NYMF

Brand new fifth album from the neo-prog duo of Niclas Flinck and Carl Westholm. Carptree have made a very good impression to prog fans over the years and earned respect, especially after "Man Made Machine" in 2005. According to the band's website, this is a sequel to "Insekt". "Nymf" is in the same vein: melodic vocals (reminding Pendragon) with dramatic (sometimes dark) arrangements. Their collaboration with the No Future Orchestra is once again successful. Carptree manage to sound like a band, more than a project of two old friends who undoubtly love what they do and a have an obvious thing for insects.

The music here is very good, especially Westholm's keyboard playing and the texture of the songs is the typical Carptree thing, i.e. a combination of modern neo-prog with pop elements and very emotional vocal lines. The album begins with "Kicking and collecting", with a very interesting intro, which gives way to Flinck's dramatic vocal lines and a great keyboard solo towards the end. "Kicking and collecting" and "Between Extremes", the only instrumental track in the album, are probably the best moments in "Nymf". The compostitional standards are generally not very high, apart from some melodic lines and very good solos by Westholm. This is my objection to "Nymf" and maybe the music of Carptree in general. While appreciating Westholm's ideas (not only in Carptree by the way), I find Flinck's singing so melodramatic and cheesy, that it makes it really difficult to be positive after listening to the album several times.