HIMLABACKEN VOL. 1

"Moon Safari, Himlabacken, Volume One (By Don Suhaka)

When the Yes classics, "Close to the Edge,' "Tales...," "Relayer" and "Going for the One" came out in the early seventies, I was as giddy to get my hands on the new 'Yes' LPs as a kid at Christmas time. With my unexpected discovery of Moon Safari's AMAZING and PHENOMENAL music, 5 years ago, they have become my new 'Yes.'

I adore their music and they are now at the top of my list, along with a very small number of elite prog-rock bands, as a favorite of mine for all time (I go back as a teenager to the mid sixties when John, Paul, George and Ringo burst on the scene, and the men of 'Yes,' 'Genesis' and the like were in their teens and still unknown).

Now, in 2013, I recently downloaded "Himlabacken Volume 1" from Band Camp with some trepidation. I wondered how this 46 minute offering would measure up to the exceptional releases, "Blomljud" and "Lover's End" (including "Skelleftea Serenade"), two of the GREATEST albums ever.

So here is the low down! "Himlabacken Volume 1" is another Moon Safari masterpiece! It is simply among the best rock music that I have ever heard! "Himlabacken" (or "Heaven Hill") is more daring and challenging to me (in a Gentle Giant sort of way) than the previous releases (as unbelievably excellent as "Blomljud" and "Lover's End" are).

The music on Himlabacken plays like an "opera." Each song leads into the others in such a way that it feels like one long epic. The (1) generally refreshing and uplifting lyrical themes (like "Blomljud") of the bands youth, (2) coupled with vocal and choral arrangements beyond anything rock has ever seen (forget Queen and the Beach Boys) and (3) supported by the highly concentrated and wonderfully powerful/beautiful music itself, makes relatively short songs (the longest on "Himlabacken is about 9 minutes in length) as impactful as a 20 minute epic.

The offerings on "Himlabacken" are like "ZIP' or "FLAC" audio files; all of the data in a smaller package! It really is quite miraculous to me! In fact, my main observation of "Himlabacken" is that the music is very highly focused and concentrated, like dehydrated food for the soul and spirit.

I have scoured Prog Archives for years to find and enjoy the releases of such fine artists as "Steven Wilson " (Raven) "Big, Big Train" (English Electric 1 and 2) "Anglagard," "Haken," "iamthe morning," etc. To each his own but, but for me, these artists have not reached the heights of Moon Safari.

I do not do "song by song" reviews (I will leave this to the capable hands of other reviewers). Each song, though, on "Himlabacken" is great and unique! There is not an idle note on it.

During the great movie, "Amedeus," (a tribute to the genius of Mozart) after the initial performance of a new opera in Vienna, the Emperor praises Mozart, but qualifies his praise with the statement that "there are too many notes." Mozart, replies, "which notes would you have me take out, when it is perfect as it is."

That is my take on "Himlabacken Volume 1," it is "perfect" as it is and I would not take out or add a single note. Even the Pontus provided love-in-ballad for his new son is just perfect (coming from a grandpa who has 17 grand kids).

Here is a warning though, "Himlabacken" may not be as accessible as some of their early music. I, along with others, have previously labeled Moon Safari music as Pop-Prog. This one is a bit less popish, with more of an operatic-like, Symphonic Prog feel.

One early review I read (which was very positive, with a 10 out of 10 rating) suggested, though, that Moon Safari should somewhat vary their vocal arrangements. Please Simon, don't change a thing!!! The vocals are "sublime." According to my ears, you and your band mates are already making Mozart "smile" in his grave. Himlabacken Volume 1 is PERFECT!!!

"Smiling," that is the effect of Moon Safari on me. Even with Peter's openly revealed "broken heart" on "Lover's End"; I just always seem to walk away from their music with a smile. A smile that suggest that, "Yes is dead, long live the King." I have a new King for my musical kingdom and they come from the Moon. Thank you and thank you again, gentlemen!!!

Now, I must make a plea, unsolicited, in-behalf of this band we love.

The men of Moon Safari are brilliant, not just as evidenced by the genius of the their music and their new offering, but their approach to their craft.

We live in a musical age dominated by the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, etc. The most popular bands are "nice, 'very good" and "charismatic" like "Coldplay" or the up and coming "Imagine Dragons."

But how does a progressive rock band make it, when prog-rock as a genre, is so obscure that even Yes can barely fill a small theatre (of course that is without Jon and Rick)? In other words, how do the Moon Safarian's make enough money to break even?

The good news is that they make music because they are GREAT at it and it is the "syrup in our veins." The music has to come out!! They are also unfettered by the pressure of a large recording contract as they operate, independently; yet with a bottom line that must be met or they and their wives and families would starve.

Back in the days of Bach and Mozart, patrons largely paved the financial road for these geniuses so that they could concentrate on their music. In this age, many people just steal music, digitally, from the artists (shame). Not me! I love Moon Safari so much that I can't stop listening (it's crazy) or supporting them in every way possible.

But once again, how can they flourish with such a relatively small fan base? The answer; by releasing their music in stages!

"Blomljud" was an amazing 100 minutes long! "Lover's End" was half that length and I remember, at the time, asking the guys why so much shorter? Their reply to me was indicative of their brilliance, "we want people begging for more."

I felt during my initial review of "Lover's End" that as great as it was, it was an epic short of being one of the GREATS of all time. Then, to our shock and delight they release the "Skelleftea Serenade," one of the finest epics ever, to complete their masterpiece. I would have paid a pretty penny to get my hands on it, and yet it only cost me 8 dollars (in addition to the original cost of the "Lover's End" CD).

So what does all of this rambling mean? Simply that the new offering is only "Volume One." They released 46 minutes worth of incredible music on "Heaven Hill, One," which is played and sung as if by angels from above.

We buy it (hopefully), go crazy for it and wait for volume two to be released like crazed drug addicts. In the meantime we listen to volume one, again, and again, and again....... Their business strategy is as brilliant as their music, and we need to support them financially (i.e., don't steal from them).

I can't imagine how this album would have been so successful and becoming a classic, had it appeared in the seventies, when progressive rock was the music heard everywhere. The albums of Moon Safari have the characteristic of being very well produced and magically composed so as to have a high standard album. I don't know if this album is much better than Blomljud, but at least it maintains a high standard and music full of progressions and similarities to YES in the way of singing and many other symphonic prog bands. Definitely, Moon Safari are becoming better with the pass of time!

I rarely review CDs to be honest, but after hearing this one I had to say something. I adore everything Moon safari has done, until now. Yeah, now?. I heard this album and just almost instantly felt not only had I heard it before but I had also heard it with more 'prog' (sorry, could not think of a better term). This album just seems like a more commercial extension of 'Lovers end'. I did like that album, however after 3-4 listens of this one, I find it hard to see differences or progression. It seems like the band have gone in an almost more vocal based, short song and almost 'musical' (as in feature films) direction. To be honest I was listening to 'Sugar band' on the way home and all I could think of was 'Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory'. It seemed like a cheesy movie soundtrack. THIS?from the same band that brought us 'The other half of the sky' and 'Yasgurs farm'. I have to say the album IS well recorded and produced and has some great melodies, I just wish they had explored their music as well as their vocals! The 'Lovers end III' was amazing stuff. I feel the band took a direct pop direction with this one. It's them and of course it is still good??.. just NOT what I know they are capable of.

Himlabacken Volym 1 was a record I looked forward to because Moon Safari is a band that has proved it's possible still in th 2000s to do marvelous prog with their record "Blomljud". I listened to this twice yesterday after seing them here in Stockholm the day before. They were good live but they should have played more old songs and the volume was too high. I bought this music at the concert. The cover picture is artistic and it includes a folder with the lyrics printed as body text. Well, I loved "Blomljud" and liked "Lovers end" and am not negative to say I appreciate even this record from 2013; but Moon Safari's development since 2008 wasn't what I'd prefer.

This album has eight tracks, and three of them are very good. "Mega Moon" is charismatic and has a great flow of energy. It is varied, powerful and humouristic. It has sweaping angel voice sung passages and bombastic opera marches.

Two other tracks show the former luster of Moon Safari: "Diamonds" with a poetic text that is sung very clear and "Sugar band" which is humouristic and symphonic in a very nice way. These three track can I recommend for you but the rest don't live up to Pre-Lovers end- Moon Safari. Of course I enjoy the rest of the music, otherwise I had gave the record two stars. "To young to say goodbye" has some nice keyboard and symphonic splendor but it feels a little bit silly and dashing. "My little man" is a father's love song to his son, and beautiful in it's own way.

Perhaps It's not wrong to present prog in this easy achieved form. I think this would please even common radio listeners or those who don't listen to prog. In that way it could open people's ears to new music widths but I who already know prog is the best and miss the sound from "Blomljud", am disappointed. Listen to the three mentioned tracks, I think you can skip the rest. Three stars!

Recommended: Mega Moon 9/10 Sugar Band 9/10 Diamonds 8/10 My little man 7/10

The others: Too young to say goodbye 6/10 Red white blues 6/10 Barfly 5/10 Kids 5/10

Himlabacken Volume 1 is the fourth full length release from the Swedish Moon Safari and a continuation of the style heard on their 2010 release Lover's End. Long story short: if you liked that album, you can safely buy this one.

Now for the long version. While Lover's End was a story about heartbreak, Himlabacken (which roughly translates as 'heaven hill') continues down that road for a while, but it is also more of a nostalgic album. This is immediately apparent on the first track, Kids. It serves as an introduction to the album as a whole with typical Moon Safari close harmony singing (think Constant Bloom, Southern Belle).

Too Young To Say Goodbye kicks off with a staccato piano and guitar riff and a guitar solo. The drumming on this track is great, and the chorus is incredibly catchy. In that sense, it is quite a poppy song, but this is by no means a bad thing! Moon Safari as we know and love it.

Mega Moon is a song about stealing the moon for a romantic interest. The lyrics are beautiful and poetic, and it starts off in typical Moon Safari fashion. The beginning sounds like it could be something from a musical. Next is an interesting, almost opera-like section, followed by a heavier, Gentle Giant-esque section. This is followed by a galloping section led by a synthesizer melody, followed by the recurring main theme, but with an interesting vocal twist. A very interesting track; familiar in a way, but also new ground for Moon Safari.

Barfly starts a little heavy, but soon moves into familiar ground. It's a song about drinking, and lyrically reminiscent of Lover's End. It features some fantastic guitar playing by Pontus Åkesson, and the 'Don't bring me down' melody is simply beautiful.

Red White Blues is a bit more mellow, but has some very strong moments. It has an anthemic feeling about it, again like something out of a musical. A slow, but pretty song.

My Little Man is an acoustic song written by Pontus Åkesson. It sounds like George Harisson, and the lyrics tell about a proud father's love for his child.

Diamonds starts with a piano riff reminiscent of Yasgur's Farm. Where the previous songs sounded a bit like the material on Lover's End, this sounds more like their 2008 album Blomljud. The lyrics are nostalgic, speaking of things that are lost 'in this modern trance', and the happiness that lies in relatively simple life. The 'Oh, how I wished I'd be like him / free from a world that's speeding' lines sound as if they could have been a piece of classical music. There is some fantastic interplay between the keyboards and the guitar, topped of with a synth solo.

Sugar Band, again, starts with some beautiful piano playing. The lyrics are, as the title suggest, sugar sweet and speak of candyland and unicorns and how to cure 'the blues'. The first part of the song is quite dramatic, but halfway it switches gear and becomes a typical up- tempo Moon Safari song with some great synth and guitar work. A great closer to the album.

All in all, this is pretty much Moon Safari like we know it, with a few surprise tracks like Mega Moon and Sugar Band. If you have heard their previous releases, you will know what to expect: incredible close harmony singing, fantastic songwriting, some great guitar solo's and poetic lyrics. The members are all masters of their instrument and know how to write a good song.

Himlabacken Volume 1 is an excellent addition to any music collection, and among the best things Moon Safari have ever done.

I'm a fanboy! It's best to make that clear from the start. So I'm far from objective in my writing. This band has been on my top ten list since their second album [blomljud] hit the prog world with a bang in 2008. Their two latest efforts Lover's End and ep Lover's End Part III (Skellefteå Serenade) are for me two of the finest albums this millennium. To hope for something even better or at least equally good is perhaps a bit too optimistic. And yes, even though I love every moment of Himlabacken Vol. 1 it falls a little short of the two aforementioned albums. But just a little. There are some new directions here that I really like. In a song like Mega Moon which really is like a mini musical it's evident that they try out new ways of expressing what they want to express. The whole concept of depicting young boys lives from young age up to early manhood with family and children in the focus is great and even though I'm twenty years older (or more) than the guys in the band I recognize it all. Something that stands out more and more for every album is Pontus Åkessons guitar! On Himlabacken Vol. 1 he truly shines and gives us some of the best guitar playing you can ever ask for. Buy the album you can't go wrong with this one! The 4 stars are really more like 4 ½ stars!

Moon Safari is a unique band that comes from Skellefte', Sweden and was formed in 2003. Consisting of Simon 'kesson (vocals and keyboards), Petter Sandstr'm (vocals and acoustic guitars), Pontus 'kesson (acoustic & electric guitars and vocals), Johan Westerlund (bass and vocals), Tobias Lundgren (drums, percussion and vocals) and Sebastian 'kesson (keryboards, percussion and vocals) the band has always had a very straight relationship with another Swedish band, The Flower Kings. Their first album A Doorway To Summer (2005) was produced by the Flower Kings keyboard player Tomas Bodin and this new album Himlabacken Vol 1 (2013) was mixed and mastered by The Flower Kings bass player Jonas Reingold.

What is more, Himlabacken Vol 1 (2013) is a concept album that for sure will have a second part soon. The albums talks about Heavenly Hill (a rough translation of the album title), a place where the band grew up.

The album starts with 'Kids' and it couldn't be more pastoral and divine. A kids song for sure, makes you remember even of your own old days. If there's one thing that makes Moon Safari unique, it is the vocals. Moon Safari sound mixes catchy melodies with the Prog sophistication like no one else does, as if The Beach Boys grew up to be a Prog band in the 70's. 'Too Young To Say Goodbye' is another great example of how to write a perfect melody and yet have the complexity of Prog Rock going. Himlabacken Vol 1 (2013) starts to show what game the band is playing, and this is a game you definitely should sit back and watch till the end.

If the next track, 'Mega Moon' reminded you a bit of 'Ave Maria'' well, so did for me! The first vocal bit of the track proves me right! The instrumental part in the middle is full of great breaks. This is a Moon Safari classic!

'Barfly' has an intense and heavy initial riff, Spock's Beard like. When the vocals start it gets a bit softer. They paid a good homage with some steel guitars by Pontus 'kesson, it's exactly the same style used for George Harrison! 'Red White Blues' is their acoustic side speaking louder. Moon Safari has two main vocalists, Simon 'kesson and Petter Sandstr'm. This is one thing that always made me smile when I listen to a band. The sound usually gets so much better with all these different colors added.

'My Little Man' once again shows the band's acoustic side and it must be Pontus 'kesson homage to his baby son. It's almost a solo piece and it has a big pop feeling. Songs pass by and it's 'Diamonds' time. A song that brings all Moon Safari trade marks on it. 'Diamonds' has also a great lyric, the story telling kind which the bass player Johan Westerlund is so good at. The best track on the album, for sure!

To finish Himlabacken Vol 1 (2013) we have the piano intro of 'Sugar Band'. The track is like an unnamed homage to the fantastic work of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, at least it seems so to me. Another great track.

Although Moon Safari hasn't shown anything new on Himlabacken Vol 1 (2013), it's definitely one of their best albums. Moreover, they mastered their sound on a perfection level. The band has made this album one of the strongest and prettiest albums of 2013.

Highly recommended!

(Originally posted on progshine.net)

The very first time I came across Moon Safari I just couldn't believe my ears, as I felt that I had stumbled across the musical vocal harmonies of The Carpenters put into a progressive arrangement and it was a whole new ball game. Since then the Swedes have been incredibly consistent, producing one well crafted album after another, so when this arrived in the post it jumped to the top of the queue and was put straight into the player. While there are still some strong elements of Richard and Karen in their vocal arrangements, the guys have also moved into areas more commonly associated with Gentle Giant, as well as Spock's Beard. In fact the last of these has had an influence on some of the music as well, along with The Beatles, City Boy, and a whole host of 70's soft rock and progressive bands. There is a clarity of thought and approach that is sadly missing from some progressive music, and while it can be incredibly complex they also understand that at times simple is just as good.

The moog has its' part to play, and there are some wonderful interplays between that and the guitars, but Moon Safari have their vocals to the fore and the instrumentation playing the supporting role, which is not always the case in this type of music. All six musicians are singers, with Petter and Simon sharing lead duties between them. The arrangements are incredibly well-layered with a separation and use of space and quiet that really adds to the whole. Just play 'Red White Blues' and I can guarantee that you will find it hard to believe that this isn't some long-lost song from nearly forty years ago, as opposed to brand new release. Also, the choice of country origin will be between America and the UK, with the latter likely to just edge it out, not Sweden.

This is a superb album, as Moon Safari continue to meet their own exceptional high standards. This is a concept album, and is only part one of the idea; so I can only hope that the second part will follow soon as I am getting impatient already. www.moonsafari.se

Okay, let's start by getting the "tag" issue out of the way. Is this progressive rock? I would say "yes" but it doesn't matter what the genre is. Simply file under the category, great timeless music. If you feel the need to pigeon hole, then the line from "Sugar Band", "could it be that what you see says more of you than it ever could of me" probably applies to you. Like "Lovers End Part III", "Himlabacken Volume One" has its inspiraton in the band's home town of Skellefteå. Himlabacken is the Heaven Hill referred to in the opening track "Kids", which sets the scene perfectly for the rest of the album, with its trademark harmonies and reflective lyrics. "Too Young to Say Goodbye" is up next, a real casserole of styles with elements of Springsteen, Yes & AOR. Above all though the dominant flavour is the classic Moon Safari upbeat feel. A song so catchy in the best possible sense of the word that you don't mind that you just can't get it out of your head! Even then there's a classic MS twist as the song fades on some beautiful Simon Åkesson piano This fine start does not, however, prepare for the literally astonishing "Mega Moon". It took me around 8 listens of this track before I stopped being surprised by what I heard. It's the simply everyday story of a man who climbed Heaven Hill to steal the moon for his love and found himself on trial for this "crime". Astonishing harmonies, even by the standard of this band, and enough changes in mood and tempo to satisfy the most ardent progger, "Mega Moon" is another great example of what separates this band from the pack: they attempt and pull off, with incredible ease, that which many would not even attempt. "Barfly" is track 4 and starts on a heavy guitar riff as if to underline again that this is a band that are not content to simply follow the same path. As the song develops, it reveals hidden depths with George Harrisonesque guitar and a psychedelic feel through more great harmonies. "Red White Blues" starts with what is almost an early 70s Burt Bacharach love song feel but this being Moon Safari, the book is very different from its cover. What emerges is another story of unrequited love spun in the way that only these guys can. " I'll follow you wherever you will go, down the dark and lonely hole inside your soul". "My Little Man" is Pontus Åkesson's tribute to his son and shows yet another side to the band. Simple, stripped down, not even the trademark harmonies (although these do feature apparently on the alternative version on the Japanese edition of the album) but no less impressive. This is a band that is successfully eclectic and yet still familiar. "Diamonds" harkens back, both musically and thematically, to "Blomljud" and contains plenty of what Rick Wakeman calls "noodling". It is the classic MS cocktail of positive uplifting lyrics with exciting music. Perhaps the least adventurous track on the album but hugely enjoyable none the less. In what seems like no time, we're on the last track, "Sugar Band", Johan's good-natured response to the group's critics. The brilliance of both the lyrics and the music make this an instant MS classic. A melange of musical styles including Broadway show, classic synth riffs, and Queen result in a daringly innovative 9 minutes plus exhilarating end to the album. Superbly produced, written and recorded this is Moon Safari's most diverse and mature album to date.

Lover's End was a really important album for me when it came out in 2010. I was going through a hard time in my life and it was the friend that I needed to help me through it. Even more than three years after its release, that album remains one of my favorites and is one of the few pieces of music that is truly special to me that can lift me up whenever I need it. It's obviously unfair to expect Moon Safari's next album to match my adoration of their last, but the nice thing is that it doesn't try to, and presents a different kind of material than the last couple of offerings.

When you look on the surface of Himlabacken Vol. 1, sure, it's got the normal Moon Safari tropes: intricate vocal harmonies, a certain sense of whimsy, clean symphonic instrumentals, and a general upbeat attitude (thankfully, amidst a genre of very bleak music). Basically, if you know you like Moon Safari, you know you like Moon Safari. Digging a little deeper though, there are some good progressions in their sound from the last album. Whereas Lover's End mostly followed the 'post-breakup mood swings,' Himlabacken's unconnected songs allow for a greater variation of mood and style which ultimately creates a more diverse album. There's the usual melancholy, a little joking, some dreamy sequences, surprisingly serious moments, and of course some purposefully over-the-top sequences. This album also sees the band in a more adventurous place in terms of harmony (when compared to themselves at least) that caught me off guard in a good way the first couple of times I listened. The usual musical stuff is just as strong as it's ever been, with the singing/harmonies being the strong point by far and the unfortunately very few substantial instrumental passages being a distant second.

While I really enjoy the base musical components found here, they are only occasionally put to very good use and ultimately the real downfall of Himlabacken is that not enough of the songs are great. It starts off really strong with the 'Kids' / 'Too Young to Say Goodbye' pair but falters a lot in the middle. It doesn't really pick up again in a great way until the second- to-last song 'Diamonds' and then unfortunately finishes rather weakly. I don't think any of the songs are bad, but I only find myself going back to revisit about half of them. The album also doesn't gain much by listening to it in sequence, though it does get a nod for being a perfectly digestible 50 minutes. It's unfortunate that only a handful of the songs here standout because man, those few are really spectacular; I don't think I'll ever get tired of the vocal melody in 'Diamonds' or the chorus of 'Too Young to Say Goodbye.'

The biggest question that always pops up in relation to Moon Safari is 'yeah, but is it really prog?' By the strict definition, yeah, it sort of is. The right answer, though, is that it doesn't really matter. Even without the technicalities and solos of their contemporaries, Moon Safari is a band that obviously puts a lot of feeling and emotion into their music; Himlabacken Vol. 1 may not be the best example of that, it's still easy to see. While this new album has enough good material to please existing fans, for interested newcomers there's no need to look here until you've been through both Blomjud and Lover's End.

Enough sugar for heart failure

2013 has been a pretty exciting prog year, one of the reasons for me being my acquaintance with this exceptionally interesting band from Sweden. Seeing them performing live was a very good experience, which introduced me to their sugary, albeit fairly unique, sound. A talented bunch of musicians who can all sing, two keyboard players and the marriage of old and new are pretty good constituents.

"Disney prog" said a fellow progger on the radio the other day and I don't blame him, and I don't think Moon Safari would outwardly reject this tag either... Queen meets Beach Boys meets Kansas meets Abba and a bit of Gentle Giant on moogy keyboards is what you get from Himlabacken vol.1, apparently a concept of personal experiences. Extremely melodic to the point of misunderstanding, Himlabacken appears as a very genuine expression of feelings and talent but somehow lacks the extra punch to make it a truly great album, although it is not short of moments of greatness.

'Too Young to Say Goodbye', 'Red White Blues' and 'Diamonds' show what this band is capable of, balancing the melody with grandiose progressive rock structures. Obvious is the great influence that Queen (on the vocal melodies) and Kansas (on the keyboard parts) have had on Moon Safari, but they filter those through their own style, producing something new. The rest of the tracks are not bad but come with their ups and downs, some fairly simple ('My Little Man') or rather long for what they offer ('Mega Moon' and 'Sugar Band') and all come with an extra dose of sweetness (or cheesiness as many would call it).

Definitely not recommended for diabetics, Himlabacken is a very good album, which could have done better with more consistency in quality - still a highlight of 2013 and a great promise for future works. 3.5 stars.

If there's something here that amazes me, is the deep sense of melody those guys have - It is the kind of progressive rock i love: great melodies, pop sensibility and enough complexity without being exaggerating, perfect musicianship, and for Moon Safari, an ace in their sleeves - their vocals... Two lead singers and a layer of good backing vocals is a big advantage, indeed. As for this album...well, it is one of the best of the last years, that's for sure. I like the optimism of their music coming as a breath of fresh air, in a very depressing age, giving pure hope and smile. Many influences of the past spread all over the album ,filtered through Moon Safari's quite unique form - Kansas, Styx, Queen, The Beatles, a little bit of Gentle Giant, Abba, their compatriots, are some of them that I have noticed (I am not so sure but my ears are getting and some bits of Bruce Springsteen too!) Highlights are: Too Young To Say goodbye, Mega Moon, Barfly, Diamonds and Sugar Band. Moon Safari are young at age and if they keep up like this, future is very bright for them and i wish everything will come right for them, as well as for everyone of us!

ps: At Mega Moon 1:25 to 1:29, Petter Sandstr�¶m, i think, sounds like David Byron, same hue...

Moon Safari was one of those bands that often showed up in Amazon's lists of what other customers purchased. I gave them some sample listens but didn't click the order button until this album came out. I somehow felt without giving this much of a sample listen that this album was worth getting. I suspect it was the strong vocal harmonies which had also attracted me to Haken's "The Mountain".

So, 'Himlabacken' (whose Swedish title 'Heaven Hill' was not lost on me of Danish background) became my introduction to Moon Safari. I was very impressed early on as both 'Kids' and 'Mega Moon' won my favour for the beautiful vocal harmonies. Although 'Kids' is shorter, it builds in drama while the voices of the six musicians sing beautiful harmonies. 'Mega Moon' in contrast frequently changes pace and mood and combines traces of Queen and light pop with barbershop quartet and at times a little more hard rock prog. In between these is 'Too Young to Say Goodbye' which I also enjoyed but to a lesser extent.

There is no question about the high level of composition and performance on this album. I had expected something a bit like the Flower Kings because of the association between the two bands but Moon Safari certainly have cut their own path with this album.

'Diamonds' is the third track to really stand out and beg for repeat listens with its beautiful piano intro and strong melody. I picked out the lines about Sid Barrett during the first listen because I had only finished reading Mark Blake's book on Pink Floyd a few weeks earlier and I had read the same thing.

'I don't know if this is really true or not, but a friend told me Sid Barrett said, that the only way to be free is to lie still in your bed and there's no end to the possibilities.'

I find myself pleased to hear a lot of the instruments and musical passages on this album, but there was one thing that kind of nagged at me. Was the music too cheery? Was it too much like children's prog (especially "Sugar Band")? Then I read one reviewer's comment that this sounds like an album for a musical and I realized he was quite right. I could easily imagine people dancing and singing on a theatre stage to much of the music here. In fact, I introduced some of the music to a friend of mine who loves musicals and dance performances and she said it might just be the kind of album she can enjoy listening to. Wow! Prog for the ladies at last? (This last comment made with apologies to the ladies who already have embraced this genre of music)

I've read other reviewers say that the older albums are better, so perhaps I should check those out. But for now I still keep spinning three or four of the tracks on a regular basis. The musical talent and quality of the sounds on this CD make me want to give it a good rating.

I've been undecided regarding my feelings towards Himlabacken Vol.1 ever since hearing the album on Bandcamp around the time of its August 2013 release date. Since then I've seen Moon Safari perform a gig where they played four of the tracks off the record, purchased my copy of the album and played it from time to time over the last six months. Today I've finally come to a realization that made me feel ready to write down my thought on the endevour.

My initial reaction to Himlabacken Vol.1 was very positive and the album definitely felt like an obvious continuation of themes and styles that the band have coined on Lover's End. The music have continued to move away from Symphonic Prog, that was featured on [Blomljud], and into the realm om Crossover Prog. This doesn't mean that my affection for the band have diminished, on contrary! Ever since their debut album there have been strong tendencies towards the melodic and simpler approach to songwriting that sounded to me as if the band was undecided on which direction their music should take. Technical instrumental passages were often mixed with melodic and rhythmically accessible sections that, more often than not, sounded like a cut and paste job of someone with high ambitions at heart. This approach began to sway with the release of Lover's End in 2010. Compositions began to feel more to the point and the majority of the tracks were much shorter than anything that Moon Safari have been known for to this day.

Lover's End still had some very clear moments of Symphonic Prog with A Kid Called Panic being the prime example of the band wanting to sound more ambitious than what the remainder of the material made it out to be. The release of Himlabacken Vol.1 depicted a continued evolution of the music with even shorter compositions, with not a single track going past the 10 minute mark, and a slightly less technically tweaked sound. This by no means implies that Moon Safari have lost their charm on the progressive rock audience, but rather that their inspirations have shifted from Yes/Gentle Giant to Queen/10cc. The record features quite a few blissful art rock moments such as the anthem-like Too Young to Say Goodbye, playful Mega Moon and the joyful Diamonds.

The only real letdown, in terms of songwriting, comes right towards the end with Sugar Band. This 9 minute track made me hope for a grand progressive number but instead turned out to be a dull and sugar coated experience. Luckily, this one little misstep is far from a catastrophe and the rest of the album make up for this slight drop in quality. So why am I awarding this record a good, but non-essential rating instead of the much more deserving mark of excellence?

My feelings towards this release have always been somewhere on the fence, I do enjoy the album but don't consider it an essential masterpiece that should be heard by all fans of progressive rock music. I've come to the conclusion that Himlabacken Vol.1 is an adequate record for fans of Moon Safari's past endeavors that won't necessary bring them any more attention from the progressive rock community. Instead, I would much rather recommend this album to fans of art rock and melodic rock music. If you feel like you fit the profile then definitely give this record a try!

***** star songs: Too Young to Say Goodbye (6:28)

**** star songs: Kids (2:07) Mega Moon (8:21) Barfly (4:47) Red White Blues (5:08) My Little Man (2:55) Diamonds (6:42)

*** star songs: Sugar Band (9:33)

Well, after so many fantastic new releases in 2013, I guess on ehad to be disappointing, even if just slightly disappointing. Please don´t get me wrong: Moon Safari´s most recently work is far from a weak album. The main problem is that, after producing two studio masterpieces and a terrific double live album in a row, you began to create maybe an unrealistic expectation towards this band. That´s the feeling I get.

Ok, the album starts very well with a short vocal dominated introduction (Kids) goind straight to the CD´s best track: Too Young To Say Goodbye. There´s nothing really new here, it sounds like an out take from their previous work, Lover´s End. But it also is a fine song and has the same freshness, high energy and joyful delivering the band was famous for, combining very well their outstanding instrumental musicanship with their absolute unique vocal style. From then on, though, it´s a slow decline. The songs begin to falter, being very well performed and sung, but lacking in inspiration. It seems the band is running out of ideas and repeating itself. Too much vocals and less instrumental passages. Some of the vocal parts are not as inspired either, looking like they were put there more to show off how technically skillful they are rather than to use it as a tool to enhance the melodies like before.

It´s hard to believe that tracks like My Little Man and Sugar Band are here. They are probably the weakest tracks I´ve heard from them since their debut. The latter being specially as cheese as the title implies. On the other side, the production is top notch and their performances as both vocalists and musicians are superb. The stuff can be inferior, but none is bad.

So in the end I found this record to be quite enjoyable despite its faults. Again maybe I was expeting too much. Perhaps they should have waited a little longer for their muse to come up with stronger tunes. Perhaps it´s both. Overall I liked it all, but simply there is nothing like a Lover´s End, nor A Kid Called Panic, much less an epic like The Other Half Of The Sky. Get my point?

Rating: 3,5 stars. Nice, very good, certainly above average. Yet, not the essential Moon Safari.

I'm going to give a track by track account of this album, but some tracks will have much more detail than others. This is not to take away from the tracks that don't get as much attention here. This is an extremely solid album, and I love every song on it!!!

KIDS... We are reminded a bit of Blomljud's Constant Bloom in this opener, but with a battle march feel to it. The vocals are so beautiful, and it sets us up for what you already can tell will be a magical album. 'Himlabacken' translates to 'Heaven Hill', a place where they used to play as kids, and if you already know that, as I did, you're sure to get chills when they sing 'Welcome to Heaven Hill'...

TOO YOUNG TO SAY GOODBYE... The intro gets you in the mind of wintertime, with kids sledding down the hill. The bells, Simon's Leslie speaker, the works. Perfectly painted picture, and sounding much like something the Trans Siberian Orchestra could come up with. After that, Pontus comes in with a beautiful theme on lead guitar. Petter sings the lead in this song, and if there is one thing these boys do amazingly well every time, it's put together an unbelievable melody. It's a little laid back, and very, very cool. The chorus is as catchy as ever, and they do some twists and turns with the harmonies as well. This song has one of my favorite guitar solos of the album, delivered beautifully by Pontus Akesson. The outro is all Simon on the piano, and it echoes that guitar melody I spoke of in the beginning of the song, and fades it out. Perfection...again.

MEGA MOON... This song plays out as a musical...very operatic, and although some have compared it to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody...I don't want to. It's got entirely it's own flavor. Of course, there's a catchy chorus, and the instrumental is awesome. All around incredible song.

BARFLY... Puts me in mind of the Beatles in many ways...mostly in the instrumental. The chorus is very, very simple this time, but every bit as catchy as any of the others. Gorgeous, heartfelt slide guitar in this one, too.

RED WHITE BLUES... The intro is very surreal and extremely beautiful. Composed flawlessly. The acoustic guitar break before the second verse is world class. When the singing comes in right after that, you are instantly transported back to that seventies quality sound where the melody and harmonies intertwine so perfectly...I'm thinking maybe Supertamp here? One of my favorite songs on the album.

MY LITTLE MAN... Pontus wrote this for his newborn son, and gave it an old-school country type feel with his guitar. Actually not much to say about this song since it is so simple, but it is upbeat, and lots of fun to listen to. It will make you smile, and you can tell he smiled the whole time he was writing it. Also, a guest appearance of the 'little man' himself on this track ;)

DIAMONDS... Again, although there isn't much I want to say about this song, it's one of my favorites! Just beauty. The lyrics are wise beyond their years, the way Simon sings it is so genuine and gorgeous. Some of the chord changes remind me a bit of Kansas in the Leftoverture years. Fantastic song.

SUGAR BAND... For me, this is 'epic' of the album. To me, epic just means big. And although this song is filled with candy, fantasy, and fairytale-esque themes, it is nothing to be taken lightly. In fact, imagine the first time you saw the Willie Wonka movie as a child. Remember how fantastic and big everything was? Now put all of that into a song, and you have Sugar Band. Beautiful vocal by Simon, the melodies are magical and in the style of a waltz; that is, until the chorus where I feel like I'm on a giant carousel. Before the last movement, the instrumental is the perfect composition to make this album feel like it was a complete show. At one point, the music reminds you of the end of one of those old variety shows where you can almost see credits rolling on a screen. When Pontus introduces his final guitar licks, the sound and the feel will just make you close your eyes and shake your head in absolute love for what the man is playing.

OVERALL... One thing we've come to expect from Moon Safari is the perfect marriage of infectious melodies and stunningly gorgeous harmonies. This album does not disappoint in that aspect. The instrumentation is stellar, they have seriously upped their game as far as the actual playing of their instruments. They keep going to new places musically, each time accomplishing tasteful, memorable works of art, and never losing sight of what makes them as great as they are. Very, very well done, boys.

I decided doing this review almost a year after listening for the first time and the first impression of the album didn't quite change. The main factor is the mood of the album. There is sugar? Yes. A lot. But a quite uplifting album is just what i wanted to listen at the time (after the dark Steven Wilson's great album), and by almost a year this is what I feel to listen almost everyday. The album's joyfulness and the playful mood is a combination that could sound a bit childlike, but the richness of the sound and details makes is just tasteful do listen casually tham to listen carefully. The lightness of mood makes it good to fit in different ocasions.

This being the first Moon Safari album that I listened, I was really impressed by the richness of the compositions and the way the album brought to me a lot of different elements that I wanted to listen but not the way I was listening in the last albums I was in touch. The anthemic guitar introduction to Too Much Young To Say Good Bye. A lot of different vocal-focused moments in Kids, Mega Moon Queen'ish sections for instance. And a lot of uplifting mood atmosphere during it all.

The song that can take in a deeper analisys is Sugar Band. As it moves from a soft piano- led melody to a faster paced proggy sound, the song plays with strong vocal interludes and some welcomed breakdowns (like the tasteful guitar solo). The rythmic/melodic drastic change in the middle gives the song the freshness a 9 minute song needs to be enjoying. It's catchy in all the different moments.The final section as strong with the alternance of the gentle solo, the anthemic final vocal section, the string-led section and the delicate final piano part makes a strong album ending.

The rating is based on the concept each number of stars stands for. This is an Excellent adition to any prog ROCK music collection. (if you are about prog metal, for instance, this album can be good as well, but far from essential for your collection).

Personally, It's an 4,5 star rated album, one of the best I've listened, and after listening all of Moon Safari albums I choose the last as my favourite. In a complicated 2013 year this is surely a top tier.

3 Stars - My Little Man 4 Stars - Too Young to Say Goodbye, Red White Blues, Barfly, Kids 5 Stars - Mega Moon, Diamonds Hors Concours: Sugar Band (In my opinion, one of the top songs of the year)

Yeah, another Moon Safari album and another which raises the bar even further. So much sugar can be heard there, that's true. I'll give you that. But the same as I can listen Prog Metal only sometimes (not in the mood, too tired at times), so is this music not for every occasson.

Melodies, harmonies - it flies around, graduating in each song. Changes in tempo, strong bridges ... one of those Proggy bands I can always sing along. Makes my night driving on highway so much energic (safer), as it keeps me awake. Because there is so much energy coming out of these progheads from Sweden. The best so far (and it's 2018 at the time of writing this review, so 5 years and nothing. Fortunately that long EP is a thrill.)

This is the first album of this band I listen to, the first thing I notice right away is that is happy, like veeery happy, like "yes" BUT 10x HAPPIER!!!

Is this a bad thing? I would say no, it's just their style and I have to be in a specific mood to appreciate it, but it can put away some people. The sonority is like classic progressive rock (as I say, getting major inspiration from yes) mixed with some pop-rock feel, this pop-rock sometimes is so strong that sounds like something out of Disney Channel.

Okay, maybe it sounds like I hate it and just gonna rant about the album until the end of the review, but no, there are great aspects in the music of these guys, the instrumental being probably the most impressive, every instrument are played in a very technical and harmonical way, you could see that everyone is competent but no one is really "showing-off" being the coherency of the song an important aspect, awesome.

One aspect that drew attention is that all members sing, and all of them are incredible, always hitting the notes and rhythms, it recalls me of the beach boys, one of my favorite groups.

Some parts of the songs remember other bands like Gentle Giant and classic prog in general. These similarities sometimes are a little too much, transitioning from referential to unoriginal. I know many of my fellow prog-rockers like when modern bands sound like classic prog-rock assembles, but I prefer this to don't cross too much the borders to just give me the desire to listen to the original bands instead of it. If you don't bother with this, just ignore me being annoying.

In conclusion, this is a good album that doesn't bring new things to the table, but that does not need to because what he makes is effective by itself. I recommend it to fans of modern bands who incorporate the old prog-rock style with a more contemporary approach (like Woobler and Haken). 3 Stars.