Flower Kings Appreciation Thread

dennismoore wrote: About the new album, Roine released this statement: "Being somewhat of a political statement, the epic theme of "Desolation Rose" is a logical step in a time where perpetual war, famine, environmental threats, religious conflicts dominate the media and our minds. This is a time to wake up and the music on this album takes you on a journey where you are forced to questions what the mainstream media feed us and to rethink your whole world view on all of the above. This is in many ways a typical Flower Kings album but we have also taken it into another realm where we do take chances and where you may struggle to get into the music - or the lyrics - but trust me when I say that you will be rewarded, as this may be our most involved, important and interesting album ever." (Roine Stolt - Sept 2013) Well, I for one really couldn't give a rats bottom either way, as I have never looked to lyrics to guide me or provide relief from an always uncertain and way too violent human condition... My favorite band, by far is YES, yet I never thought for one second, JA was doing jack-sh*t to save our Mother Earth... Why?   Simple.  We PAY $$$ for this stuff!!!   When someone gives hard earned $$$ for a commercial venture there is a reasonable expectation of simple "enjoyment", wow, what a concept. For people looking for salvation or repair or healing or vindication from a product you pay for is too unbelievable to comprehend frankly. However, having said all this from a logical standpoint, I do applaud Roine for taking this stand, because before I was kinda sick of his recurring doom & gloom stand, but when I look around I see he is right.  The vast majority of people are completely clueless and have no informed opinions of their own and simply parot the over-paid hate mongers in the media. So...  Good for you Roine, do whatever makes you happy.  I for my part will do what I always do: Pop in the new record and see if I get goosebumps on my skin or see if it fascinates me on a pure musical level, just like the new Sanguine Hum CD has done. I know bands have been singing words for decades.  I just have no idea whatsoever what they are talking about and I couldn't care less.  (Except when Paul McCartney sang "Get back! Loretta!"  I do think I know what he meant...) God Bless Everybody here. :) DM

While I pretty much agree with all this, I happen to enjoy good lyrics quite a lot.  They are certainly not required for me to like something, and there is plenty of prog stuff I love with daft or just terrible lyrics (Neal Morse, anyone? .... or DT's Dark Clouds album, especially.........a rare example where they lyrics are SO bad, they ruin the music for me).

I've never expected any album (or art of any kind, for that matter) to "change the world" or to bring me any sort of salvation, and I can't imagine anyone who does (though in my younger days, I think it was a bit different).

It's just that for me, The Flower Kings WERE different in that they didn't always focus on  the negative (like practically every other prog and rock band in the world since at least the late 80's).  They were an oasis of positivity in the desert of bleak and depressing lyrics.  Alas, they have now chosen to be like everyone else and emphasize what's wrong with the world rather than what is right (and there are still things right with the world, as there always have been and always will be).

You also have to understand that as a general rule, I have always preferred darker music with dark topics for lyrical inspiration (not outright Satanism, which is just silly really, or total negativity......just the darker sides of life and people and places).  So for me, The Flower Kings (and Yes before them) were just something different when I wanted something to enhance a positive mood or to just help me feel better in general (Grateful Dead are excellent for that as well, but I'm talking prog only here).

Anyway, it's not a big deal to me if the music is great.  I just feel that the music on Banks is decidedly NOT great......for the Flower Kings, anyway.  I'm hoping the new album will be an improvement for me and will blow me away musically.  Then I won't care if all the lyrics are dark and depressing so much.  I'll still be a little disappointed though that Roine choose to stop being different and decided to just go with the crowd when it comes to lyrics and the mood of albums and songs.

Nov wrote: First taster from the new album  https://soundcloud.com/pale-rider-1/flower-kings-desolation-rose Nice!!

Nov wrote: Nov wrote: First taster from the new album  https://soundcloud.com/pale-rider-1/flower-kings-desolation-rose Nice!! Hello? Did everyone miss this?

Edited by Horizons - September 23 2013 at 17:26

Nov wrote: Nov wrote: First taster from the new album  https://soundcloud.com/pale-rider-1/flower-kings-desolation-rose Nice!! Hello? Did everyone miss this?

 
I refuse to listen .  I don't do snippets and I'd rather wait for the album and listen to it properly.

That won't stop me from asking what you think of it though .

Roj wrote: Nov wrote: Nov wrote: First taster from the new album  https://soundcloud.com/pale-rider-1/flower-kings-desolation-rose Nice!! Hello? Did everyone miss this?   I refuse to listen .  I don't do snippets and I'd rather wait for the album and listen to it properly. That won't stop me from asking what you think of it though .

Same here.........I'd rather wait to hear the whole thing.

Hm, Looks like we have a polarisation here - Those who are lyrically motivated and those who are not - Me I wish that every CD was supplied with the Music for tracks WITHOUT the lyrics (On a bonus CD) or at least versions of the best tracks extended with the overblown monumental solos that progressive rock must have if it's to be taken seriously by me....

Roj wrote: M27Barney wrote: Hm, Looks like we have a polarisation here - Those who are lyrically motivated and those who are not - Me I wish that every CD was supplied with the Music for tracks WITHOUT the lyrics (On a bonus CD) or at least versions of the best tracks extended with the overblown monumental solos that progressive rock must have if it's to be taken seriously by me....   I know DT have done this, an instrumental version of the album on special editions of some of their albums, Black Clouds and Silver Linings for one. Having seen some people's opinions of that album (COT in particular) I'm surprised this version isn't popular.

I have the CD - But the count of Tuscany instrumental version misses out on all the good guitar work - so it is in fact different and inferior to the version with singing.

Progrock mag has a new video of the band in the studio. They all look exhausted and Tomas checks his phone most of the time:)

Also, on the yahoo group list, Roine said new 3rd world next fall.

http://www.progrockmag.com/news/flower-kings-froberg-doubted-album-would-work/


here's the video.

Presently sat on a train on the way from Birmingham to Manchester, listening to Back In The World of Adventures and specifically the gorgeous Theme For A Hero.

I've always been a sucker for train journeys and this makes it even better.