By Aaron Calvin, Special to The Chronicle

All music is relative. When listening to music, the listener automatically considers it in context with everything the he or she has heard before, all the bands and songs that they have loved or hated over the years, but also in the context of what they have come to expect from individual artists. Considering this, Brandon Flowers’ solo debut, “Flamingo,” is not a great album, but it is the best material he’s produced in years.

Since the band he usually fronts, The Killers, is on hiatus, Flowers has decided to put out a solo album that pretty much sounds like his old band. The album begins by displaying his usual penchant for all things Sin City. “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” begins and you know something is different, steel guitar working its way around the edges of the track before it swells into a more honestly anthemic chorus than Flowers has played since “Hot Fuss.”

Luckily, the opener serves as a good indicator for whats to come. The airy synths are on full blast as Flowers goes into another one of his favorite topics on “Only The Young.” The album could’ve easily lapsed into lethargy with the pseudo-balled “Hard Enough,” but  throwing indie darling Jenny Lewis into the mix gives it enough buoyancy to keep the album afloat.

“Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts” easily comes off as one of the album highlights, allowing for as angry a feel as the pop/ alt rock genre will allow. Unfortunately, the earnestness of the track seems to be too much for the record to handle, as it slows down immediately into “Playing With Fire,” a song mired in bored-at-the-disco feel. The pace gets jaunty again with “Was It Something I Said” and “Magdelena,” but doesn’t quite regain the momentum it held at the beginning.

The obvious single and catchiest song on the record, “Crossfire,” comes to the rescue. With a catchy pop formula, the song stands out from the surrounding tracks. It also works as the album’s climax, as the final two tracks take a deep plunge in quality. “On The Floor” drags itself around while Flowers gives us his best Elvis impersonation, sounding more like a parody than an homage. The final track, “Swallow It,” comes off as an attempt at experimentation, but just ends up being a song with a bad metaphor and ‘80s New Wave feel.

“Flamingo,” presents itself as an honest attempt by a man who had nothing to do while his band wasn’t around. It’s the best Flowers has sounded since “Hot Fuss,” but it’s not the best album I’ve heard since “Hot Fuss.”