REVIEW #1: 80/100

​

There is a saying by Friedrich Nietzsche that goes "Without music, life would be a mistake". I just saw that on Facebook and I felt it was an appropriate way to begin a review of Brandon Flowers' extremely personal extended play, "ghost stories". Though he might be known for his work with The Killers, the Nevada-born singer seems to be trying to break out of that box by releasing an indie, acoustic-driven material about a "nuclear family" being destroyed by abuse. Although this is not the first singer to speak about such struggles, "ghost stories" takes a highly intimate approach that makes one feel like they are reading a diary.

 

Right away, the listener is being immersed into the world of this family. The child, whose perspective is the one the album is written from, acknowledges that he is stuck in a circle of arguments that will leave a mark on him as big as on his parents. "As long as I hide here (...), collecting dust under the bed" Brandon sings, telling us all about the boy's realization. He knows that his voice won't be heard, though he understands more than his parents think he does. On "running", we dive deeper into the strained relationship between the child and his father, something that's been hinted at in the opener of the EP. We learn that resentment has been built and a fear of becoming his father creeps from behind. Any feeling of love has been replaced by full on rejection and impatience for things to get better. The follow-up to the second track is "easier", a song about the family's behavior in public. The song bears a bitter and accusatory tone at how they all play pretend in front of other people, only to come home and "sleep with chairs against the door". Although the mother has barely been mentioned, the chorus seems to be, indirectly, addressing her inability to "see (she deserves) better", thus putting the boy through a life that he didn't feel like he deserves.

 

As we reach the second half of the material on "what about now", it seems like we've also reached a halfway point in the relationship between the child and the father. This time, Brandon sings about the boy standing up to his dad by refusing to let his mother sweep under the rug an abusive episode. Though simple, we understand that this is the song where the father is taken away from the home he's been terrorizing. The boy has had enough and refuses to let his mother sacrifice herself any longer, so he intervenes in an act of defiance to the man he's supposed to think of as his father. The chance at liberation comes next as "gone" talks about the father dying. And yet, what the boy is singing about is not joy that the abuser is gone, but guilt and an emptiness. Towards the end, the hatred slowly turns into regret. Regret for asking for an end to his abuse. "I don't excuse any of it", he sings, "but it was never what he wanted". Slowly, the boy realizes that his feelings aren't aimed towards the man that just died, but for "who he once was". On "ghost stories", the final and title track, Brandon sings the conclusion to this turbulent, yet short story. As he matures, the boy sees how, despite all the hatred he brewed in his heart for his father, him and his mother still miss his presence around. They've endured so much from him, yet they only remember "the man (they) loved and the man who loved (them)". The chorus, though, acknowledges that life did get better once he was gone, as they think of the past as "ghost stories".

 

Spawning 6 tracks and a 17 minute length, the material has a perfect length and tells the story perfectly, without having any sorts of duds of filler songs, as they all serve a purpose in the context of the storyline. When it comes to lyrics, the extended play has some really great lines. The strongest is by far the title track, as it works as the perfect closer for the story and details a sad, yet earned epilogue to a tragic tale. Though some parts of the album come across as too simple or clunky compared to the rest. Using the word "moan" in "running" was maybe the "biggest offender", but it didn't hurt the song enough to make it anything other than "good". Ironically, the follow-up track seems to be the best, as it not only gives a more round perspective about the EP's storyline, but it's also relatable for the millions of people who go through the same experience. "ghost stories" biggest fault may come perhaps in the production. While it is far from being bad, the EP keeps it safe with many piano-driven songs or guitar-driven songs (or a fusion of both) and instrumentals that give room for the lyrics to shine, but fail to make an impression if one tries to actually focus on them. "running" has by far the best production, while "what about now" stands out as a haunting and perfect fit for the song's subject. Although the longest on the album, "gone" stands out due to its length, which eventually starts to drag after the 3 minute mark.

 

All in all, "ghost stories" is a triumphant tale of a tragic story. Lyrically, the product is efficient and cohesive and doesn't stray away from the truth, no matter how uncomfortable. However, its biggest fault is the safe and sometimes dull production that gives the message almost too much room to grow. That being said, Brandon Flowers' debut solo record shows us that he has a lot of potential. Mixing a heart wrenching situation with beautiful lyricism, "ghost stories" offers us a great new addition to the industry and a new artist to watch this year.

​

​

​

 

REVIEW #2: 88//100

​

Brandon Flowers debut EP, following his departure from The Killers, is a massive step for him as an artist. Forming a new label, with management shared by stars such as Shawn Mendes and TRNT, Flowers has made clear he intends to create a platform in which he is free to release as he wishes, and what he wishes. With that freedom, Flowers has created a body of work that is not only true to his intentions, but also one of the most vulnerable and honest releases of the past few years.

 

The entire project finds itself following a core narrative of the tragic collapse of a family, focusing heavily on the events from the perspective of the teenager in the situation and presumably a representation of Flowers himself. Even in such a complex scenario, the narrative is beautifully explored throughout the six tracks, from the familiar everyday fears of “panic room” to the sudden and fittingly anticlimactic “gone”, the tracklist is clearly set out in a manner that allows each track to build on the last. Near the beginning, much of the content feels very reflective although this perspective gradually shifts into something much more in the moment, of course until the final conclusion of the title track.

 

Lyrically, there’s little doubt that Flowers has produced what is one of the best lyrical projects of the last year. With such an honest perspective, every line feels vulnerable yet elegant, at times feeling like words straight out of a diary. Lines are created that hold deep emotions within them, and are almost painful to hear. It’s clear that this project is hardly subtle, rather making everything clear for the listener. Perhaps this causes a few lines to feel slightly jarring, but that issue hardly outweighs the benefits. It reveals a few awkward lines at its worst, but allows an honest yet beautiful insight into this character’s mind at it’s best. One could argue that ambiguity would be just as powerful and perhaps welcomed in some instances, but Flowers ability to use raw emotions to create impactful and heartbreaking lyrics cannot be denied in instances such as “what about now” (don’t cry for him, he won’t cry for you; he won’t cry for what he’s put us through) and “running” (you complain that I don’t say “I love you” but at the end of the day; we both know you didn’t earn it). There’s a beauty in the simplicity of these lyrics and many more that create some of the album’s highlights.

 

Sonically, there are some incredible moments where the instrumentation of a track compliments the lyricism in a beautifully enhancing way. The last two tracks, which I would consider the highlight of the project, perhaps represent this the best with their enchanting instrumentals that are soft and muted much like the rest of the album, but are interesting enough to elevate the lyrics. For some other tracks to varying degrees, the instrumentation feels like it takes a backseat to the lyricism, which isn’t necessarily a terrible thing and doesn’t detract from the tracks themselves but it is enough to separate them from moments like the last two tracks. Still, when the lyricism is as strong as it is here, letting it shine is far from a negative thing.

 

One aspect of the album I do feel holds it back is the actual length of the project, coupled with it’s scope. Tackling a narrative of this nature is no easy task, especially in a project with a less than 20 minute runtime, although Flowers’ attempt is more than admirable. Still, with every track focusing on a different aspect of the story, I can’t help but wish some of them were longer. It doesn’t feel like a coincidence that the two highlights of the album (at least in my eyes) are the two tracks with a runtime over 3 minutes. “gone” and “ghost stories” have such a draw to them because we get the time to really dive into the thoughts and ideas presented in them. It doesn’t take away from the songs necessarily, but I would’ve loved those tracks to be longer so we could really get into them in the same way we do with those final two.

 

At the end of the day, “ghost stories” establishes Brandon Flowers as an artistic force to be reckoned with following his departure from The Killers. It’s rare to find a debut project where every moment feels as thought out and purposeful as this, and even rarer to find one with the emotion and vulnerability of Flowers’ debut EP. The project is absolutely a standout in a year of impressive releases, and it’s ability to tackle complex subjects and emotions in such an elegant manner deserves every praise. It’s clear Brandon Flowers is focused and committed to his work, which bodes well for when his first full length solo project releases in the near future.

​

​

​

​