LOVE

1. We Claim the Moon, a FLOWER KINGS-style debut, that's for sure; Hans still sings so well; the atmosphere reminds me of The Love Boat, in fact, the jazzy escapade at the end of the race is hard to digest, too focused, this track is a blast. 2. The Elder goes into symphonic territory bordering on elegiac, reminiscent of the great YES; the development is worth it for its marshmallow arrangements that make you want to sit down in the evening and stop thinking; symphony in the style of themselves and the youngsters of BIG BIG TRAIN; one of the current prog signatures of the last of the 70s dinosaurs. 3. How Can You Leave Us Now!? for its SERRA-like base from the 80s, for the AOR air of BOSTON from the love song era, for the bucolic and flowery side of GENESIS, for the bewitching ballad. Beautiful but overdone, bombastic and demonstrative. 4. World Spinning for Lalle's keyboard interlude leading to a soaring, invigorating orchestral prog. 5. Burning Both Edges for the epic track, a long progressive build-up oozing with overly sweet candy. For Roine's guitar solo, revealing his delicate and melting touch, yes, it's enticing; the Genesis-esque atmosphere I adored almost 50 years ago is still as beautiful but dries up with time; in short, a musical slap in the face for anyone who didn't know this band before. 6. The Rubble for the bluesy sound it exudes, a fruity mid-tempo that makes you want to invite your future partner to this slow jam reminiscent of SANTANA, with its atmosphere and guitar solo; very rhythmic, very fresh, groovy, inviting you to snap your fingers. The melting Hammond behind it.

7. Kaiser Razor for the second interlude, which makes your ears prick up even more. An expressive interlude reminding me of TOTO's 'Childs Anthem'; a short but intense moment, navigating between jazz, bossa, South American ambiance, and Scandinavian symphony. 8. The Phoenix for my favorite track, short and to the point, for its airy Yessian intro, a beautiful solemn track that doesn't just leave its nest. 9. The Promise for its country side with folk arpeggios, for its accordion, also settling down and showing that progressive rock comes from classical and popular music in fact; a beautiful ballad. 10. Love Is returns after these few short and remarkable tracks to the lands of Albion, eyeing GENESIS; a country sound, like a funfair, a small village clique. In short, a break after a flight, the symphonic melody joins the progressive, forgetting how well-crafted it is, superb. 11. Walls of Shame for the Gilmourian guitar intro, for the progressive twist; the FLOWER KINGS showed what they could do with a good copy/paste. Then they let loose; a bluesy solo with the organ of the time behind, Hans giving his gravelly voice, the synths and keyboard dripping their octaves, then the crystalline piano. 12. Considerations with the intro smelling good of KING CRIMSON, yes from afar but still; well, an intro that makes you dream, the crescendic rise to a castle, a pyramid, in short, an Olympian mount. Hans modulates his voice, the tone is more solemn before heading off into the territory of SPOCK'S BEARD from Neal's time. The track that connects you and connects you to symphonic prog with its clarity, much more refined than the last PATTERN SEEKING ANIMALS in comparison. A symphonic track that showcases Mirko accompanying Roine for a high-note finale.

A FLOWER KINGS with a FLOWER KINGS twist, in fact. Well, without more, it would be another band, one could call very good, disconcerting. (3.5)

We have a pretty good new album by The Flower Kings, their seventeenth studio release, to be precise, the aptly titled 'Love'; and with this rather plain and broadly-suggestive title, together with the gorgeous album art, this new TFK offering is definitely a mellower, harmonious and swiftly developing work, with the band turning their backs on their more explosive and instrumentally intense side, prioritizing songwriting, feel and melody above anything else, as it seems. The addition of Lalle Larsson as a full-time band member pays off rather brilliantly, as the experienced keyboard player brings a flavor of fusion to the mix and displays an overall classy performance with his vast array of keys and synths gracing the songs on the album. Michael Stolt, one of the founding members of the band continues to handle all bass duties, while relative newcomer Mirko DeMaio appears on his fifth TFK album, making him one of the longer-lasting drummers of the band. Hasse Fröberg provides some excellent vocals, while band leader Roine Stolt covers all other aspects of this work.

Musically, there is perhaps nothing incrementally different from the rest of the more recent Flower Kings albums, after the band's 2018 reincarnation, yet 'Love' seems to be a more consistent release with a decent flow and a good balance between shorter and longer entries. The album's pace is kept all within the lower registers here, with the music being really atmospheric and hypnotic at times, with some soulful guitar and keyboard solos. The vocal harmonies between Stolt and Fröberg are gorgeous and represent one of the key elements making up the swaying emotionality of 'Love'. And with a bit of blues, bit of influence from classical music, fusion and classic 70s prog, what the listener is in for here is a solid work by a band of veterans who are trying out to work on some more laid-back stuff.

Opening track 'We Claim the Moon' is among the highlights, it is a pacey and uplifting piece with that typical Flower Kings flamboyancy. 11-minute epic 'The Elder' is excellent, a moody and reflective piece, as is the third track 'How Can You Leave Us Now?'. 'Burning Both Edges' once again very melodic, some tremendous vocals are to be enjoyed here. Towards the end we get the fine pieces 'Walls of Shame' and the 10-minute album closer 'Considerations', a more typically-structured TFK song that works very well and has Michael Stolt doing the lead vocals. It is only in the middle that this album seems to be more uneventful, but overall, 'Love' is enjoyable and plentiful, if you are ready to embrace its oceanic sways.

Love, the latest Flower Kings album, finds the band in a gentle and low-key mood. Whereas the band's back catalogue is full of energetic, rambunctious, extremely busy and intricate music, Love finds Roine Stolt and company not averse to kicking back, calming down, and keeping it simple. That isn't to say they've stopped being prog by any stretch of the imagination - after all, think of how Yes, one of the Kings' major influences, wove moments of gentle beauty into their music in between the outbursts of technical wizardry, something which has always been something of a factor in the Kings' music.

Just because the pendulum's swung towards a quieter and more introspective approach doesn't mean this has become easy listening, mind - this is an album of melancholic contemplation of the state of the world, shot through with a strong vein of optimism and hope which is just the message we need to hear in the present moment. It's not a top-flight classic, but it surprised me at a point in the band's career when I wasn't expecting to be surprised, and that counts for something.

This week has an album that I have been looking forward to for a couple of months, since Hasse Fröberg put up a video of the pre-release single "How Can You Leave Us Now". The full album was released 5 days ago (as I type this? it'll be 10 days when I publish it). The album is called "Love". Please see my Spotlight on the band's long and complex history (Scott Rich on Facebook). The line-up for this album is mostly consistent with the previous album "Look at You Now" from 2023. (That album has one of my earliest, much more informal reviews on Facebook.) The only exception being that keyboardist Lalle Larson is now listed as a full member. The full line up is as follows:

- Roine Stolt / vocals, electric, acoustic, 6- & 12-string guitars, ukulele - Hasse Fröberg / vocals - Lalle Larsson / grand piano, Rhodes piano, Hammond B3, synthesizers - Michael Stolt / bass, moogbass, vocals - Mirko DeMaio / drums & percussion

With: - Hasse Bruniusson / percussion - Jannica Lund / vocals - Aliaksandr Yasinski / accordion - Jacob Collier / "world choirs"

There are two tracks over 10 minutes in length, while the rest range between 2 and 8 minutes in length. This is a mostly cold listen, having only heard "We Claim the Moon" and "How Can You Leave Us Now" previously. Without further ado, let's listen!

Track 1- We Claim the Moon

This begins with some sound effects fading in, then some marimba (I think), before a cut time beat and a cool riff with a 60's vibe kicks in. Great organ sound at around 40 seconds. The vocals from Hasse Fröberg begin at around 1 minute, before the riff takes back over. Beautiful arranging as we get ready for the first verse. There is more marimba or whichever similar percussion instrument that is prior to the vocals coming in fully. This is a high energy track! Nice harmonies around 2:30. The dynamic level comes down around the 3 minute mark, and Hasse sings with a jazzy backdrop. I love all of the dynamic shifts. The rhythm goes to a halftime beat before 4 minutes. Lots of full, lush chords there. It comes way down at around 5:15 and there is a very cool keyboard feature from Lalle Larson. There is a big finish at around 6:10, but then some sequenced synth sounds keep going that take us to the fade-out. Great, high-energy opening track!

Track 2 - The Elder

This is the longest one at 11:10. The title reminds me of 1981's "(Music From) The Elder" by KISS, the closest they ever got to prog, but I digress?

A glockenspiel melody starts us off here, establishing the melody that is soon repeated by vocals in harmony. I believe Hasse & Roine are alternating on vocals here. This one has an inspirational ballad vibe to it. After a verse/chorus, there is a pause then a drum fill leads us to a melodic guitar solo. There is a new melody following, starting with Roine's voice, then Hasse's. Things begin to build up at around the 4 minute mark. But then mellow out with a keyboard feature. The next verse is slightly more up-tempo. Another guitar solo follows. A sustained power chord takes us to ethereal keyboards, then a variation of the chorus, before an instrumental section begins in true FK's style. The instrumental brings us to a quieter vocal section sung by Roine. Then there is another keyboard feature. The music gets "big" at 10 minutes. This is a quintessential Flower Kings track. After a few guitar flourishes, the track fades out on sustained synth chords. A good solid FK track; I enjoyed it, even if it didn't blow me away.

Track 3 - How Can You Leave Us Now!?

Piano chords start us off, and Michal Stolt joins on fretless bass. Roine's vocals begin at around 40 seconds in. After a verse, there are classically influenced flourishes, joined by guitar, then synth. A harmony vocal section joins next. The drums have been limited to cymbal rolls and occasional accents so far. The drums become steady around 3:30 or so. Lead guitar joins in at just before the 5 minute point. A quieter section resolves the song. Good ballad. I can see why that was the lead off single.

Track 4 - World Spinning

This is one of the two tracks that are sub-3-minutes, and the shortest overall at 2:10. A nice amalgam of keyboard tones starts this off. Lalle Larson's presence is really felt on this album. There is a neat "hopping" tone before one minute. This seems to be a keyboard solo. I like it. I get some Wakeman influences. I wouldn't have minded a bit more of that.

Track 5- Burning Both Edges

This is the third longest track at 7:50. Foreboding sounds start this off, but they are softened by the keyboard sounds. Hasse is singing in a dreamy high-register tone. Nice key change at 1:45! I like the arrangement at around 2:15 with the layers of sound there. There are occasional panned synth flourishes over the vocals. This is a mid- tempo so far. The instrumental break around 3:40 is quite nice. Vocals return by 4:10. A guitar solo begins at around 4:35, that gives me Carlos Santana vibes. Synth takes back over around 5:15. Great run at 5:38. Excellent FK's BIG moment around 6:15! I think this one is my favorite so far! The ending has a nice crescendo. Great track!

Track 6 - The Rubble

This one has a bluesy vibe. I like the contrasting vocal and instrumental sections. Cool groove at 1:50. I like the conga drums. The chorus has a catchy hook "walking in the rubble, getting into trouble". At about 2:40 we have a guitar solo, followed by keyboard/guitar harmonies. We begin leading up to the finish at around the 4 minute mark, but it kind of just fizzles out. Pretty good, but I would have liked a more defined ending.

Track 7- Kaiser Razor

This is the other one that clocks in below 3 minutes at 2:32. An organ chord fades in and we get a big dramatic FK intro. Following that the piano takes the lead, with a nice drum pattern from Mirko. I like the rhythms in this. Excellent guitar run just before 1:30. This seems to be a nice little instrumental. It would make a good intro to an epic. Roine's guitar playing is on fire here. Great track, but I want more of it! I'm wondering if Kaiser Razor is the guy on the album cover?

Track 8 - The Phoenix

A slow fade in leads to a big strummed acoustic chord, then a slow tempo is established with bass & keys joining in. The vocals begin for a verse, then the drums join in. This seems to be a bit of a duet between Roine & Hasse. Roine takes a nice melodic guitar solo at around the 2 minute mark. Awesome harmonies around 3:10. The instruments fade out to bring us to a close. Beautiful ballad.

Track 9 - The Promise

A slow organ melody starts us off, then Roine begins singing with acoustic guitar and organ. There are some wonderful harmonies as we progress. There is accordion at around 1:20, then the band kicks in with a faster tempo. The sound is very charming. The drums drop out and the others play some call & response type melodies. Another verse follows. As we approach the ending there is a moment where they sing the word "celebrations" over and over in harmony. The instruments bring us to the conclusion of the song.

Track 10 - Love Is

Clean electric and unique vocals begin the song. The synths and other instruments play a few figures, then we get another BIG FKs moment, before the first full verse begins. Roine and Hasse are sharing vocal duties on this. Nice drum fill from Mirko at 2 minutes. That leads us into a transitional part, followed by what I can best describe as a "circus band march". Vocals join that beat. By 3 minutes we have returned to a more rock tone. Great accents at around 3:15. Lots of various melodies and tempo changes are happening here. Mirko gets a moment of unaccompanied drumming at around 5 minutes. This one has a very classic FKs sound. Great track!

Track 11 - Walls of Shame

This begins softly with some free time sound effects and guitar licks. The verse begins to give us some rhythm. The beat gets stronger as we proceed. Hasse seems to be taking the lead in the vocals on this one but Roine's voice is present too. This one is more mid-tempo. Nice wah-wah guitar solo around the 3 minute mark. This song is also signature FKs in sound. Roine and Hasse may be the only constants for the FK career, and Roine's brother Michael (an early member of the line-up) returned a couple of albums back, but Lalle and Mirko are doing a great job at creating the classic FKs tone. Hasse is giving a top-notch vocal performance as the song reaches its climax. Fantastic track!

Track 12 - Considerations

The final track is the second longest at 10:15. A drum fill leads us in, with what sounds like a mellotron in the prominent role. Roine's lead guitar takes over and by 1 minute he is using a slide. I love the piano and guitar flourishes during the transition from the intro to the next section. Things get quiet and dreamy keys and glockenspiel make a bed for the vocals, which are in a low register. I believe that this is Michal Stolt on lead vocals here; he sounds like a lower range version of his brother. There are some question and answer vocal harmonies as we proceed. Nice tempo change after 3 minutes. The instrumental sound is pure FKs, but Michael's vocal sound brings a new color to the palette. Roine takes a guitar solo around 5:30. Lalle follows with a fantastic synth solo. The music pauses briefly at 7 minutes, and there is a flute sound and harpsichord in a very classical sounding section, with Michael's vocals resuming. Then we get a big FKs guitar-led melodic instrumental section. Things seem to be building to a climax as the mellotron returns. There was a nice sweep picking arpeggio from Roine right around 9 minutes. Things quiet down before a crescendo brings us to the closing. Harmony vocals sort of float by in the final seconds. Amazing track!!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

This is a solid album overall, even though some of the songs along the way do seem a bit mellow and not as energetic as I might have preferred. That said, the songs are all well-written, arranged, and produced. It kicks off energetically on track 1, then eases off for a bit on tracks 2 and 3, before picking up again on tracks 4-7. It eases off again on tracks 8 and 9 then finishes strong on the final three tracks. 2, 3, 8, and 9 aren't bad, just not as strong as the others to me. I'll give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Roine and company are still a force to be reckoned with in the prog world!

Clicked 4 but really 4.5!

This latest from legendary Swedish symphonic Prog band The Flower Kings (their 17th album overall and 5th since re-forming in 2019) is a strong entry, and possibly the best of their recent string of albums, but takes a gentler, mellower tone overall than much of their previous work, emphasizing melodies and intricate instrumental tapestries. Consisting of 12 tracks and a 71 minute run-time, the band stretches out on several tracks, creating some moving, emotional themes. Led by longtime members Roine Stolt (guitars and vocals) and Hans Froiberg (vocals) and the welcome recent addition of Lalle Larsson on keyboards, the band weaves their way through a variety of pleasing songs, with the highlights definitely being the fabulous instrumental virtuosity and melodic intricacies, showcased best in the extended instrumental breaks in several songs, as well as in the two all-too-short instrumental tracks, World Spinning and Kaiser Razor. The vocal sections feature some fine melodies and harmonies, but the vocals themselves are just OK, and a bit too extensive, in that in some places the vocals seem to weigh down the songs a bit, and the songs come alive more in the instrumental sections. I would prefer the band to showcase more of the instrumental aspects and use the vocals more sparingly where they can better provide a boost to the songs (a lesson they could learn from Lars Froislie). Still, a solid, very good album, but just doesn't quite compare with the best of their earlier albums. Best Tracks: Considerations, World Spinning, Kaiser Razor, The Rubble, Love Is, Walls of Shame, We Claim the Moon. Rating: 3.5

If it wasn't for the last track 'Consideration' then this album would be consigned to the great Flower kings cupboard where it would gather dust having only appeased as a brief flirtation. I mean, there's 70 minutes worth of music, as if quantity will sway the argument towards greatness. Sadly, it won't. A 50 minute album of tighter and more rememberable songs would be preferable. If there's one thing that TFK's do do well, then it's a final song, and 'Consideration' is one such example. It stands out above anything else on the album, and let's hope that the band play it live when they tour. Other than that. I fear the rest will be forgotten amongst other post 2007 default offerings (with the exception of 'Evolution' from 2022's 'By royal decree'.) Yes, TFK fans will get on with it okay, but they may also have wished that the band looked more towards Art rather than simply going through the motions once again.