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Moon Safari - Blomljud CD (album) cover

BLOMLJUD

Moon Safari

 

Symphonic Prog

4.18 | 565 ratings

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Abandoner135
5 stars Blomljud, officially stylized as [blomljud], the 2008 second album by Swedish progressive rockers Moon Safari, is an album sure to satiate the palate of progressive music fans looking for a modern band that uses influences from the genre's classic era whilst also forging a truly unique piece of work. Although taking influence from Genesis, Yes, The Moody Blues, and even the Beach Boys, Blomljud thankfully never stumbles over itself to become a mere carbon-copy of its forefathers. Instead, the band use these predecessors as a mere "rough sketch", or inspiration, for the music herein. Petter Sandström and Simon Åkesson are credited as the main songwriters on the album and they enlist a host of musicians to flesh out their vision on Blomljud. The vocals (sung entirely in English) are uplifting and brimming with positivity, and the band use their Beach Boys-esque harmonies to create a rich and welcoming vibe. Several of the members take on vocal duties and this gives a nice variety to Blomljud. The entire album feels sunny and summery, which makes perfect sense considering its title translates to "flower sound" in English. This is no Van der Graaf Generator or King Crimson record, and never reaches the extreme dark corners of music that those artists typically delve into. In terms of instrumentation, there are lots of plucky acoustic guitars, rich keys/synth, a few overdriven electric guitar lead lines and flourishes, and some especially solid backing instruments including drums, bass, and various percussion. The instrumental highlights on Blomljud are absolutely the abundant and multi-layered guitar work and the hauntingly beautiful keyboards. The acoustic guitar is particularly reminiscent of Steve Hackett/Mike Rutherford/Anthony Phillips on the classic '70s Genesis albums. These are terrifically competent musicians but, admiringly, they never feel the need to overstay their welcome or show off for the sake of stealing the limelight. Perhaps the biggest strength of the album is that it never starts to creep into boring or unnecessary territory, despite Blomljud's lofty runtime (104 minutes). Each note and segment are carefully composed and have a reason for existing amongst the subtext of each track, even on the album's epic, the nearly 32-minute, "Other Half of the Sky", which effectively leaps and weaves through countless segments and moods like a modern-day "Supper's Ready". Overall, this is a fantastic record worthy of being deemed a classic amongst progressive music. The adept instrumentation, lavish vocals and sheer composition skills of Moon Safari on Blomljud are incredibly impressive and showcase their distinct strengths as a cohesive unit. Don't be put off by the length of this album--it's so strong that it never truly seems as long as it is and will most definitely warrant repeat listens. Strongly recommended for fans of Genesis, Yes, Styx, the Beatles and the Beach Boys.
Abandoner135 | 5/5 |

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