Brandon Flowers – Plans Review

Eleven years on from his last solo album, Brandon Flowers is back with Thrasher. His lead single, Plans, pulls him out of the pleasant pop arena he struck with The Killers. He works well there, but better here. A striking piece of work from the veteran frontman who promised in recent years to revisit his solo discography. So he has, and what he finds is a natural ability to transfer that exceptional vocal range into new genres. His interest and occasional nod to country music, more through the mood and unity than the tempo and tone of this sound, has bled into The Killers’ recent work. Hearing Flowers now attempt a full-tilt contemporary country album is a wonderful dig into those Las Vegas roots. Shocking, truly. In a good way, that is. Flowers has offered himself up as a pop superstar from Mr. Brightside onwards but his lower octave choice on Plans is sensational. A welcome experience to say the least. A surprise, too.  

Sentimentally charged, nicely touched up with a few string sections and backing vocalists, but Plans is relying on the fundamentals of country music. A strong vocalist and a stronger story worth taking on the trail. Flowers has exactly that with Plans. It’s a tearjerker and it feels like he has come full circle. He’s making good on plans drawn up years ago. Nothing short of sensational. Big name bands can afford their frontperson and occasionally the guitarist a side project or two. When it comes to the songwriting style Flowers has, he’s best known for catchy hits and a contemporary touch which keeps The Killers alive. But this strips that up-tempo pop sound away and leaves him with a focus for the lyrics that hasn’t ever been fully afforded to his work outside of the mega hits made worse by overplayed pub DJs. Plans, however, is a welcome reminder of Flowers’ songwriting charm. He hasn’t lost a step, just the instrumentals around him aren’t quite showcasing his skills.  

He has plenty to offer on Plans, a country song which holds its own. Think of the best in the genre, be it the wandering tale or the call to righteous arms. Plans has both. That want of an embrace, the delivery from Flowers and the backing vocalists just pushing the song along that little bit further, it’s nothing short of beautiful. One of the best songs Flowers has ever managed to write, and the bar is high. He is a popstar at heart but his passion knows, by the sounds of it, no bounds. He’s written up a real storm here and much of Plans relies on the thrill of acoustic-backed music to send it up properly. Plans is a wonderful musing on what the country genre can do. Flowers sits inside a cabin, watching the seasons pass him by and questions what he did to land himself where he is now.  

A healthy musing to make. How we end up where we are is a question worth asking and interpreting for as long as the mind may allow. Flowers is a man whose position is often on the stage of an arena or, more recently, at the opening of the UEFA Champions League. How someone gets to that stage and yet, by the sounds of it here, holds onto his humility, is a story worth hearing. What a beautiful voice. That’s what receives the spotlight here. Flowers’ wonderful vocal strength and his songwriting thrills. He has a voice that fills a room and containing that in a song where the instrumentals are not fighting for that standout moment feels much more natural than some of his pop-adjacent works. A truly strong tearjerker that calls on a listener to mount a particularly simple action. Think about where you are and what you did to get there. Those answers surprise Flowers, and they may surprise a listener, too.