MUSIC REVIEW: The Flower Kings - Flower Power

"Prog rock. Lots of it."

The obvious highlight of this 2CD set is the massive suite "Garden of Dreams." Normally, this would be enough to satisfy the material for one album, but the Flower Kings better the package with another 80 or so minutes of music. A great deal, at the very least.

The 60-minute epic "Garden of Dreams" is divided into eighteen parts, and they run the aural gamut with countless musical styles. Gothic orchestral moments, straight ahead crass rock n' roll, virtuoso insanity, even some light opera (!), and way more. The suite is easily faulted for a lack of focus...even after several listens you won't pick up any musical or lyrical themes tying it all together. It just seems to disjointed overall. Nonetheless, taking each part on its own, the bits are pretty good. Recall every progressive rock cliché in the world, and you'll see that "Garden of Dreams" exemplifies all of them. Whether that's good or bad is up to you. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more unity or natural 'flow' to give "Garden of Dreams" the feel of a cohesive song.

To many "Garden of Dreams" will be the highlight, but the rest of the album's material is good enough to capture one's attention. Disc 2's eclectic collection of tunes has a lot of great stuff, but I suspect that some people won't like everything that's offered. It's plain to see that the Flower Kings are a peppy bunch, going for positive, happy progressive music over the turgid drama of some other prog artists. The silly ballad "Magic Pie" is delightfully serene (completely weird lyrics though), "Deaf, Numb & Blind's" tempo changes and Eastern chord progressions are fun, while "Stupid Girl" features a great jam moment at the end of song. These are just some of the highlights. There are countless more, but I don't want to get carried away.

As with most prog bands, all of FK's musicians are very tight. Main songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Roine Stolt excels in the art of songcraft. He has a prog musician's knack for complexity and a pop producer's sense of melody. The album is brimming with catchy moments. Even though the lyrics are generic, even silly, in the context of the songs they work. One unique point about the Flower Kings is their use of two lead vocalists, Stolt and Hans Froberg. While Froberg is certainly the better singer, Stolt's vocal stylings are more suited to rock music, while Froberg's voice fits better for the mellower moments (like "Magic Pie" and part 8 of "Garden of Dreams"). I feel that this mix makes certain moments of the Flower Kings' music much more effective.

A good album, but it's very tough to take it all in...after all, there's a lot of material here. For those who love prog-style excesses, great playing, and catchy songs, The Flower Kings have your number. If you're trying this band out for the first time, I recommend starting with one of the band's shorter albums, like Space Revolver or maybe Retropolis. Or just go hardcore and check out my favorite of theirs, the other double-album Stardust We Are.

MUSIC REVIEW: The Flower Kings - Stardust We Are

"Solid album, less filler than you might expect."

Swedish prog rockers The Flower Kings are an accomplished group of musicians with influences deeply rooted in the 70s' progressive scene. The most prominent influences I hear are Yes, Genesis, and ELP, but there's lots more here. There are times when The Flower Kings veer dangerously close to aping their prestigious influences, but luckily they are skilled composers who can rely on their own imagination and less on the established conventions of the genre.

Stardust We Are is a monster of an album, spanning two discs for about 140 minutes of music. One might suspect that such an lengthy studio work would contain reams of filler material, but actually this is not the case. For the most part, Stardust We Are is a strong collection of songs. With a few tracks the album slips into mediocrity, but when the albums shines its demonstrates proggy excellence.

The energetic opener "In the Eyes of the World" is a good dose of solid progressive music, but it's far from the best this disc has to offer. "Church of Your Heart" is one of the most perfect epic prog ballads I've ever heard. The vocal melodies in the ten-minute ballad are completely engaging, with vocalists Roine Stolt and Hans Froberg trading leads to inject the most emotion into any given verse. After this, the album moves into instrumental territory. "Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar" is a pleasant treat to some low-key acoustic wizardry from Roine. "The Man Who Walked With Kings" is an AWESOME, grandiose and uplifting instrumental that evokes an epic journey. "Circus Brimstone" is a crazy instrumental, whose dynamics are enough to provide plenty of steam for its 12 minute length. It's pretty wacky stuff. The first disc closes with "Compassion," where Roine Stolt reveals one of his less prominent influences, Pink Floyd. There's a very cool instrumental section at the end (pushing the song beyond the indicated length), which is like Floyd's "On the Run" taken to the next level. The mesmerizing synthesizers make for an engaging section.

The second disc is as strong as the first, even though some average songs drag it down. The quick little instrumental "Pipes of Peace," where the band introduces the recurring theme from the massive title track, is strictly pipe organ, and it has a soaring, stately sound. "The End of Innocence" is melancholy and quite frankly I find it a little boring, but the next track, "The Merrygoround" compensates for this. As the name implies, it is a light, happy song, completely enjoyable. "Don of the Universe" is another big instrumental, this time not as overtly quirky as "Circus Brimstone," but still laudable. "Different People" and "Kingdom of Lies" are merely average pop/rock songs. Not bad, but not too memorable. "If 28" is a nice piano-only track. No pompous musicianship here, it's just a nice, melodic song. "Ghost of the Red Cloud" is cool, and I dig the faint Celtic touch. After yet another mini-instrumental, the album moves into its 25-minute magnum opus, "Stardust We Are." Here we have three sections and myriad musical ideas seamlessly merged together, forming a big prog epic. Unfortunately, like most of the Flower Kings long songs, it's awfully random, without much unity. The first two sections, sung by Roine Stolt, are plainly his best vocal performances. Before the inspiriting final movement launches, Tomas Bodin performs an killer classical piano solo (I'm a piano nut). Froberg sings the final section, with lots of emotional power and showing that he is probably the better singer between Roine and himself. The soaring chorus comes close to giving me goose-bumps.

So out of 140 minutes of music, there's probably 20 minutes that fail to impress. If you want to get mathematical, that makes for about 86% great music, which is enough to qualify for a solid rating, in my book. Not to mention the fact that the album is a great value, costing only a little. That's like two great prog albums for the price of one. Not a bad deal by any standard.

The Flower Kings - Space Revolver

Pretty good modern prog album.


The Flower Kings' music took me awhile to warm up to. Maybe I've never fully warmed up to it. Sometimes prog is easily accessible and it becomes more engaging as you pick up the wonderful nuances of each song. Not so with Flower Kings. While it has its catchy moments and moments of awesome progginess, you can't really appreciate this one until you spend a lot of time listening to it. If you're already a Flower Kings fan, it won't take as long, but it's still a bit of 'work'.

But it's worth it... mostly! The two part epic "I Am the Sun" (that opens and closes the album) is brilliant, weaving intricate soundscapes and moving from heavy moments to a more jazzy groove (and many other changes) very smoothly. "Dream on Dreamer" is a ethereal, strange song that doesn't really seem to serve much purpose aside from moving into the next track. The cool instrumental "Rumble Fish Twist" is a crazy 8-minute ride...it's exhilarating and fun at first, but then it changes and becomes a slow, lugubrious tune that leaves you feeling down (in a good sort of way). "Monster Within", one of the album's longer tracks, took a really long time to really get into (for me, at least), but it's strong prog moments make it one of the better tunes. The song seems to meander a bit at times though and loses focus. A common issue with Flower Kings epics. "Chicken Farmer Song" is a silly, upbeat tune that remains the catchiest song on the album even if it's the cheesiest (it's probably a guilty pleasure to like it, but whatever...it's cool). "Underdog," "Slave to Money" and "A King's Prayer" are all solid tracks, while "You Don't Know What You've Got" -- which is principally a pop song -- is okay but it sounds like something you'd hear on Lite FM.

All in all this is a good album, but although I like Flower Power and Stardust We Are more. If you're new to Flower Kings, I'd go with one of those. If you're already a fan, pick this one up.

Transatlantic - SMPTe

"Grade A prog rock!"

Being a moderate-to-HUGE fan of all the musicians involved (from Spock's Beard, Flower Kings, Dream Theater, and Marillion), I knew this was something I had to pick up. I was absolutely blown away! This entire album simply oozes excellent musicianship out of every pore.

SMPTe is a fine homage to the progressive greats of the past -- you know 'em, Genesis, Yes, ELP...all those folks. Indeed, it does sound a _little_ derivative in parts... but the songs are so excitingly arranged and performed that it's less deleterious than it could be. Despite Mike Portnoy's (drummer, Dream Theater), there's absolutely no metal present in this album. He proves that he's a very versatile drummer capable of playing any kind of song. This is definitely rock... however, because of Neal Morse (head honcho from Spock's Beard), there's a pop element present in vocal melodies unusually catchy and "light."

Of course, this album is bound to offend some people. There are those that think only the 70s prog bands are prog, and therefore anything coming afterward is not prog and is automatically awful. If that's you, don't buy this. There's also those that think prog shouldn't have a trace of pop melodic craftsmanship or charm. With TransAtlantic's pop-like vocal melodies and harmonies, you'll also hate this, so stay away.

This is some of the best progressive rock I've heard in years...a solid digression from "try-hard" prog that just doesn't quite cut it. The 30 minute masterpiece "All Of The Above" alone warrants purchasing this album. It's one of the best prog epics in decades! Recurring musical themes, topnotch musicianship, great melodies and arrangements. Also, don't be fooled by the fact that there are only five songs - this CD clocks in at 77 minutes. Just like the good ol' days, huh?

Another merit of this album that isn't so obvious is that it may lead you to some great bands. For example if you're a Flower Kings fan picking this up because of Stolt's involvement, you may go on to explore Neal Morse's band Spock's Beard. There's all kinds of opportunities here! Buy this...it's a little more old-fashioned than the contemporary progressive music scene, but the music is great, and that's what matters.