeur as that catchy-as-hell hook explodes. 10/10

3. I Can Change - A collaboration with Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, at first this sounds somewhat out of place with the rest of the album. It's far more electronic in nature, and opens with an extended vocal intro before bursting into a italo-disco beat. This is probably the track that's grown on me the most. 10/10

4. Still Want You - This is such a throwback. It's an incredibly simple song that could've been produced in any decade, but the wobbly synth and Ronettes-style backing vocals are absolute perfection. I'm just awestruck that anyone's making music like this in 2015. 10/10

5. Between Me And You - The first time I heard this, I was completely smitten. I'm a sucker for melody, and this boasts probably the best one on the album. The second verse, where the production really kicks in, is almost tear-inducingly pretty. If this doesn't become a single, then that's a very wasted opportunity. 10/10

6. Lonely Town - This track caused me to check out the album. It's my favorite, and will likely be one of my favorite singles of the year. From the pulsating synth beat that forms the song's skeleton, to the bombastic post-chorus to the impressive backing vocals, it's a real centerpiece. 10/10

7. Diggin' Up The Heart - Certainly one of the slighter tracks on the album, it comes the closest to feeling like filler. It's supremely catchy filler of the piano-driven Billy Joel type, but it suffers coming after the first six tracks. 8/10

8. Never Get You Right - And we're back to something that feels more classic. Of the ballads on the album, this is one of the best. The verses remind me so much of an 80's song (Tom Petty?) that I can't put my finger on, but the track really starts to soar when the guitar comes in on the chorus. 10/10

9. Untangled Love - Definitely has an epic Killers-esque sound, and I adore the piano flourishes in the chorus, but overall it falls just short of the album's best moments. It's still very rousing, though. 9/10

10. The Way It's Always Been - A somewhat murky, downtempo ballad. It has a very classic rock sound and is more lyrically focused than production or melody. Not my favorite, but definitely not bad either. 8/10

11. The Desired Effect - I don't know why this was a bonus track, because to me it feels essential to the album as a whole. The chorus is gigantic, in a bombastic Meat Loaf way, and I love the lyrics. A fitting closer, and certainly among the best tracks here. 10/10


Album Grade: 9.5/10 Highly Recommended

Brandon Flowers - Lonely Town

This is such a nice surprise. Even though Brandon Flowers' Can't Deny My Love was undeniably awesome earlier this year, I really expected it to be something of a red herring. I guess I just assumed that his upcoming solo album would be full of the now-boring sound that the Killers have been giving us for the past couple of years. Instead, he's gone and recreated the 80's. Lonely Town has such a specific sound and vision. He didn't just borrow trendy 80's elements like so many others do, but actually created something that sounds like it could have easily existed thirty years ago. If I was being picky, I wish that we heard that dramatic, beautiful post-chorus hook one more time during the song's running length, but I guess that just means I'll need to hit the replay button. I'm cautiously optimistic about the full-length album. I hope it's more like this and less like what the Killers has become as of late.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Brandon Flowers - Can't Deny My Love

Despite loving the Killers' first few albums, I can't say I was overly excited at the prospect of another solo album by frontman Brandon Flowers. I think I assumed it would be mostly downtempo and serious. Well, it's not! The first single, at least, takes a welcome tilt back to the 80's pop direction that made me love the band in the first place. It actually sounds like something that would have been on Bleachers' excellent 2014 album. It's got an explosive, catchy hook and atmospheric synths that make it sound like a long-lost soundtrack cut to some 80's movie. Color me surprised. My interest is officially reignited (as long as the rest of the album follows suit...).



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Brandon Flowers - Was It Something I Said

"You've got me on my knees"

This new Brandon Flowers solo album is really screwing with me. Do I like it or not? To be honest, I'm still not quite sure. Sometimes when I listen, it just sounds like Killers music at its worst. Other times, I'm won over by its rootsy earnestness. So the verdict's still out, though I've gotta say my initial impressions of Crossfire have become much more positive as the summer's gone on. It's grown on me. Maybe the album will, too. One song that hit me instantly, though, was the Killers-esque Was It Something I Said. Maybe it's because it's the synthiest track on the album, but I can't help but thinking that this is how solo Brandon Flowers should sound. It's got that quirky indie vibe, but it's augmented with one of the hookiest choruses on the record and those new wave synths. It seems that, on the whole, he's aiming to create the kind of work that Sweden's Moneybrother cranks out so effortlessly. He's got a ways to go, but I'll keep listening to this in the hope that it'll grow as much as Crossfire did.

Brandon Flowers - Was It Something I Said by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Brandon Flowers - Crossfire

"Dark clouds roll their way over town"

Exciting! The new solo effort from the Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers has premiered and I've got the high quality radio rip below. It's a case of solo output sounding pretty much exactly like his previous band, which kind of makes the whole project a little pointless. But... I'm a big Killers fan so it's great to have new material regardless. That being said, Crossfire is certainly a grower. It's got the world-weary tone that made up much of the band's second album. Gone is anything as fun or sparkly as the songs on Hot Fuss, replaced by a subtle soundscape and some lovely falsetto (the best part, really). It improves drastically with each listen... always a good sign. I'm not sure what it's going to do commercially, or if it's even a accurate depiction of what his upcoming album is going to sound like, but I'm definitely ready to hear more.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Follow me on twitter and facebook.