STARDUST WE ARE

"Stardust We Are" is the first of many double-disc albums from The Flower Kings. While the first two Flower Kings albums that preceded this one are great, "Stardust We Are" captures the band firing on all cylinders from a creativity standpoint. Considering that this album is one hundred thirty minutes long, the music is flawless. This is also the first album where Hasse Fröberg is regarded as a proper Flower Kings member. "Stardust We Are" contains themes interspersed throughout the album that eventually culminate into the epic twenty-five minute title track, which I will analyze and gush about ad nauseam at a later point in this review. There is a good mixture of long prog songs, shorter pop songs, and brief interludes, all of which are like pieces of a jigsaw; when connected, these songs form a cohesive album. Though "Stardust We Are" is not a concept album, it does deal with lyrical and musical themes in the beginning of circus clowns, which may seem odd, but it's thought of more metaphorically than it is literally. Clowns are typically viewed as happy people, but sometimes the people that appear happy externally aren't always happy internally.

The album opens with "In the Eyes of the World," which has an almost Halloween quality. This song is high energy and adrenaline-pumping. "In the Eyes of the World" is a great live number, as evident on the "Instant Delivery" DVD. The chorus is grand, especially with Hasse Fröberg's soaring backing vocals. This is one of my favorite Flower Kings songs and is a perfect opener to the album. "A Room with a View" is a Tomas Bodin instrumental interlude. The chords used in the piece are jazzy and soothing which accompanies a nice melody. "Just This Once" starts off in an unconventional fashion, but it all makes sense once the rest of the instrumentation enters. Tomas Bodin's keyboard work throughout this song is riveting. "Church of Your Heart" begins with engrossing guitar harmonies that lead into the song, which has a strong Yes flavor. This is especially apparent when Hasse Fröberg is singing, as his voice reminds me of Jon Anderson at times. This song is gorgeous and ebbs and flows beautifully throughout its nine minute duration. "Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar" is another instrumental interlude that contains interplay between two acoustic guitars. This piece is tranquil and peaceful, especially after the bombast that preceded it.

"The Man Who Walked with Kings" is another instrumental piece and starts with organ and classical guitar. It gradually builds into a heavier song with impressive lead guitar playing from Roine Stolt. "Circus Brimstone" is a twelve minute instrumental. When I first listened to this track, I didn't understand it. Over time, it grew on me as it is currently my favorite Flower Kings instrumental. As the title suggests, the song permeates with a circus feeling due to the off-kilter rhythms and instrumentation. The music is unsettling at times, like the circus can be. This is especially true after the midpoint of the song where the music starts to build up after the brief moment of silence. During this section, the guitar and keyboard interplay is exquisite and it's topped off with creepy, high-pitched laughter. There are even moments when the music becomes heavy, at least for Flower Kings standards, as The Flower Kings are not a particularly heavy band. "Circus Brimstone" bleeds seamlessly into "Crying Clown," which is a strange waltz interlude. "Compassion" closes the first disc in a dark manner. The track is eighth minutes and forty seconds in duration, but the actual song is four minutes and forty-five seconds with a hidden track at the end. On the Stardust We Are 2022 remastered version, the hidden track is entitled "Hidden Dust" and contains odd sounds which I'm not quite sure how the band created.

The second disc is as great as the first disc. "Pipes of Peace" opens the second disc and is a pipe organ instrumental interlude which serves as musical foreshadowing of the title track. "The End of Innocence" is an interesting song with impressive Tomas Bodin piano playing. The album increases in energy on "The Merrygoround," which during the first half is uptempo and fun, and the second half is sombre with a great Roine Stolt guitar solo. The music brilliantly encapsulates childhood naivety, which is the antithesis of the track that preceded it, creating a satisfying juxtaposition. "Don of the Universe" is an instrumental jam that uses the main "Stardust We Are" theme as the cornerstone of the piece. Håkan Almkvist is featured on this track and plays sitar and tabla, which gives the music a strong Hindustani quality. "A Day at the Mall" is a short Bodin instrumental that leads into one of my favorite songs on the album, "Different People." This song is a beautiful pop song with great melodies and moving lyrics about how we are all intrinsically different from each other, which is a remarkable thing. "Kingdom of Lies" is a great, melodic rock song that showcases Hasse Fröberg's lead vocals well. "If 28" is a gorgeous piano instrumental interlude that familiarizes the listener with the "Stardust We Are" themes before the piece has even started. "Ghost of the Red Cloud" is another favorite of mine as it further proves that the band can successfully write short pop songs in addition to writing some of the most riveting progressive rock of all time.

"Hotel Nirvana" is an eerie prelude that acts as the calm before the storm; the storm of course being the epic twenty-five minute title track. This piece is, for my money, on the same level as "Supper's Ready" by Genesis and "Neverland" by Marillion. Every moment and section of this song is spellbinding and the musicianship is superb. From the start of the piece, you experience a déjà vu moment where you ask yourself, "Wait a minute, surely I've heard this before." Throughout the song, the listener experiences that, and that's because you have heard this before. The Flower Kings insidiously implanted themes into the brain of the listener prior to the title track, creating this wonderful effect at the end of the album. This is when all the pieces of the puzzle come together, and you, the listener, sit back, overwhelmed by its ethereal beauty. The melody in 9/8 time that appears about a third of a way through the piece and at the end is exquisite. Later in the piece, the music dies down and Tomas Bodin plays delicate piano arpeggios that twinkle like stars in the night sky... oh wait, that's clever. This section leads into the climax of the song which contains one of Hasse Fröberg's most intense vocal performances. The only way I can describe the chorus is that it's magical. As my family can attest to, I love to sing this part of the song in my room often. Outside of the magnificent music, another reason this song resonates with me profoundly are the lyrics. Whenever I feel sad, the lyrics to "Stardust We Are" help me feel better. We all came from the stars, which is truly astounding. Because of that fact, we are close to Divinity in a way. That should make everyone feel special.

In conclusion, "Stardust We Are" by The Flower Kings is essential and a masterpiece of progressive rock music. I know many individuals who claim that the seventies was the peak of progressive rock. While I agree that the seventies contains some of the greatest music ever recorded, it was not the peak. The second and third wave of progressive rock, in my humble opinion, is equally as great as the first wave. This is my favorite Flower Kings album as it contains many of my favorite songs from the band, and the flow of the album is impeccable.