ISLANDS

The return of The Flower Kings in 2019, after some six years of artistic pause, was an event to be celebrated, as these Swedes are among the top prog rock bands of the 90s generation without a doubt, owing this to their eclectic retro sound as well as the cast of extremely talented musicians that have taken part. And after a fine return to form with 'Waiting for Miracles', they surprisingly released another album in 2020, the double-album 'Islands' with a lovely artwork by Roger Dean. This new incarnation of TFK features some personnel changes in the face of their new drummer Mirko de Maio and Zach Kamins, a young keyboard player from the US, naturally alongside veterans Roine Stolt, Hasse Fröberg and Jonas Reingold.

'Islands' sees the band take up a somewhat different approach to their songcraft, as they present a staggering collection of twenty-one new tracks spread over an hour and a half, on an album that impresses with its relentless eclecticism and masterful songwriting, capturing some essential sounds of classic TFK, smartly chiseled with a touch of contemporary production, perhaps inspired by the presence of the new band members, which have certainly elated the creation a fantastic release that displays a renewed energy strongly reminiscent of the early 2000s. Repeated listens reveal that all the musical elements associated with the Flower Kings are there, part of a big, long ride. Some highlights have to be 'Racing with Blinders On', 'Black Swan', 'Broken', 'Tangerine', 'Solaris', 'All I Need Is Love', and 'Serpentine'.

Even if this is not the most groundbreaking album by the band, it is one that stays true to their signature energy and sound, displaying a reinvigorated sense of joy in the music; an elegant and well-played collection of songs, with not much separating it from their previous. Quite a fine addition to the band's vast catalogue.

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