Brandon Flowers took an 80's risk three years ago today, dropping his lead single “Can't Deny My Love.” The single and album was produced by musical genius
Ariel Rechtshaid (Sky Ferreira, HAIM, Vampire Weekend) and was released on
March 23rd, 2015 officially kickstarting
“The Desired Effect” era. After
The Killers decided to take yet another hiatus after “
Battle Born,” Flowers was determined to get his new solo music heard on the radio by teaming up with Ariel Rechtshaid after listening to Vampire Weekend's newest album at the time. This time around Brandon recorded an album that was more in vein of the pop sound he adored growing up from his idols such as
The Pet Shop Boys and
The Police. The outcome? 2015's
The Desired Effect and the follow up to his debut solo album and 2010's
Flamingo. On the three-year anniversary of this album's era, let us have a
#ONTDThrowbackThursdaylook at the singles, the visuals and overall impact from this underrated album! Perhaps I'll have to revisit
Carly Rae Jepsen's E•MO•TION since both these albums were released around the same time and are simply 80's perfection! Talk about a
King and
Queen!
“Can't Deny My Love” — Released: March 23, 2015“Still Want You” — Released: April 13, 2015“Lonely Town” — Released: April 27, 2015“I Can Change” — Released: May 4, 2015Video description: The music video was inspired by the
1835 Puritan short story Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Flowers plays the protagonist who leaves his wife played by actress
Evan Rachel Wood for some unknown errand in the desert despite her plead that he stay. On his journey he meets a man with a black staff played by
Richard Butler (of the Psychedelic Furs). Soon he discovers a group of townspeople assembled in robes carrying out witchcraft like ceremonies and discovers his wife among them. The townspeople notice him but as they approach the scene instantly vanishes and he awakes uncertain whether the previous night's events were real or a dream. He passes by several of the townspeople and returns to his wife.
Fun Fact: Originally,
M Night Shyamalan was expected to direct the video in the Northeast but at the last second
Robert Schober (My Chemical Romance, The Killers) was asked to film the video in Calico, San Bernardino County, California.
Video description: The black and white music video was directed by Warren Fu (Daft Punk, The Killers, Haim). The video portrays Flowers and two backup singers in black and white dancing and singing.
Video description: The music video follows around a young woman (Penelope Mitchell) while doing random things around her house with headphones on while dancing to the song. Someone is watching her from outside her window. The video is retro-styled and
perhaps a nod to 80's slasher flicks and the classic
Halloween by
John Carpenter.
Fun Fact: This song is a spiritual continuation/sequel to
The Police'sEvery Breath You Take.Video description: The video features clips from Brandon's tour and live performance of the song at Brixton Academy situated in Brixton, south London, England.
Fun Fact:“
I Can Change” features a vocal recording of
Neil Tennant (of the Pet Shop Boys) taken via a cell phone answering machine. Flowers has said of the recording: “We just talked about it, and we just had this gap in a verse and we needed to stick something in there. We were talking about it being a speaking part, and the greatest musical 'speaker' is Neil Tennant! His voice is like no other. I texted him if he would — he didn't even hear the song or the tempo or anything, I just texted him this line. I asked, will you send us a voicemail of yourself saying, 'When you're looking for a change'? And that was it. He sent us a voice memo, and we stuck it onto the track, from the phone. It was done within 20 seconds.”
“Can't Deny My Love” — Live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon“Still Want You” — Live at Lollapalooza Chile 2016“Lonely Town” — Live on The Late Late Show with James Corden“I Can Change” — Live on The Graham Norton ShowONTD, what's your favorite song from this era?Sources:Me -
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