Better when he was young

Brandon Flowers’ solo strike-out, “Flamingo,” takes the ’80s-flavored, dirty disco rampage that has worked with his band The Killers and writes an autobiography.

Sort of.

Unfortunately for fans of The Killers, Flowers’ lyrics and delivery don’t paint a very interesting picture.

The lyrics throughout the album vaguely hint at the euphemisms of The Killers’ 2006 hit, “When You Were Young.” Spoke-sung references to “slipping through time” and “biting off more than you can chew” are juxtaposed with pseudo-zen musical accompaniment. 

The problem here is no one is sure, in Flowers’ 10-year career as a professional musician, how to decipher what he’s learned from his early days on the Vegas strip.  Songs such as “Crossfire” and “Playing with Fire” are burdened with well-intended epithets that somehow fall flat.

It’s too bad, really. Flowers — a sexy, stylish Mormon who has been at the center of controversy with statements criticizing Green Day and Panic! At the Disco — actually has a lot to say. 

This album is an example of what can happen when a lead singer of a hit band breaks out and bites his tongue. At least the album remains true to its title — flamingos are cursed with wings that can’t take flight.