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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: KevShmev on May 20, 2009, 10:30:45 PM

Title: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 20, 2009, 10:30:45 PM
This post was in another thread, so I figured this was as good a time as any to start a thread on this terrific band.

Kev, could you please post your rank of FK albums again? I just started with Flower power and I would like to know what should I get next.

My personal ranking of TFK albums would go like this:

1. Flower Power*
2. Paradox Hotel*
3. Stardust We Are*
4. Space Revolver
5. Retropolis
6. Unfold the Future*
7. Back in the World of Adventures
8. Adam and Eve
9. The Sum of No Evil
10. The Rainmaker

*denotes double album

I think Flower Power and Paradox Hotel are their most instantly accessible double albums.  Stardust We Are is magnificent, too, but was so massive and sprawling that it took me a while to get into.  Unfold the Future is really good, but there are some throwaway songs, thus making the overall flow somewhat choppy at times.

I think Space Revolver is undoubtedly their best single album.  It has the awesome "I Am the Sun" epic, which is split into two parts and bookends the record.  The rest of the record is rock solid.

I would save the bottom three on my list till you have gotten into most or all of the others.  Those three are all good, but are generally not as consistently great as all of the others (although all of them does have one or two really great songs).

What do you think of Flower Power so far?



Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Sigz on May 20, 2009, 10:57:03 PM
I only have Stardust We Are, and I still haven't really gotten into it, though it does have some fantastic songs.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on May 21, 2009, 01:31:34 AM
One of my favourite ever bands. :tup

Good ranking, although I always find it strange how lowly rate Rainmaker when the rest of your ranking is so similar to mine. I think it's a really good, cohesive and enjoyable album. :)

1. Stardust We Are*
2. Space Revolver
3. Flower Power*
4. Unfold the Future*
5. Paradox Hotel*
6. The Rainmaker
7. Retropolis
8. Back in the World of Adventures
9. The Sum of No Evil
10. Adam and Eve

*denotes double album
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Kyo on May 21, 2009, 05:31:16 AM
I think Alive on Planet Earth is the best thing they've released so far. The
second disc in particular is just sublime, amazing stuff all the way through.
Best studio album would still be Stardust We Are I guess, at least for me.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: reneranucci on May 21, 2009, 09:13:57 AM
Thanks a lot Kev! I´ve just started listening to them but I'm sure they're great. I liked Roine´s work with TA and I was always curious about how he sounded with his original band.

I have only listened to the first disc of flowerpower. At the beginning, the songs felt imcomplete but then I learned that it is suppossed to be a 50+ minutes epic. What do I think about it? What makes me love music are the vocal melodies, and in that department they're brilliant, songs like "Simple Song", "Garden of Dreams" and "All you can save" are my kind of stuff definitely. The other thing that caught my attention is that they have a very original sound. It's prog rock, definitely, but for some reason it doesn't feel generic (or "derivative") at all. Sometimes it´s very poppy, sometimes it has a very dark edge (like "indian summer") that isn´t common in the classic prog that I've heard, sometimes it's very atmospheric, and then they go into full-instrumental fireworks mode. I think that they combine the different elements and moods of music very well, they don´t go randomly or mindlessly from one place to another without thinking about the big picture of the album. Their music feels very coherent (well, for a prog band at least) and it goes in a definite direction. I'm listening to Sunny Lane right now and I think it's a great example of that. Man I love this song.

Of course my opinion is based in a very limited part of their material but I'm getting other two albums and see how they compare to what I've listened so far.

Ah, and I  :heart Roine's voice.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ehra on May 21, 2009, 09:37:17 AM
I've only got his solo album The Flower King. Been meaning to get one of the band's albums for awhile now.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on May 21, 2009, 11:56:27 AM
Good ranking, although I always find it strange how lowly rate Rainmaker when the rest of your ranking is so similar to mine. I think it's a really good, cohesive and enjoyable album. :)

I like The Rainmaker, but it just sounds unfocused and somewhat cluttery at times.  Plus, it is their worst-"sounding" album to date.  The drums sound very flat, and the overall thing just sounds like the band wasn't quite sure what they wanted to to.  Still, I adore "Serious Dreamers," and "Last Minute on Earth" is pretty damn good, too.

Thanks a lot Kev! I´ve just started listening to them but I'm sure they're great. I liked Roine´s work with TA and I was always curious about how he sounded with his original band.

I have only listened to the first disc of flowerpower. At the beginning, the songs felt imcomplete but then I learned that it is suppossed to be a 50+ minutes epic. What do I think about it? What makes me love music are the vocal melodies, and in that department they're brilliant, songs like "Simple Song", "Garden of Dreams" and "All you can save" are my kind of stuff definitely. The other thing that caught my attention is that they have a very original sound. It's prog rock, definitely, but for some reason it doesn't feel generic (or "derivative") at all. Sometimes it´s very poppy, sometimes it has a very dark edge (like "indian summer") that isn´t common in the classic prog that I've heard, sometimes it's very atmospheric, and then they go into full-instrumental fireworks mode. I think that they combine the different elements and moods of music very well, they don´t go randomly or mindlessly from one place to another without thinking about the big picture of the album. Their music feels very coherent (well, for a prog band at least) and it goes in a definite direction. I'm listening to Sunny Lane right now and I think it's a great example of that. Man I love this song.

Of course my opinion is based in a very limited part of their material but I'm getting other two albums and see how they compare to what I've listened so far.

Ah, and I  :heart Roine's voice.

I am right there with ya, regarding Roine's voice.  In fact, after hearing TA, as much as I liked his guitar-playing, his voice is what made me want to check out TFK.  The other singer, Hasse Froberg, is good, too (he normally does more lead than he did on the GOD suite...I think the "Garden of Dreams" song is the only one he did all of the lead for in it); he has more range than Roine, but not as much character, IMO.  The contrast usually works really well, though, and, yes, they consistently write tremendous vocal melodies.

I like your descriptions of the GOD suite.  As a whole, that is probably one of my three or four pieces of music ever.  Like you said, it is all over the place stylistically, but still manages to sound coherent, and it flows wonderfully.

I had the record for a while before I even got around to the second disc, but there are some absolute gems on it, so don't sleep on it. :)

I've only got his solo album The Flower King. Been meaning to get one of the band's albums for awhile now.

Use this thread as your guide.  I would be more than happy to give recs and suggestions. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on May 23, 2009, 04:23:40 AM
I've had the live set Meet The Flower Kings! for several years, but am now about to dive more fully into their discography.  I am looking forward to it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on May 28, 2009, 09:19:16 PM
OK, I got Flower Power and Paradox Hotel, and I'm floored.  Simply amazing.  I need more listens to fully digest, obviously, but that is a lot of music, very well made, with great lyrics as well.  Wow.

Can't wait for my next acquisitions!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: lateralus88 on May 28, 2009, 11:03:34 PM
End on a High Note is probably the most uplifting song they have ever put together. I love it so god damned much. And Rhythm of the Sea goes down as one of my favourite songs of all time.

I need to get the rest of their albums someday (I only have Paradox Hotel, Retropolis and The Sum of No Evil).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on May 29, 2009, 09:46:10 AM
End on a High Note is probably the most uplifting song they have ever put together.
Well, it's definitely awesome.  I can't really make sweeping generalizations yet.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on May 29, 2009, 11:01:36 AM
OK, I got Flower Power and Paradox Hotel, and I'm floored.  Simply amazing.  I need more listens to fully digest, obviously, but that is a lot of music, very well made, with great lyrics as well.  Wow.

Can't wait for my next acquisitions!

This post just put a huge smile on my face. :)

Thrilled you are digging them, hef!  :) :) :)

End on a High Note is probably the most uplifting song they have ever put together. I love it so god damned much.

Agreed.  It is the perfect sunny day song.

  And Rhythm of the Sea goes down as one of my favourite songs of all time.

That is definitely one of the most underrated songs.  Very cool laid back vibe in that one. :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on May 29, 2009, 11:03:08 AM
Thanks so much for the suggestions, Kev.  I'm more excited about exploring this band's output than any new discovery from recent memory.  :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on May 29, 2009, 01:58:30 PM
*smiles*

And I know it is early, but if you have any particular favorites yet, by all means let us know what they are. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nick on May 29, 2009, 02:03:16 PM
This post was in another thread, so I figured this was as good a time as any to start a thread on this terrific band.

Kev, could you please post your rank of FK albums again? I just started with Flower power and I would like to know what should I get next.

My personal ranking of TFK albums would go like this:

1. Flower Power*
2. Paradox Hotel*
3. Stardust We Are*
4. Space Revolver
5. Retropolis
6. Unfold the Future*
7. Back in the World of Adventures
8. Adam and Eve
9. The Sum of No Evil
10. The Rainmaker

*denotes double album

I think Flower Power and Paradox Hotel are their most instantly accessible double albums.  Stardust We Are is magnificent, too, but was so massive and sprawling that it took me a while to get into.  Unfold the Future is really good, but there are some throwaway songs, thus making the overall flow somewhat choppy at times.

I think Space Revolver is undoubtedly their best single album.  It has the awesome "I Am the Sun" epic, which is split into two parts and bookends the record.  The rest of the record is rock solid.

I would save the bottom three on my list till you have gotten into most or all of the others.  Those three are all good, but are generally not as consistently great as all of the others (although all of them does have one or two really great songs).

What do you think of Flower Power so far?


For how much we tend to disagree on a number of things, we are on the same page when it comes to this band. I think Paradox Hotel and Stardust We Are are their two best, which doesn't really conflict with your list considering the three albums I don't have from them are Flower Power, Back in the World of Adventures, and Retropolis. I'd perhaps change the order a little, but I fully agree on your bottom three as well.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on May 29, 2009, 02:57:55 PM
They really love the double albums, don't they?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Ben_Jamin on May 30, 2009, 01:50:18 AM
I watched Part 1 of The Truth Will Set You Free from "Meet The Flower Kings". I instantly loved it. A great amazing prog band.  :tup :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on May 30, 2009, 05:16:05 AM
I watched Part 1 of The Truth Will Set You Free from "Meet The Flower Kings". I instantly loved it. A great amazing prog band.  :tup :tup :tup
That entire album/DVD is amazing.  That was my introduction to the band, several years ago.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nihil-Morari on May 30, 2009, 07:46:09 AM
The Flower Kings are really great.

Flower Power, and especially Garden of Dreams are in my opinion among the most beautiful music ever made.

I knew TFK for a while but never really understood their music until I bought the special edition of Meet TFK, and I was blown away.
Right after that I heard the studio version of Garden of Dreams and the Stardust album, and I became a fan.
2 years ago it became slightly less, but after buying the SE of Instant Delivery my love came back.
 
 :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on May 30, 2009, 09:34:11 AM
Ya know, even though a lot of TFK fans go nutty over "The Truth Will Set You Free," I have never been overly crazy about it.  I mean, I like it, but it is so long, that it feels like a chore to listen to the whole thing, as opposed to most of their other epics, most of which hold my attention from start to finish.  

And does this band have a lot of long songs or what?  Here is a list of all of their songs from their studio albums that are at least 10 minutes (not counting bonus tracks):

"World of Adventures" 13:37
"Big Puzzle" 13:35
"Retropolis" 11:08
"There Is More to This World" 10:07
"In the Eyes of the World" 10:39
"Circus Brimstone" 12:04
"Stardust We Are" 25:04
"Garden of Dreams" (18-track suite) 59:26
"Deaf, Numb & Blind" 11:11
"Calling Home" 11:20
"I Am the Sun, Part I" 15:04
"Monster Within" 12:56
"I Am the Sun, Part II" 10:41
"Last Minute on Earth" 11:52
"Road to Sanctuary" 13:50
"City of Angels" 12:05
"The Truth Will Set You Free" 31:02
"Silent Inferno" 14:22
"Devil's Playground" 25:27
"Love Supreme" 19:44
"Driver's Seat" 18:21
"Monsters & Men" 21:20
"End on a High Note" 10:44
"Minor Giant Steps" 12:14
"One More Time" 13:05
"Love Is the Only Answer" 24:29
"The Sum of No Reason" 13:26
"Life in Motion" 12:34

 :eek :eek :eek

And the scary thing is, almost all of those songs are at least very good.  The only ones I am not overly fond of are "One More Time" and "Life in Motion."
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nihil-Morari on May 30, 2009, 09:37:10 AM
"World of Adventures" 13:37
"Big Puzzle" 13:35

"Retropolis" 11:08
"There Is More to This World" 10:07
"In the Eyes of the World" 10:39
"Circus Brimstone" 12:04
"Stardust We Are" 25:04
"Garden of Dreams" (18-track suite) 59:26

"Deaf, Numb & Blind" 11:11
"Calling Home" 11:20
"I Am the Sun, Part I" 15:04
"Monster Within" 12:56
"I Am the Sun, Part II" 10:41

"Last Minute on Earth" 11:52
"Road to Sanctuary" 13:50
"City of Angels" 12:05
"The Truth Will Set You Free" 31:02
"Silent Inferno" 14:22

"Devil's Playground" 25:27
"Love Supreme" 19:44
"Driver's Seat" 18:21
"Monsters & Men" 21:20
"End on a High Note" 10:44
"Minor Giant Steps" 12:14
"One More Time" 13:05
"Love Is the Only Answer" 24:29
"The Sum of No Reason" 13:26
"Life in Motion" 12:34
The bolded ones are my favourites. Yes, I really really love their epics.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on May 31, 2009, 06:42:41 AM
Yeah TFK write awesome long songs for the most part.

But I agree Kev, The Truth Will Set You Free isn't all that amazing. I mean, it's definitely good and has some great bits, but it just feels like it goes on for too long. Comparing it to something like Stardust We Are which is only a few minutes shorter but feels like it just whizzes by, it doesn't really stand up that strong.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on May 31, 2009, 08:26:57 AM

The bolded ones are my favourites. Yes, I really really love their epics.

No love for "Devil's Playground," eh?  I think that is one of their best songs, of any length.

But I agree Kev, The Truth Will Set You Free isn't all that amazing. I mean, it's definitely good and has some great bits, but it just feels like it goes on for too long. Comparing it to something like Stardust We Are which is only a few minutes shorter but feels like it just whizzes by, it doesn't really stand up that strong.

Very, very true.  To me, a great long song is one of that flows by effortlessly.  Every time I listen to "The Truth...," there are numerous times I think, "When it this song going to end?"
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: King Postwhore on May 31, 2009, 09:49:12 AM
Went food shopping and on the drive I had my Ipod on shuffle and Touch My Heaven came on from Instant Delivery.  I love that solo!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nihil-Morari on May 31, 2009, 01:08:13 PM

The bolded ones are my favourites. Yes, I really really love their epics.

No love for "Devil's Playground," eh?  I think that is one of their best songs, of any length.
Haven't given that one a chance. I will in a moment  :biggrin:



Went food shopping and on the drive I had my Ipod on shuffle and Touch My Heaven came on from Instant Delivery.  I love that solo!

I really love that version. Froberg is great, and this one shows that he has improved in his singing a great bit.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on May 31, 2009, 11:05:13 PM
Went food shopping and on the drive I had my Ipod on shuffle and Touch My Heaven came on from Instant Delivery.  I love that solo!

You and me both.  That is one of my favorite Roine solos, although he has so many that I love, if I tried to list my favorites in order, it would be very difficult.


The bolded ones are my favourites. Yes, I really really love their epics.

No love for "Devil's Playground," eh?  I think that is one of their best songs, of any length.
Haven't given that one a chance. I will in a moment  :biggrin:

Word.  :coolio

Went food shopping and on the drive I had my Ipod on shuffle and Touch My Heaven came on from Instant Delivery.  I love that solo!

I really love that version. Froberg is great, and this one shows that he has improved in his singing a great bit.

Oddly, I am not always a fan of Froberg's singing.  Sometimes, he sounds great, and other times, he can sound rather meh.  It all depends on the melody.  He occasionally can sound a bit too wimpy (a good example would be the chorus of "Starlight Man" from Adam and Eve).  Overall, the contrast between Froberg and Stolt's voices works well, but I always like it much better when Roine is the main singer. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nihil-Morari on June 01, 2009, 06:28:53 AM
I would prefer Roine to be the main singer if he was a bit more constant. There are shows where he doesn't hit a single note.
Froberg on the other hand improved a lot, but still isn't a great singer either.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Icebear on July 04, 2009, 06:55:37 PM
I'm not sure why, but I enjoy "Sum of no evil" a lot more than, say, "Paradox Hotel". I wouldn't rank it that far down. I think it might be because I prefer Zoltan over any of the other FK drummers - Zoltan and Jonas has got to be one of my favorite rythm sections, so anything with Zoltan on it just... I dunno, it swings more. In my opinion. But of course, that's all it is. Opinions.

Overall, I love the FK sound, but sometimes the songs do go on a bit longer than they ought to, as someone else mentioned. It doesn't really bother me in a live situation (last time I saw them, they played well over 2,5 hours, until Roine had to apologize and walk off stage. Jonas had a bad back, and just couldn't play anymore that night), but when listening to a cd, it tends to drag on sometimes.

Oh, and sorry for the thread resurrection. But it was such a great topic. I really do hope they find the opportunity to release another album soon (although it seems like it could be some time).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 05, 2009, 05:51:04 PM
I'm not sure why, but I enjoy "Sum of no evil" a lot more than, say, "Paradox Hotel". I wouldn't rank it that far down. I think it might be because I prefer Zoltan over any of the other FK drummers - Zoltan and Jonas has got to be one of my favorite rythm sections, so anything with Zoltan on it just... I dunno, it swings more. In my opinion. But of course, that's all it is. Opinions.

See, to me, it is more about the songs than the playing.  I think Zoltan is by far the best drummer they have had, but the three albums he has played on would rank 6th, 8th and 9th, respectively, on my list.  In other words, the songs make the records, not the players (since everyone they have had on every instrument has been, at worst, very good at what they do).

Oh, and sorry for the thread resurrection. But it was such a great topic. I really do hope they find the opportunity to release another album soon (although it seems like it could be some time).

I wouldn't be surprised if they are finished.  It doesn't seem to be financially viable for them to tour anymore, and I am not sure the band wants to remain "just" a studio band.  We'll see.  But from '95-'07, they released 10 studio albums, and they are now on the verge of going two straight calender years without anything new, which is unheard of for them, so that is not a good sign.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: reneranucci on July 05, 2009, 06:01:30 PM
It´s good we´ll have some new RS material with Transatlantic  :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: sonatafanica on July 05, 2009, 06:31:24 PM
I've only heard of these guys. Wasn't Daniel Gildenlow a member?

Oh, and recommendations please. As long as they make deep and interesting stuff, of course  :P
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 06, 2009, 10:44:22 AM
I've only heard of these guys. Wasn't Daniel Gildenlow a member?

For two albums, but thank goodness his contributions were pretty limited. 

Oh, and recommendations please. As long as they make deep and interesting stuff, of course  :P

Uh, read this whole thread. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Icebear on July 06, 2009, 12:58:17 PM
I'm not sure why, but I enjoy "Sum of no evil" a lot more than, say, "Paradox Hotel". I wouldn't rank it that far down. I think it might be because I prefer Zoltan over any of the other FK drummers - Zoltan and Jonas has got to be one of my favorite rythm sections, so anything with Zoltan on it just... I dunno, it swings more. In my opinion. But of course, that's all it is. Opinions.

See, to me, it is more about the songs than the playing.  I think Zoltan is by far the best drummer they have had, but the three albums he has played on would rank 6th, 8th and 9th, respectively, on my list.  In other words, the songs make the records, not the players (since everyone they have had on every instrument has been, at worst, very good at what they do).

Oh, and sorry for the thread resurrection. But it was such a great topic. I really do hope they find the opportunity to release another album soon (although it seems like it could be some time).

I wouldn't be surprised if they are finished.  It doesn't seem to be financially viable for them to tour anymore, and I am not sure the band wants to remain "just" a studio band.  We'll see.  But from '95-'07, they released 10 studio albums, and they are now on the verge of going two straight calender years without anything new, which is unheard of for them, so that is not a good sign.


I know what you mean. And I agree that the songs are more important than the players. I've had a hard time getting into some of TFKs longer songs. They sound a bit too samey to my ears. As an example, even though Zoltan plays on The Truth shall set you free, I can't really come to terms with that song as easily as I can with the songs on Sum of no evil. But I'll confess that I haven't really listened that much to some of their earlier material, so I have some work to do...

I'm not sure they're finished. From what I gather, the last tour(s) really took a heavy toll on the band financially, so I think you're right in saying that's why there's been so little action lately. But as long as they have something to say, I think they'll be back. At least I hope so.  :D

We might see a lot less touring, but let's hope it doesn't come to a complete halt.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ScottOfRedemption on July 06, 2009, 03:45:00 PM
I love them, but I feel they have SO much music, and a lot of it is sorta forgetable or similar. So I like to listen to their albums, but I'm not particularly paying attention, or remembering "oh I love this song!" Its more like 2 hours of awesome music.

But has anyone heard One Whole Half? its a rarity from the rainmaker (I think) sessions.

and its AWESOME
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nick on July 06, 2009, 03:45:50 PM
This thread inspired me to watch Instant Delivery today. :D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nihil-Morari on July 06, 2009, 11:08:58 PM
This thread inspired me to watch Instant Delivery today. :D

 :heart
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on July 08, 2009, 10:03:38 AM
Just picked up Stardust We Are.  I've only listened to the first 5 or 6 songs thus far, but I love what I've heard.  :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on July 08, 2009, 01:13:49 PM
That's a definite 5-star album for me, and the title track is just wonderful. Enjoy the ride hef! :D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: dedSurroun on July 08, 2009, 03:33:11 PM
Seems like I'm in the minority but I consider Unfold The Future to be their best work. Granted, not a die hard fan of The Truth... but still, their best album, IMO.

A fantastic band. I've had the pleasure of listening to everything they've ever released (including obscure fan club stuff) and it's a trip all the time. I have yet to reach the point of overplaying them and getting bored by it all.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 08, 2009, 05:31:52 PM
Just picked up Stardust We Are.  I've only listened to the first 5 or 6 songs thus far, but I love what I've heard.  :tup

Awesome.  That record took a while to grow on me, so the fact that you like it already is great.  Way till you hear the title track.  :)

A fantastic band. I've had the pleasure of listening to everything they've ever released (including obscure fan club stuff) and it's a trip all the time. I have yet to reach the point of overplaying them and getting bored by it all.

It's almost impossible for me to overplay any of their stuff, because they have so much material that I love, it is impossible to listen to it all on a regular basis, even though there are songs and albums I definitely listen to more.  And there are songs and a few albums I probably do not give nearly enough time and attention to.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: The Letter M on July 08, 2009, 09:32:00 PM
Next to Rush and DT, I'd like to think TFK are right under them, at least in terms of time-spent-listening and money-spent-collecting!

It'd be REALLY hard for me to rank them right now as I've been heavy on DT, but I think it's time to switch over to some TFK for the remainder of the summer (as DT has conquered my ears for the last 2+ months).

I skimmed the thread a bit, so I'm not exactly sure what's going on here right now (I'll read it indepth later on), but I will say that I really do love their long songs, especially their 20+ minute epics! Roine and company are definitely masters at the long-form and have yet to bore me with any of their albums!

Sure there are albums I don't listen to as much as others, but I think that's because of what I'm in the mood for, or what I'm focusing more on. For a long time, all I listened to were their first three albums (as well as The Flower King by Roine Stolt, the unofficial first TFK album), but then it changed to Space Revolver and Unfold The Future! In the last year or so, I really got hooked on to The Sum Of No Evil (although I prefer my 2-CD version that reworks the tracklist and includes the 3 bonus-disc tracks) and Paradox Hotel (at first neglected, but now I'd rank it in my top 3 TFK albums! Every song is magic!).

I'm sure I'll get a chance to listen to every album in depth this summer. I've been lacking in my TFK listening lately... time to catch up!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 09, 2009, 09:26:09 AM
Summer time is always a great time to listen to The Flower Kings; their music is so uplifting and positive, it is perfect for sunny July days!  :)

And I'm probably one of the few people on this site that would say this, but I actually prefer TFK to DT.  DT is a top 10 band for me, but TFK is top 5. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on July 09, 2009, 12:57:59 PM
I hold them at pretty similar levels really, but as with you, both are in my top 10 :D

And I totally agree that their music is summery. My FK listening goes up a lot in the summer. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: The Letter M on July 09, 2009, 02:06:29 PM
I hold them at pretty similar levels really, but as with you, both are in my top 10 :D

And I totally agree that their music is summery. My FK listening goes up a lot in the summer. :)

I agree as well! Their music is more suited for the summer, unlike Porcupine Tree, which I listened to near end of one summer and while I couldn't shake listening to them, it brought me down a bit lol. PT are my winter band to listen to, much like DT is a spring band.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: 3MinuteWarning on July 09, 2009, 04:15:21 PM
I've had Paradox Hotel for like 3 years now and it's up there in my top 10 albums, however I never got around to acquiring their other releases.  I think it's time I did that.

Hit Me With a Hit and Life Will Kill You are my favourite single songs but I always prefer listening to the album from start to finish.  Awesome awesome band.  I always recommend them to fellow proggers.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on July 10, 2009, 12:59:08 PM
Stardust we are
Close to divine
Stardust we are
See how we shine
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 10, 2009, 01:14:45 PM
Amazing, ain't it, hef? :)

3MinuteWarning, let us know what record you get next.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on July 10, 2009, 01:42:45 PM
Stardust we are
Close to divine
Stardust we are
See how we shine
One of my favourite choruses ever :D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: MS394 on July 10, 2009, 05:41:54 PM
Flower Kings are amazing. I had the pleasure of seeing them live in our local progressive festival Baja Prog, in 2006, and aside from some strange breaks (if I recall correctly, Hasse and Thomas left the stage two times; Marcus, Jonas and I don´t remember if Roine too, stayed for improvisation and solos), they were incredible. ``Stardust We Are´´ and ´´The Truth Will Set You Free´´ blew my mind live :hefdaddy .

Most of their albums are really good, and Zoltan Csorsz/Jonas Reingold is one of my favorite rhythm sections.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 11, 2009, 08:54:12 AM
I also saw them in '06, the only time I have seen them.  I cannot remember the exact set list, but they did play a ton of Paradox Hotel (pretty much all of the PH songs that are on the Instant Delivery DVD), as well as surprising us with stuff like "Psycedelic Postcard" (one of my favorites), "Just This Once" and "Ghost of the Red Cloud."  I think "The Flower King" was played, as well as a "World of Adventures"/"Silent Sorrow" mix-mash.  Cannot remember the rest, but I know we didn't get any of either "The Truth" (thank goodness) or "Stardust We Are." 

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on July 12, 2009, 05:26:08 AM
Amazing, ain't it, hef? :)
Yes.  Yes it is.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on July 12, 2009, 04:54:40 PM
@Kev: I love Ghost of the Red Cloud. Such a really nice song, and I can imagine it being a good one to sing along to live :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 12, 2009, 08:57:53 PM
I think I pretty much sang along to all of the songs when I saw them.  I remember the friend I was with telling me that he couldn't believe that I knew most of the lyrics to "Psycedelic Postcard" well enough to sing along to that song. :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 22, 2009, 09:55:14 AM
Been on a major TFK kick lately.  It really is staggering how consistently good they have been.  10 studio albums, four of them doubles, in a 12-year span, and each and every one of them is at least very good, and the majority of them are great. 

BEST full-fledged PROG band EVER.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: LudwigVan on July 22, 2009, 10:08:17 AM
Been on a major TFK kick lately.  It really is staggering how consistently good they have been.  10 studio albums, four of them doubles, in a 12-year span, and each and every one of them is at least very good, and the majority of them are great. 

BEST full-fledged PROG band EVER.

Wow... that's a huge claim.   :omg:   Genesis?  Yes?  ELP?   And I'm not sure what you mean by "full-fledged"    ???
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 22, 2009, 10:13:48 AM
By full-fledged, I mean bands who were so obviously prog that there is no other genre that you could put them in.  For example, I like Rush and Porcupine Tree more from an all-time standpoint, and while both of those bands are called prog by many, neither have ever been full-fledged prog bands in the sense of what is generally considered "prog."  That make sense?

I know it is a bold statement to put them above a prog giant like Yes, and most would disagree, but that is simply my personal preference.  TFK would probably be 3rd on my all-time favorite bands list.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: LudwigVan on July 22, 2009, 10:22:54 AM
Okay gotcha, that's cool.  I thought that's what you meant.  I was just taken aback that you had put TFK over those all-time greats.  My tastes are really not too far away from yours, but I have to admit that The Flower Kings is one band in particular that I've been unable to get into. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 22, 2009, 10:33:27 AM
Okay gotcha, that's cool.  I thought that's what you meant.  I was just taken aback that you had put TFK over those all-time greats. 

Well, many put DT over those same prog bands you mentioned, and TFK has been arguably more prolific (just as many studio albums, but more minutes of original music, and in a much shorter span of time), so it really isn't that much of a stretch. ;)  :biggrin:

   My tastes are really not too far away from yours, but I have to admit that The Flower Kings is one band in particular that I've been unable to get into. 

Do you remember what songs or albums you listened to?  Even though I think all of their albums are good, at worst, several of them wouldn't be good starter cds, I think, and I could see someone not getting into them that much as a result.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: LudwigVan on July 22, 2009, 10:37:36 AM
Do you remember what songs or albums you listened to?  Even though I think all of their albums are good, at worst, several of them wouldn't be good starter cds, I think, and I could see someone not getting into them that much as a result.

I've got Retropolis and Stardust We Are.   When I bought those albums, I thought they would be right up my alley.    
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on July 22, 2009, 12:14:01 PM
By full-fledged, I mean bands who were so obviously prog that there is no other genre that you could put them in.  For example, I like Rush and Porcupine Tree more from an all-time standpoint, and while both of those bands are called prog by many, neither have ever been full-fledged prog bands in the sense of what is generally considered "prog."  That make sense?

I know it is a bold statement to put them above a prog giant like Yes, and most would disagree, but that is simply my personal preference.  TFK would probably be 3rd on my all-time favorite bands list.

I definitely put TFK way above Yes. I might even have to agree with them being if not "the", then at least one of the best full-fledged prog bands.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 22, 2009, 12:29:01 PM
I've got Retropolis and Stardust We Are.   When I bought those albums, I thought they would be right up my alley.   

Well, you've got two of their best, so I don't know what to tell you. :lol

I sometimes find it better with long prog records to turn them on in the background when I am doing other stuff.  Letting it play over and over a few times, it will often eventually sink in.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: LudwigVan on July 22, 2009, 12:39:01 PM
The fact that I love Spocks Beard and Transatlantic made me believe that The Flower Kings would click with me.   I also love jam-bands, and TFK is definitely more "jammy/improvisational" than either of those bands, which would've been another plus in my book.  Anyway, I will give both albums another listen soon. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on July 22, 2009, 12:45:53 PM
Yeah I'll admit that initially I wasn't overawed by TFK. I mean, I liked what I heard, but nothing seemed all that exciting. But what Kev said is EXACTLY what worked for me; I just put it on a few times, sometimes in the background, sometimes when I was paying attention, and the music just clicked with me. It really is amazing stuff.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: LudwigVan on July 22, 2009, 12:49:25 PM
Yeah I'll admit that initially I wasn't overawed by TFK. I mean, I liked what I heard, but nothing seemed all that exciting. But what Kev said is EXACTLY what worked for me; I just put it on a few times, sometimes in the background, sometimes when I was paying attention, and the music just clicked with me. It really is amazing stuff.

Okay then, I will dedicate this weekend to some Flower Kings listening time.   :tup

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 22, 2009, 01:10:37 PM
I tried getting into TFK and SB at the same time (summer of '00 right after getting into the first Transatlantic record), and Spock's Beard was definitely more likable at first (I have always called them catchy prog), but over time, The Flower Kings became much more appealing, and I now don't think the bands are even close.  

Also, good to hear, LudwigVan.  Let us know how it goes. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nihil-Morari on July 22, 2009, 01:42:09 PM
I finally have Instant Delivery here with me again (at my parents place) so I'll pop that in soon!

Oh and, what are your favourite FK epics and short songs?
for me:

Epic: Garden of Dreams
Short song: Touch my Heaven
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 22, 2009, 02:01:08 PM
Favorite epics (songs 10 minutes or longer):

"Garden of Dreams"
"I Am the Sun"
"End on a High Note"
"World of Adventures"
"Big Puzzle"
"Stardust We Are"
"Love Supreme"
"Circus Brimstone"
"Devil's Playground"
"Silent Inferno"

Favorite songs under 10 minutes (this list will be long):

"Train to Nowhere"
"Rhythm of the Sea"
"Silent Sorrow"
"The Judas Kiss"
"The Road Back Home"
"The Man Who Walked With Kings"
"Compassion"
"The Merrygoround"
"Different People"
"Ghost of the Red Cloud"
"Stupid Girl"
"Psycedelic Postcard"
"Chicken Farmer Song"
"A King's Prayer"
"Serious Dreamers"
"Genie in a Bottle"
"Man Overboard"
"Solitary Shell"
"Timelines"
"The Blade of Cain"
"Jealousy"
"Pioneers of Aviation"
"Lucy Had a Dream"
"Self-Consuming Fire"
"Touch My Heaven"
"Life Will Kill You"
"What If God Is Alone"
"Blue Planet"
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nihil-Morari on July 22, 2009, 02:52:48 PM
Sorry, I meant to say 'what IS your favourite..' but I love your list nevertheless!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: ariich on July 22, 2009, 03:56:04 PM
:lol Kev, that's cheating.

Long song: Stardust We Are
Short song: A King's Prayer
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 22, 2009, 10:43:44 PM
Fine.  :biggrin:

If forced to pick one for each, I'll go with:

Long: "Garden of Dreams"
Short: "What If God Is Alone"
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: lateralus88 on July 23, 2009, 02:24:21 PM
Long: End on a High Note
Short: Rhythm of the Sea
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Nihil-Morari on July 23, 2009, 02:39:50 PM
Long: End on a High Note
Short: Rhythm of the Sea

Odd choices, but cool songs!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: The Letter M on July 23, 2009, 11:36:40 PM
Well, I've been on a Paradox Hotel kick lately...

Long: Monsters & Men
Short: What If God Is Alone?

Also, Adam & Eve has been getting a lot of attention to...

Long: Love Supreme
Short: Adam & Eve

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 24, 2009, 12:36:47 AM
There's a good idea...favorite long song and favorite short song from each studio record. :)

BITWOA:
Long: "World of Adventures"
Short: "Train to Nowhere"

Retropolis:
Long: "Retropolis"
Short: "Silent Sorrow"

SWA:
Long: "Circus Brimstone"
Short: "Different People"

FP:
Long: "Garden of Dreams"
Short: "Psycedelic Postcard"

SR:
Long: "I Am the Sun"
Short: "Chicken Farmer Song"

TR:
Long: "City of Angels"
Short: "Serious Dreamers"

UTF:
Long: "Silent Inferno"
Short: "Solitary Shell"

A&E:
Long: "Love Supreme"
Short: "Timelines"

PH:
Long: "End on a High Note"
Short: "What If God Is Alone"

TSONE:
Long: "The Sum of No Reason"
Short: "Flight 999 Brimstone Air"
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: LudwigVan on July 27, 2009, 09:23:59 AM
Okay, I listened to TFK all weekend long (Retropolis and Stardust We Are) and I definitely got into them much more than I had.  KevShmev, I know this is an appreciation thread, but I hope you don't mind a bit of personal observation/critique on this band. 

I had mentioned in my previous post how they are more 'jammy/improvisational' than most prog bands and my listens confirmed this... very fusion-like.  I think that's the quality that turned me off initially, since their songs tend to "meander" a lot more than the Spock's Beard brand of "catchy" prog.  It certainly makes TFK's music a bit harder to follow.     

Some of The Flower Kings' riffs are pretty obtuse and jarring, but then they always manage to open up into some absolutely beautiful passages.  This band is highly focused on the instrumental side of things, almost to the point where the vocals seem like an afterthought at times.  Not necessarily a bad thing.  And the passages where they go with a lone acoustic guitar or piano are brilliant.

Retropolis clearly has touches of "classic" prog bands like Yes and Genesis (hence the album title), but it's not overdone because the band creates its own distinct identity and sound.  Stardust We Are shifts gears slightly, and as I listened to the album, I found myself being reminded of Camel.  Stolt practically comes across as a modern-day Andy Latimer.  I really enjoy their forays into World Music, including their use of Sitar and some cool reggae riffing.  Some touches of psychedelia (I could've sworn I was hearing Jerry Garcia's guitar), and there was even a very Jethro Tull-like riff somewhere.

I'm looking forward to exploring some more. 

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 27, 2009, 09:42:24 AM
That is great to hear, LV!  :tup :tup

And I totally agree with your comment about the classic prog influence.  They are clearly influenced by bands like Yes and Genesis, but they definitely have their own sound and style, so they don't come off as sounding derivative or like a tribute band or anything.

Keep the comments, good or bad, coming! :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: The Letter M on July 27, 2009, 06:20:27 PM
The beauty of every Flower Kings album is that, while Roine/Tomas and company create and hold a distinct sound that is definitely "The Flower Kings sound", every album also how it's own feel and style that is unique on its own, be is the musicians involved or the over-all stylistic influence, particuarly their last 4 albums- Unfold The Future, Adam & Eve, Paradox Hotel and The Sum of No Evil.

LudwigVan - If you're looking for something less jammy-improvisational, I'd jump ahead to Paradox Hotel. With 19 songs and only three over 10 minutes long, many of the songs are more focused and and concise! Not to say it's their "pop" album (although there are some pop/modern rock influences), but the songs are fantastically composed and the performances are top notch! It's become one of my top 3 TFK albums!

Conversely, I would avoid Unfold The Future, which is littered with jazzy/fusion improvisations if that is something you want to steer clear of. Personally, I love UTF, but I have to be in that mood for it. Fortunately, the epics on the album are some of their best pieces (as usual!), particularly the 31-minute opening "The Truth Will Set You Free".

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on July 28, 2009, 12:20:23 PM
I think one of the main reasons why I love Paradox Hotel so much is that there is a crap load of acoustic guitar and piano.  I think I remember reading that much of the album was written on piano and acoustic, so that is why that record has a "simpler" feel to it, as opposed to something like The Sum of No Reason, which is much more complex and overtly proggy.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: LudwigVan on December 12, 2009, 01:07:21 PM
I've been busy rounding out my collection of TFK albums.   The Truth Will Set You Free (from Unfold the Future) is blowing me away right now  :hat

Is "The Flower King" worth getting?   I don't see much mention of this album. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Mladen on December 12, 2009, 01:34:31 PM
The only TFK album I listened to is The Sum of no evil. I chose it randomly, and I've gotta say I was pleasantly surprised. Love is the only answer is fabulous, and The Sum of no reason is great as well. Nice album all around, and I'll have to listen to this band more whenever I got time.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on December 13, 2009, 09:26:18 AM
Is "The Flower King" worth getting?   I don't see much mention of this album. 

Yes.  It is very good.  But it is more guitar-driven than most of the Flower Kings records, it being a Stolt solo album and all.  I know many think of it as the first unofficial TFK album, but I do not.  Tomas Bodin's absence is too glaring for me to consider it a real Flower Kings album like so many do.  It is still very good, though. :)

The only TFK album I listened to is The Sum of no evil. I chose it randomly, and I've gotta say I was pleasantly surprised. Love is the only answer is fabulous, and The Sum of no reason is great as well. Nice album all around, and I'll have to listen to this band more whenever I got time.

That is great to hear.  Nowhere to go now but up!  :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: The Letter M on January 24, 2010, 08:09:49 AM
So after 3 years, TFK fans just MAY get an album this year, although Roine is pretty busy... between the Transatlantic Whirld Tour and recording the second Agents Of Mercy album, he might not get to a TFK album until late this year, which would mean a 2011 release. We could get lucky, however, and get one before year's end.

I recently read an interview with Tomas saying that TFK is only a go whenever Roine says he's ready. I think he'll be ready after AOM records their 2nd album because he'll have been away from TFK for so long - all he's done since TSONE has been side-albums and projects (AOM, 3rd World Electric, TA), so I'd like to think he's got some demos that haven't been used at all over the last three years that would make for a good TFK album, with Tomas' and Jonas' input/performance of course!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on January 24, 2010, 09:29:02 AM
I think the odds are better that Roine has been using that material in the various projects he has been doing.  For example, "Spinning" totally sounds like a TFK song, but Transatlantic recorded it for the bonus CD.  But you never know if he has other stuff laying around that could be usable, so we'll see.  We can always hope.  Honestly, though, I think I have mentally accepted that the band as we knew them might be finished.  It is just a feeling I have, but I hope I am wrong. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: The Letter M on January 24, 2010, 02:18:07 PM
I think the odds are better that Roine has been using that material in the various projects he has been doing.  For example, "Spinning" totally sounds like a TFK song, but Transatlantic recorded it for the bonus CD.  But you never know if he has other stuff laying around that could be usable, so we'll see.  We can always hope.  Honestly, though, I think I have mentally accepted that the band as we knew them might be finished.  It is just a feeling I have, but I hope I am wrong. :)

I really hoep they aren't finished. I think Roine just needed a break from them for awhile, and the short break turned into three years of side-projects. I'm sure he has plenty of demos laying around collecting dust. Heck, imagine how much material he came up with since TSONE? The man can write two albums' worth of material in a year!

Then again, Jonas has things with Karmakanic and Kaipa, and Tomas has his solo stuff/Eggs & Dogs, and Hasse Bruinisson (sp?) has his own side project now... so they're ALL keeping busy while TFK is on hiatus... I just feel it would be really unfortunate if they never got back together again. Then again, they did pump out 10 albums in 12 years, four of which were doubles, so they really probably could use this break lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: glaurung on January 24, 2010, 03:27:54 PM
I've been meaning to check these guys out since I heard some of it on WPAPU. So Flower Power is the album I should be looking for?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: The Letter M on January 24, 2010, 07:24:34 PM
I've been meaning to check these guys out since I heard some of it on WPAPU. So Flower Power is the album I should be looking for?

Flower Power is pretty good, but as a double album, it's a LOT to digest, especially the near hour-long epic "Garden of Dreams". If you want to get into a double album, I'd pick that one, or my favorite, Stardust We Are.

If you want some more concise, single-disc TFK, get Space Revolver, or even Retropolis. Their later albums (Unfold The Future to The Sum Of No Evil) are all a bit different from their earlier albums, and with varying personnel changes, it's almost a different band on each album, so you may want to check those out later.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on January 24, 2010, 11:36:58 PM
I've been meaning to check these guys out since I heard some of it on WPAPU. So Flower Power is the album I should be looking for?

That is a great one to start with.  Read back through the rest of this thread for my more in-depth recommendations. :)

 Their later albums (Unfold The Future to The Sum Of No Evil) are all a bit different from their earlier albums, and with varying personnel changes, it's almost a different band on each album, so you may want to check those out later.

Eh, I don't agree with that.  The drummers change from album to album a lot, but other than that, the rest of the band is pretty much the same (except for Gildenlow popping up on two albums, and a few guest appearances here and there).  I mean, all six albums from the 2000s have the core four of Stolt (guitar and vocals), Froberg (vocals and some guitar), Bodin (keys) and Reingold (bass), so saying it is like a different band on each album is very misleading, IMO. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on January 25, 2010, 09:21:07 AM
I've amassed several of their albums thus far, and it is all good.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on January 25, 2010, 01:46:47 PM
Hef, if by "good," you mean "great," then I agree with you.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: hefdaddy42 on January 27, 2010, 10:09:05 AM
Hef, if by "good," you mean "great," then I agree with you.  :tup :tup
I do, and you do.  :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: The Letter M on January 27, 2010, 03:11:31 PM
 Their later albums (Unfold The Future to The Sum Of No Evil) are all a bit different from their earlier albums, and with varying personnel changes, it's almost a different band on each album, so you may want to check those out later.

Eh, I don't agree with that.  The drummers change from album to album a lot, but other than that, the rest of the band is pretty much the same (except for Gildenlow popping up on two albums, and a few guest appearances here and there).  I mean, all six albums from the 2000s have the core four of Stolt (guitar and vocals), Froberg (vocals and some guitar), Bodin (keys) and Reingold (bass), so saying it is like a different band on each album is very misleading, IMO. :)

Well, yeah, those albums do contain those four core members, but stylistically, Unfold The Future is quite a bit different than Paradox Hotel. UTF is full of jazzy-fusiony moments while PH is more concise, song-based and runs with a concept. Adam & Eve is a bit in the middle, but contains some full sounding pieces, especially with the band as big as it was on the album! The Sum Of No Evil is a bit of everything from the previous albums, with hints of early-TFK.

I guess you get the TFK-sound in each album, but each album is different enough that you can't really say they're all the same... as for saying it's a different band each album, yeah I'll agree that was misleading on my part, but their sound changing between albums is a bit more noticable than other recent/current prog bands out there.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on January 28, 2010, 09:57:27 PM
Hef, if by "good," you mean "great," then I agree with you.  :tup :tup
I do, and you do.  :biggrin:

Bitchin'.  :biggrin:

Well, yeah, those albums do contain those four core members, but stylistically, Unfold The Future is quite a bit different than Paradox Hotel. UTF is full of jazzy-fusiony moments while PH is more concise, song-based and runs with a concept. Adam & Eve is a bit in the middle, but contains some full sounding pieces, especially with the band as big as it was on the album! The Sum Of No Evil is a bit of everything from the previous albums, with hints of early-TFK.

I guess you get the TFK-sound in each album, but each album is different enough that you can't really say they're all the same... as for saying it's a different band each album, yeah I'll agree that was misleading on my part, but their sound changing between albums is a bit more noticable than other recent/current prog bands out there.

Okay, I see what you mean, but all of those albums are not that different.  They all pretty much have the core TFK sound, which is fairly unmistakable. 

Perhaps the best way to put it is, they are all somewhat varied and different in the context of the band's sound, which admittedly is somewhat narrow in scope.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: Jamesman42 on January 28, 2010, 10:05:23 PM
Kev, how are TFK's lyrics. I've yet to hear a single song by them. Would there be anything to conflict with a Christian faith?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Thread - because they are awesome and deserve one
Post by: KevShmev on January 28, 2010, 10:07:43 PM
Kev, how are TFK's lyrics. I've yet to hear a single song by them. Would there be anything to conflict with a Christian faith?

Not at all.  In fact, some of their lyrics have a slight spiritual feel to them, but are never in your face or over the top, even by the standards of those who would consider Neal Morse's lyrics to be too much.  That make sense?  :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Jamesman42 on January 28, 2010, 10:09:27 PM
 :tup You speak clearly and well. I'll check them out via some way, and follow this thread for recommendations for sure.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on January 28, 2010, 10:45:06 PM
Sweet.  I would actually recommend starting with a lot of their shorter songs.  In fact, many of their best songs are the ones in the 6- to 10-minute range; think of them as mini-epics.  That is what makes Paradox Hotel so awesome; that album is filled with mostly songs in that time range (or maybe a tad shorter or longer), and most of them are tremendous.  On the flip side, an album like The Sum of No Evil tries so hard to be all-out proggy, that it often doesn't have room to breathe, as it is just one proggy song after another, with no let-up.  Just a suggestion. :)

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: LudwigVan on January 29, 2010, 09:41:54 AM
Sweet.  I would actually recommend starting with a lot of their shorter songs.  In fact, many of their best songs are the ones in the 6- to 10-minute range; think of them as mini-epics.  That is what makes Paradox Hotel so awesome; that album is filled with mostly songs in that time range (or maybe a tad shorter or longer), and most of them are tremendous.  On the flip side, an album like The Sum of No Evil tries so hard to be all-out proggy, that it often doesn't have room to breathe, as it is just one proggy song after another, with no let-up.   Just a suggestion. :)



Your description of this album is getting me all excited.    :laugh:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: LudwigVan on March 05, 2010, 02:55:20 PM
A few months back, I listened to Adam & Eve, not sure what to expect.  First couple of times I spun it, I was like... wut... the... fuk?  I couldn't wrap my head around it and tossed it aside, practically in disgust.   

I picked it up again and this time around, the music just grabbed me and didn't let go.  It's blown me away... I love it now.  I can't explain why this is happening though. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: reneranucci on March 05, 2010, 03:12:57 PM
I just realized that when I bought the mp3 version of Paradox Hotel, I only bought disc 1  :facepalm: and the album is no longer available at the music store, in amazon is very expensive and I don´t feel like buying a physical copy since I already have disc 1... but I feel I´m missing a lot from disc 2... it´s your fault you Kev and your awesome posts  >:(
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 05, 2010, 11:30:19 PM
A few months back, I listened to Adam & Eve, not sure what to expect.  First couple of times I spun it, I was like... wut... the... fuk?  I couldn't wrap my head around it and tossed it aside, practically in disgust.   

I picked it up again and this time around, the music just grabbed me and didn't let go.  It's blown me away... I love it now.  I can't explain why this is happening though. 

Heh.  I was not wild about A&E at first either, but, while I still put it near the bottom on my list of favorite TFK records, I like it a lot now.  The only misses are the title track (a major WTF) and the chorus to "Starlight Man" (which is a shame, as the verses and that main guitar line are very cool).  "Timelines," "Driver's Seat," "The Blade of Cain" and "Love Supreme" are all great. :)

I just realized that when I bought the mp3 version of Paradox Hotel, I only bought disc 1  :facepalm: and the album is no longer available at the music store, in amazon is very expensive and I don´t feel like buying a physical copy since I already have disc 1... but I feel I´m missing a lot from disc 2... it´s your fault you Kev and your awesome posts  >:(

That does blow, but I am sure there are other ways to find disc 2. ;)  Considering some of the best songs from PH are on disc 2, you need it! :)

And so sorry for my awesome posts. ;)  :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on March 06, 2010, 06:15:20 AM
Yeah Adam & Eve is one of their weaker albums, though it's still pretty good.

But disc 2 of PH should not be missed out on!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 06, 2010, 11:15:19 PM
A friend and I once debated over which disc was better from PH; I don't think we ever came to a conclusion.  Both discs are so awesome, picking against either seemed like treason. :lol :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on March 07, 2010, 02:45:02 AM
:lol Yeah, and pretty pointless really as it's simply a really solid 2-disc album. I actually listen to the mp3s more than the CDs (because changing CD is far too much effort) so rarely even distinguish what is on which disc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 18, 2010, 10:34:01 PM
I haven't gotten a chance to read through this thread for all of Kev's reccomended TFK material, but I am really trying to get into this band, but it's pretty dense stuff.

I'm a huge fan of Yes and Pink Floyd (moreso than Rush or say, Jethro Tull) and Transatlantic so what kind of albums or songs by TFK would I be into?

Out of what I've listened to, my favorite song so far has been "Church of Your Heart" but I must admit that song is the furthest I've gotten on Stardust We Are.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 18, 2010, 10:37:44 PM
SWA was quite an animal to climb at first.  It was like Yes's Tales for me in that it is so massive and sprawling, you almost have to dedicate serious listening time to just that album and no other, to get into it. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 19, 2010, 12:54:32 PM
I just realized that TFK are really enjoyable if you play them LOUD.

"Don of the Universe" is playing right now and this band is suddenly clicking for me.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: LudwigVan on March 19, 2010, 12:59:46 PM
I spent all of last summer just listening to Flower Power and Stardust We Are, and I love them now.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 19, 2010, 07:01:48 PM
I was going to listen to Flower Power right now, but I think an hour long opener is a bit too much for someone just getting into them, so I chose The Sum of No Evil. I'm digging it so far.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nihil-Morari on March 20, 2010, 01:49:44 AM
No, it doesn't feel like an hour long opener at all.
It was the second song by the flower kings that I heard. And it got me hooked.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on March 20, 2010, 04:38:05 AM
I was going to listen to Flower Power right now, but I think an hour long opener is a bit too much for someone just getting into them, so I chose The Sum of No Evil. I'm digging it so far.
I'd say that's one of their weaker albums.

I know Kev isn't much of a fan of it, but I think Rainmaker is a really good introduction to the band. It's only a single disc, there isn't too much depth or weirdness to it, just a load of really good rock songs.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: dedSurroun on March 20, 2010, 06:49:27 AM
"Don of the Universe" is playing right now and this band is suddenly clicking for me.
One of my favorite songs of theirs. It's tasty. Love it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2010, 08:50:50 AM
I know Kev isn't much of a fan of it, but I think Rainmaker is a really good introduction to the band. It's only a single disc, there isn't too much depth or weirdness to it, just a load of really good rock songs.

Could not disagree more.  I know several who started off with that album in the past and weren't eager to go any further, because of how underwhelming it was.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: robwebster on March 20, 2010, 08:59:05 AM
How do these crazy kids sound? I've heard their name bandied about a fair bit, but never really checked them out.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 20, 2010, 10:25:44 AM
I'm actually having zero trouble getting into Stardust We Are, Kev. This album is phenomenal.

But then again I had very little trouble getting into Tales From Topographic Oceans.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: hefdaddy42 on March 20, 2010, 11:40:11 AM
I'm actually having zero trouble getting into Stardust We Are, Kev. This album is phenomenal.
I didn't have any trouble with it, either.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 20, 2010, 11:53:56 AM
I'm actually having zero trouble getting into Stardust We Are, Kev. This album is phenomenal.
I didn't have any trouble with it, either.

Same here. SWA and FP were two of my first TFK albums - the other being Space Revolver (IMO, their best single-disc album... although their first two albums, BITWOA and Retropolis are VERY close behind for a tied-second).

Unfold The Future... now THAT took a bit of listening to get in to, and being their longest album, it was almost a daunting task to listen to the whole thing straight through the first few times. The opening song got me hooked, but after that, it's quite a wild ride that runs the full gamut of what the TFK had done and was doing at the time.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2010, 11:57:07 AM
So you guys all didn't have much trouble getting into SWA, eh?  Well, aren't you all freaking special!  :biggrin: :biggrin: :lol :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: hefdaddy42 on March 20, 2010, 12:10:31 PM
So you guys all didn't have much trouble getting into SWA, eh?  Well, aren't you all freaking special!  :biggrin: :biggrin: :lol :lol

(https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i238/hefdaddy42/funny/tarantino.gif)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 20, 2010, 04:45:32 PM
:lol what a funny picture.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 21, 2010, 09:47:15 PM
OK I have been listening to Stardust We Are nonstop since it clicked for me a few days ago.

How the hell was I never into this band before? They're so amazing.

I'm literally upset with myself for not giving this band a chance before, although I can't really blame myself because their discography is pretty daunting, what with so many double albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 21, 2010, 09:59:42 PM
OK I have been listening to Stardust We Are nonstop since it clicked for me a few days ago.

How the hell was I never into this band before? They're so amazing.

I'm literally upset with myself for not giving this band a chance before, although I can't really blame myself because their discography is pretty daunting, what with so many double albums.

They do have a HUGE discography, and not just in number of albums, but also pure volume and length as well! Four double albums is an amazing feat, and each of them is a little different from each other (I feel all of their albums are, anyway).

What's more amazing is that 4 of their albums had songs CUT from them (albeit they were single-disc albums);
Retropolis - cut tracks from those sessions found on Édition Limitée Québec
Space Revolver - bonus tracks on the Japanese Special Edition
The Rainmaker - bonus tracks on the Limited Edition
The Sum Of No Evil - bonus tracks on the Special Edition

I've taken all those tracks from their respective albums/sessions and made each of them 2-disc albums... yeah, I know, it's not like they didn't have enough 2-disc albums already (heck, all 3 of their live albums and their latest compilation were also 2-disc)... but I couldn't help myself!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2010, 10:00:26 PM
Yes, this band is amazing, and SWA is phenomenal.  God, if I had to list my favorite songs from that record in order, that would be difficult, as there are so many great ones.  Pretty much all of the normal length or extended songs are terrific.  Some of their best songs are from SWA.  

I agree that their discography can be a bit daunting and damn near intimidating, but it is well worth the effort.  Glad you are digging them, Quad! :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 21, 2010, 10:09:51 PM
The funny thing is I always knew that I would enjoy them, seeing as I've always heard of them being compared to Yes (as far as the symphonic aspect and the lyrical peace loving stuff goes) but just never listened to them.

The music is also just extremely positive, which is really helping me get through a relatively saddening few weeks I've been having.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2010, 10:13:18 PM
Yeah, their music is very positive and uplifting; great spring and summer music!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 21, 2010, 10:18:06 PM
My only complaint about SWA is that the "Stardust We Are" theme only makes its first appearance in "Pipes of Peace" (as far as I can tell so far, please correct me if I am wrong) which is already halfway through the album, and then almost every song after it features the theme. It would be cool if the first song had mention of it.

By the theme I mean the musical bit that's under the "Stardust We AREEEEE" lyrics in the title song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2010, 10:36:13 PM
I haven't listened to SWA from start to finish in a while, so I cannot remember exactly where all of the title track themes are in other songs, but I seem to recall many of them being on the second disc. 

I do know, though, that when I saw them back in '06 (only time I have seen them), I was thrilled to death that they played both "Just This Once" and "Ghost of the Red Cloud," two songs which are seldom played. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 21, 2010, 11:00:51 PM
I would like to see this band live, I wonder how often to come to America.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2010, 11:05:24 PM
They used to come over for a few shows every time they released a record, but it got to a point where they were losing money every time they did it, so IIRC they didn't come over here after releasing their last album back in '07.  In fact, I think they did less touring on that record than in the past, and now they are on hiatus, perhaps forever, so who knows when or if they will ever tour in America again.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2010, 11:11:14 PM
BTW, I meant to post this when I first read it, but here is a blog Hasse Froberg did last month.  He talks a lot about TFK, and alludes to some apparent friction between Roine Stol and Tomas Bodin (which sucks, as those are the two most important members as far as the core TFK sound goes).


What happened that day in Seattle at the fast food restaurant, when Roine became "Groina"? What was the truth behind the "Dwayne incident" in New York. In Paris, at one of the public restrooms, all of a sudden "Aaaaah..., Monsieur Bodin!" became a fact and has lived with us ever since. Will those stories ever be told? Frankly, at the moment I don't know? What I do know is the fact that TFK still has a break or a time out. I'm speaking with all the guys on a regular basis and for the moment everyone is busy with their own projects (me included). I guess it's still gonna take some time before you'll hear new material from TFK, except for the "Tribute to TFK" album that now is being recorded by various bands and artists around the world. Isn't that awesome! Other bands playing your songs on a record. Keep your eyes and ears open for that, I sure will. In fact I've told Roine a couple of times to make an official statement about the status of TFK. Nothing has happened yet. I can only tell you, what he tells me. For the moment he's not up for it. First of all there's some issues to deal with and most importantly, he needs to get the hunger, the urge to do it back. I just wish he could be a little more clear about it, for his sake, our sake and most of all you, the fans sake.

To me it's amazing TFK is still around. To lead such a band, can't be like a walk in the park. We're talking BIG egos here, that don't take no for an answer. Despite those circumstances, I believe we've found a way to work, to be creative and productive. From day one, Roine has been very democratic, we all have our say but if we disagree, Roine has the last word. For instance, before the latest tour we did, I thought Roine made some wrong decisions and I told him that. Still I respect him and his choices. He did what he thought was best for the band at that point. One decision we all agreed on, was to take a time out. I honestly don't think we could have continued because of the friction between Tomas and Roine. To some of you it might come as a surprize, but they haven't excactly been lovers lately. I do hope and I do believe that these two Gentlemen will work this out. I know for a fact, TFK been offered a tour, that means the interrest is still there. Most importantly, when (if) we'll record again. We have to make it the best album we've ever done.

About thirty minutes before the show I start with my vocal excercises. Not only to warm up the voice, it's equally important to get in the mood, or to get out of the "bus choma" or whatever. I don't know if this is the reason you don't see Jonas in the backstage area, until three minutes before we enter the stage. He might be chatting with a friend, watching a movie in the bus or the hotel. Even though, as soon as he hit the first note, he's spot on. Tomas is very restless before the show. If there's a curtain in front of the stage, he's already there playing with his headphones on. Roine is the total opposite. He's having like a meditative thirty minute pre-gig session, with a glass of red wine and closed eyes. I think he's mentally preparing the music and sometimes I actually think he falls asleep. As you probably understand, the lads in TFK are quite some characters and I love them. Tomas is funny, during rehearsals, if he gets lost. First of all he stops to play, he starts to shake both his hands in front of his chest at the same time as he looks at his keyboards. When we stop playing, he ALWAYS says: "This is not gonna work". Now, when you've heard that sentence approximately fourhundred times and it always works, you've learnt to be indulgent. I've done lots of crazy gigs over the years, but none of them tops Jonas gig at Tivoli in Copenhagen (the amusement park). He played there every afternoon together with some of the best jazz musicians out of Scandinavia. The money was right, the start time was right (you could even have another gig in the evening). The only thing that did'nt feel allright was the smell on stage but first of all in the backstage area. Hundreds of kilos of summer warm raw herring was carefully placed all over the place, just to please the star of the show: Adolf - the sea lion! I have to say I love the thought, that some of the best jazz musicians in Scandinavia, have to play the second fiddle to Adolf.

By now I've told you a couple of times, that this was the last blog on TFK. Remember, what I've written here was my impression of the adventures with these guys. I might have forgotten some names or some important things for that matter, but I've tried to be as honest as I could. I also tried to describe it as real as I could. From now on I'm gonna concentrate fully on HFMC and I'll try to write some blogs every now and then. As a matter of fact I got one coming allready. Look out for the blog: "Winter Olympics"
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 21, 2010, 11:11:38 PM
=( I didn't realize they were on hiatus. I guess that's why there hasn't been a new album since 2007.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 22, 2010, 08:18:06 PM
I'm giving Adam & Eve a listen now, and so far I'm really digging it.

Love this band more and more every day.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 22, 2010, 10:06:12 PM
Sorry for the double post, but I really dug Adam & Eve, which is a good thing considering everyone else had it pretty low.

So far I've heard SWA, A&E, and Back in the World of Adventure and enjoyed all three thoroughly.

What else should I try?

EDIT: I couldn't wait around for an answer so I went with Space Revolver!!

Here's to a good time!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 22, 2010, 10:52:00 PM
Sorry for the double post, but I really dug Adam & Eve, which is a good thing considering everyone else had it pretty low.

So far I've heard SWA, A&E, and Back in the World of Adventure and enjoyed all three thoroughly.

What else should I try?

EDIT: I couldn't wait around for an answer so I went with Space Revolver!!

Here's to a good time!

Good choice! SR is one of their finer albums, but really, once you become more intimate with their whole catalog, you realize each album has a lot to offer, AND enjoy!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 23, 2010, 12:31:35 AM
My only complaint about SWA is that the "Stardust We Are" theme only makes its first appearance in "Pipes of Peace" (as far as I can tell so far, please correct me if I am wrong) which is already halfway through the album, and then almost every song after it features the theme. It would be cool if the first song had mention of it.

By the theme I mean the musical bit that's under the "Stardust We AREEEEE" lyrics in the title song.

Beyond that theme, "Circus Brimstone" contains themes from the title track. It's also a damn good song too!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: LudwigVan on March 23, 2010, 08:08:06 AM
Sorry for the double post, but I really dug Adam & Eve, which is a good thing considering everyone else had it pretty low.


Love Adam & Eve.  Definitely not low in my book. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 23, 2010, 12:28:02 PM
Adam & Eve took a long time to fully grow on me, but I like it quite a bit now.  Okay, the title cut and "Starlight Man" are both fairly skippable, but just about everything else is really good, especially "Love Supreme" and the last three songs.

Space Revolver is awesome.  I still say that is their best single disc.   The bookend of "I Am the Sun" is just ridiculously awesome, and stuff like "Monster Within," "Underdog" and "A King's Prayer" stand out as pretty unique when looking at their history as a band.

And I just listened to "One More Time" from their last album again, seeing if it is better than I remembered it being, but nope; it is still boring as hell.  It is like prog-by-the-numbers, and without anything remotely interesting or memorable.  Oh well, even a band as great is this is gonna have a stinker or two once in a while. ;)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 23, 2010, 01:10:13 PM
Giving Flower Power a spin now.

"Garden of Dreams" just blew me away. It'll take a few more solid listens to really get it all down, but my first impression was really positive.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 23, 2010, 01:18:21 PM
Speaking of "I Am The Sun", has anyone else mixed the two parts and made it one song? I carefully un-faded the outro of Part 1 and the intro of Part 2 and mixed them together, using the acoustic guitar part to line them up... oddly enough, it came out to an even 25:00. I wish it had been a part of their Meet The Flower Kings setlist.

As for the rest of Space Revolver, I agree that there are some GREAT tunes on there. "A King's Prayer" is amazing, and if you haven't heard it yet, the instrumental-jammy-version of it titled "Last Exit"(from the Japanese special edition) is just as amazing, with Roine playing a very soulful guitar-lead.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 23, 2010, 02:01:09 PM
Giving Flower Power a spin now.

"Garden of Dreams" just blew me away. It'll take a few more solid listens to really get it all down, but my first impression was really positive.

It only gets better!  Collectively, the GoD suite is definitely the best thing the band has ever done, if you ask me. :)

Speaking of "I Am The Sun", has anyone else mixed the two parts and made it one song? I carefully un-faded the outro of Part 1 and the intro of Part 2 and mixed them together, using the acoustic guitar part to line them up... oddly enough, it came out to an even 25:00. I wish it had been a part of their Meet The Flower Kings setlist.

The problem there is, I don't think they have ever played all of both parts of "I Am the Sun," so it would have been like they always play it...the first half of Part I and the second half of Part II.  In other words, we still wouldn't have gotten all 25 minutes.  And it is on the Instant Delivery DVD, so we still got it! :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on March 23, 2010, 02:10:01 PM
Due to all this discussion I'm listening to Adam & Eve for the first time in ages, and it's definitely a bit better than I remember. The start and ends of the album are solid enough with some really great bits, just gets a bit less interesting in the middle.

Listened to Paradox Hotel and Stardust yesterday though, which are mighty mighty fine albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 23, 2010, 07:57:40 PM
Tonight I think I shall try Paradox Hotel.

I've been saving it, knowing that everyone loves it, so hopefully it can hold up to what everyone has said about it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 23, 2010, 09:39:20 PM
Paradox Hotel is too great for words. :)

But to say a few :p, I love that most of the songs on that record were written on a piano and/or an acoustic.  It gives them a more organic feel, and the melodies are glorious.  It makes for an overall more enjoyable melodic journey, I think.  :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 23, 2010, 11:54:41 PM
I.. I'm lost for words. You were right Kev, this album is just.. wow.

I think "End on a High Note" is leaving me teary eyed because it's just so happy and beautiful.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 24, 2010, 08:26:37 AM
 :) :) :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: glaurung on March 24, 2010, 10:18:12 AM
I've been warming up to them too. I'm not anywhere as into them as Quadrochosis is, but I do like what I've heard so far.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 24, 2010, 04:06:52 PM
Oh, and Quad, a few years ago, a friend got married and had "End on a High Note" play at this wedding reception.  Pretty rad, eh?  I pretty much went apeshit over that song from the very first time I heard it, and still consider it one of my four or favorite TFK songs. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 24, 2010, 06:19:00 PM
Oh, and Quad, a few years ago, a friend got married and had "End on a High Note" play at this wedding reception.  Pretty rad, eh?  I pretty much went apeshit over that song from the very first time I heard it, and still consider it one of my four or favorite TFK songs. :)

Yea, I think I've listened to it about 10 times today. It's just uncomprehendingly good.

BTW, what's the deal with "Bavarian Skies"?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 24, 2010, 06:52:37 PM
Oh, and Quad, a few years ago, a friend got married and had "End on a High Note" play at this wedding reception.  Pretty rad, eh?  I pretty much went apeshit over that song from the very first time I heard it, and still consider it one of my four or favorite TFK songs. :)

Yea, I think I've listened to it about 10 times today. It's just uncomprehendingly good.

BTW, what's the deal with "Bavarian Skies"?

Ahhh good old "Bavarian Skies"... AFAIK, it doesn't reflect anything by Roine or the band. It's just another part of the story/concept that they decided to throw in there. I get a bit of chills hearing it, it's so strange and unusual, but then again, the album itself is so diverse and such a grab-bad of musical genres and styles while still being within the realm of symphonic progressive rock.

As for Paradox Hotel, it took me a couple years for it to click. After it came out, being the first new album by the band after I became a fan, I wasn't too enthralled. Perhaps it was because I fell in love with their older sound, the most 70's-inspired symphonic prog rock, and PH was a bit too different sounding for me... but as the years have gone on, it's grown and I love pretty much EVERY minute of the album. The opening epic "Monsters And Men" is so great, and I love hearing those themes again in "Blue Planet"! The other opening and closing numbers are amazing as well ("End On A High Note" and "Minor Giant Steps").

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on March 24, 2010, 08:07:58 PM
Just spun PH again, I'm getting to know the songs better, and the experience is only getting better with that!

EDIT: Giving Flower Power another spin tonight, the title track is still a large leap for me, but I will learn it over time!

This band is becoming an instant favorite, where does everyone else rank them amongst their top bands?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 24, 2010, 09:33:59 PM
BTW, what's the deal with "Bavarian Skies"?

IIRC, it is supposed to be in the first person of a character staying at the hotel.  I like the experimental and dark nature of the song.  The music at the end is gorgeous, and is a great segueway into "Self-Consuming Fire," which is one of my favorites from PH. :)

As for Paradox Hotel, it took me a couple years for it to click. After it came out, being the first new album by the band after I became a fan, I wasn't too enthralled. Perhaps it was because I fell in love with their older sound, the most 70's-inspired symphonic prog rock, and PH was a bit too different sounding for me... but as the years have gone on, it's grown and I love pretty much EVERY minute of the album. The opening epic "Monsters And Men" is so great, and I love hearing those themes again in "Blue Planet"! The other opening and closing numbers are amazing as well ("End On A High Note" and "Minor Giant Steps").

Honestly, as really good as "Monsters and Men" and "Minor Giant Steps" both are, I love the fact that most of the strongest songs on PH are not the longest ones.  I adore the beauty and simplicity of "Jealousy," I love the laid back nature of the bulk of the latter half of Disc 1, and "What If God is Alone?" is easily one of the best songs the band has ever done (along with "End of a High Note").

This band is becoming an instant favorite, where does everyone else rank them amongst their top bands?

Top 5 all-time for me.  In fact, on some days, they inch ahead of Floyd into number 3, but they usually sit around number 4 or 5.  :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on March 25, 2010, 01:53:18 AM
BTW, what's the deal with "Bavarian Skies"?
It's incredible, that's what's up with it! It's probably one of my favourites off the album, just so eerie and full of atmosphere.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 25, 2010, 10:25:38 AM
The pacing of that block of songs on Disc 1 is tremendous.  "Bavarian Skies," "Self-Consuming Fire" and "Mommy, Leave the Light On" are all pretty laid back and rather dark, especially for them.  It is almost like someone listening to music late at night all the way through dawn while drifting in and out of sleep, and then "End of a High Note" is the sun and early morning fully waking you up. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: LudwigVan on March 25, 2010, 10:36:03 AM


As for Paradox Hotel, it took me a couple years for it to click. After it came out, being the first new album by the band after I became a fan, I wasn't too enthralled. Perhaps it was because I fell in love with their older sound, the most 70's-inspired symphonic prog rock, and PH was a bit too different sounding for me... but as the years have gone on, it's grown and I love pretty much EVERY minute of the album. The opening epic "Monsters And Men" is so great, and I love hearing those themes again in "Blue Planet"! The other opening and closing numbers are amazing as well ("End On A High Note" and "Minor Giant Steps").

-Marc.

I think I'm experiencing the same feelings you had with Paradox Hotel.  For all the praise it gets about having shorter songs and being more accessible, I'm having a much more difficult time getting into it than I've had with Stardust We Are, Adam & Eve, Flower Power, Unfold the Future, The Rainmaker or Space Revolver.    
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on March 25, 2010, 01:59:52 PM
The pacing of that block of songs on Disc 1 is tremendous.  "Bavarian Skies," "Self-Consuming Fire" and "Mommy, Leave the Light On" are all pretty laid back and rather dark, especially for them.  It is almost like someone listening to music late at night all the way through dawn while drifting in and out of sleep, and then "End of a High Note" is the sun and early morning fully waking you up. 
That's an awesome and very fitting analogy. :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 26, 2010, 12:32:21 PM
The pacing of that block of songs on Disc 1 is tremendous.  "Bavarian Skies," "Self-Consuming Fire" and "Mommy, Leave the Light On" are all pretty laid back and rather dark, especially for them.  It is almost like someone listening to music late at night all the way through dawn while drifting in and out of sleep, and then "End of a High Note" is the sun and early morning fully waking you up. 
That's an awesome and very fitting analogy. :tup

Thanks!  And to think, I came up with that all on my own!  :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on March 28, 2010, 07:21:48 AM
Sat on a train listening to Paradox Hotel and being reminded how lovely Minor Giant Steps is. It's just so... nice! Listening to it always makes me feel happy.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 28, 2010, 03:38:00 PM
So I just did some math, and added up the album-lengths of each of the 10 official TFK albums as well as Roine's The Flower King... and my total for all 11 albums (released over 13 years from 1994-2007), came to 19:40:05 (hrs/mins/sec). That's a LOT of music to release in 13 years.

Now when I did the counts, I added bonus tracks released on various release:
Retropolis-session outtakes: "Kite" and "Buffalo Man"
Flower Power: 4 Bonus Tracks on a Japanese release
Space Revolver: 5 Bonus Tracks on a Japanese release + 3-Song EP ("She Carved Me A Wooden Heart", "Space Revolver" and "Jupiter Backwards")
The Rainmaker: Limited Edition Bonus Disc
Unfold The Future: "Too Late For Tomatoes"
The Sum Of No Evil: Special Edition Bonus Disc

And by now, this is the longest break between studio albums - three years currently. Unfortunately, it might be another year or more til we see more TFK. With Roine being busy with AOM and the TA tour this year, and Jonas reportedly going to start recording a new Karmakanic album last this year, and Hasse Fröberg will probably want to tour for his upcoming new band's album, FuturePast by Hasse Fröberg and the Musical Companion. That leaves Tomas who, apparently has had some things going on with Roine, which may or may not have led to this unplanned hiatus... but I'm sure while the other Kings are busy with other projects, Tomas will (and hopefully) be working on his follow-up to YOU ARE, HE SHE IT IS with his "new band", Eggs & Dogs.

There's been a lot of hope at the official TFK message board that the Kings would reconvene later this year, but with Jonas' plans, I highly doubt it, and with as much as Roine likes to do and keep busy, I'm sure he'll probably want to tour for the upcoming Agents Of Mercy album (maybe tour with Hasse Fröberg too? That'd be nice!).

I *really* hope that Roine might at least consider releasing the recorded DVD from the TSONE tour a couple years ago with Pat Mastelotto on drums, just to tide over TFK fans this year. I'd buy it in a heartbeat since we haven't had a TFK release since 2008's Carpe Diem - Live In USA 2006. This leaves 2009 as the one of the few years (since 1994) without an official TFK release (1998 and 2005 being the others, but 1998 had Édition Limitée Québec, technically). I don't want to go another year without a TFK release!

-Marc.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: dedSurroun on March 28, 2010, 04:34:40 PM


As for Paradox Hotel, it took me a couple years for it to click. After it came out, being the first new album by the band after I became a fan, I wasn't too enthralled. Perhaps it was because I fell in love with their older sound, the most 70's-inspired symphonic prog rock, and PH was a bit too different sounding for me... but as the years have gone on, it's grown and I love pretty much EVERY minute of the album. The opening epic "Monsters And Men" is so great, and I love hearing those themes again in "Blue Planet"! The other opening and closing numbers are amazing as well ("End On A High Note" and "Minor Giant Steps").

-Marc.
Never been a huge fan of Paradox Hotel. Not entirely sure why but it is, compared to everything else they've done, at the bottom of the list. It's good, but overrated.

I think I'm experiencing the same feelings you had with Paradox Hotel.  For all the praise it gets about having shorter songs and being more accessible, I'm having a much more difficult time getting into it than I've had with Stardust We Are, Adam & Eve, Flower Power, Unfold the Future, The Rainmaker or Space Revolver.    
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 04, 2010, 02:27:39 PM
Listened to a lot of TFK on my trip, especially the plane rides.

On the way back the entire flight was basically filled by my listening to Paradox Hotel and Flower Power.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 04, 2010, 06:30:13 PM
Roine posted on his Facebook page today that the sessions for Agents Of Mercy 2 are well underway and working out great! He also said that after that album is done, and the TA Whirld Tour is over, he'll probably tour for AOM again later this year.

He also said he plans to go forward with his guitar-album project and his symphonic-album project, which have both been part of his ideas in the last couple of years. It almost saddens me that he is putting TFK further on the back-burner in favor for his side-projects/solo-albums, but I know he's probably got a LOT of great ideas to put out.. just not with TFK, it seems.

Kind of sad, but we'll surely be getting more from Roine this year (as if 3 albums last year wasn't enough between TA, 3WE and AOM), so I'm not entirely upset about that. Along with new Karmakanic and Hasse Fröberg And The Musical Companion, we'll be getting a LOT of TFK-related things this year. I hope Tomas Bodin takes this time to do something as well.

Between DT's unplanned hiatus and this, I'm a bit upset that two of my favorite bands most likely won't be recording an album this year. On the other hand, Spock's Beard and Rush are releasing new albums, so I'm quite happy about that!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 04, 2010, 10:41:42 PM
I wish I could get excited about the Angels of Mercy stuff, but the singer's voice just grated on me, and I couldn't get into that first CD, so if he using the same singer, then I doubt I will have much interest in it.  Roine's other side projects will always interest me, though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 06, 2010, 09:28:44 PM
Been listening to Flower Power a lot lately, "Garden of Dreams" is hands down their best song that I've heard so far.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 06, 2010, 10:01:30 PM
You won't hear anything better.  That is their best work to date.  Nearly an hour of absolute musical perfection.  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 08, 2010, 12:52:55 AM
You won't hear anything better.  That is their best work to date.  Nearly an hour of absolute musical perfection.  :hat

Yea, your really not exaggerating either, it's simply a wonderful experience.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 12, 2010, 01:59:13 PM
So is there any particular reason that "I Am The Sun" has twice the amount of listens on last.fm as every other song (almost combined)?

I'm listening to it, and while good, it's certainly not as good as a bunch of their other songs, even ones that are much shorter, which would be typical for the average listener to like more.

That only leaves me guessing that maybe the song was part of a compilation or in a movie or something which is why it has so many more plays than everything else the band has done.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: mizzl on April 12, 2010, 02:35:06 PM
I lol everytime I see this name
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 13, 2010, 09:58:31 AM
So is there any particular reason that "I Am The Sun" has twice the amount of listens on last.fm as every other song (almost combined)?

I'm listening to it, and while good, it's certainly not as good as a bunch of their other songs, even ones that are much shorter, which would be typical for the average listener to like more.

That only leaves me guessing that maybe the song was part of a compilation or in a movie or something which is why it has so many more plays than everything else the band has done.

That does seem odd.  Maybe a listener or two is intentionally listening to it a lot, to jack up the overall plays?  Seems crazy, but people are weird with that stuff sometimes.  I just can't see why that one song, as good as it is, would be so much higher than everything else.  ???
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: lateralus88 on April 13, 2010, 10:11:23 AM
I gave Retropolis another listen last night. It's been a long time since I've spun this album. I almost forgot how good of an album it is. Rhythm of the Sea = Complete and utter win.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 13, 2010, 01:41:16 PM
I gave Retropolis another listen last night. It's been a long time since I've spun this album. I almost forgot how good of an album it is. Rhythm of the Sea = Complete and utter win.

That's so strange because I listened to it last night too, it's probably my favorite single disc TFK album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 13, 2010, 09:05:49 PM
I think Space Revolver is a little better, but Retropolis, which is definitely awesome, would still be my 2nd favorite single TFK record.

And yes, "Rhythm of the Sea" is tremendous.  I love the acoustic guitar and the vocals in that song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 14, 2010, 06:09:36 AM
I think Space Revolver is a little better, but Retropolis, which is definitely awesome, would still be my 2nd favorite single TFK record.

And yes, "Rhythm of the Sea" is tremendous.  I love the acoustic guitar and the vocals in that song.

Yea I'd agree that SR is awesome too, definitely number 2 on the list of single records for me.

They definitely have a knack for really making double albums well, as I enjoy most of their double stuff more than the single stuff. (Although "Unfold The Future" hasn't really clicked for me yet)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 19, 2010, 07:57:46 AM
OK I think I am about ready to do a album ranking. This is obviously going to change as I become more fully knowledgeable of their music but here goes nothing:

1. Stardust We Are*
2. Flower Power*
3. Paradox Hotel*
4. Retropolis
5. Space Revolver
6. Back In The World of Adventure
7. Unfold The Future*
8. Adam & Eve
9. The Sum Of No Evil
10. The Rainmaker

* - double album

That being said, "Garden of Dreams" is definitely my favorite song by them, I just think that overall SWA is better.

For some reason, The Rainmaker hasn't really clicked with me at all yet, so I'm not sure if it's too low at the moment.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 19, 2010, 09:10:44 AM
OK I think I am about ready to do a album ranking. This is obviously going to change as I become more fully knowledgeable of their music but here goes nothing:

1. Stardust We Are*
2. Flower Power*
3. Paradox Hotel*
4. Retropolis
5. Space Revolver
6. Back In The World of Adventure
7. Unfold The Future*
8. Adam & Eve
9. The Sum Of No Evil
10. The Rainmaker

* - double album

That being said, "Garden of Dreams" is definitely my favorite song by them, I just think that overall SWA is better.

For some reason, The Rainmaker hasn't really clicked with me at all yet, so I'm not sure if it's too low at the moment.

This looks pretty good and normal for many TFK fans, so I think your preference for their longer albums/songs is right up there with most of the band's followers. I'd say my list is comparable to yours, and I do find that A&E, TSONE and TR are often near the bottom of people's rankings. It might be coincidence that they are the band's latter single-disc releases, but they often seem to polarize fans - you either hate them or love them, esp with A&E and TR. With TSONE, it's a bit more mixed, and I've grown to love it, actually, and took me less time for it to "click" with me than the other two, althgouh I now love A&E! The Rainmaker still feels a bit average to me, but there are some enjoyable tracks on it (opening and closing songs to name a couple).

I'm also glad to see you've put PH up so high at number 3! It definitely rotates in my TFK top 3, along with SWA and UTF. Flower Power is really good, but I haven't really connected TOO much with it, beyond "Garden Of Dreams", but I was listening to it a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it start to finish, so it may rank around 5 or 6 for me. I still find their first two albums to be particularly great, and concise too.

Also, Quadrochosis, have you had a chance to listen to Roine Stolt's The Flower King and/or Hydrophonia? The former is the pre-TFK album that is filled with some great tunes, and the latter is a TFK-esque instrumental album. I highly suggest those two as well.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 19, 2010, 09:18:04 AM
Cannot argue with those rankings one bit.  Even though my specific order would be slightly different, 1-3, 4-7, and 8-10 are all the same tiers I would have them in. :D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on April 19, 2010, 11:52:57 AM
Mine would be something like this (although it changes quite often):

1. Stardust We Are*
2. Space Revolver
3. Paradox Hotel*
4. The Rainmaker
5. Flower Power*
6. Unfold The Future*
7. Retropolis
8. Adam & Eve
9. The Sum Of No Evil
10. Back In The World of Adventure
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Plasmastrike on May 12, 2010, 11:33:31 AM
So, I've had four albums by this band in my iTunes for months:
Retropolis
Untold The Future
Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel

Well, I finally decided to give them a run. I chose Paradox and just got done with the epic second track. This band is phenomenal! I'm so impressed. They have potential to really climb my favorite band list.

Kind of a random observation, but I also got into Transatlantic just recently through The Whirlwind. It remains my favorite album by them by far, absolutely love it. Paradox so far actually kind of reminds me a lot of Whirlwind, with the really grand, arena-filling climax ending (track 2). Maybe Roine got a lot more arm room for writing with TA's most recent album. (I truly have no idea - just observing)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 12, 2010, 12:46:22 PM
So, I've had four albums by this band in my iTunes for months:
Retropolis
Untold The Future
Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel

Well, I finally decided to give them a run. I chose Paradox and just got done with the epic second track. This band is phenomenal! I'm so impressed. They have potential to really climb my favorite band list.

This is great to hear. :tup :tup

Kind of a random observation, but I also got into Transatlantic just recently through The Whirlwind. It remains my favorite album by them by far, absolutely love it. Paradox so far actually kind of reminds me a lot of Whirlwind, with the really grand, arena-filling climax ending (track 2). Maybe Roine got a lot more arm room for writing with TA's most recent album. (I truly have no idea - just observing)

I think it is fairly obvious what songs from "The Whirlwind" suite had the most Roine influence...namely, the ones he sings.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Plasmastrike on May 12, 2010, 01:31:58 PM
Gotta love being new to bands pointing out the obvious :P :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: dedSurroun on May 12, 2010, 03:17:30 PM
My ranking, which only has a few really clear and definite spots, marked in bold. The rest are a "more or less" type deal, although this ranking has been consistent the past year or so. I had to include two fanclub releases, which in my opinion either ranks as highly, or higher, than some of the studio album, especially Harvest.

1. Unfold The Future
** Harvest (Fanclub 2005)
2. Flower Power
3. Space Revolver
4. Adam & Eve
** BetchaWannaDanceStoopid! (Fanclub 2004)
5. Stardust We Are
6. The Sum Of No Evil
7. The Rainmaker
8. Paradox Hotel
9. Retropolis
10. Back In The World Of Adventure
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: LudwigVan on May 12, 2010, 03:57:30 PM
That's a nice ranking, I like where you've got Adam and Eve :tup. The only thing I might put above it is Stardust.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: reneranucci on May 12, 2010, 09:05:37 PM
I can´t get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). I´m a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think it´s not one of the album´s strenghts. I´ll try to focus on other things.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: MetalManiac666 on May 12, 2010, 09:16:18 PM
Lately, I have not been able to stop listening to "Chicken Farmer Song."  SO CATCHY, SO HAPPY
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 12, 2010, 10:19:07 PM
Gotta love being new to bands pointing out the obvious :P :biggrin:

Eh?  Color me confused. ???

Lately, I have not been able to stop listening to "Chicken Farmer Song."  SO CATCHY, SO HAPPY

Love it, too. :coolio :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: dedSurroun on May 13, 2010, 02:12:56 PM
That's a nice ranking, I like where you've got Adam and Eve :tup. The only thing I might put above it is Stardust.
Yeah, I really like A&E. Don't see why a lot of people put it further down.

IMHO, SWE has more filler material, and weaker songs overall, hence it's place. But it's still a damn good album. It's funny, saying that a TFK album isn't "that good" still places it way, waaaay above the competition. Even a #10 spot is relatively high.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: dedSurroun on May 13, 2010, 02:14:21 PM
I can´t get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). I´m a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think it´s not one of the album´s strenghts. I´ll try to focus on other things.
I agree. I can get into it, but it's just not as good as people claim it is. A bit overrated. Luckily there's plenty more music by them to enjoy.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 13, 2010, 03:22:47 PM
Yeah, I really like A&E. Don't see why a lot of people put it further down.

IMHO, SWE has more filler material, and weaker songs overall, hence it's place.  

Eh, nothing on SWA is close to as weak as "Adam and Eve" or "Starlight Man," not counting SWA's short, transitional pieces (which are like interludes rather than real songs).

It's funny, saying that a TFK album isn't "that good" still places it way, waaaay above the competition. Even a #10 spot is relatively high.

Very true.  I like A&E a lot, but I cannot put it any higher than 8th on my list.

I can´t get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). I´m a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think it´s not one of the album´s strenghts. I´ll try to focus on other things.
I agree. I can get into it, but it's just not as good as people claim it is. A bit overrated.

Absolute rubbish, laddie! :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: reneranucci on May 13, 2010, 03:29:21 PM
I can´t get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). I´m a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think it´s not one of the album´s strenghts. I´ll try to focus on other things.
I agree. I can get into it, but it's just not as good as people claim it is. A bit overrated. Luckily there's plenty more music by them to enjoy.
Definitely.End on a High Note saves disc 1 (what an appropiate name for a song  :P). Maybe it´ll grow on me but I´m disappointed so far. After listening to Garden of Dreams I thought this band couldn´t do anything bad. Well, maybe disc 2 is better.

I find Bavarian Skies absolutely unbearable. Musically, vocally and, above all, lyrically. I had to say it, no offense to the band, I think they´re great, but creating such a song was completely unnecessary IMO. Maybe I´m missing something and the intention of the song was to build up on the sadness of the previous songs and that goes on the next two songs. Kev, what do you think? I don´t want to be harsh, but that song really irritated me.

EDIT: Ok I read previous comments on this thread about the song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 13, 2010, 03:43:06 PM
"Bavarian Skies" is not one of my favorites, but I like it, and think it works really well at that point in the album.  It is pretty different for them, yes, especially given how dreary it is, but I think it works.  And I love the songs before and after it. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 13, 2010, 07:24:43 PM
For me PH has the same feel that The Beatles' The Beatles had. All the song are very varied and different, and don't really sound like they should be together, but it somehow works out sounding really interesting and great. It's almost as if every song is a new band, which is a cool thing to do for an album, and I feel that it worked well.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on May 13, 2010, 08:06:47 PM
For me PH has the same feel that The Beatles' The Beatles had. All the song are very varied and different, and don't really sound like they should be together, but it somehow works out sounding really interesting and great. It's almost as if every song is a new band, which is a cool thing to do for an album, and I feel that it worked well.

Oddly enough, both Paradox Hotel and The Beatles are each respective band's ninth studio albums! Number 9... number 9... number 9...

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 13, 2010, 08:08:07 PM
For me PH has the same feel that The Beatles' The Beatles had. All the song are very varied and different, and don't really sound like they should be together, but it somehow works out sounding really interesting and great. It's almost as if every song is a new band, which is a cool thing to do for an album, and I feel that it worked well.

Oddly enough, both Paradox Hotel and The Beatles are each respective band's ninth studio albums! Number 9... number 9... number 9...

-Marc.

*headsplode*
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 14, 2010, 01:32:48 PM
That's an interesting take, Quad.  I don't necessarily agree with it, but it is interesting, nonetheless. :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: dedSurroun on May 14, 2010, 02:49:38 PM
Yeah, I really like A&E. Don't see why a lot of people put it further down.

IMHO, SWE has more filler material, and weaker songs overall, hence it's place.  

Eh, nothing on SWA is close to as weak as "Adam and Eve" or "Starlight Man," not counting SWA's short, transitional pieces (which are like interludes rather than real songs).
Going along with your argument that those two songs are weak, I can think of a few of the top of my head that are at least on par with, if not worse than, them: In The Eyes Of The World, Compassion, The End Of Innocence, The Merrygoround, and Different People.

I can´t get into Paradox Hotel (at least the first disc). I´m a sucker for good vocal melodies and in most of the songs they sound pretty forced, I think it´s not one of the album´s strenghts. I´ll try to focus on other things.
I agree. I can get into it, but it's just not as good as people claim it is. A bit overrated.

Absolute rubbish, laddie! :biggrin:
Hahaha, yeah no  :corn
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 14, 2010, 11:13:07 PM
Going along with your argument that those two songs are weak, I can think of a few of the top of my head that are at least on par with, if not worse than, them: In The Eyes Of The World, Compassion, The End Of Innocence, The Merrygoround, and Different People.

What? "In The Eyes of the World", "The Merrygoround" and "Different People" are some of SWE's best. "Compassion" is amazing too.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 14, 2010, 11:18:32 PM
Yeah, those songs are all amazing, so I can't agree with that at all.  "The End of Innocence" is the least bunch of that bunch, but that is still a good song, and miles better than those clunkers from A&E, IMO.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: LudwigVan on May 15, 2010, 06:31:49 PM
I'm finding that The Flower Kings is perfect spring/summer outdoor listening music.   :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 15, 2010, 11:03:22 PM
I'm finding that The Flower Kings is perfect spring/summer outdoor listening music.   :tup

Damn straight!  Oddly, I haven't gone through my usual TFK phase yet this spring, but we keep getting too much damn rain.  Once it gets all sunny and warm out on a regular basis, I will know that that phase is just around the corner. :D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on May 15, 2010, 11:22:59 PM
I'm finding that The Flower Kings is perfect spring/summer outdoor listening music.   :tup

Damn straight!  Oddly, I haven't gone through my usual TFK phase yet this spring, but we keep getting too much damn rain.  Once it gets all sunny and warm out on a regular basis, I will know that that phase is just around the corner. :D

Funny you guys mention this. I was in my TFK phase a couple months ago, between February-March, but for the last few weeks, it's been Marillion for me, which has fit with most of my current moods lately, as well as the weather (which seems to change day to day, and has been gray and rainy for much of the last month or so here). I'll probably rotate TFK back in sometime over the summer, but when I get SBX in a week or so, it'll probably be Spock's Beard for a month or two... maybe when the 2nd Agents Of Mercy album is released, i'll be in full TFK-mode by then!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 15, 2010, 11:24:27 PM
Funny, over the winter I was in a TFK phase and now for the beginning of the summer I seem to be moving into a PT phase :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on May 17, 2010, 02:44:59 PM
"Bavarian Skies" is not one of my favorites, but I like it, and think it works really well at that point in the album.  It is pretty different for them, yes, especially given how dreary it is, but I think it works.  And I love the songs before and after it. 
I adore Bavarian Skies, the timing and placement of it within the album are perfect, and it's just so eerie and unusual. One of the things I love about TFK is that they can do surprising things like that.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 25, 2010, 10:03:51 PM
FYI, my next top 50 list will be for TFK...and I will be doing it in this thread.  I should be starting it sometime in the next 24 hours. :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 25, 2010, 10:23:57 PM
Nice! I can't wait!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Plasmastrike on May 25, 2010, 11:03:29 PM
Word kevvv.  :metal
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 25, 2010, 11:04:31 PM
Okay, like the other top 50s I have done, this is all for fun, and I put the list together in a short amount of time, so this is more or less to generate discussion and get us all talking about the greatness of the Flower Kings!  I didn't do this with the others, but this time, I will be the album each song is from after the song title.  And away we go...

50. "The Truth Will Set You Free" (Unfold the Future)

That's right.  "The Truth..." is number 50.  This will seem low to a lot of people, some of whom consider it one of their best songs ever, if not their best, but while I like it a lot, I have never gone completely crazy over it like so many others have.  I feel it could have been trimmed a bit and been much, much better, but as is, it is still pretty damn good, and more than worthy of making my top 50.

49. "Church of Your Heart" (Stardust We Are)

This might sound odd, but this sounds like one of those songs the band could write in their sleep.  It sounds like a by-the-numbers prog rock mini-epic, but that doesn't take away from its greatness.  That actually says a lot about how prolific they are, when they can make something that sounds so standard for the genre sound so great.  The main musical melody in this songs always reminds me of a song I heard in church growing up, hence the title.  That can't be a coincidence.

48. "Train to Nowhere" (Back in the World of Adventures)

This song is a shining example of how great Roine Stolt's understated, yet expressive, vocals can be; I prefer his voice over Forberg's by a massive distance.  Roine's soulful guitar playing during the choruses is so wonderful, I could listen to him play stuff like that all day long.  Very cool song lyrically, too.

47. "Timelines" (Adam & Eve)

A very dynamic song, this song runs the gauntlet between the quirky rocking side of the band and the laid back, chilling vibe that they do so well.  I love the acoustic during the verses, and when the mellotron and bass guitar come in during the latter half of the first verse, that is some killer stuff going on there.  Roine's guitar solo in this song is absolute money.  Something tells me I could probably say that about most of the songs I will list in this countdown!

46. "Rumble Fish Twist" (Space Revolver)

Another very dynamic song, this instrumental might be the most showy the band has ever gotten, as the first few minutes move at a pretty furious pace, the keys and drums being the standouts.  Then, the song slows down, and the guitar and bass take center stage.  Despite the contrast between the two parts of the song, it still manages to sound cohesive.  



  
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 25, 2010, 11:37:48 PM
I'd put CoYH higher, but that's just me. Good tunes so far :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 26, 2010, 09:49:24 AM
I'd put CoYH higher, but that's just me. 

It might have been higher had I done it today.  Looking the list over again just now, I adjusted it on the fly...moved a few up, and moved a few down.  But once I post them here, they are locked in, so 45 and up are still subject to changing...until I do another update later tonight. :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 26, 2010, 12:03:13 PM
That's funny I do the same thing to my lists  :biggrin: :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on May 26, 2010, 02:07:49 PM
Listened to Unfold the Future and Space Revolver at work today. SO MUCH GREAT MUSIC. :D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: The Letter M on May 26, 2010, 03:14:13 PM
I listened to UTF this morning in it's entirety... amazing album. Although when looking at my iPod, I realized I haven't listened to it a lot, or in awhile, and that both Adam & Eve and Paradox Hotel had A LOT more play counts than UTF.

Choosing UTF over PH was a VERY hard decision in the Five Albums thread, but really, I could pick either depending on my mood. I've just been in more of a mood that UTF reflects than PH... although coming off my recent Marillion-kick, PH might be exactly what I should be listening to! (I'm going off to put PH on as soon as I finish spinning Spock's Beard's X).

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: MetalManiac666 on May 26, 2010, 09:18:28 PM
Just ordered Flower Power off of Amazon.  It'll be my second FK album, my first being Space Revolver.  I'm pumped to hear it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 26, 2010, 10:10:19 PM
That's funny I do the same thing to my lists  :biggrin: :lol

Heh.  It is hard not to, though, with so many great songs!

Listened to Unfold the Future and Space Revolver at work today. SO MUCH GREAT MUSIC. :D

 :hat

I listened to UTF this morning in it's entirety... amazing album. Although when looking at my iPod, I realized I haven't listened to it a lot, or in awhile, and that both Adam & Eve and Paradox Hotel had A LOT more play counts than UTF.

Choosing UTF over PH was a VERY hard decision in the Five Albums thread, but really, I could pick either depending on my mood. I've just been in more of a mood that UTF reflects than PH... although coming off my recent Marillion-kick, PH might be exactly what I should be listening to! (I'm going off to put PH on as soon as I finish spinning Spock's Beard's X).

-Marc.

I think some of the first disc of UtF is a little weak, but it is still a very strong album overall.  I don't think it touches PH, however. ;)

And when I saw your top 5 have 6DOIT, UtF and Snow, it reminded of how 2002 was like the year of the prog double album.  I remember several of the forums I posted at at the time all talking about which of the three was the best.  It's still a pretty tough call for me.

Just ordered Flower Power off of Amazon.  It'll be my second FK album, my first being Space Revolver.  I'm pumped to hear it.

Nice!  I would tackle them one disc at a time.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 27, 2010, 12:10:53 PM
Update:

45. "Elaine" (The Rainmaker)

This song being in here is probably a curve ball for some, but I have always loved it.  I love those simple, beautiful TFK songs that Roine sings (as opposed to Froberg, who can sometimes make them sound a bit too wussy, "Vox Humana" being a fine example of this).  Despite the simplicity of this song, there is some amazing bass work in this tune, and the outro featuring the soprano sax is just amazing. 

44. "Don of the Universe" (Stardust We Are)

I was iffy on this song making it initially, but then I listened to it and was like, how can this not make it?  It is centered around the main theme of the Disc 2 of the album, but with the acoustic and a sitar (or possibly a sitar sample :p) taking center stage.  Their ability to pull of this song so well speaks volumes to how musical the band really is.

43. Man Overboard (Unfold the Future)

To me, Tomas Bodin's work in this song makes it.  Roine Stolt deservedly gets a ton of credit for how great this band is, but Bodin is extremely important, as well; his keyboard work is just as much of their sound as Roine's guitar is.  I love how his sounds in this song really give you that feeling like you are listening to a song that is music to a movie soundtrack about a ship lost at sea, hence the title, "Man Overboard."

42. "Lucy Had a Dream" (Paradox Hotel)

The first in that line of darker songs from the latter half of Disc 1 of PH, this song was an instant winner with me.  From the opening drum fills to the piano flourishes to the slide guitar leads, everything about this song creates a vibe that I just love to death.  The Flower Kings often do a great job at making a rather simple song still sound proggy, while still keeping their playing restrained, and nowhere is this more evident than here.  The psychedelic ending to the song is just killer, too.

41. "Underdog" (Space Revolver)

A prog band starting a song with bagpipes?  Whoever heard of such a thing?!  Well, this is the Flower Kings, and they are always doing different and odd things within the context of their symphonic prog sound.  This is probably one of the more hard rocking songs in their catalog, as it features a pretty hard-hitting pace, and the outro is probably about as close to metal as they have ever gotten.  And despite all of that, plenty of gorgeous vocal harmonies are aplenty.  And how about those samples at the end?  "How can you possibly fit all of that in your mouth?" :lol


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 27, 2010, 04:26:10 PM
Yay for Lucy and Don, two great songs! :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 28, 2010, 09:18:29 AM
Well, since this isn't generating the discussion I had hoped for, I will probably do the rest of the list a lot quicker and do a lot shorter write-ups, or maybe even just list the songs without any kind of write-up.  I guess there just aren't enough TFK fans here.  Blah. :sad:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: MetalManiac666 on May 28, 2010, 11:09:58 AM
I'm interested in seeing the rest of your list.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 28, 2010, 12:08:45 PM
I've been checking this thread regularly Kev!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 28, 2010, 12:23:08 PM
I'm interested in seeing the rest of your list.

 :tup :tup

I've been checking this thread regularly Kev!

Oh, I know.  I was just hoping for more actual discussion of the songs I have been listing.  I know TFK isn't gonna generate discussion like some of the more popular bands around here, but jeez.  I guess I should temper my expectations. :censored :lol :facepalm:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: glaurung on May 28, 2010, 02:53:32 PM
I'm not too familiar with the band so I haven't rally had much to comment on but I am reading.

You might get more traffic with your own thread.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: MetalManiac666 on May 28, 2010, 08:42:17 PM
Yeah, as I've said before, I only have one TFK album right now, so I haven't had much to comment on.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 29, 2010, 12:41:49 PM
40. "Minor Giant Steps" (Paradox Hotel)

The Yes influence is quite prevalent at times with TFK, and this song is one where it is on full display, especially in those gorgeous vocal harmonies.  This song reminds me so much of summer, as Disc 2 of PH was what I always listened to on the way home from college in the summer of '06, and this being the first song on that disc, it always kicked things off.  That was a great summer. :coolio

39. "The Melting Pot" (Retropolis)

I think it is only fair to include the "Romancing in the City" solo piano piece with this, as they run together, and that is like the intro to "The Melting Pot."  This is another song where the soprano sax is featured, this time playing the lead melody for much of the tune.  A great instrumental, this is.

38. "Pioneers of Aviation" (Paradox Hotel)

Yet another instrumental, I like how the song teases you with the main melody, played softly at the beginning, before going into an extended intro, and finally having the main melody kick in full force on the guitar.  The pacing of this tune is just immaculate.

37. "Genie in a Bottle" (Unfold the Future)

How can you not love a song with so much gorgeous mellotron work?  A very rhythmic song, "Genie in a Bottle" has tons of little quirky things that make it so great.  I love the subtle little sax parts during the second verse; when it bubbles up suddenly during the "Hush, little baby, don't you cry" line, that is killer stuff.

36. "There Is More to This World" (Retropolis)

This is hands down one of the band's definitive songs.  It has everything in it that makes the band so great: wonderful melodies, a great chorus, wonderful two-part vocal interplay, great instrumentation, and a memorable and positive vibe.


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 29, 2010, 03:54:10 PM
Gaah MGS and TIMTTW should be higher! PoA is in a good spot though :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: The Letter M on May 29, 2010, 04:23:09 PM
Gaah MGS and TIMTTW should be higher! PoA is in a good spot though :tup

I agree! But I think "Pioneers" could've been a bit higher... it's one of my favorite pieces off of Paradox Hotel, and among all TFK instrumentals in general!

Anyways, I look forward to seeing your top 20 and top 10, Kev!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: hefdaddy42 on May 29, 2010, 04:44:17 PM
40. "Minor Giant Steps" (Paradox Hotel)

The Yes influence is quite prevalent at times with TFK, and this song is one where it is on full display, especially in those gorgeous vocal harmonies.  This song reminds me so much of summer, as Disc 2 of PH was what I always listened to on the way home from college in the summer of '06, and this being the first song on that disc, it always kicked things off.  That was a great summer. :coolio
I just absolutely love this song.  :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 29, 2010, 05:59:01 PM
40. "Minor Giant Steps" (Paradox Hotel)

The Yes influence is quite prevalent at times with TFK, and this song is one where it is on full display, especially in those gorgeous vocal harmonies.  This song reminds me so much of summer, as Disc 2 of PH was what I always listened to on the way home from college in the summer of '06, and this being the first song on that disc, it always kicked things off.  That was a great summer. :coolio
I just absolutely love this song.  :tup

It is wonderful, isn't it? :)

Anyways, I look forward to seeing your top 20 and top 10, Kev!

Right on! :tup :tup

Gaah MGS and TIMTTW should be higher!

Perhaps. :biggrin:

Actually, having listened to TFK all week, I am kicking myself for leaving several songs off, but there is no way I can adjust my list and work them in now, as everything left is too good and too essential to take off....so I guess those songs will have to settle for being honorable mentions.  Gah. :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 29, 2010, 10:07:33 PM
Well to be fair, there are certainly way more than 50 TFK songs that deserve a place in the top 10.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 29, 2010, 10:33:19 PM
Well to be fair, there are certainly way more than 50 TFK songs that deserve a place in the top 10.

True that.  

Not to turn this thread negative, but the list of TFK songs that wouldn't have a prayer of making my top 50 is much easier to make (not counting the short little interlude songs, like on SWA, or intro songs, like what starts off PH):

"One More Time"
"Starlight Man"
"Sword of God"
"Vox Humana"

That's it.  That's the list.

Now, turning this back to the positive, it is nice how well A&E as a whole has aged.  Okay, "Starlight Man" is weak (thanks to that wussy chorus) and the title track is somewhat of a WTF, but the rest is really good.  And it sounds terrific.  The bass sounds very rich and thick, the drums sound just awesome, and the overall balance is perfect.  I wish the earlier CDs (which sound really good, even still) sounded that good.  A&E is still only my 8th favorite TFK CD, and has only three songs in this top 50, but it is a lot better CD than most, including myself, thought it was at first.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 30, 2010, 05:28:08 PM
35. "Serious Dreamers" (The Rainmaker)

I can honestly say that this has always been my favorite song from that CD, and I don't see that ever changing. This is just a terrific song, replete with great harmonies, dazzling keyboard lines, and an outro to die for.  Seriously, that outro is by far the highlight of not only the song, but of the whole album; just a terrific way to end a CD.  And for some reason, this song always reminds me of the ocean...probably because part of the main line sounds like "California dreaming" as opposed to the real line, "...can't afford the dreaming." :lol

34. "The Merrygoround" (Stardust We Are)

Considering what a fun song this is, the title is very fitting.  Roine Stolt's Steve Howe-like guitar leads are absolutely dynamite, and I love the fast-paced section following the second chorus: "Number ten, lost again!"  And the mellow second half of the song is just beautiful.

33. "Touch My Heaven" (Paradox Hotel)

It's all about the guitar solo.  That guitar solo.  It ought to be put in a time capsule for music fans hundreds of years from now to listen to.  It is that good.  And the meat of the song is great, too, a rare solo composition by Tomas Bodin.

32. "The Road Back Home" (Retropolis)

I am always a fan of songs that are acoustic guitar-driven, and this song is no exception.  The keyboard solo in the middle of the song sounds like something out of a classic Genesis song: graceful and perfectly-placed in the song, and with a gorgeous pace and vibe.  And the climatic ending is another classic TFK gorgeous finale.

31. "Love Supreme" (Adam & Eve)

I have to admit that this song took quite a while to grow on me, as I thought some of the melodies were a bit too pretty at first, especially the one that opens the song, but one day, the light bulb went on, and all of a sudden, it was a major winner for me.  The Yes-like chorus is terrific, and when Roine takes over the lead vocals about halfway through, the song really takes off.  A&E is a fantastic "sounding" CD, and this song really benefits from the great production job.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on May 30, 2010, 05:33:36 PM
40. "Minor Giant Steps" (Paradox Hotel)

The Yes influence is quite prevalent at times with TFK, and this song is one where it is on full display, especially in those gorgeous vocal harmonies.  This song reminds me so much of summer, as Disc 2 of PH was what I always listened to on the way home from college in the summer of '06, and this being the first song on that disc, it always kicked things off.  That was a great summer. :coolio
I just absolutely love this song.  :tup
Completely this, definitely one of my favourites from the album. It always makes me feel really happy whenever I hear it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Plasmastrike on May 30, 2010, 05:35:46 PM
40. "Minor Giant Steps" (Paradox Hotel)

The Yes influence is quite prevalent at times with TFK, and this song is one where it is on full display, especially in those gorgeous vocal harmonies.  This song reminds me so much of summer, as Disc 2 of PH was what I always listened to on the way home from college in the summer of '06, and this being the first song on that disc, it always kicked things off.  That was a great summer. :coolio
I just absolutely love this song.  :tup
Completely this, definitely one of my favourites from the album. It always makes me feel really happy whenever I hear it.

I just recently got into the band, and this is one of the songs I keep crawling back to. :biggrin:

*miiiinor giant stepps*
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 30, 2010, 08:21:29 PM
Lots of love for "Minor Giant Steps," I see.  Nice. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 30, 2010, 10:07:53 PM
Nice to see The Merrygoround, Touch My Heaven and The Road Back Home make your list, all stellar tunes! :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on May 31, 2010, 09:49:59 AM
Yes, they are. :)

30. "The Judas Kiss" (Retropolis)

When I first got into this band, this struck me as being a song that was likely one of the band's signature songs, and it seemed like they played it a lot live back in the 90s, but in the 00s, it barely got played, so I was kind of thrown by that.  Either way, terrific song.  I know it is getting redundant, talking about how great Roine Stolt's guitar work is, but this is another one that stands out in a catalog filled with mostly standout performances, if you know what I mean.

29. "Solitary Shell" (Unfold the Future)

Not that I want the band to overdo this particular kind of song, but I wish they had more songs like this: Roine's voice and a piano as the two main things we hear.  The combination of the two is immediate win.  I am so glad Roine sang this song instead of Froberg; this song would probably register on the map for me if it were the other way around.  Songs like this are why I am such a big fan of Roine's vocals.

28. "Life Will Kill You" (Paradox Hotel)

Hands down, one of the best intros of any TFK song.  The way it builds up, with the dirty electric, the acoustic guitar, and the "aaaaahh"s is just amazing.  Really, the rest of the song had a lot to live up to, given how amazing the intro is, and it mostly lived up to it.  The verses are kind of awkward, but the chorus is good enough, and the music is more than good enough to make this a TFK classic, that intro notwithstanding.

27. "Deaf, Numb & Blind" (Flower Power)

This will sound strange, but when I first bought Flower Power in the summer of '00, I didn't bother listening to anything from Disc 2 until the summer of '01, and when I did, this being the first song, it was like, "Woah, what have I been missing out on?"!  This is the first of three songs from Disc 2 to appear in this top 50, and it is more than deserving of being a top 30 song; it is symphonic prog at its finest.

26. "Monster Within" (Space Revolver)

This is kind of an atypical TFK song - it is somewhat disjointed and the main riff is heavy and nasty - yet it works.  Some of the melodies in this song are the strongest ones on Space Revolver.  The bass line Jonas Reingold plays underneath that main melody (which rules) shortly after the 9-minute mark is rad as hell. "...built this monster from WITHIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNN!" :coolio




Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: MetalManiac666 on May 31, 2010, 10:55:25 AM
"Monster Within" might be my favorite song on SR.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on May 31, 2010, 12:51:49 PM
Totally agree of "Life Will Kill You". I'd probably have it in my top 15, it's one of my favorite songs by them!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: cthrubuoy on June 01, 2010, 02:13:35 AM
I've had two album by these for a while but never gave them my full attention. I had 'Adam and Eve' and 'Space Revolver'. I wasn't a massive fan after checking out A&E, in fact I actually disliked them, so shamefully I ignored them and continued my massive obsession with Spock's Beard.

Saturday night I decided to go for it again and try out 'Space Revolver'. I was blown away, literally. I haven't stopped listening to it since! I've just read through this thread so I'll be looking to get some more albums in the very near future.

Oh and please continue this top 50, I'm reading!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 01, 2010, 02:19:24 AM
I've had two album by these for a while but never gave them my full attention. I had 'Adam and Eve' and 'Space Revolver'. I wasn't a massive fan after checking out A&E, in fact I actually disliked them, so shamefully I ignored them and continued my massive obsession with Spock's Beard.

Saturday night I decided to go for it again and try out 'Space Revolver'. I was blown away, literally. I haven't stopped listening to it since! I've just read through this thread so I'll be looking to get some more albums in the very near future.

Oh and please continue this top 50, I'm reading!

Definitely go with Stardust We Are, Paradox Hotel, Flower Power and Retropolis next! Glad someone else is getting into them!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 01, 2010, 08:57:10 AM
Yeah, do what Quad said. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: cthrubuoy on June 01, 2010, 11:23:53 AM
I will! Listening to Space Revolver again at the moment.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 01, 2010, 12:04:31 PM
I will! Listening to Space Revolver again at the moment.

Good to hear! :)

Also, while I like A&E a lot, it was a very slow grower for me, as it was for many other fans, too.  In fact, it was criticized pretty heavily when it first came out (which stung Roine Stolt pretty hard, from what he now says), but many have grown to really like it, myself included.  The gist of it is, focus on other CDs to get into them, and save that one for waaaaaay later.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 01, 2010, 12:20:13 PM
Space Revolver is amazing, probably the album that has grown on me more than any other FK album (tied with Paradox Hotel) maybe. Just incredible stuff.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: dedSurroun on June 01, 2010, 03:01:28 PM
31. "Love Supreme" (Adam & Eve)

I thought some of the melodies were a bit too pretty at first, especially the one that opens the song,production job.
Dude, that's like what they do  :lol

TFK = pretty melodies (or at least damn good one's).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: MetalManiac666 on June 01, 2010, 03:06:47 PM
Flower Power just arrived in the mail! :caffeine:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 01, 2010, 04:56:57 PM
31. "Love Supreme" (Adam & Eve)

I thought some of the melodies were a bit too pretty at first, especially the one that opens the song,production job.
Dude, that's like what they do  :lol

TFK = pretty melodies (or at least damn good one's).

I think I am aware of that. ;)

But there is a difference between music that is beautiful and music that is a bit too pretty.  They on rare occasions cross over into the latter, usually when Froberg is singing over a melody that is on the fence between the two (and his voice takes it over the edge).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 01, 2010, 08:08:57 PM
Flower Power just arrived in the mail! :caffeine:

Nice dude! Enjoy "Garden of Dreams", it's their best song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 01, 2010, 08:35:52 PM
25. "Chicken Farmer Song" (Space Revolver)

Talk about a song that is just fun as hell!  This song fits that to a 't.'  This was one of my early favorites when I first got into the band, and it is obviously still a favorite.  I love the way Roine enunciates some of the lines in this song..."drift into the silent summer."  I am a big fan of the way Roine sometimes says the "-er" syllable and that line there is a clear example of what I am talking about.

24. "Monsters and Men" (Paradox Hotel)

It still shocks me that Roine Stolt feels this song didn't up being very good, but he has said that he could have arranged it better, and that certain members of the band didn't like it that much, so it didn't have full support when recording it.  I say, "Hogwash!"  I think it is most excellent the way it is.  I love Tomas Bodin's piano work throughout this song, especially in those big chords he plays near the end before the long guitar-driven outro.  I love that kind of piano work.

23. "Retropolis" (Retropolis)

This is what you call a symphonic prog rock instrumental masterpiece.  It is perfect in every way possible, from the gorgeous keyboard work, to Roine's guitar leads, to the acoustic ending. 

22. "Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar"/"The Man Who Walked with Kings" (Stardust We Are)

And look at that: Another great instrumental, albeit a very different one.  I put these two songs together, as it is hard to imagine one without the other.  Some fabulous acoustic guitar work going on here, and that melodic lead that caps off the song just screams of prog.

21. "Rhythm of the Sea" (Retropolis)

I love the distant and cold feel of this song.  The vocals sounds very far away and weary both at the same time.  It sounds like a song you would listen to a cold and snowy day.  Quite a contrast to the "typical" TFK song, but doing different types of songs, and doing them well, has always been a strength of the band's.



Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 01, 2010, 08:39:23 PM
All of those songs are incredible, and deserve their placement. Well done, Kev
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 01, 2010, 08:48:24 PM
:tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 02, 2010, 02:02:44 AM
:tup :tup to Monsters and Men. I wasn't aware that the band weren't keen on it, I think it's great!

By the way, if nobody objects then I might have a go at a top 50 after Kev? I haven't done one before but TFK have so much music (and so much great music) that I think it'd be a great place to start. I also get the impression my list will have a fair few differences to Kev's...
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 02, 2010, 04:57:52 PM
:tup :tup to Monsters and Men. I wasn't aware that the band weren't keen on it, I think it's great!

IIRC, Roine Stolt recently said on the FK yahoo mailing list that the drummer on that record, Marcus Liliequist, was extremely critical of it during the recording of it, and Roine was disappointed that some of the other band members didn't stick up for it more.  And he has said that he feels like he could have done a better job arranging it.  Personally, I think it is great, too (obviously, given its spot in my top 50 :p). :)

By the way, if nobody objects then I might have a go at a top 50 after Kev? I haven't done one before but TFK have so much music (and so much great music) that I think it'd be a great place to start. I also get the impression my list will have a fair few differences to Kev's...

Have at it.  Mine should be finished by the beginning of next week, so start working on yours now! :biggrin: :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 02, 2010, 05:42:06 PM
Time to delve into the top 20!

20. "Driver's Seat" (Adam & Eve)

I love the numerous changes and moods this song weaves through for over 18 minutes.  Some of Zoltan Csörsz's drumming on this song is just sick, the main theme (played by Roine most of the time) is of course just magnificently triumphant, and I like how all three singers are featured at various points in the song.  I am not a big Gildenlow fan, but he does a very nice job on the opening vocal section of the song, and then Froberg and Stolt trade off lead vocals at various points the rest of the way.  On the two TFK albums that had Gildenlow, this was the only song they ever did which prominently featured singing from all three guys, but fortunately it turned out to be a major winner.

19. "Self-Consuming Fire" (Paradox Hotel)

Roine's lead, classical guitar-driven playing is full of all kinds of win, his subdued vocals are a perfect fit for the somewhat dark feel of the song, and Tomas Bodin adds plenty of great textures with lots of mellotron, which is never a bad thing.  All in all, this is another of those mood songs that the band does so well.  

18. "Ghost of the Red Cloud" (Stardust We Are)

This song has almost a whimsical feel to it at times, making it sound like one of those songs that was influenced by old school Genesis, yet it still sounds very original and not derivative at all.  I feel lucky that the only time I saw them, back in late '06, they actually played this.  It was already a favorite of mine, and seeing them knock it out of the park live merely solidified its lofty status in my eyes.

17. "A King's Prayer" (Space Revolver)

The extended guitar solo that closes this song is undoubtedly one of the best three or four solos Roine has ever played; it is just a perfect guitar solo.  The main meat of the song features plenty of wonderful melodies, and the contrast of Roine singing the verses and Froberg singing the choruses is very neat.  And you gotta love the song being closed out with the evil riff from "Monster Within" being revisited.

16. "Different People" (Stardust We Are)

Arguably the most Beatles-esque song in the band's catalog to date, this is one of my favorite TFK songs to sing along to.  All of the fills, decorations, flourishes that are constantly going on throughout this song are just so creative and inventive, it helps turn what is essentially a fairly simple song into so much more.  And the line in the second verse, "I saw them turning to the sky," is one of my favorite single line harmonies Stolt and Froberg have ever done.  I could listen to that line over and over.


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: The Letter M on June 02, 2010, 05:52:49 PM
That's a great 20-16, Kev! I enjoy "Driver's Seat" a lot, and "A King's Prayer" is just AWESOME. I love the instrumental version of it from the bonus tracks. The SWA tracks are top notch as well!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 02, 2010, 07:35:25 PM
Those two SWA songs are some of the better songs I've heard in my life. :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 03, 2010, 01:36:52 AM
19 to 17 get major :tup from me, all such lovely songs!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 03, 2010, 03:39:14 AM
By the way I'm starting to compile my list so I can start it reasonably soon after yours finishes, and I have a quick question about mulitple-track songs: obviously Garden of Dreams should be one song, but what about I Am the Sun?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: cthrubuoy on June 03, 2010, 05:02:24 AM
2 songs I'd say, judging by what Kev said about them not playing them as 1 (IIRC, although I might have just made that up).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 03, 2010, 08:44:21 AM
Like most DT fans consider "In the Presence of Enemies" one song, and Floyd fans consider "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" one song, I consider "I Am the Sun" one song.  Good thing, too, as I would have no idea which one to rank higher. :lol

And thanks for the comments about the songs I listed last night, fellas. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: cowboymafia on June 03, 2010, 09:03:04 AM
yo homies, check it, two flower kings covers coming at ya

monster within - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGdmJQ5aiyo

if 28 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQznc_3Ogh4

i'll be wagering stardust we are is going to be your number 1 song big kev, but i'm afraid your list fails on account of monster within not being at least top 10. the ending solo is magical, it gives birth to stars and cures terminally ill children
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 03, 2010, 12:13:29 PM
You are gonna lose that wager. :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: MetalManiac666 on June 03, 2010, 01:40:12 PM
Yeah, after listening to disc 1 of Flower Power last night, I think that I can safely assume that "Garden of Dreams" is Kev's #1 song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 03, 2010, 02:22:10 PM
I wish I could see the looks on all of your faces when you see "Crying Clown" at number 1.  Whoops. :lol :lol



:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 03, 2010, 11:45:06 PM
I wish I could see the looks on all of your faces when you see "Crying Clown" at number 1.  Whoops. :lol :lol



:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

:lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 04, 2010, 12:37:51 PM
15. "Blue Planet" (Paradox Hotel)

Gee, what a surprise: another great TFK song centered around Roine's great guitar work, his vocals, and great piano and keyboard work by Tomas Bodin.  Anyone else see a recurring theme here? ;)  Jokes aside, this song freaking rules.  The guitar lead from the end of "Monsters and Men" is reprised here, and in a most majestic and climatic way.

14. "Silent Inferno" (Unfold the Future)

Despite being a prog band, it is rare to listen to a TFK song and think, "These guys are overplaying or showing off," but there are hints of that in this song, especially in both the intro and outro.  But that's okay.  With them, it is every once in a while thing, not something they beat to death, so I don't mind them showing off their chops once in a while.  Roine's guitar solo in the middle of this song is an absolute monster, and some of Jonas Reingold's bass work is simply jaw-dropping.  

13. "Circus Brimstone" (Stardust We Are)

Hands down, the best full band instrumental they have to date.  The many moods, melodies, twists and turns, and quirks of this song all combine to make it one of the best prog rock instrumentals I have ever heard.

12. "Jealousy" (Paradox Hotel)

Yes, I really am putting this song this high.  I love every second of it.  I could listen to Tomas Bodin play stuff on the piano like that all week.  Also, I was interested to recently learn that Roine was inspired to write this song after being stung by a lot of the criticism of TFK's previous record, Adam & Eve.

11. "World of Adventures" (Back in the World of Adventures)

The first song off the first TFK album is one of their best, without a doubt.  This has to go down as one of the best first songs from a first album of all-time.  It is a genuine classic prog epic.  One of my favorite TFK moments ever is the second verse, where Roine is singing over that strumming acoustic guitar while his slide guitar plays some tasty leads in the background.  And the melody in the middle of the song, that eventually closes the song, too, is just glorious.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 04, 2010, 12:56:42 PM
Also, being on the verge of the top 10, here are some honorable mentions, many of which hurt to leave off:

"In the Eyes of the World"
"Fast Lane"
"Just This Once"
"The Blade of Cain"
"Too Late for Tomatos"
"Compassion"
"Calling Home"
"Astral Dog"
"Theme for a Hero"
"Man of the World"
"Last Minute on Earth"
"Hit Me with a Hit"
"Painter"
And many others
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 04, 2010, 01:42:53 PM
WoA :metal

also boo for no "Compassion" or "Astral Dog"
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 04, 2010, 01:47:05 PM
What do you mean?  Those songs are honorable mentions! :p :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 04, 2010, 01:50:42 PM
What do you mean?  Those songs are honorable mentions! :p :biggrin:

They should be higher!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 04, 2010, 03:04:19 PM
And Painter! >:(

Nah this is the point of top 50s, to see how people's opinions on songs vary. Makes it more fun when not everyone agrees. :D

Interesting choices from PH there, both are songs that I really like but not necessarily among my favourites from the album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 05, 2010, 08:39:49 AM
What do you mean?  Those songs are honorable mentions! :p :biggrin:

They should be higher!

I thought you were still working your way through their whole discography?  If so, how can you be sure that those songs would hold up and remain that high? ;) :p

Nah this is the point of top 50s, to see how people's opinions on songs vary. Makes it more fun when not everyone agrees. :D

Exactly. :)

Update:

10. "Stupid Girl" (Flower Power)

This being in the top 10 will shock a few, I am sure, but I have always loved this song like crazy.  TFK don't have many songs you can almost dance to, but this is one of them.  The main part of the song is just killer, and the latter half, with the extended instrumental section, is a great way to end the song, topped off by the wordless vocals at the very end, which basically amounts to humming the main melody of the song at the point of the climax.  Just incredible.

9. "Silent Sorrow" (Retropolis)

This is arguably the most important song in my development as a TFK fan.  I had bought some of their CDs in the summer of 2000, but wasn't really feeling them overall as a band; I liked most of Disc 1 of Flower Power, but Stardust We Are was a huge mountain I was having a tough time climbing, and Retropolis wasn't doing it for me either at first.  Then, one day I put Retropolis on really loud and ended up falling asleep for a bit, and when I woke up, "Silent Sorrow" was just starting and I just laid there, groggy and trying to wake back up, as this song just utterly destroyed me.  Still does, which is why it is number 9.  Also, I think the Zappa influence in Roine's writing sometimes gets overlooked, but the instrumental section is definitely Zappa-esque.

8. "Psycedelic Postcard" (Flower Power)

What a wonderfully bizarre and terrific song this is.  I'll never forget them playing this when a friend and I saw them in late '06, and my friend, noticing me rocking out and singing along, turning to me at one point and saying, "I can't believe you know all of the words to this song." :lol  The lyrics in this song are a major WTF, to say the least, but they just add to the bizarre and fun nature of the song.  The middle section, with those ridiculous harmonies and then Stolt and Froberg doing a call and response section, is easily the highlight of the song.  

I'll do a few more later today...



Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 05, 2010, 08:56:32 AM
All amazing songs! :tup I absolutely LOVE "Stupid Girl"!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 05, 2010, 08:57:42 AM
Oh, also, isn't SS on Retropolis? (Memory could just be foggy)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 05, 2010, 09:00:02 AM
Yep, I had a brain cramp when I wrote the album title next to the song title.  D'oh! :facepalm:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 05, 2010, 02:39:44 PM
Two more today:

7. "What If God Is Alone" (Paradox Hotel)

I could serious write a three-page paper, where I break this song down, and talk about each individual part and why they are all so wonderful, from that haunting fade-in, to those hypnotic melodic vocal lines in the verses, to that gorgeous chorus, to that orgasmic outro.  It's all just so, so wonderful!  I should point out, too, that some of my favorite keyboard sounds can be heard in this song, as always played marvelously by Tomas Bodin.

6. "Stardust We Are" (Stardust We Are)

If you want a blueprint for writing a symphonic prog epic, look no further than "Stardust We Are," a song with so much awesomeness, it almost seems too good to be true.  I probably don't have to say much about this song, as anyone who is a fan of the band already, probably is already nutty over this song, and knows what the score is. 

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 05, 2010, 03:37:32 PM
Only number 6?! ;)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: The Letter M on June 05, 2010, 05:17:49 PM
Two more today:

7. "What If God Is Alone" (Paradox Hotel)

I could serious write a three-page paper, where I break this song down, and talk about each individual part and why they are all so wonderful, from that haunting fade-in, to those hypnotic melodic vocal lines in the verses, to that gorgeous chorus, to that orgasmic outro.  It's all just so, so wonderful!  I should point out, too, that some of my favorite keyboard sounds can be heard in this song, as always played marvelously by Tomas Bodin.

6. "Stardust We Are" (Stardust We Are)

If you want a blueprint for writing a symphonic prog epic, look no further than "Stardust We Are," a song with so much awesomeness, it almost seems too good to be true.  I probably don't have to say much about this song, as anyone who is a fan of the band already, probably is already nutty over this song, and knows what the score is. 



I love Love LOVE "What If God Is Alone". Probably my second or third favorite song on Paradox Hotel. Is this your highest ranking PH song in your Top 50, Kev?

Also, if "Stardust We Are" is only number 6, the top 5 must be truly epic.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 05, 2010, 07:39:20 PM
Honestly, 6 is a good spot for SWA. There's better songs by this band. Good job Kev. :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 05, 2010, 11:49:25 PM
Only number 6?! ;)

Actually, it was number 10 on my original rough draft, but I moved songs up and down a few notches as I went along (until I posted them, in which case the songs listed were then locked in at those spots), and it eventually ended up at number 6.  It could have conceivably have fallen out of the top 10, had my mood been slightly different. ;)


I love Love LOVE "What If God Is Alone". Probably my second or third favorite song on Paradox Hotel. Is this your highest ranking PH song in your Top 50, Kev?

No. :)

Also, if "Stardust We Are" is only number 6, the top 5 must be truly epic.

It definitely is. :hat

Good job Kev. :tup

 :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 06, 2010, 09:14:02 AM
Two more right now:

5. "Big Puzzle" (Back in the World of Adventures)

This is one of those TFK songs that most seem to like a lot, but it almost never seems to get talked about, which is a shame, as I feel it is one of their best, obviously, given its placement here at number 5.  To bow down to Roine's vocals yet again :p, I love when he rolls his 'r's, and when he rolls it during the "this puzzle grand" near the end of the song, that gives me goosebumps each and every time I hear it.  This is definitely one of their more laid back epics, featuring some great bluesy guitar work, some cool sax playing, and plenty of great piano and keyboard textures.  Simply put, TFK has never been a band that has to rock to be great, and this song is definitive proof of that.

4. "Devil's Playground" (Unfold the Future)

On the flip side, this song flat-out rocks for much of the way.  The main riff is in a dead heat with "Monster Within" for nastiest TFK riff ever, and the section that kicks in just shy of the 10:30 is so evil, you gotta love it, when it veers from it slightly and then kicks back in (at the 11:39 mark), that is a great dynamic shift.  They could have formed an entire instrumental section around that part of the song, and I would have been thrilled to death with it.  And the ending...too good for words.  I have never been shy about saying that I am not a big fan of Gildenlow's singing, but he nails the end of this song perfectly, and the instrumental outro is perfect, with Roine's lead guitar shining, and Jonas Reingold's bass carving out all kinds of awesomeness.


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: MetalManiac666 on June 06, 2010, 10:44:17 AM
Once again listening to disc 1 of Flower Power.

All I can say is :hefdaddy.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 07, 2010, 08:30:07 PM
Two more:

3. "End on a High Note" (Paradox Hotel)

The first time I heard this song, I knew it was an instant classic, and knew it would be a TFK song that could possibly convert many over.  In fact, I recommended this song to anyone and everyone who would listen.  Even those who weren't fans, I was like, "Check out this song; it will make you a fan!"  That is how hard I fell for it immediately.  And four years later, it is still just as incredible.  To me, it sounds like music you would be listening to when you are waking up first thing in the morning as the sun is rising.  It just has that feeling of light getting brighter, the day starting, rain turning to sunshine, etc.  That might sound corny, but listen to the song, and you will hear what I mean. 

2. "I Am the Sun" (Space Revolver)

Busted up into two parts, Part I opening the CD and Part II closing it, ala Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "I Am the Sun" is one of the most incredible achievements in progressive rock history. 

Part I starts off rather conventionally, with a somewhat extended intro, before busting into verse-chorus-verse-chorus, and then the songs gets a little crazy.  "I left my heart in San Francisco."  Gotta love that quirky little bit being thrown.  The song then delves back into some frantic pacing, and finally ends with an extended, and utterly gorgeous, acoustic-driven section, which features some terrific singing by Roine Stolt and some tasty bass playing by Jonas Reingodl, who was making his debut as TFK's bass player.

Part II begins where Part I left off, with that acoustic fade-out fading back in, leading right into one of the most beautiful sections the band has ever done; it is literally impossible for me to listen to the first few minutes of this song without singing along.  Two great solos, one on the sax, one on the guitar, leads back into the main "I Am the Sun" chorus, before the song finally climaxes for good with a majestic ending worthy of any of their 70s influences. 

All in all, this is nearly 26 minutes of perfection.

Number one is coming shortly, and I am sure fans following this know what it will be, but the write-up won't be short, so I have to get it all nice and ready. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: Quadrochosis on June 07, 2010, 10:40:10 PM
Two amazing songs. This list is phenomenal Kev.

The writeup for GoD better be good! :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 07, 2010, 11:13:07 PM
1. "Garden of Dreams" (Flower Power)

Could number 1 be anything but “Garden of Dreams?”  I think not.  It is a shame that this band is not more popular, as this song deserves to be frequently be mentioned in the same breath as other prog classics like “Close to the Edge,” “Supper’s Ready,” “Thick as a Brick,” “2112” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” but such is life.  Fans of the band know what an incredible achievement this entire 18-part, nearly one hour long, song is. 

The opening symphonic prog leanings of “Dawn” immediately led you know that you are in for something special, and the opening vocal section in “Simple Song” is very catchy, and immediately sucks the listener in. 

Up next is arguably the highlight of the entire song: “Business Vamp.”  I adore Tomas Bodin’s keyboard sounds during the first half of the song, all of which is instrumental.  It gives off a vibe like you are watching a movie set in futuristic times.  And when the vocal melodies kick in, it is like heaven.  The chorus to “Business Vamp” is quite possibly my favorite chorus in the entire TFK cannon. 

“All You Can Save” is also one of the best parts of the entire song, and the solo by Roine that closes it is top-notch.  The next two songs, both instrumentals, are dynamite, and both feature those futuristic-sounding keyboards first referred to back on “Business Vamp.”  The mellowness of both “Did I Tell You” and the title section of the song are both very nice amongst the rocking numbers that bookend them.

“Don’t Let the Devil In” is a straight-forward rocker, yet it still has tons of that quirkiness and fun that is so prevalent in the band’s sound.  Quirkiness abounds, too, in “Love Is the Word,” leading into “There’s No Such Night,” with features some spectacular harp samples, along with tremendously melodic vocals, which are spine-chilling in their delivery and timing, amongst the music which makes you feel like you are floating on the clouds.

Many find the next three parts to be not as essential as the rest, but I think “The Mean Machine,” “Dungeon of the Deep” and “Indian Summer” all adds ton of character to the overall package, and is 10 plus minutes of laid back, trippy goodness that lets you swim in the ecstasy of the overall song before they bring it all home with the final four parts.

The three instrumentals “Sunny Lane,” “Gardens Revisited” and “Shadowland” all provide a tremendous build-up to final climax, finally heard in “The Final Deal.”  The final part of the song features some of the finest vocals to ever come out of Roine Stolt’s mouth; the line, “We fight for freedom, sunlight, and all-time bright,” is easily one of my five favorite single vocal lines ever.  And the choir harmonies in the background help give the final movement an even more grandiose feel that it would have already had without it.  We, the listeners, are left exhausted at this point, wondering if what we really just heard was written and performed by humans, as the song gently ends with a fadeout replete with warm keyboards, many different voices, and some perfectly placed guitar and percussion fills.

This is, simply put, not only the perfect Flower Kings song, but one of the most perfect pieces of music ever written by man.  I know I laid the hyperbole on pretty thick here at times, but I think that speaks volumes about how much I adore this entire song.  It is musical perfection.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: cthrubuoy on June 08, 2010, 04:45:30 AM
Number 2 would be my number 1, but only because I haven't given myself an hour to listen to Garden of Dreams yet. But seeing as it's your number 1, I'll make the time.
Good list, and thank you for introducing me to this awesome band :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 08, 2010, 09:52:38 AM
Great stuff Kev! And yeah, no surprises about your number 1 really :lol Totally agree with you about Don't Let the Devil In, what an awesomely rocking bit of music!

I'm still putting my top 50 together, but I'll hopefully be good to start by the weekend.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 08, 2010, 01:23:25 PM

Good list, and thank you for introducing me to this awesome band :)

Thanks, and no problem!  I always love seeing this band get new fans! :tup :tup

I'm still putting my top 50 together, but I'll hopefully be good to start by the weekend.

Cool. :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: dedSurroun on June 08, 2010, 03:30:19 PM
4. "Devil's Playground" (Unfold the Future)

On the flip side, this song flat-out rocks for much of the way.  The main riff is in a dead heat with "Monster Within" for nastiest TFK riff ever, and the section that kicks in just shy of the 10:30 is so evil, you gotta love it, when it veers from it slightly and then kicks back in (at the 11:39 mark), that is a great dynamic shift.  They could have formed an entire instrumental section around that part of the song, and I would have been thrilled to death with it.  And the ending...too good for words.  I have never been shy about saying that I am not a big fan of Gildenlow's singing, but he nails the end of this song perfectly, and the instrumental outro is perfect, with Roine's lead guitar shining, and Jonas Reingold's bass carving out all kinds of awesomeness.
:tdwn

I'll give you a pass for a lot of other songs on this list, but to place this as high as #4? Wow. Sorry! Not a good choice. It's one of their weakest epics/song.

Other than that, a good list. Naturally, I disagree with a lot but it was a great read - good job!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 08, 2010, 03:49:37 PM
I also wouldn't place it as high as Kev did, but it has some great stuff in it!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: MetalManiac666 on June 08, 2010, 07:19:56 PM
"Garden of Dreams" truly is a masterpiece.  It might be my favorite prog epic ever!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: cthrubuoy on June 09, 2010, 02:04:30 AM
I checked it out last night.
I was not dissapointed.

Now I have to find another spare hour to listen to it again!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: The Letter M on June 09, 2010, 08:38:15 AM
Very nice list, Kev! I was looking at your list as a whole, and noticed a couple of things:
-You had no songs from The Sum Of No Evil whatsoever... was this a conscious effort? Or do you truly not like ANY song from that album?
-Every album you did represent in the Top 50 had songs in the Top 10 except Adam & Eve and The Rainmaker, which, to many fans, are their weaker albums, particularly being 1-disc albums surrounded by such greater albums (two being 2-disc albums).
-In just sheer number of songs, Paradox Hotel had the most in your Top 50, with 11 out of the album's 19 songs.
-In ratio to an album's total length, the most-included album here is Retropolis, with 7/11 songs (57:39/69:16) at 83% of the album. The least-included album is The Rainmaker at 18% (13:54/76:52). Here's the complete list of percentage of albums, most to least:
Retropolis - 83%
Space Revolver - 76%
Paradox Hotel - 71%
Stardust We Are - 61%
Flower Power - 61%
Unfold The Future - 60%
Adam & Eve - 58%
Back In The World Of Adventures - 42%
The Rainmaker - 18%
The Sum Of No Evil - 0%

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 09, 2010, 09:23:05 AM
Wow, those are some interesting numbers.  Even I wouldn't have taken the time to figure all of that stuff out. ;)

I did not make a conscious effort to not include anything from TSONE; I just didn't feel any of the songs were good enough to make the top 50 (or the honorable mentions :p).  Except for the super boring "One More Time," I like all of the songs on that record, but I don't love any of them.

Interesting that 7 of the 10 albums had a song in the top 10; that was definitely not done on purpose.

Also, dedSurroun, "Devil's Playground" is awesome. :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: cthrubuoy on June 09, 2010, 09:23:53 AM
Very nice list, Kev! I was looking at your list as a whole, and noticed a couple of things:
-You had no songs from The Sum Of No Evil whatsoever... was this a conscious effort? Or do you truly not like ANY song from that album?
-Every album you did represent in the Top 50 had songs in the Top 10 except Adam & Eve and The Rainmaker, which, to many fans, are their weaker albums, particularly being 1-disc albums surrounded by such greater albums (two being 2-disc albums).
-In just sheer number of songs, Paradox Hotel had the most in your Top 50, with 11 out of the albums 19 songs.
-In ratio to an album's total length, the most-included album here is Retropolis, with 7/11 songs (57:39/69:16) at 83% of the album. The least-included album is The Rainmaker at 18% (13:54/76:52). Here's the complete list of percentage of albums, most to least:
Retropolis - 83%
Space Revolver - 76%
Paradox Hotel - 71%
Stardust We Are - 61%
Flower Power - 61%
Unfold The Future - 60%
Adam & Eve - 58%
Back In The World Of Adventures - 42%
The Rainmaker - 18%
The Sum Of No Evil - 0%

-Marc.

That's quite interesting actually. Would be even more interesting if you could implement a weighting system for each song dependent on where it's placed in the top 50 and see where the albums then place. I'd do this, but I'm in work so it's a bit difficult
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: The Letter M on June 09, 2010, 09:45:57 AM
I'm not sure how to go about implementing a weighing system on this, so I'll leave that to you! :)

Also, adding the times of albums in your Top 50, you used 55.6549% (554:01 / 995:27, TSONE being 0% or 00:00/74:52) of the band's officially, regularly released, studio material in your Top 50, which is 9 hours, 14 minutes, 27 seconds of music... how many band's Top 50 songs would last over 9 hours?  :lol

I bet doing a Top 100 would take up the rest of the band's material, and maybe some of their rare, bonus-disc stuff as well... but that would be QUITE the daunting task to do.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: cthrubuoy on June 09, 2010, 10:12:51 AM
I'm not sure how to go about implementing a weighing system on this

I was thinking something simlpe like Number 1 gets 50 points, number 2 gets 49, etc
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: The Letter M on June 09, 2010, 10:52:20 AM
I'm not sure how to go about implementing a weighing system on this

I was thinking something simlpe like Number 1 gets 50 points, number 2 gets 49, etc

Oh, using that, then, here are the numbers (which are quite interesting compared to the other numbers I posted):
Paradox Hotel: 300 pts
Stardust We Are: 206 pts
Retropolis: 167 pts
Flower Power: 158 pts
Space Revovler: 149 pts
Unfold The Future: 129 pts
Back In The World Of Adventures: 89 pts
Adam & Eve:55 pts
The Raimkaker: 22 pts
The Sum Of No Evil: 0 pts

I guess with the sheer number of songs in the Top 50 from PH, it was bound to get weighted a lot, with 11/50 songs being from this album, it tops out at a hefty 300 points! It also helped that it had 5 songs in the top 20, meaning a quarter of the top 20 is music from PH!!! I wonder if it's Kev's favorite album  ;)

As one might predict, The Rainmaker and Adam & Eve are at the bottom, and the band's more popular albums are in the middle-to-high spots.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: KevShmev on June 09, 2010, 11:56:10 AM
Flower Power and Paradox Hotel are constantly fighting it out for the number 1 spot.

And actually, The Sum of No Evil as is at the bottom...where it should be. :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50 countdown now going!)
Post by: ariich on June 11, 2010, 05:29:21 PM
Ok, so I think it's about time I make a start on my top 50! Expect some similarities to Kev's and some pretty major differences as well. :)

50. The Merrygoround (Stardust We Are)
While there isn’t necessarily anything particularly special about this song, I think it’s one that perfectly exemplifies The Flower Kings’ ability to write really nice, upbeat, happy tunes, which is something often avoided in prog music these days. The first half is catchy, fun music that always puts a smile on my face, and the second half is gorgeous and clearly Pink Floyd inspired. Excellent guitar solo as well.

49. The Navigator (Unfold the Future)
Starting a bit of a trend here, but again this is just a lovely tune. TFK are known for their monstrous epics, but they really are masters of the short simple songs too, and this is a great example. The keyboard sounds really give this song a soft atmosphere.

48. Cosmic Circus (Adam & Eve)
Bit of nice classic prog in this song. As with The Merrygoround, there’s nothing necessarily special about this song, but it has a nice, upbeat feel, and a catchy and memorable chorus. I think my like of it is also aided by the fact that it gets Adam & Eve back on track after a decent but slightly underwhelming opener. 

47. World of Adventures (Back in the World of Adventures)
What a fab way to kick off their first album (not including the original Roine Stolt one of course). This song has a bit of everything in it: pretty melodies, dramatic sections, great playing, nice vocal harmonies, and a bit of that quirkiness that has always been such an integral part of their sound. Classic prog in every sense. 

46. Just This Once (Stardust We Are)
Possibly a surprise entry this one, but I have a real soft spot for it. It’s a quirky song, that’s just… so Flower Kings! The first time I heard it was a bit “wtf” moment, particularly the intro, but I was new to TFK back then so didn’t really know what to expect. Now it’s an important part of one of my favourite ever albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on June 11, 2010, 10:49:48 PM
Interesting choices.

I like "The Navigator" a lot; it is like "Solitary Shell"'s brother, as they intentionally share the same vocal melody, but have different music.  I prefer SS, but TN is aces, too.

The beginning of "Just This Once" was a major WTF the first time I heard it, too. :lol  I still think it is a bit too out there, but the rest of the song is great.  That big guitar chord Roine hits when he starts singing the chorus after the second verse is so money.

I cannot listen to "Cosmic Circus" w/o thinking of how much Froberg sounds like Justin Hayward during the verses, especially when he sings the line, "...and forced the world to make some sense."
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: cthrubuoy on June 12, 2010, 02:15:04 AM
What's up with the Ping-Pong type sound at the start of a few albums?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: ariich on June 12, 2010, 04:22:27 AM
It's just Retropolis and Paradox Hotel isn't it?

The beginning of "Just This Once" was a major WTF the first time I heard it, too. :lol  I still think it is a bit too out there, but the rest of the song is great.  That big guitar chord Roine hits when he starts singing the chorus after the second verse is so money.
Definitely! I also really like the jazzy clean guitar solo.

Quote
I cannot listen to "Cosmic Circus" w/o thinking of how much Froberg sounds like Justin Hayward during the verses, especially when he sings the line, "...and forced the world to make some sense."
:lol Hadn't noticed that, but I'll listen out for it next time I hear the song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: ariich on June 14, 2010, 12:41:01 PM
Ok, next batch:

45. The Truth Will Set You Free (Unfold the Future)
This song tends to make me feel quite ambivalent. The open and close of the song are both wonderful, but it meanders a bit in between. In the first half of the song, the instrumental segments are excellent and the verses are great. The chorus is pleasant but a little underwhelming, and the big instrumental section later on just drags a little, although it’s rather made up for by the last few minutes of the song. It’s very good, but there’s a bit too much filler in it. Although the one thing I always notice when I hear it is how nice the bass work is throughout.

44. Rhythm Of The Sea (Retropolis)
A really nice song this one, it’s fairly short and simple but there’s a lot to like in it. The general mood is lovely, the chorus is great, and my favourite of all is the snyth lines that lead into the choruses.

43. Circus Brimstone (Stardust We Are)
And so to the first instrumental we come across in this listing! I love the way the first 2 minutes or so build up gradually but relentlessly, until finally the song really gets going. Lots of unsettling rhythms, excellent playing all round, and eerie melodies and keyboard sounds. And then suddenly without any jarring change, the track is full of pretty melodies. I think the song is slightly longer than it really needs to be, but the moods change enough that it never really gets boring. And who doesn’t love the bizarre quirky wtf moments in the middle of the song?

42. Chicken Farmer Song (Space Revolver)
What a fun little song this is! When it starts, the verses sound sweet but aren’t particularly exciting, but once the chorus kicks in, it turns into a really nice upbeat tune. That said, it probably wouldn’t rank so highly for me if it weren’t for the instrumental section with the guitar solo, which is just really groovy and… well, cool.

41. Last Minute On Earth (The Rainmaker)
I’ve always really liked this song, and I think it’s a great way to open the album. Nice riffs, catchy melodies, and fantastic vocals. Actually it really is the vocals that stand out for me in this song, they really give it a powerful feeling, particularly in the last chorus towards the end of the song. The very end is really weird, but I don’t really consider that part of the song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Plasmastrike on June 25, 2010, 10:50:28 AM
Ariich died. Nah just playing. Top 50 is just such a vast list to follow let alone construct, especially TFK. I like reading these descriptions from yall because I'm new to the band, and let's face it they have so much material to become familiar with.

Anyway, the point of my post.

Bavarian Skies. Weirdest song. Does anyone have any information behind this song?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: ariich on June 25, 2010, 06:07:48 PM
:lol Oh damn, nobody responded so I thought I'd leave it a few days, and then I got busy with work and forgot! :facepalm: I'll do the next five tomorrow.

And regarding Bavarian Skies, it is a bizarre song, but I absolutely love its mellow eerie feel. Don't really know much about it though; Kev being the resident TFK expert may know something...
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Plasmastrike on July 04, 2010, 11:11:26 PM
Listening to Adam & Eve for the second time. This is much better than I remembered! Onto track three..
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on July 05, 2010, 08:52:50 AM
A&E is definitely a grower; it took me quite a while to really appreciate most of it.  

As for "Bavarian Skies," someone else asked that at one point in this thread and I gave an answer then.  It is somewhere in this thread. ;) :lol :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: cthrubuoy on July 06, 2010, 02:08:18 AM
I think my No.1 Flower Kings song is between 'Silent Sorrow' and 'I am the Sun Pt. 1'.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Zydar on July 25, 2010, 02:56:08 AM
Mini-bump

Is Space Revolver a good place for a TFK newbie to start?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on July 25, 2010, 01:11:46 PM
Mini-bump

Is Space Revolver a good place for a TFK newbie to start?

I would say YES! It was one of the first albums I bought, and it is often considered one of their best albums. It's the first album to feature current bassist Jonas Reingold and his playing is pretty phenomenal.

After Space Revolver, I would suggest Stardust We Are, but it's a 2-disc set and is a lot to digest, but if you're up to it, it's also a good album to get for a newbie. The first two albums are pretty good too, not to mention Roine Stolt's solo album, The Flower King, which is a precursor to the band. Stardust We Are is very symphonic but not entirely so. It's got some great songs and cool little interludes, as well as some fantastic playing and wonderful melodies... oh, and the title track is just so EPIC in every sense of the word.

I will also suggest Unfold The Future, which features then-new drummer Zoltan Csörsz, and his playing offers some great fast-paced jazz-fusion to the band as this album has a more improvisational sound in some areas, but also has some great epics and some great songs as well. Definitely one of my top 3 TFK albums!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on July 26, 2010, 08:55:20 AM
Is Space Revolver a good place for a TFK newbie to start?

Absolutely. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Zydar on July 26, 2010, 08:58:07 AM
Thanks guys :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Cyglade on August 04, 2010, 05:25:10 AM
I recently got into this band by reading this thread and I've got to say that I think this band is incredible. My first album was Flower Power, then I moved on to Stardust We Are, Paradox Hotel, Space Revolver, and Adam & Eve in that order. I've yet to hear the other albums but I'm sure that they would be pretty awesome as well.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on August 04, 2010, 08:14:35 AM
That is great to hear. :tup :tup

Keep us posted as to your progress on the other albums (when you get them). :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: ZBomber on August 13, 2010, 10:57:44 PM
So Quad just showed me Flower Power. Amazing record!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Quadrochosis on August 13, 2010, 11:05:17 PM
Yea it's deff a winner :metal
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on August 14, 2010, 10:01:33 AM
So Quad just showed me Flower Power. Amazing record!

 :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on September 21, 2010, 12:28:13 AM
So I just got Hasse Froberg & The Musical Companion's debut release, Future Past. It's an amazing journey that shows what Hasse can really do by himself, and much of it has that TFK flavor, but a lot of it really stands apart from his work with Roine and company.

Listening through the album once today made me realize that even though TFK haven't put out any new material in nearly 3 years, their members still have in them that signature TFK sound.

I'm looking forward to getting my pre-order of Agents Of Mercy's DramaRama in, and spinning that a lot... also on the horizon should be Tomas Bodin's/Eggs & Dogs' next album, He She It Is, the third part (following You Are and I Am before that)... oh, as well as the next Karmakanic record, which Jonas had said he'll start writing around year's end!

And as usual, Roine has a couple different projects down the pipeline, but I wouldn't mind seeing him do another Transatlantic album if Neal so wishes to play with them again so soon (I think scheduling would be easier next year with Mike not being committed to DT, although Pete has the Marillion Weekends to gear up for).

Back to my original point - anyone else here get the HFMC album yet? If not, I highly suggest it if you enjoy TFK. You can get it from Reingold Records, Jonas' own website/store.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on September 21, 2010, 12:34:19 PM
Considering I am not always that fond of Froberg's voice, I don't have much interest in hearing that.

I have zero interest in the new Agents of Mercy CD.  I can't stand the main singer's voice on the first one, and I am pretty he is the lead singer on this new one, too, so yeah, blech. :p

I wouldn't mind a new Karmakanic record, but ultimately, give me new TFK or TA! :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Ben_Jamin on September 23, 2010, 02:05:34 PM
Since i'm the only Flower Kings fan here in NM, I have Unfold The Future, and my fav. song is Rollin' The Dice, or so I thought I was the only fan. This one chick requested me on Myspace, so we talked for a bit and decided to meet up and chill. While we were chilling I found we had a ton in common, she likes all kinds of music doesn't matter what. While we were at my pad, I told her to pick a cd to play from my list of cd's. She saw The Flower Kings - Unfold The Future discs and then said "You like Flower Kings?" Both of us got really excited as we thought we were the only fans of them. Needless to say, we kicked it, listened to the second disc. And That is my awesome story I had to tell about discovering a Flower Kings fan. Honestly I am the only on here, other than her, who has ever heard of Flower Kings. Just made my night.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on September 25, 2010, 09:38:45 AM
Since i'm the only Flower Kings fan here in NM, I have Unfold The Future, and my fav. song is Rollin' The Dice, or so I thought I was the only fan. This one chick requested me on Myspace, so we talked for a bit and decided to meet up and chill. While we were chilling I found we had a ton in common, she likes all kinds of music doesn't matter what. While we were at my pad, I told her to pick a cd to play from my list of cd's. She saw The Flower Kings - Unfold The Future discs and then said "You like Flower Kings?" Both of us got really excited as we thought we were the only fans of them. Needless to say, we kicked it, listened to the second disc. And That is my awesome story I had to tell about discovering a Flower Kings fan. Honestly I am the only on here, other than her, who has ever heard of Flower Kings. Just made my night.

That is awesome. :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on November 02, 2010, 12:15:07 PM
Still working on your top 40 there, ariich? :p

Anyway, I was reading some of the FK yahoo mailing list the other day, and apparently all is not happy and well.  Some drama and crap that went on behind the scenes has come out - Roine expressing his displeasure with the original drummer's attitude (not his playing), Roine's brother, their original bass player, Michael and Roine almost getting into a little tiff over the way Michael left the band, Roine and Tomas Bodin disagreeing over certain things that went on and not always in the friendliest manner, and the feeling that Roine is just tired of dealing with all of it, at least for now. 

Plus, and this is a damn shame, Roine outright said last week that he has really been stung by some of the criticism of his vocals over the years (PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS), which is why he is content to not sing as much anymore, as he said he has no problem just being the guitar player behind lead vocalists like Neal Morse and whoever that guy is who sings for Angels of Mercy. 

Honestly, I don't see anything new forthcoming from The Flower Kings any time soon, and would not be surprised if they were finished for good.

All in all,  :( :( :(.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on November 02, 2010, 12:49:39 PM
Still working on your top 40 there, ariich? :p

Anyway, I was reading some of the FK yahoo mailing list the other day, and apparently all is not happy and well.  Some drama and crap that went on behind the scenes has come out - Roine expressing his displeasure with the original drummer's attitude (not his playing), Roine's brother, their original bass player, Michael and Roine almost getting into a little tiff over the way Michael left the band, Roine and Tomas Bodin disagreeing over certain things that went on and not always in the friendliest manner, and the feeling that Roine is just tired of dealing with all of it, at least for now. 

Plus, and this is a damn shame, Roine outright said last week that he has really been stung by some of the criticism of his vocals over the years (PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS), which is why he is content to not sing as much anymore, as he said he has no problem just being the guitar player behind lead vocalists like Neal Morse and whoever that guy is who sings for Angels of Mercy. 

Honestly, I don't see anything new forthcoming from The Flower Kings any time soon, and would not be surprised if they were finished for good.

All in all,  :( :( :(.

Like you, I've been following this drama over recent months, mostly through the TFK message board. It's a damn shame that all of this is going down, but at very least I am happy that TFK's main players are keeping busy with their solo and side projects. Agents Of Mercy is pretty good, although Nad's voice does take some getting used to; Hasse's Musical Companion is a great band, and their first album is amazing and I hope he makes another next year; Eggs & Dogs had a great showing with YOU ARE, so I greatly look forward to HE SHE IT IS to finish Tomas' long-planned trilogy; and Jonas is working on the 4th Karmakanic album for sometime next year.

I also find it interesting that Tomas is now working with Michael Stolt in Eggs & Dogs, and much of the tension that Roine has seems to be with Tomas, Jaime, and Michael. I also find it interesting that when Roine left The Tangent, Zoltan did as well, and who'd they get to replace him? Jaime. Coincidence? Only they know...

It's a BIG family, these Flower Kings, and getting them to come together again might take awhile, if ever, but I'm glad they have such an amazing catalog from 94-07, nearly 20 hours of music, in addition to tons of solo albums and side projects. As much as it pains me, I might alright with TFK being done... only if it meant more Transatlantic, Karmakanic, and Eggs & Dogs.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on November 02, 2010, 12:56:42 PM
I was talking to a friend the other day about this and said something similar: if the band is finished, at least they gave us a ton of great music in a pretty short time span.  Hard to argue with that. 

I wish I could get into Agents of Mercy, but I don't like that guy's voice at all, so as a result, I have no interest in checking out their second album, which I believe just came out.

I haven't heard Hasse's record, but I have always been pretty outspoken about his voice being somewhat hit or miss for me, so I am not that excited to check it out. 

I'd definitely be all about a new Karmakanic record.

I need to check out this Eggs and Dogs stuff.  I have one of Bodin's solo albums from years ago, Pinup Guru, but it is just okay, so maybe that is why I haven't been overly eager to check out this new stuff.  I assume you would recommend it?  :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on November 02, 2010, 01:13:24 PM
I need to check out this Eggs and Dogs stuff.  I have one of Bodin's solo albums from years ago, Pinup Guru, but it is just okay, so maybe that is why I haven't been overly eager to check out this new stuff.  I assume you would recommend it?  :)

It is definitely one of his best albums, next to I AM, which if you haven't checked it out yet, you seriously should!

As for Eggs & Dogs, you have Marcus (who is really an underrated drummer and his work with TFK and related projects is astounding) on drums, Michael on bass and vocals, and of course Tomas on keys, along with Jocke JJ Marsh on guitars.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: dedSurroun on November 02, 2010, 03:45:05 PM
I, too, hope they re-group and record something again BUT without Bodin and in with Zoltan.

I just got so tired of Bodin's keys the past few albums. Same patches (like the choir one from Genesis days), same circus music (even worse than Rudess) antics, and so on. I would be very happy if he didn't play with the Kings again.

Zoltan? Dude, their best drummer. Holy. Fucking. Shit. Bring him back. Hell, I just hope he's busy playing music (and if he is, I wish I knew what!!) because the guy is amazing.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on November 02, 2010, 04:01:59 PM
I, too, hope they re-group and record something again BUT without Bodin and in with Zoltan.

I just got so tired of Bodin's keys the past few albums. Same patches (like the choir one from Genesis days), same circus music (even worse than Rudess) antics, and so on. I would be very happy if he didn't play with the Kings again.

Zoltan? Dude, their best drummer. Holy. Fucking. Shit. Bring him back. Hell, I just hope he's busy playing music (and if he is, I wish I knew what!!) because the guy is amazing.

Last I heard, Zoltan is still playing with Jonas on Karmakanic albums, so if there's a release next year, expect to see him on it. The last Karmakanic album was pretty good too, Who's The Boss in The Factory. Zoltan also played on Roine's and Jonas's 2009 project 3rd World Electric, as well as the first Agents of Mercy album. I mean, if you look at it, Roine's been playing with BOTH Jonas and Zoltan in recent years, but not Tomas, who continues to play with ex-TFK members Michael Stolt and Marcus Liliequist.

And I dunno if I could accept TFK without Tomas. He's been there the longest next to Roine, and to me, TFK is at VERY least Roine + Tomas. They've had different bassists and drummers over the years, but those two have been together since the beginning, so to me, they're like the Rutherford/Banks or Anderson/Squire of their band, so I can't really imagine them without each other in TFK.

However, if Roine decided to carry on TFK without Tomas, I would accept it ONLY IF Zoltan returned to drum - the duo of Zoltan and Jonas is one of the GREATEST rhythm sections in modern prog, and I'm sure a lot of fans would agree. They're tight and have an amazing sound and sense of rhythm together, and I'm glad they continue to play together in Karmakanic.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on November 02, 2010, 10:27:03 PM
I also can't imagine TFK without Bodin, but I think if Roine gives it another go, he, Froberg and Reingold are probably givens, and then it comes down to Zoltan or Bodin.  He probably can't have both, because the two of them didn't get along at all, which is why Zoltan bit the dust again following the last album.  My gut tells me Roine thinks that TFK without Bodin seems impossible, but doesn't want to have to endure any more drummers; he wants Zoltan in the band.  Should be interesting to see how it pans out, if they do in fact ever record again.

I'll have to check out that Eggs and Dogs disc, Marc. :)

Also, while we are talking side projects or other bands, Kaipa's Keyholder deserves a lot of love.  What a fantastic record. :hat

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on November 03, 2010, 09:03:34 AM
I also can't imagine TFK without Bodin, but I think if Roine gives it another go, he, Froberg and Reingold are probably givens, and then it comes down to Zoltan or Bodin.  He probably can't have both, because the two of them didn't get along at all, which is why Zoltan bit the dust again following the last album.  My gut tells me Roine thinks that TFK without Bodin seems impossible, but doesn't want to have to endure any more drummers; he wants Zoltan in the band.  Should be interesting to see how it pans out, if they do in fact ever record again.

I'll have to check out that Eggs and Dogs disc, Marc. :)

Also, while we are talking side projects or other bands, Kaipa's Keyholder deserves a lot of love.  What a fantastic record. :hat



You won't regret it, Kev! :tup

As for TFK, I really do see Roine just going ahead with Hasse, Jonas, and Zoltan and quietly letting Tomas go... but I would hope that since Roine has BEEN playing with Jonas and Zoltan on various recent side-projects that he'd be willing to play with a different drummer in TFK for another album (or two) just to keep Tomas in the band. As I said, Roine/Tomas, to me, are the heart of TFK - Roine's writing and guitar and vocals along with Tomas' amazing keyboard work form, what is to me, the heart and soul of the band. I might even go so much as to say they could probably even carry on without Jonas too, but there's never been any problem with him and the others AFAIK.

Either way, I still look forward to whatever these guys have to put out, be it with TFK or not. And as for Kaipa, definitely good stuff. I haven't spun them lately, but I do recall enjoying the first two "Modern" Kaipa albums a lot. Has anyone heard the last one, In The Wake Of Evolution? I know Roine isn't on it, but it's still really good!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on November 03, 2010, 11:55:29 PM
As awesome as Zoltan is, I don't think he makes a significant difference, only because the songwriting is what matters the most.  To explain that, he is the only drummer TFK have had where I can listen to his playing and really notice it on a regular basis, but on the other hand, two of the three TFK albums he has played on are two of my three least favorite records (A&E and TSONE) and the other (UTF) is middle of the pack.  
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Plasmastrike on November 12, 2010, 01:01:16 PM
Never has a band moved up my "favorites" list so quickly. I love these guys so much. Not an album I don't enjoy.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on November 12, 2010, 01:24:52 PM
 :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on January 11, 2011, 09:32:53 PM
Resurrection!

Just wanted to say that Roine is currently working on the 2007 show that was supposed to be released on DVD way-back-when, and has gone back to it with "fresh ears" and plans to release this show (with Pat Mastetlotto on drums) sometime this Spring.

Also in TFK-related news, Roine is working on the third Agents Of Mercy album, also planned to be released this Spring.

Hasse is apparently in the studio with his band working on music for the follow-up to Future Past and had said he won't give any details or specifics yet, since it's still all up in the air, but has wanted to let us know he IS working on HFMC's second album!

Jonas is also working on the next Karmakanic album with the usual suspects, but without Zoltan this go around. Instead, he's employed the drumming of former TFK-member Marcus Liliequist! It seems there has been some tension between Zoltan and his former TFK bandmates and has decided to not work with Jonas this go around (nor Roine apparently). It'll be interesting to hear Jonas and Marcus together again (first time since Tomas' I AM, I believe).

It is my hopes that having Marcus play in BOTH Tomas Bodin's Eggs & Dogs band AND Jonas Reingold's Karmakanic will reignite the spark for Tomas and Jonas to approach Roine and reunite The Flower Kings once more, and with Marcus behind the drums. I think he deserves another chance on another album as I love his playing on EVERY TFK and TFK-related release!

Either way, it's nice to look forward to MOST of TFK recording/releasing music this year. I'm hoping Tomas makes an announcement for Eggs & Dogs' next album, the final part of his Trilogy that started with I AM and YOU ARE - HE SHE IT IS. I loved the last album and it was great to hear Marcus and Michael (Stolt) play together.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Nick on January 11, 2011, 09:43:46 PM
Unfortunately none of this news really hits home for me except for the part about Karmamanic, who are amazing.

The Flower Kings very much disappointed me with The Sum of No Evil, and so a DVD from that tour doesn't really excite me and I haven't been too worried about the next Flower Kings album due to it either. It would be one thing if the musicians weren't keeping busy, but more Karmakanic is more than enough trade-off for me to keep TFK on hold.

As for Agents of Mercy, the debut was alright, nothing great and so I never bothered with the 2nd and probably won't with the third unless I hear some very good reviews.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on January 11, 2011, 11:24:44 PM
Another Agents of Mercy CD already?  Dang.  I really wish I could get into them, since Roine is obviously keen on that project, but the main singer's voice I find to be way too annoying.  Bummer, as I usually eat just about everything Roine does up with a spoon. :lol

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on January 11, 2011, 11:27:40 PM
Another Agents of Mercy CD already?  Dang.  I really wish I could get into them, since Roine is obviously keen on that project, but the main singer's voice I find to be way too annoying.  Bummer, as I usually eat just about everything Roine does up with a spoon. :lol



I'm not too keen on Nad either, and his voice DOES take some getting used to, but the music is AMAZING and I applaud Roine for putting something out that's a bit different. Hopefully whatever else Roine decides to do this year, it involves HIM singing (if any singing is to be involved, that is).

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: darkshade on January 12, 2011, 02:43:10 PM
ive been on a Flower Kings/Karmakanic kick lately, and i love it. IMO, there is nothing wrong with Roine's voice, he reminds me of John Wetton at times. Im also surprised he's taken criticism about his voice to heart. On The Whirlwind, i think his voice sounds better than it did before.

Otherwise, enjoying Stardust We Are and Karmakanic's Who's The Boss In The Factory.

I also own Space Revolver and The Sum of No Evil by TFK. Im trying to figure out which album to check out next. Flower Power sounds cool, especially with GoD. But i also enjoy SR for it's jazzy overtones, so i also want to check out Unfold the Future.

Thoughts?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on January 12, 2011, 02:49:56 PM
ive been on a Flower Kings/Karmakanic kick lately, and i love it. IMO, there is nothing wrong with Roine's voice, he reminds me of John Wetton at times. Im also surprised he's taken criticism about his voice to heart. On The Whirlwind, i think his voice sounds better than it did before.

Otherwise, enjoying Stardust We Are and Karmakanic's Who's The Boss In The Factory.

I also own Space Revolver and The Sum of No Evil by TFK. Im trying to figure out which album to check out next. Flower Power sounds cool, especially with GoD. But i also enjoy SR for it's jazzy overtones, so i also want to check out Unfold the Future.

Thoughts?

If you're like any of us other TFK-fans, you'll eventually end up with ALL of TFK's albums. However, both Flower Power and Unfold The Future are very lengthy albums, and for me, both took awhile to get into. Of their four double-albums, only Stardust We Are was "love at first sight" - the other three took a bit more time for me to discovering and enjoy in their entireties.

See if you can get both - there are fairly priced on places like Amazon or even eBay. If you can, treat yourself to the Special Edition of UTF as it has a bonus track at the end of the album, one of their jazzy improvisations!

If you don't want to spend so much on TWO double-albums, maybe seek out the live album Meet The Flower Kings, which features a couple epics from UTF, as well as an abridged version of FP's epic "Garden Of Dreams", as well as an amazing (and complete) version of "Stardust We Are"!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: darkshade on January 12, 2011, 03:11:37 PM
ive been on a Flower Kings/Karmakanic kick lately, and i love it. IMO, there is nothing wrong with Roine's voice, he reminds me of John Wetton at times. Im also surprised he's taken criticism about his voice to heart. On The Whirlwind, i think his voice sounds better than it did before.

Otherwise, enjoying Stardust We Are and Karmakanic's Who's The Boss In The Factory.

I also own Space Revolver and The Sum of No Evil by TFK. Im trying to figure out which album to check out next. Flower Power sounds cool, especially with GoD. But i also enjoy SR for it's jazzy overtones, so i also want to check out Unfold the Future.

Thoughts?

If you're like any of us other TFK-fans, you'll eventually end up with ALL of TFK's albums. However, both Flower Power and Unfold The Future are very lengthy albums, and for me, both took awhile to get into. Of their four double-albums, only Stardust We Are was "love at first sight" - the other three took a bit more time for me to discovering and enjoy in their entireties.

See if you can get both - there are fairly priced on places like Amazon or even eBay. If you can, treat yourself to the Special Edition of UTF as it has a bonus track at the end of the album, one of their jazzy improvisations!

If you don't want to spend so much on TWO double-albums, maybe seek out the live album Meet The Flower Kings, which features a couple epics from UTF, as well as an abridged version of FP's epic "Garden Of Dreams", as well as an amazing (and complete) version of "Stardust We Are"!

-Marc.

interesting. I dont know if i want to get a TFK live album yet, i prefer knowing most of a band's discography before getting one.

i would only get one double album at a time, otherwise i would feel overwhelmed. I think it's a matter of 'eeni meeni mieni moe'...

what do you recommend for a single-disc album?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: The Letter M on January 12, 2011, 04:03:42 PM
interesting. I dont know if i want to get a TFK live album yet, i prefer knowing most of a band's discography before getting one.

i would only get one double album at a time, otherwise i would feel overwhelmed. I think it's a matter of 'eeni meeni mieni moe'...

what do you recommend for a single-disc album?

Either of the band's first two albums, especially if you like SWA. I slightly prefer Retropolis over Back In The World Of Adventures, but both are amazing. Also, don't forget to pick up Roine's solo The Flower King album eventually, too. It's got the building-blocks of TFK and contains some great epics.

I suppose you could just flip a coin in the decision to purchase your next double album, but for me, I prefer UTF over FP. Zoltan's drumming is pretty jazzy and fusion-y and works great for the music on the album. All the playing on UTF is pretty spot on!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: KevShmev on January 12, 2011, 10:26:23 PM
Definitely save the live albums until the end.  The studio albums should always come first.

If you are looking for a single disc, since you already have SR and TSONE, I'll echo Marc's recommendation and say that getting either of the first two albums is the way to go.  But you are gonna want those massive double albums. All four of their double albums are tremendous. :coolio

Honestly, I wonder if Roine actually has taken the criticism of his vocals to heart, or if he is just being a smart ass about it all.  I mean, he always seemed pretty realistic about his voice, saying in the past that he knows his limitations, but is very confident about when and how to use it.  But suddenly a bunch of criticism is making him doubt it?  Not sure I completely buy that. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Plasmastrike on January 12, 2011, 10:45:32 PM
Great to see TFK thread on the top of the page! I've been digesting this music the last eight or so months. I really can't say enough about the band. Such a pleasure.. :)

Honestly, I wonder if Roine actually has taken the criticism of his vocals to heart, or if he is just being a smart ass about it all.  I mean, he always seemed pretty realistic about his voice, saying in the past that he knows his limitations, but is very confident about when and how to use it.  But suddenly a bunch of criticism is making him doubt it?  Not sure I completely buy that.  
Along with obviously the guitar playing, Roine's voice played a very significant role in really drawing me in. He's by far one of my favorite vocalists. Being a new fan, this whole someone-critisized-his-voice fiasco seems really bizarre. He's phenomenal! Sometimes just one perfectly worded sentence can really get to your emotions. I hope that didn't happen to Roine. Who knows? Though, you're right. He definitely does seem confident when he uses it. So expressive, yet experimental.

I also own Space Revolver and The Sum of No Evil by TFK. Im trying to figure out which album to check out next. Flower Power sounds cool, especially with GoD. But i also enjoy SR for it's jazzy overtones, so i also want to check out Unfold the Future. Thoughts?
Hope you're enjoying TFK journey thus far! UTF sounds like a great choice if you like the jazzy overtones. As Marc said, the playing is spot on. It's not my favorite (EDIT: Though it's amazing ;D), but it seems to fit your criteria.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9, ariich pg 9+)
Post by: Global Laziness on February 12, 2011, 08:57:54 AM
I've finally done it Kev! I've seen you recommend them several times, including a few times specifically to me, but I never got around to it until recently. Thank you for the recommendation, they're an amazing band. So far Stardust We Are is my favourite but it's tough to pick.

I'm listening to Adam and Eve right now, and it's odd to hear so much Daniel Gildenlöw.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: KevShmev on February 12, 2011, 10:07:57 AM
Awesome.  Good to hear. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: ariich on February 12, 2011, 10:25:43 AM
Oh man I totally forgot I was meant to be doing a top 50 here. I gave it a break as nobody was responding much, and then completely forgot it! :lol :facepalm:

I've removed it from the thread title, but I may start it up again at some point. If anyone else wants to do one though, feel free.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: SlickSy on February 12, 2011, 02:25:38 PM
I've been meaning to look into The Flower Kings ever since I started listening to Transatlantic and last year. I like Roine's work with Transatlantic and reading what Kev has to say about this band has finally got me to check them out. I think I'm gonna start by checking out Paradox Hotel and Flower Power. Once I've listened to these albums I'll report back with my thoughts on the albums. I'm looking forward to picking them up!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: ariich on February 12, 2011, 03:33:48 PM
Both excellent albums, particularly Paradox Hotel! :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: The Letter M on February 12, 2011, 03:46:44 PM
Both excellent albums, particularly Paradox Hotel! :tup

I agree with this wholeheartedly!!!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: KevShmev on February 13, 2011, 08:03:28 AM
I've been meaning to look into The Flower Kings ever since I started listening to Transatlantic and last year. I like Roine's work with Transatlantic and reading what Kev has to say about this band has finally got me to check them out. I think I'm gonna start by checking out Paradox Hotel and Flower Power. Once I've listened to these albums I'll report back with my thoughts on the albums. I'm looking forward to picking them up!

Sweet.  We look forward to your thoughts on those albums. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: rumborak on March 12, 2011, 10:55:08 AM
I'm listening right now to Retropolis, what a great album.

This has probably been discussed in this thread, but are they done? The last album was in 2007, and even that one was kinda meh (at least for me). Kinda feels to me the band has run its course.

rumborak
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: KevShmev on March 13, 2011, 08:46:24 AM
They are on a sabbatical that they may or may not return from.  There was a bit of internal friction within the band, and while he never said it directly, I think Roine Stolt got frustrated by how little the band grew in terms of fan support and whatnot.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: LudwigVan on May 04, 2011, 09:06:46 AM
Bump. 

I seem to get into Flower Kings mode as soon as the spring weather hits.   I've had Flower Power in my cd player.   :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: lateralus88 on May 04, 2011, 09:15:21 AM
I guess it's going to be "End on a High Note" on the way to class today. It's fucking SUNNY out n' shit.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: KevShmev on May 04, 2011, 09:22:34 AM
Awesome.  I usually get into a big TFK phase when spring rolls around, but it has been delayed a bit this year because of all of the new music I am getting into (some new CDs plus the Decemberists), but it is only a matter of time. :)

Also, their new bootleg-style live DVD from the 2007 tour will be out soon:

https://powerofprog.com/profiles/blogs/the-flower-kings-is-back

Set list:

Love is The Only Answer
There is More to This World
Retropolis
Trading My Soul
Hudson River Sirens Call
I am the Sun
Life in Motion
Brimstone Flight 999
Babylon
Stardust We Are
What If God Was Alone
Blade of Cain
Sum of No Reason 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: The Letter M on May 04, 2011, 11:44:07 AM
Pre-ordered this the night I found out about it! Cannot wait to get my hands on the first new TFK release in 3 years!!! It'll be exciting, even though the show itself is 4 years old, but I'm looking forward to watching/listening to TFK with Mastellotto on drums!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: darkshade on May 04, 2011, 02:16:04 PM
Ive picked up 3 more TFK albums since my last reply on this thread. Ive now got...

The Sum of No Evil
Space Revolver
Stardust We Are
Unfold the Future
Flower Power

So far, Unfold the Future is my favorite.

I haven't listened to disc 2 of Flower Power yet; as after listening to disc 1 a few times, I hit the brick wall with TFK music. But I wound up getting 2 of The Tangent's albums, and I also got Wheel of Life by Karmakanic (listening to it now, it's awesome), and I listened to 2 Neal Morse albums recently. So I've been in a Transatlantic/The Flower Kings-family mood. This thread is actually giving me the TFK itch right now, although it's rainy out, but whatever.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: ariich on May 04, 2011, 02:44:30 PM
Awesome.  I usually get into a big TFK phase when spring rolls around, but it has been delayed a bit this year because of all of the new music I am getting into (some new CDs plus the Decemberists), but it is only a matter of time. :)
Exactly the same here! I always listen loads in spring/summer though. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: KevShmev on May 04, 2011, 05:02:26 PM
Pre-ordered this the night I found out about it! Cannot wait to get my hands on the first new TFK release in 3 years!!! It'll be exciting, even though the show itself is 4 years old, but I'm looking forward to watching/listening to TFK with Mastellotto on drums!

I'd be happier with new TFK music altogether ;), but this will be still be nice!  Maybe all of those TSONE songs will help me appreciate that record more.

Ive picked up 3 more TFK albums since my last reply on this thread. Ive now got...

The Sum of No Evil
Space Revolver
Stardust We Are
Unfold the Future
Flower Power

So far, Unfold the Future is my favorite.

I haven't listened to disc 2 of Flower Power yet; as after listening to disc 1 a few times, I hit the brick wall with TFK music. But I wound up getting 2 of The Tangent's albums, and I also got Wheel of Life by Karmakanic (listening to it now, it's awesome), and I listened to 2 Neal Morse albums recently. So I've been in a Transatlantic/The Flower Kings-family mood. This thread is actually giving me the TFK itch right now, although it's rainy out, but whatever.

What do you mean by brick wall?  Do you mean that you've heard all you want to hear altogether, or that you simply wanted to mix it up for the time being?

Awesome.  I usually get into a big TFK phase when spring rolls around, but it has been delayed a bit this year because of all of the new music I am getting into (some new CDs plus the Decemberists), but it is only a matter of time. :)
Exactly the same here! I always listen loads in spring/summer though. :)

 :tup :tup

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: darkshade on May 04, 2011, 06:55:50 PM
Ive picked up 3 more TFK albums since my last reply on this thread. Ive now got...

The Sum of No Evil
Space Revolver
Stardust We Are
Unfold the Future
Flower Power

So far, Unfold the Future is my favorite.

I haven't listened to disc 2 of Flower Power yet; as after listening to disc 1 a few times, I hit the brick wall with TFK music. But I wound up getting 2 of The Tangent's albums, and I also got Wheel of Life by Karmakanic (listening to it now, it's awesome), and I listened to 2 Neal Morse albums recently. So I've been in a Transatlantic/The Flower Kings-family mood. This thread is actually giving me the TFK itch right now, although it's rainy out, but whatever.

What do you mean by brick wall?  Do you mean that you've heard all you want to hear altogether, or that you simply wanted to mix it up for the time being?


Once I got Flower Power, and listened to disc 1 a few times, I needed a break from their music. I wanted give the 5 albums I have (3 of them double albums) time to sink in, since I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. I bought Stardust, UtF, and FP within a month of so...

And yes, I also wanted to mix it up a bit, thus why I got The Tangent albums and another Karmakanic album. It's all great music, and I'm probably going to go back to those TFK albums soon enough  :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: Nick on July 11, 2011, 02:00:46 PM
Just got done with Jonas Reingold, and that interview will be online either tonight or tomorrow (at www.wpapu.com). Had some nice The Flower Kings news in it. :)

With that in mind, the show returns tonight after taking last week off and I plan to play that bit on the air.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: The Letter M on July 11, 2011, 08:10:00 PM
Just got done with Jonas Reingold, and that interview will be online either tonight or tomorrow (at www.wpapu.com). Had some nice The Flower Kings news in it. :)

With that in mind, the show returns tonight after taking last week off and I plan to play that bit on the air.

Some TFK news?!? This is what I've been looking forward to ALL year. It seems nearly all the players in TFK have been busy over this past year - Roine's released the 2nd AOM album and is about to release the 3rd one next month; Jonas is just about to release the new Karmakanic album; Hasse is working on the followup to HFMC's FuturePast album, due out sometime next year, probably Winter 2012; and presumably, although I've not heard anything, Tomas is working on the 3rd part of his trilogy that started with I AM and continued with You Are, titled He She It Is.

Also, now that Marcus Liliequist is drumming with Jonas again (for In A Perfect World), and has been drumming for Tomas Bodin (on I AM and You Are), how likely is it that he will rejoin the TFK ranks and reunite the Paradox Hotel lineup for another album? I think it would be amazing because I liked PH and the live album Instant Delivery. I think Marcus has a lot of skill and power that suits the band. Hopefully Roine, Jonas, Tomas, Hasse, and Marcus can all reconvene and write a new album this fall/winter for a Summer 2012 release! *crosses fingers*

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (with Top 50s: KevShmev pg 6-9)
Post by: KevShmev on July 12, 2011, 01:09:56 PM
Listened to the interview.  Nice job, Nick. :tup :tup 

The possibility of new Flower Kings music is always great, and Reingold sounded pretty confident about them doing it, so woohoo. :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nekov on July 13, 2011, 01:20:13 PM
:caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: lateralus88 on July 13, 2011, 01:32:37 PM
:caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine::caffeine:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on October 20, 2011, 01:07:21 PM
From the Prog Archives Forum's Flower Kings Appreciation thread.

Quote
"I was reading a colleague's comment over on the Garden Of Dreams forum a day or two ago.
He said he met Roine at the Gothenburg prog Festival. Of course, in Roine's presence, said colleague became, in his own words a 'babbling idiot'. Nevertheless, he did ask Roine if there would be another TFK album. Roine said yes!
Then he asked him if Tomas would be on the album. Roine said yes!?? and looked a little bit puzzled. Then he laughed and said: 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet!' "


I'm not sure what other forum the quote came from, but the person who posted it there is not a troll or anything.

Also, does this mean Zoltan will be on TFK11?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on October 20, 2011, 03:29:06 PM
Woohoo! I don't think Zoltan will ever be back, though, because of the tension between him and Tomas. I'd much rather have Tomas than Zoltan in the band anyway.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nekov on October 21, 2011, 04:02:22 AM
(https://www.ahardblognight.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/dudemeet020nc.jpg)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 21, 2011, 07:50:58 AM
I would love another album from The Flower Kings, I've been bored stiff by Roine's Agents of Mercy stuff, although the last couple of Karmakanic albums have been good.  I even dug the album Hasse put out a while back.

But yeah, bring on some new stuff from The Flower Kings
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on October 21, 2011, 08:13:59 AM
I would love another album from The Flower Kings, I've been bored stiff by Roine's Agents of Mercy stuff, although the last couple of Karmakanic albums have been good.  I even dug the album Hasse put out a while back.

But yeah, bring on some new stuff from The Flower Kings

Indeed. I gave The Black Forest a full spin the other night and it was pretty good, though, and better than Dramarama. I wouldn't mind if Roine kept working with Nad in Agents Of Mercy, but PLEASE bring back the Flower Kings. It's been far too long. 5 years next year...who do they think they are, Rush or Tool? I mean, who puts a band on hold for five years after putting out so much music in 14 short years?...wait....

Anyway, as for TFK's possible drummer? I'd say bring back Marcus - he's been drumming with Tomas for the last few of his albums, and he also joined Karmakanic on their latest album, and I've always felt Roine to be fond of him, so it would make perfect sense to bring him back into the TFK fold. Personally I loved the Paradox Hotel line-up and wouldn't mind hearing them again.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 21, 2011, 08:43:24 AM
Yeah, Marcus is OK.   It's too bad they can't make it work with Zoltan, though. 

I think I'll listen to The Sum of No Evil tonight when I get home from work.  Haven't taken that for a spin in quite some time.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on October 21, 2011, 08:44:34 AM
I'd love another album with songwriting similar to Paradox Hotel - lots of shorter songs, a few somewhat longer tracks, and the bulk of it written on piano and/or acoustic guitar.  That resulted in one helluva record.  Plus, it sounded more natural and organic, as opposed to the follow-up, The Sum of No Evil, which, while good, sounded like it was trying too hard to be all-out prog. 

Either way, bring on more TFK! :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on October 21, 2011, 09:11:30 AM
I'd love another album with songwriting similar to Paradox Hotel - lots of shorter songs, a few somewhat longer tracks, and the bulk of it written on piano and/or acoustic guitar.  That resulted in one helluva record.  Plus, it sounded more natural and organic, as opposed to the follow-up, The Sum of No Evil, which, while good, sounded like it was trying too hard to be all-out prog. 

Either way, bring on more TFK! :tup :tup

It's quite interesting how the last 3 TFK albums all sound so different from each other - A&E feels a bit more bombastic and hard-rocking, and with an 8-member TFK band, the instrumentation is pretty full. Then we get PH with it's more basic/stripped-back feel with a ton of shorter songs. And finally we come to TSONE with a more classic-yet-modern feel to it, like they were trying to bring back that Retropolis feel, but with a kick. It also helps that each of the 3 albums has a different line-up.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on October 21, 2011, 11:22:04 AM
Honestly, I'd love for them to come back and add some more modern touches and scale back some of the vintage sounds (like that pipe organ sound that is featured in Hit Me with a Hit).  And as always, more Roine and less Froberg vocals, please. :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: lateralus88 on October 21, 2011, 11:57:47 AM
I'd be happy with anything they put out because TFK always make my heart fuckin' SING. Can't wait for a new album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 21, 2011, 12:26:29 PM
They could make "The Sum of No Evil II" and I'd be thrilled.  It's currently my favorite TFK album and I had hoped they'd tour the states in support of it.  I hated "Adam & Eve" (it's one of the few TFK albums I never listen to) and I was only lukewarm on "Paradox Hotel"  But definitely in the same camp with the idea of ANY new stuff from them would be great.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on October 21, 2011, 12:47:27 PM
Paradox Hotel is my least favorite TFK album. It's not very memorable, and kind of boring. Not that it's bad overall, but it doesn't live up to their other stuff. The Sum of No Evil is really good.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on October 21, 2011, 01:03:48 PM
My rankings are-

1. Unfold the Future
2. Space Revolver
3. The Sum of No Evil
4. Stardust We Are
5. Paradox Hotel
6. Flower Power (I haven't listened to this one as much for some reason)

I don't know what to get next, as Ive enjoyed them all so far to varying degrees. My local record shop has BITWOA and A&E, but Rainmaker seems cool too. What do you guys think?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on October 21, 2011, 05:40:49 PM
I like The Rainmaker a lot, but most fans seem to think it's not so good. Last Minute on Earth, World Without a Heart, Road to Sanctuary, and Sword of God are all great songs. Maybe the album seems rushed or less polished? I dunno.

Adam & Eve is pretty cool, although there are a couple songs I don't like. Back in the World of Adventures is better.

Really, though, you should get Retropolis if possible. It's my second favorite, with Space Revolver being #1.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on October 22, 2011, 09:37:38 AM
Retropolis and BITWOA are both must-buys if you already like some of the band's material.

The Rainmaker is still probably my 2nd least favorite TFK cd (ahead of only TSONE), but it still has some great stuff.  Serious Dreamers is one of their best tunes ever, and the riff in Last Minute on Earth should suck anyone right away.  On the flip side, Sword of God is probably the only TFK song I actively dislike a lot. 

A&E is really good if you ignore the title track (good bridge in the middle, but the rest is a major WTF) and Starlight Man (talk about ruining a good vibe and cool verses with a bland-as-hell chorus).  Love Supreme, Timelines and Driver's Seat are all fantastic tunes.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on October 22, 2011, 01:54:15 PM
On the flip side, Sword of God is probably the only TFK song I actively dislike a lot. 

Hmmm, it's one of my favorite TFK songs. It rocks, and the instrumental section in the middle reminds me of Kansas. My only problem with it is that one screwed up falsetto they shouldn't have left in.

I agree that the Adam & Eve title track is a major WTF.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on November 12, 2011, 10:59:14 AM
Listening to Garden of Dreams right now.

Oh....


My....




God...


It's so good I'm crying
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on November 12, 2011, 11:07:39 AM
It is amazing.  Nearly 60 minutes of musical perfection.

Along those lines, I wonder, for those who are big fans of both Transatlantic and The Flower Kings, which is the preferred super long suite: Garden of Dreams or The Whirlwind?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nekov on November 12, 2011, 11:13:06 AM
Mmm, I would go with the Whirlwind. Garden of dreams is amazing though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on November 12, 2011, 11:14:05 AM
Ive had Flower Power for only 4-5 months, whereas Ive had The Whirlwind since it came out, so I have more history and emotional attachment with that one. I think they're about equal (yet both do different things within the compositions). I think The Whirlwind has the edge because it has a greater climax and outro.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on November 13, 2011, 04:50:22 PM
So, is anyone else excited at the chance of new TFK material next year? It seems Roine is really ready to bring the band back together, so I'm hoping they reconvene over the winter to write and record and aim for a summer release.

Next year should be a BIG year for new music, between TFK and even new Marillion, so if the Kings do record and release by summer, I hope there's a North American tour to come! I'd love to see these guys live!!!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on November 13, 2011, 05:12:51 PM
Garden of Dreams is so good. Sunny Lane/Gardens Revisited/Shadowland is some of their best music ever.

I saw TFK live in 2005 and they were great.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on November 14, 2011, 06:55:14 AM
I've seen them live 3 times, and the last time I even got to hang out at the sound check before the gig.  That was pretty cool.  I talked to Roine and Hasse for a while, they were very gracious and they autographed my TSONE CD booklet.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on January 18, 2012, 01:48:44 PM
Well, I just decided to give The Black Forest (Agents of Mercy's latest) a full spin on ProgStreaming and even though it's not The Flower Kings, it definitely has Roine Stolt's stamp all over it and I like it much better than I did the first AOM disc.

I guess this is the next best thing to something new from TFK
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on January 18, 2012, 02:33:02 PM
I've spun TBF a couple times, but I'll agree, it's definitely got that special Roine Stolt touch and sound.

As for new TFK, both Roine and Jonas keep hinting at new TFK material this year, and it seems that Hasse is finishing up his 2nd album with the Musical Companion, so he will likely be free after Spring to reconvene with Roine and Jonas to do some new TFK songs. As for Tomas, I've not read/heard much news about/from him, or whether or not he's been working on new material for Eggs & Dogs/solo stuff (where is HE SHE IT IS?!), but I'm sure he will be free to join up with the others.

As for a drummer, I keep saying they should get Marcus back, as he's drummed for both Roine and Jonas recently, so it'd be nice to get him behind the TFK kit once again, especially because I loved his work on Paradox Hotel, as well as Roine's Wall Street Voodoo and Tomas's I AM, and his work on the recent Karmakanic album is pretty good too!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on January 19, 2012, 09:00:23 AM
I say, bring more TFK on, no matter who the drummer is.  I hate seeing Roine "waste" him time with his main project being one with such a blah singer. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on February 02, 2012, 09:07:26 AM
From Roine's FB page:


THE FLOWER KINGS - Press statement Feb 2012:

Legendary progressive, iconic, symphonic rockband "The Flower Kings", formed in 1995 by guitarist, singer, composer Roine Stolt ( Transatlantic ), announce their immediate return to service in 2012, after an almost 5 years well earned hiatus.
The band consisting of Roine Stolt, bassplayer extraordinaire Jonas Reingold, keyboarder grand deluxe Tomas Bodin,
singer & guitarist Hasse Froberg and new 26 year old Berliner dextrous drummer prodigy Felix Lehrmann, started the recording
of a new album at Varispeed studios in Sweden on January 23rd.
The music is recorded in classic 70's style, with all musicians performing live in a room thru 70's vintage tube recording equipment
and famous NEVE consoles.
If all Gods and muses are onboard the new TFK is scheduled for an album release on June 6th on the Inside Out Music label (Century Media/EMI).
The yet unnamed album has a 23 min epic centerpiece and the material is all classic Flowerkings style with all
the dreamy melodic & cinematic elements that the bands fans has come to love over the years, but also contain some heavier psychedelic
music and some darker hi energy material.

The band is likely to embark on a headline european tour in september this year but will have it's official first re-union gig at the "Sweden Rock Festival" in June 7th - 2012.

---------

 :coolio :coolio :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Ryzee on February 02, 2012, 09:12:21 AM
 :D  Yay!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on February 02, 2012, 09:26:58 AM
Finally, an annoucement! I guess they wanted to wait until they actually started RECORDING the album before they said they would, ya know, just in case things didn't work out... :lol

So glad Jonas, Tomas, and Hasse have been able to rejoin Roine, and now introduce newcomer Felix Lehrmann. Gonna have to check him out ASAP!

Add this to my Top 12 Anticipated Releases of 2012!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ronrule on February 02, 2012, 10:36:57 AM
Yes!

I wish it could be Zoltan. He's the only TFK drummer that really added additional musical goodness, IMO. BUT I'm really liking Felix's youtubes...looks some some great fusion influences might be coming back!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on February 02, 2012, 12:27:57 PM
Well, using the every other album trajectory they have been on since 2000, this album should be awesome!

Space Revolver = awesome
The Rainmaker = good
Unfold the Future = awesome
Adam and Eve - very good at best
Paradox Hotel = awesome
The Sum of No Evil - merely good
2012 album = awesome?

 :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on February 02, 2012, 12:56:25 PM
just checking him out on youtube right now... :corn
...i think it just put me in a fusion mood for the day.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on February 02, 2012, 12:58:52 PM
Well, using the every other album trajectory they have been on since 2000, this album should be awesome!

Space Revolver = awesome
The Rainmaker = good
Unfold the Future = awesome
Adam and Eve - very good at best
Paradox Hotel = awesome
The Sum of No Evil - merely good
2012 album = awesome?

 :biggrin:

While I might not agree with your exact ratings, I will say that your general trend is dead on.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Plasmastrike on February 02, 2012, 01:00:37 PM
Hellll yeah ;D

New TFK album, what a great year.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on February 02, 2012, 04:27:00 PM
This made my day.

No.


This made my week!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on February 02, 2012, 04:54:32 PM
YES. Great news!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on February 02, 2012, 06:27:51 PM
Here's a video of the new drummer. Makes me not miss Zoltan so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43MsDvHKQpE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43MsDvHKQpE)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on February 04, 2012, 11:40:05 AM
So guys, anyone have any guesses as to the new album's title?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on February 04, 2012, 11:46:32 AM
So guys, anyone have any guesses as to the new album's title?

Dawn Of The Setting Sun

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on February 04, 2012, 12:08:39 PM
Someone on Prog Archives came up with a good one

Return of the Kings

Could be a concept album based on LOTR (so prog), and also have double meaning.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 06, 2012, 02:46:41 PM
Maybe they'll make their big return with an eponymous title?

"The Flower Kings"


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on February 06, 2012, 02:52:59 PM
I think they're one band that can't do that.

There's already a "The Flower King" album.

Besides, who makes an eponymous album more than 4-5 albums in.... wait......
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on February 06, 2012, 10:22:26 PM
I'd rather they not do that.  For the most part, I hate when bands call anything but their debut album a self-titled one.  The exception is The Beatles, but that is called The White Album by almost everyone anyway, so it's all good. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on February 07, 2012, 08:46:50 AM
They should call it "Re-pollination"
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 13, 2012, 09:03:13 AM
So....according to a FB post, the new album will be called Banks of Eden, and will be released on June 18th.  Woohoo! :tup :tup

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150861129464552&set=at.197841559551.168571.135600119551.100000224097006&type=1&theater
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nekov on March 13, 2012, 09:20:00 AM
Awesome!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 13, 2012, 09:38:20 AM
So....according to a FB post, the new album will be called Banks of Eden, and will be released on June 18th.  Woohoo! :tup :tup

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150861129464552&set=at.197841559551.168571.135600119551.100000224097006&type=1&theater

Saw this the other day. Meant to bump this thread but I guess I forgot to.

I cannot wait for the tracklist because I want to know if it'll be another double album! Part of me really wants it to be, and thinks it will be with how much material Roine seems to write and keep aside for long periods of time (not to mention whatever else Tomas, Jonas and Hasse bring to the table). Then again, another part of me thinks a solid single-disc album would be great as well, with a few extra/bonus tracks on a 2nd disc (like TSONE, which was pretty damn solid to me). I could go with either and still be really happy!

Five years was a LONG time to wait for a new album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on March 13, 2012, 11:15:15 AM
^ Something tells me we'll get a single disc album, with a bonus disc of more material, but not necessarily "part" of the album. Transatlantic did it when they got back together, and Neal Morse did the same thing after that, so we'll see.

I, too, would explode if they released a new double album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 13, 2012, 11:56:58 AM
^ Something tells me we'll get a single disc album, with a bonus disc of more material, but not necessarily "part" of the album. Transatlantic did it when they got back together, and Neal Morse did the same thing after that, so we'll see.

I, too, would explode if they released a new double album.

Well Jonas, Hasse and Roine have all been busy in the years since TSONE, while Tomas hasn't released anything since 2008, so I would hope that he will contribute a lot of material, at least enough to expand the album into a 2-hour opus!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 13, 2012, 12:27:32 PM
I am hoping for a double, especially since I am pretty sure they said that there is a song around 25 minutes on there.  A double will let them stretch out more, which I always like, instead of having nothing but prog, prog, prog, like on The Sum of No Evil.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 13, 2012, 12:38:54 PM
I am hoping for a double, especially since I am pretty sure they said that there is a song around 25 minutes on there.  A double will let them stretch out more, which I always like, instead of having nothing but prog, prog, prog, like on The Sum of No Evil.

True. Paradox Hotel is like that, and it's in my Top 3 TFK albums of all time. It's got prog, hard rock, acoustic stuff, some really heavy stuff, some jazzy stuff, and some weird-Zappa-esque stuff. It's got everything, and is a lot more varied than, say, Unfold The Future was, which was, IMO, a tiny BIT bloated with some of the jazz improv stuff, which I have to be in a certain mood for.

As for having an epic, it doesn't always necessarily mean we'll get a double album - sure it applies to Stardust We Are, Paradox Hotel, Flower Power and Unfold The Future, but The Sum Of No Evil and Space Revolver both had 25 minute epics (albeit the latter had it's epic split/bookended), and Adam & Eve had a couple of side-length tunes as well, and all three of those albums were single-disc ventures.

So really, it could go either way. We could get an epic with then 50 minutes of shorter tunes. Or we could get the epic, and 100 more minutes of music of varying lengths.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on March 13, 2012, 12:45:56 PM
They could make "The Sum of No Evil" over and over again as far as I'm concerned.  It's my favorite TFK album.    But I'll take whatever they've got.  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 13, 2012, 12:55:02 PM


As for having an epic, it doesn't always necessarily mean we'll get a double album

I know.  That is why I said I am "hoping" for a double since there is already a very long song. ;)  That way, we get a lot of everything.  Plus, if they do a 25-minute song and it isn't a particularly great song, on a double, there is still likely over 100 minutes of music to dig into, instead of just maybe 50 or so.  As someone who finds The Truth Will Set You Free a bit tedious to listen to, I am very thankful that UTF is a double, since it gave me 16 more songs and well over 100 more minutes of music to tackle. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 13, 2012, 01:08:46 PM


As for having an epic, it doesn't always necessarily mean we'll get a double album

Plus, if they do a 25-minute song and it isn't a particularly great song,

That's a pretty BIG "if" there. They haven't written an epic I can't get behind and love!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 13, 2012, 01:13:27 PM
They don't have any epics I dislike (except for One More Time, which is so plodding and boring), but a handful don't get listened to by me that much simply because they are not great enough for me to regularly dedicate the time needed to listen to them:

The Truth Will Set You Free
Love is the Only Answer
Road to Sanctuary
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on March 14, 2012, 10:17:58 PM

....and Adam & Eve had a couple of side-length tunes as well, and all three of those albums were single-disc ventures...
-Marc.

but the bonus disc version of A&E SLAYS ALL.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 15, 2012, 09:14:55 AM

....and Adam & Eve had a couple of side-length tunes as well, and all three of those albums were single-disc ventures...
-Marc.

but the bonus disc version of A&E SLAYS ALL.

Sure it does, but those Space Revolver-era bonus tracks (the last three) are only so good. It sucks that I had to get the A&E 2-disc version for those three tracks because the first 6 tracks were already on the The Rainmaker 2-disc version (which I already had). Now the bonus tracks on the 2-disc version of Space Revolver are really good, and it was worth shelling out money for THAT set.

Still need the Japanese edition of Flower Power for those 4 bonus tracks (even though they're just Tomas Bodin little pieces).

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on March 16, 2012, 06:25:42 PM
The only TFK album I have that has any bonus material is my copy of Unfold the Future with the bonus track Too Late For Tomatos, but there's a slight segue into it from the epic Devil's Playground, plus it's one of 4 improv tracks on the album, so it feels like it's part of the album; almost an epilogue since it follows the grand finale of Devil's Playground.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on March 18, 2012, 07:50:36 PM
^
i also bought the UTF with the bonus track....too late for potatoes is probably  my favorite of the 4 improvs  :metal
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 18, 2012, 08:05:48 PM
^
i also bought the UTF with the bonus track....too late for potatoes is probably  my favorite of the 4 improvs  :metal

"Too Late For Tomatoes", actually. I wonder if the "Tomatoes" part was a slight reference to Yes' "Tormato"? :lol

UTF is a pretty good album, and some might say the bonus track just makes an already long album even longer than it needs to be, but I'd say it's probably one of my favorite TFK albums anyway.

IIRC, the only albums with bonus tracks are:
Flower Power (Japanese Edition with bonus tracks at the end of each disc)
Space Revolver (Japanese Edition with bonus disc)
The Rainmaker (Special Edition 2-disc set in digibook)
Unfold The Future (Special Edition with a bonus track - released as both jewel case and digibook)
Adam & Eve (Japanese Bonus Disc)
The Sum Of No Evil (Special Edition 2-disc set in digipak)

Now, there are also non-jewel-case/digibook versions of Space Revolver (no bonus tracks), Paradox Hotel, the Collectors Artwork-Edition of Roine Stolt's The Flower King. I think that's everything. And sadly, I only know all of that because I own pretty much everything listed above (yes, even two versions of SR, TR, UTF, A&E and PH), the only exception being the Japanese version of Flower Power.

Oh, well there's also the 4-Disc digibook versions of Meet The Flower Kings and Instant Delivery, both of which are very nice pieces in addition to being great concerts.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on March 18, 2012, 10:58:01 PM
^
i also bought the UTF with the bonus track....too late for potatoes is probably  my favorite of the 4 improvs  :metal

Mine too  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on March 18, 2012, 10:59:46 PM
In the future if you guys know the release date of something it's much appreciated if you post it in the calendar thread as well. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 18, 2012, 11:05:42 PM
I'd say Unfold the Future is more than just a "pretty good album," Marc. ;)

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 18, 2012, 11:15:35 PM
I'd say Unfold the Future is more than just a "pretty good album," Marc. ;)

Ahh, come on, you know I love that album. It's in my top 3 TFK albums, although depending on how Banks Of Eden turns out, it could get pushed out because as of right now, I still prefer Stardust We Are and Paradox Hotel over Unfold The Future. I'd say, UTF is damn-near masterpiece level, but it's not for the TFK-beginner, that's for sure. It's one of those albums that, when you get into a band, you come to after a couple albums, and with repeated listens, become rewarded with an amazing listening experience. That's how UTF was with me (as was Yes' TFTO), and is usually the case for many band's double-albums/longest album. Studio albums that are over 100 minutes long usually take MANY listens for me to get into, and UTF was no exception, but the pay off was VERY rewarding. It's quite easy for me to breeze through it's 150 minutes! :lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on March 18, 2012, 11:20:40 PM
I think Unfold the Future's disc 1 is way better than disc 2. My favorite track is Black and White. Is it just me, or is UTF's production really compressed-sounding? Some other TFK albums also have this problem. The earlier albums had more spacious and dynamic soundscapes.

If I had to rank TFK's double albums:

1. Flower Power
2. Stardust We Are
3. Unfold the Future
4. Paradox Hotel
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 18, 2012, 11:26:31 PM
I know, Marc.  I just couldn't resist. :biggrin:

Back before I got a car stereo that would play mp3 CDs, my one CD condensed version of UTF back in the day was:

1. Genie in a Bottle
2. Fast Lane
3. Grand Old World
4. Silent Inferno
5. Man Overboard
6. Solitary Shell
7. Devil's Playground
8. Too Late for Tomatos (they spell it without the 'e' :P)

Fit perfectly on to a single CD. :coolio

Pols Voice, I adore the intro to Black and White, but I think once the songs get going, the bass guitar is a bit too busy.  It is a very rare occasion where I would accuse TFK of overplaying.  The keyboard lead is already speedy enough, but then that bass going a bit too crazy in the background is distracting. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on March 18, 2012, 11:29:33 PM
Unfold the Future was my 4th Flower Kings album, and second double album. It became my favorite immediately. As far as if it's the best one, well, I go back and forth on it. I raided their discography in the last year and a half, so I'm still exploring their other albums so I can't form a full opinion (TFK music takes a lot of time to appreciate, even though I enjoy it immensely every time, there's always something new to enjoy). My first listen to UtF was magical, none of their albums hit me on first listen aside from a few moments here and there, but UtF was great for the whole 2 1/2 hours. I can't explain it.

UtF is the only album I make sure I don't listen to very often, as I fear it becoming stale, since I almost over-listened to it soon after I got it. All the other TFK albums get a fairly good amount of rotation, even though Space Revolver is my most played album; but it was my first.

I think it's because I like every song on UtF and feel they're all strong and highly diverse, and the fact that the album leans heavily towards jazz (one of my favorite genres) is a big part of it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on March 18, 2012, 11:35:36 PM
UTF as a whole is probably one of the TFK CDs I go back to the least in recent years, simply because it is so damn long and it is like a chore to get through the whole thing.  A handful of the shorter songs get fairly regular rotation when I go through a TFK phase, but the two very long ones are like Yes' Gates of Delirium or Genesis' Supper's Ready in that they get saved for very rare occasions (although Devil's Playground will usually get the nod), and the jazzy instrumentals are nice, but I have to be in the mood for that stuff. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on March 18, 2012, 11:44:20 PM
I usually listen to disc 1 first, then disc 2 later, because it is a 2 1/2 hour album, and I don't have that much consecutive time, except at night sometimes. I'll probably sit through the whole thing soon as Ive been doing an album a day recently (I'm up to Flower Power, Space Revolver tomorrow). I'll give it to Roine, the album flows like a movie; a very long movie.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 21, 2012, 02:55:04 PM
Picked this tidbit up from over at the TFK Forums:

Quote
From Hasse's blog:


Anyway, both Tomas and me has completed our contributions to the "standard edition" of the CD (TFK). As soon as we're done mixing the HFMC album, we'll start to record the extra songs for the "limited edition" (TFK), which by the way is supposed to be something EXTRA (but you won't hear anything from me).

So it looks like we'll get a (possibly) 2-disc set as a "Limited Edition" of Banks Of Eden! I liked the last set so if it's released in anyway like TSONE was done, count me in! That packaging was just AMAZING! Lovely, yet quirky artwork! Ed Unitsky has such a vivid imagination!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on March 23, 2012, 01:16:51 PM
So Ive been doing this TFK discography marathon, and I'm up to Unfold the Future, and aside from pausing it after Monkey Business to get a coffee, Ive been listening to the whole thing, and I'm almost up to Solitary Shell. WHAT A GREAT ALBUM! I don't care how long it is, it's really good. I still think this is one of their best. I may throw on Tomas Bodin's "I AM" album in between this and Adam & Eve for the UtF references.


Picked this tidbit up from over at the TFK Forums:

Quote
From Hasse's blog:


Anyway, both Tomas and me has completed our contributions to the "standard edition" of the CD (TFK). As soon as we're done mixing the HFMC album, we'll start to record the extra songs for the "limited edition" (TFK), which by the way is supposed to be something EXTRA (but you won't hear anything from me).

So it looks like we'll get a (possibly) 2-disc set as a "Limited Edition" of Banks Of Eden! I liked the last set so if it's released in anyway like TSONE was done, count me in! That packaging was just AMAZING! Lovely, yet quirky artwork! Ed Unitsky has such a vivid imagination!

-Marc.

I called it!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on March 23, 2012, 01:49:55 PM
Kind of interesting that they had the title Adam and Eve and now Banks of Eden.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on March 23, 2012, 01:56:03 PM
Kind of interesting that they had the title Adam and Eve and now Banks of Eden.

And the hour long epic "Garden of Dreams". Hmm.....
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on March 23, 2012, 01:58:35 PM
I don't think they've made it any secret that their music carries some Christian overtones....."The Truth Will Set You Free" is also from the bible, isn't it?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: LudwigVan on April 16, 2012, 09:45:48 AM
It's like clockwork for me... as soon as the weather gets warm, I grab me a handful of TFK cds.   :)

If there's one minor weakness for me with this band, it's in the fact that Stolt's and Froberg's voices are SO close in timbre and range that they lose some opportunity for interesting vocal interplay and harmonies.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 16, 2012, 10:32:13 AM
Is anyone else as pumped for Banks Of Eden as I am?! The new cover looks great (same guy did the first two Agents Of Mercy album covers)...next to new Rush, this album is probably my 2nd most anticipated album of the year!

Oddly enough, the album is a "scant" 55 minutes, and the first 25 of it is the opening epic! Of course, there will be bonus tracks and the sort, but it's weird - they haven't made an album this short since their first couple albums. Let's hope it's more concise and less filler!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 16, 2012, 12:08:16 PM
There isn't any filler on any TFK record.  I think some need to remember that just because you don't like a song doesn't make it filler. ;)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 16, 2012, 01:25:23 PM
There isn't any filler on any TFK record.  I think some need to remember that just because you don't like a song doesn't make it filler. ;)

True enough, but just because it's recorded and somebody else likes it doesn't mean it isn't filler. Case in point - they've released many albums with "bonus tracks", which apparently they thought were good enough to record and release, but not good enough to put on the main albums. So if the band themselves can think that of their own music, then I don't see a problem with the fans thinking that either.

I love their albums as WHOLES, but when it comes to individual songs, some things are just less-likable than others. It's like the band releases the album, but then the special/limited editions are the "Director's Cut" versions of albums, with the cut-songs made available for everyone to listen to. I just think some bands don't cut things because they like it all, but I think as fans, we don't have to like it like they do.

Either way, before I ramble on TOO much longer, I'll just say, with TFK, any music is GOOD music, and most music is GREAT music.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 16, 2012, 01:28:09 PM


If there's one minor weakness for me with this band, it's in the fact that Stolt's and Froberg's voices are SO close in timbre and range that they lose some opportunity for interesting vocal interplay and harmonies.

I cannot disagree more with this.  There is no way that Stolt has the range than Froberg does, but conversely, Stolt's voice has tons more character than Froberg's does.  Froberg's vocals can be a bit hit or miss for me at times, simply because they are a bit too "pretty" at times if that makes sense; a good example would be the chorus of Starlight Man.  As much as I love this band, and this not meant to be any disrespect towards Froberg, I sometimes wonder how much better they could have been with a second lead singer whose voice had a bit more grit.  Having said that, Froberg does sing some sections that are goosebump-worthy.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 16, 2012, 01:30:17 PM
Here are Roine's thoughts on the idea of filler and whatnot (which he posted 9 days ago at the FK yahoo mailing list), and he starts off with some major sarcasm :lol:

Filler = "Songs I don't like"

The funny thing is that some prog fans out there seriously consider
the possibility
that a band like TFK put second rate material to "fill" an album
because "they were short on material".

In reality there is a bulk of material floating around that for one
reason or another will not end up on a certain album
just to show up on a later TFK album (or even a Transatlantic album)
- and who knows becoming a fan fave.

The complexity and politics of chosing songs to an album is not easy
and all I can say is that we work
with the best intention to fill a couple of criterias.

Those being: songs with good catchy riffs and melodies, interesting,
clever or just plain positive uplifting lyrics,
Interesting arrangements with cool time signatures and stand out solo
sections and production to the highest of standards.
We also try to strike a good balance between staying within our
signature original TFK sound and trying new things and new
untried (for us) territory. This means we sometimes venture into
both pop and sometimes into more experimental or even ambient land.

And for those who wonder, there is no priority tag on songs written by
Stolt - all member have and have had the chance to
contribute equally every time, since the last 15 years at least.
What you see on TFK albums is the result of free will and
personal considerations regarding members individual careers.

That's about it - Now if we're lucky the songs transpire well into
the live setting - and we have 3 DVD's that show that this is the case
now and again.

So does this mean I love and justify every single TFK song or
album ? - no I don't, but as said it is the result of band politics
and
to be honest even I happen to be the one making the wrong decision
now and then or I just fall prey to the democratic process,
that do exist regardless of what others may say, and we end up with
an album that we all are about 75% happy with.
Still there seems to be a couple of tunes that live on and finds it's
way into our live sets.

The important thing for me is that TFK as a band has produced a huge
catalogue over the last 15 years and there is material of
very high order - plus the odd "miss" tune or album - well I don't
dwell on those, since the good stuff prevail and that's what I'm looking
forward to play live in the coming year(s).

Hail to the new album and a few more - of 50/50 % greatness/
filler ( as usual.)

Roine
btw Happy Easter one and all!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 16, 2012, 01:34:52 PM
I love Roine's sense of humor! It's pretty snarky but serious. He knows what's going on.

As for "filler", it's nice that he and the band are very forward-thinking. I'm glad they never had a huge "hit" or a really "classic" album (like DT has with IAW), where fans would always complain "OH, TFK have never been as good as _______ album since..."

I like that, with every new release, there's always great music to find, and while most of each album stands the test of time, they're all held up to the same high marker that Roine and company assign to each record.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 16, 2012, 02:02:32 PM
Yeah, if English is Roine's second language, then sarcasm is his third. :lol :lol

The thing is, I get why some might not care for certain songs on their own, like a lot of the shorter pieces on Stardust We Are, but when listening to the album as a whole, they provide nice little transitions and segue ways, rather than just the album being a collection of songs placed in no discernible order.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on April 16, 2012, 03:10:48 PM
If there's one minor weakness for me with this band, it's in the fact that Stolt's and Froberg's voices are SO close in timbre and range that they lose some opportunity for interesting vocal interplay and harmonies.

Interesting...I don't think their voices are similar at all. Both are great at what they do and fill different roles vocally. I always like it when Hasse gets a lot of lead vocals on an album, too.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on April 16, 2012, 10:23:40 PM
two weeks ago i read all the Unfold The Future discussion but forgot to comment:
along with a plethora of other TFK material, i bought UTF (with bonus track) last summer. and although it can be a bit  much at times and a little exhausting, i would usually listen to both discs in one sitting. i got to know the album pretty much inside out and love(d) it. (GREAT album, indeed, darkshade).
....except for one problem. b/c it was SO much, i kept skipping Devil's Playground, convincing myself that i would get to know it later. well, after obsessing over the album for a couple months, i slowed on the repetitive spins and moved on to a dizzying amount of other music new to my ears, and i further put Devil's Playground on the back burner...and eventually  more or less forgot to get back 'round to it.
well, after reading a bunch of UTF posts in this thread (as mentioned), i forced DP spins last week. 5 times in 4 days i believe. conclusion: i've been missing out on a(nother)  cool TFK epic. though its tough to form an opinion on epics of such a magnitude after only 5 spins, i will say that i dont think i'll like it as much as the opening epic. but we'll see what a few more spins brings me.

the past 10+ days i've moved on to further exploring Retropolis, and have let Devil's Playground slip a little off my radar again. but i think maybe i'll throw it on when my current album finishes (and, yes, i'm currently spinning Retrop)

(speaking of Retrop, i keep only spinning the same 5 or 6 tunes from the album...i dont wanna get into the 'filler' debate {hehe, roine}, but the other tracks just didnt do it for me after the first couple listens, so i've stuck with those i know i love and have been spinning em to death...i'll have to get back on top of giving the remainder a chance sometime soon)

last thing - Question: if the only two TFK albums i love all the way thru are UTF and A&E, does that make me a Gildenlow fanboy?

warning: this post may be incoherent, but i'm too lazy right now to proofread.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 16, 2012, 11:14:22 PM


last thing - Question: if the only two TFK albums i love all the way thru are UTF and A&E, does that make me a Gildenlow fanboy?

Only if you think the song Adam & Eve (one of their few "WTF were they trying to do" songs) is really good. :biggrin: :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 17, 2012, 06:17:48 AM


last thing - Question: if the only two TFK albums i love all the way thru are UTF and A&E, does that make me a Gildenlow fanboy?

Only if you think the song Adam & Eve (one of their few "WTF were they trying to do" songs) is really good. :biggrin: :lol

Oddly enough, I enjoy A&E's title track, with or without Gildenlow. And I'm not much of a Gildenlow fanboy, and the only POS albums I own are BE, and both Road Salt albums, and they haven't been spun much. I got BE a long time ago but just never bothered to dive more into POS, then I decided to get both Road Salt albums and found them to be pretty interesting. I guess I just need to listen more. I do enjoy DG's performances on all the Transatlantic stuff he's on, and he's a great musician/vocalist, but I guess it'll be awhile longer til I can really appreciate his work.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Ben_Jamin on April 17, 2012, 07:05:04 AM
Roines comment is correct. You can have a really old song that they decide to dust off the shelf and finally finish it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on April 17, 2012, 09:56:05 AM


last thing - Question: if the only two TFK albums i love all the way thru are UTF and A&E, does that make me a Gildenlow fanboy?

Only if you think the song Adam & Eve (one of their few "WTF were they trying to do" songs) is really good. :biggrin: :lol

ya, ive seen some of the ill will towards the title track...ive always loved the song. even the weird middle section. the only thing i dont like about said weird section is it makes it tougher to throw on a party type playlist without making your poker guests wonder wtf's going on (other than the weirdness, what a deadly rocker that song makes).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 17, 2012, 11:43:51 AM
Party type playlist?  Hmmm, I can't imagine any TFK song that would make any kind of party playlist I would make, but that's me. :lol :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 17, 2012, 11:46:57 AM
New album cover looks amazing.
(https://www.flowerkings.se/covers/banks_of_eden.jpg)

I don't understand the ill feelings towards Adam & Eve, it's a rockin' tune. Zoltan's drums on the album are so great! Not in my top 5, but maybe 6 or 7.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on April 17, 2012, 11:58:47 AM
Party type playlist?  Hmmm, I can't imagine any TFK song that would make any kind of party playlist I would make, but that's me. :lol :biggrin:

really?! i havent even explored their entire catalogue, but i've come across plenty of shorter fun/rockin songs that go over well (or that i perceive to go over well) when company is over.

maybe 'party type playlist' is misleading...i just mean playlists for when we wanna have some drinks, rock out, and maybe play some poker.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on April 17, 2012, 01:42:26 PM
He's right, to some extent that "Filler" is really "song I don't like" - sometimes.  Other times, it's just nonsense.  Like "A Day at The Mall" on disc 2 of _Stardust We Are_

If that's a "song" then I'm an ant eater


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on April 17, 2012, 04:50:11 PM
Adam & Eve is one my least favorite Flower Kings songs. I like the album in general, though. The first three tracks are gold.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 17, 2012, 11:04:35 PM
I think the strength as at the end of the CD, most notably the last three songs: Timelines, Driver's Seat and The Blade of Cain.  But Love Supreme is great as well, and I do like both Babylon and A Vampire's View quite a bit each. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 20, 2012, 12:59:04 PM
I honestly think that The Sum of No Evil beats every album before and since Jonas joined, except for Unfold the Future. The album is consistent, and some of the best material is contained within.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 20, 2012, 01:01:59 PM
I could not disagree more.  I wouldn't say any of the songs are even close to being among their best songs, and it has their most boring song ever (One More Time).  Don't get me wrong, it is a good overall album, but, for me, it just doesn't stack up to most of the others.  I think The Sum... and The Rainmaker are easily their two least best albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 20, 2012, 01:16:36 PM
TSONE is pretty good, and I find myself coming back to it more often than A&E and The Rainmaker. Of their last 5 albums, I'd say it's not their worst. I'd prefer it over Rainmaker, and probably alongside A&E, but not above PH or UTF (which are Top 3 for me).

Also, has anyone else checked out the new vids featuring new music clips and interviews with the band on the new album/drummer? It sounds heavy and dark and like a natural progression from where TSONE was going. Sounds a bit like UTF and TSONE with a bit of that classic TFK sound (whatever that may be lol)

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 20, 2012, 01:39:58 PM
Yea it seems like the new album will be a continuation of TSONE, with added heaviness and darker moments. There was still some of the soaring guitar lead moments and lighter stuff as well, as is to be expected. Banks of Eden is my most anticipated album of 2012 (unless Transatlantic set a release date for this year)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 20, 2012, 02:20:52 PM
The one new video I saw of the band was just weird.  At the beginning, Roine is talking while Bodin is sitting next to him, but up higher and with his arms folded across his body.  It just looked strange, especially from the angle it was shot from. :lol

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 21, 2012, 09:18:11 AM
Preview medley of the new album:

https://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/12977417
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: King Postwhore on April 21, 2012, 09:20:53 AM
Preview medley of the new album:

https://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/12977417

Listening now. Thanks Kev.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 21, 2012, 09:28:29 AM
No problemo.  I hear a lot of Roine vocals in those clips, which is always good thing. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 26, 2012, 11:30:13 AM
After listening to all of Stardust We Are on a drive yesterday, I am starting to think that me putting it at number 6 in my TFK top 50 I did last year (that can be found in the earlier pages of this thread) was a mistake.  It should probably be number 3 or 4.  In retrospect, I think it is better than both Big Puzzle and Devil's Playground.  So much awesomeness in 25 minutes. :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 26, 2012, 01:52:03 PM
Unfold The Future                        * * * * *
Space Revolver                            * * * * *
Flower Power                               * * * *
Stardust We Are                          * * * *
Back In The World of Adventures   * * * *
The Sum Of No Evil                       * * * *
Paradox Hotel                              * * * *
The Flower King                           * * *
Adam & Eve                                * * *
The Rainmaker                            * * *
Retropolis                                   * * *
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on April 26, 2012, 01:53:07 PM
I honestly think that The Sum of No Evil beats every album before and since Jonas joined, except for Unfold the Future. The album is consistent, and some of the best material is contained within.

It's the only TFK album where I do not feel compelled to reach for the skip button several times.  In short, I think it's excellent and would love it if the new one is in a similar vein.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 26, 2012, 01:58:00 PM
I honestly think that The Sum of No Evil beats every album before and since Jonas joined, except for Unfold the Future. The album is consistent, and some of the best material is contained within.

It's the only TFK album where I do not feel compelled to reach for the skip button several times.  In short, I think it's excellent and would love it if the new one is in a similar vein.

My album rankings I just posted go against what I said about TSONE, but I still stand by the fact that it is one of their best albums. My opinions on their music vary from day to day; week to week.  ;)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 26, 2012, 02:00:40 PM
Okay, but why are you including The Flower King in there?  I know some people in certain circles like to think of it as the real first TFK album, but it's not.  The style is very much in the TFK vein, but Roine performs all of the guitars, bass and keyboards.  It is very much a Stolt solo album.  I mean, if we are gonna include The Flower King, then why aren't we including Hydrophonia and Wall Street Voodoo as well? ;)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on April 26, 2012, 02:01:44 PM
Ugh, I refuse to acknowledge the existence of Wall Street Voodoo
 :P
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on April 26, 2012, 02:02:51 PM
I honestly think that The Sum of No Evil beats every album before and since Jonas joined, except for Unfold the Future. The album is consistent, and some of the best material is contained within.

It's the only TFK album where I do not feel compelled to reach for the skip button several times.  In short, I think it's excellent and would love it if the new one is in a similar vein.

My album rankings I just posted go against what I said about TSONE, but I still stand by the fact that it is one of their best albums. My opinions on their music vary from day to day; week to week.  ;)

I have similar rankings to yours except I like The Rainmaker a lot more than most people (probably because it was my first TFK album) and I'd probably rank the top half of that list a bit differently.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 26, 2012, 02:06:30 PM
Wall Street Voodoo is good for what it is - bluesy rock - but I'll admit that I rarely listen to it.  I like most of it, but strictly blues simply isn't a style of music that I am usually in the mood for.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 26, 2012, 02:09:20 PM
Okay, but why are you including The Flower King in there?  I know some people in certain circles like to think of it as the real first TFK album, but it's not.  The style is very much in the TFK vein, but Roine performs all of the guitars, bass and keyboards.  It is very much a Stolt solo album.  I mean, if we are gonna include The Flower King, then why aren't we including Hydrophonia and Wall Street Voodoo as well? ;)

I know The Flower King is not a proper TFK album, I have the album listed under 'Roine Stolt' on my iTunes. I like to look at that album as like the prequel album to the Flower Kings discography; sort of like The Hobbit is to Lord of the Rings, or something of that sort. (Ive never read LOTR, btw). The album never enters my top 5 on principle, but it is better than at least a couple of proper Flower Kings albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on April 26, 2012, 03:57:39 PM
I like The Rainmaker quite a bit, and it wasn't my first TFK album (Flower Power was). I love Last Minute on Earth, World Without a Heart, Road to Sanctuary, and Sword of God.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 26, 2012, 04:05:21 PM
Okay, but why are you including The Flower King in there?  I know some people in certain circles like to think of it as the real first TFK album, but it's not.  The style is very much in the TFK vein, but Roine performs all of the guitars, bass and keyboards.  It is very much a Stolt solo album.  I mean, if we are gonna include The Flower King, then why aren't we including Hydrophonia and Wall Street Voodoo as well? ;)

I know The Flower King is not a proper TFK album, I have the album listed under 'Roine Stolt' on my iTunes. I like to look at that album as like the prequel album to the Flower Kings discography; sort of like The Hobbit is to Lord of the Rings, or something of that sort. (Ive never read LOTR, btw). The album never enters my top 5 on principle, but it is better than at least a couple of proper Flower Kings albums.

I think Roine Stolt's The Flower King is more of a TFK album than "On The Sunday Of Life" is a Porcupine Tree album, which is really a Steven Wilson solo album that's been labelled as PT's debut album. I think The Flower King is a pre-cursor in the way that the Majesty Demos were for Dream Theater. A glimpse of things to come with most of the band that would be on their debut.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 26, 2012, 05:44:24 PM
Okay, but why are you including The Flower King in there?  I know some people in certain circles like to think of it as the real first TFK album, but it's not.  The style is very much in the TFK vein, but Roine performs all of the guitars, bass and keyboards.  It is very much a Stolt solo album.  I mean, if we are gonna include The Flower King, then why aren't we including Hydrophonia and Wall Street Voodoo as well? ;)

I know The Flower King is not a proper TFK album, I have the album listed under 'Roine Stolt' on my iTunes. I like to look at that album as like the prequel album to the Flower Kings discography; sort of like The Hobbit is to Lord of the Rings, or something of that sort. (Ive never read LOTR, btw). The album never enters my top 5 on principle, but it is better than at least a couple of proper Flower Kings albums.

I think Roine Stolt's The Flower King is more of a TFK album than "On The Sunday Of Life" is a Porcupine Tree album, which is really a Steven Wilson solo album that's been labelled as PT's debut album. I think The Flower King is a pre-cursor in the way that the Majesty Demos were for Dream Theater. A glimpse of things to come with most of the band that would be on their debut.

-Marc.

It's funny because I view WDADU as a precursor to DT's discography  :P
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 26, 2012, 09:02:13 PM
https://www.spincds.com/coming-soon/banks-of-eden-cd-34237

According to this, and a couple other sources, here's the tracklist:

1. Numbers - 25:20
2. For The Love Of Gold - 07:35
3. Pandemonium - 06:05
4. For Those About To Drown - 06:50
5. Rising The Imperial - 07:40
Bonus CD:
1. Fireghosts - 05:50
2. Going Up - 05:10
3. Illuminati - 06:20
4. Lo Lines - 04:40
5. Interview with the band in the studio - Video Feature (18:12)

And here's the vinyl track listing...

Side A:
1. Numbers - 25:20
Side B:
1. For The Love Of Gold - 07:35
2. Pandemonium - 06:05
3. For Those About To Drown - 06:50
Side C:
1. Rising The Imperial - 07:40
2. Fireghosts - 05:50
3. Going Up - 05:10
Side D:
1. Illuminati - 06:20
2. Lo Lines - 04:40

According to the link above, you can buy both in a bundle, which I will TOTALLY get.

Flower Kings on vinyl?! I don't OWN a record player (yet) but when I do, this will sound AWESOME. Besides, the art is just very pretty.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 27, 2012, 08:05:02 AM
Interesting that the regular album will be that short (by their standards).  Nice to get some bonus tracks, though.  :tup :tup

Okay, but why are you including The Flower King in there?  I know some people in certain circles like to think of it as the real first TFK album, but it's not.  The style is very much in the TFK vein, but Roine performs all of the guitars, bass and keyboards.  It is very much a Stolt solo album.  I mean, if we are gonna include The Flower King, then why aren't we including Hydrophonia and Wall Street Voodoo as well? ;)

I know The Flower King is not a proper TFK album, I have the album listed under 'Roine Stolt' on my iTunes. I like to look at that album as like the prequel album to the Flower Kings discography; sort of like The Hobbit is to Lord of the Rings, or something of that sort. (Ive never read LOTR, btw). The album never enters my top 5 on principle, but it is better than at least a couple of proper Flower Kings albums.

I probably agree with all of that, but I still don't call it a real TFK album.  No Tomas Bodin, no Flower Kings!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 27, 2012, 09:05:00 AM
Interesting that the regular album will be that short (by their standards).  Nice to get some bonus tracks, though.  :tup :tup

Okay, but why are you including The Flower King in there?  I know some people in certain circles like to think of it as the real first TFK album, but it's not.  The style is very much in the TFK vein, but Roine performs all of the guitars, bass and keyboards.  It is very much a Stolt solo album.  I mean, if we are gonna include The Flower King, then why aren't we including Hydrophonia and Wall Street Voodoo as well? ;)

I know The Flower King is not a proper TFK album, I have the album listed under 'Roine Stolt' on my iTunes. I like to look at that album as like the prequel album to the Flower Kings discography; sort of like The Hobbit is to Lord of the Rings, or something of that sort. (Ive never read LOTR, btw). The album never enters my top 5 on principle, but it is better than at least a couple of proper Flower Kings albums.

I probably agree with all of that, but I still don't call it a real TFK album.  No Tomas Bodin, no Flower Kings!

Well considering that most of the material (for TFK albums) is WRITTEN by Roine Stolt, especially in the first few albums, they're more like solo albums featuring other members, many of which were ON his solo album The Flower King, and they've played many tunes from it as a band, The Flower Kings, much in the same way that Porcupine Tree has done "Radioactive Toy" as a full band, even though it was completely done by Steven Wilson himself.

Whether or not you like Tomas' playing I think is a bit irrelevant when considering The Flower King as a TFK album. It's like saying Spock's Beard's The Light wasn't a real SB album because it didn't have Ryo Okumoto on it. I know, you'll probably say "That's a different story", but Ryo does add a lot to the band's sound, and even some fans here might agree that SB sounded better after The Light. And back to PT, the addition of Richard Barbieri into the "band" really added a lot to their sound, especially when The Sky Moves Sideways came around.

Either way, I count The Flower King as a pre-TFK album, a sort of proto-type, and even though Tomas was not on it, Roine does a pretty good job with his keyboards. I'm sure we won't ever know, but it's also quite possible that, for the songs Roine wrote in the earlier TFK albums, Roine wrote all the keyboard parts and gave Tomas the demo and said "Play these parts with your keyboards", which in effect would mean that Tomas was really only a session player, recording things that Roine wrote.

Not to diminish anything Tomas does, and I'm sure he does add a lot to Roine's music once they're in the studio, but the writing credits all (usually) say "Music by Roine Stolt", a lot more often than not. So if that is the case, then I would definitely count The Flower King as a TFK album, while an album like Hydrophonia would not, mainly because it is an instrumental album. Most of TFK release an instrumental live album once and even went out of their way to call it an album by "Circus Brimstone", rather than "The Flower Kings".

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 27, 2012, 09:25:58 AM
I get what you are saying, but Ryo didn't join SB and become their full-time player; IIRC, he was asked to join the band because Neal couldn't handle all of the keyboard parts live AND sing lead.  Bodin became the keyboard guy in TFK, and even if Roine wrote his parts (which I have no idea if that was the case, but I doubt it), Bodin still has a specific sound and style that is very much a part of the TFK sound. 

PT isn't really a relevant comparison since Steven Wilson by his own admission has said that PT was a bit of a gag early on and only became a "real band" a few years later.  His original intention was not for Porcupine Tree to evolve into a regular band with other members.

Lastly, The Flower King is far more guitar driven than any TFK album. which is why it really has that feel of being a solo album.  Sure, it has Humanizzimo, which easily could have been a TFK track and has been played many times by the band, but the majority of the songs totally have that solo album, almost guitar hero, feel. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 27, 2012, 09:33:19 AM
I feel like if Roine wanted to do all the keyboards, he could have and not have invited Tomas to join his band. I'm not exactly sure what the history is behind the exact formation of the band, but I feel like, calling the band after the name of that album is a huge indicator of what he wanted do do with the band (make more music like the album he made).

And even though it is a lot more guitar-driven than later TFK albums, I think that's just because Roine was at the helm of it, but the album also included many players that would continue on in The Flower Kings - Hasse Fröberg, Ulf Wallander, Hasse Brunisson, and Jaime Salazar, all four of which would continue with Roine through four TFK albums, with the addition of Michael Stolt and Tomas Bodin.

I guess it's really hard to find a comparison in other bands because most bands start off as a full band and not stem from a single musician's solo album, but considering Roine was doing such different music prior to the release of The Flower King (like his albums Fantasia and The Lonely Heartbeat), the music on that album has a lot more in common with TFK than not.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 27, 2012, 09:50:26 AM
My Favorite Headache sounds a lot like Rush (which makes sense since Geddy Lee is one of the two main music songwriters); are we gonna call that a real Rush album?  Nope.

Sure, Roine could have done the keys, and likely would have done a good job, but not as good a job as someone whose main job is playing keyboards (see: Tomas Bodin) would have done.

And I still need to hear those two early Roine solo albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 27, 2012, 09:59:46 AM
My Favorite Headache sounds a lot like Rush (which makes sense since Geddy Lee is one of the two main music songwriters); are we gonna call that a real Rush album?  Nope.

Sure, Roine could have done the keys, and likely would have done a good job, but not as good a job as someone whose main job is playing keyboards (see: Tomas Bodin) would have done.

And I still need to hear those two early Roine solo albums.

I wouldn't say there's any basis in comparing Roine's solo album (which came out BEFORE there was a band named after it) to Geddy Lee's solo album, which came out long after Rush was around and established. And the writing dynamic is largely different in Rush than it is in The Flower Kings. In Rush, most of the music is written by Geddy and Alex, with lyrics by Neil, where as in TFK, most of the music and lyrics are by Roine alone, with minor contributions in music from the others, sometimes lyrics.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on April 27, 2012, 10:05:46 AM
Most pointless discussion ever. :p

But I'll give my 2 cents.

In cases like this you can only really go by what was intended at the time, indicated by the names and labels. The Flower King was a Roine Stolt solo album, pure and simple, because that's how it was marketed at the time. The band then formed and the name was changed to show such.

If you had a band with 5 albums and the same lineup, and those same guys decided they wanted to do an album that was different so they'd use a different name, you can't just say it's another album from band xxx, because it's not, the intention was to be something different. The Flower King was a solo album, so even if the players and dynamic stay simpler there was a change to a band format and a change to the name, so The Flower King, while being very closely linked to The Flower Kings (duh) is not a Flower Kinds record.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on April 27, 2012, 12:02:31 PM
Yeah, um, so anyway, I had not listened to Flower Power in a long time so I gave both discs a spin today.

Other than some seriously skippable borning/useless tracks on disc one towards the end of the Garden of Dreams suite, I think it's one of their most consistent albums.


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 27, 2012, 12:05:53 PM
Well said, Nic.  Okay, that felt weird typing that. :P

And yeah, Flower Power is all kinds of awesome.  I like every part of the GOD suite - I get why a few of the mellow tracks might not be for everyone, but I like them in context, and they help the flow - and Disc 2 is loaded with great tunes.  Magic Pie, however, is one of those things I wish they would have chucked in the river. :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on April 27, 2012, 01:12:04 PM
...calling the band after the name of that album is a huge indicator of what he wanted do do with the band (make more music like the album he made).

-Marc.

^ this

was just dropping in to say i've spun Devil's Playground some 15+ times in the past 11 days since my kinda-big post. its safe to say i now know it pretty much as well as the rest of the album. oh, and its quite  :metal
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 27, 2012, 02:08:07 PM
...calling the band after the name of that album is a huge indicator of what he wanted do do with the band (make more music like the album he made).

-Marc.

^ this

was just dropping in to say i've spun Devil's Playground some 15+ times in the past 11 days since my kinda-big post. its safe to say i now know it pretty much as well as the rest of the album. oh, and its quite  :metal

Dat big 'metal' riff, well it's heavy. First played by the orchestra in the beginning of the song. I guess it's the main theme?

That and the climatic ending are my 2 favorite moments on that song, and 2 of the best moments on UtF.

Unless I'm doing the whole album, I usually listen to Solitary Shell leading into Devil's Playground. I don't know why, but SS gives me chills every time I hear it. Beautiful song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 28, 2012, 10:41:22 AM
Well back to Banks of Eden - it's interesting that this will be their shortest album to date - 53:30 long with only 5 tracks- not including the bonus disc tracks. I wonder if it was for a lack of time, demoed material, or just the need for not filling a whole disc.

Either way, I wonder if fans will see this as a "trimming" in comparison to their other albums, which reach 75+ minutes. If so, I wonder how the bonus disc tracks will sound compared to the main album, or if it will all be quality (as I expect).

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 28, 2012, 11:27:26 AM
I am surprised they are doing such a short album (by their standards) after such a long hiatus, but given that they always do a great job when it comes to flow and cohesiveness, I have faith that this one will be no different.



Unless I'm doing the whole album, I usually listen to Solitary Shell leading into Devil's Playground. I don't know why, but SS gives me chills every time I hear it. Beautiful song.

It certainly is, as is Man Overboard.  In fact, Man Overboard and Solitary Shell are two of my favorites from UTF!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 28, 2012, 01:18:13 PM
I am surprised they are doing such a short album (by their standards) after such a long hiatus, but given that they always do a great job when it comes to flow and cohesiveness, I have faith that this one will be no different.



Unless I'm doing the whole album, I usually listen to Solitary Shell leading into Devil's Playground. I don't know why, but SS gives me chills every time I hear it. Beautiful song.

It certainly is, as is Man Overboard.  In fact, Man Overboard and Solitary Shell are two of my favorites from UTF!

Yea Man Overboard is pretty good. I also like, when in context of the album, The Navigator, which is Solitary Shell's other half, but more 'innocent' sounding than SS. That especially gives me chills, because the album flows like a movie.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on April 28, 2012, 04:25:45 PM
ya, im actually finding Devil's Playground to be near perfect. there's a bit of a lull in the middle of the song for me. but really, the song is just outstanding (maybe i'm just gushing over the track's freshness for me, and i'll cool on it a bit when the novelty wears off).

interesting you guys bring up man over board. i've really been grooving on it lately more than previous. dat time sig.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 29, 2012, 05:00:30 PM
Been awhile since I've spun UTF in it's entirety as I've been listening to earlier TFK (TFK, BITWOA, Retropolis, and SWA), as well as Adam & Eve in the last day (which I've come to appreciate a bit more now than I used to), although The Rainmaker still doesn't get as much attention as any of the other albums.

Unfold The Future is, and will most likely stay, a top 3 TFK album for me - it's got long songs, short songs, jams, and a lot of variety without being all over the place. That, and I just LOVE the album art.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on April 29, 2012, 05:15:09 PM
Listened to Stardust We Are for the first time today. I'm just getting into TFK and I was kind of hesitant to listen one of their double albums because I was afraid that I'd lose interest in the album. I really liked it but there's a lot to take in. Its going to take a few more listens before I can really form an opinion. I did really like The Church of Your Heart and the title track.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 29, 2012, 07:24:04 PM
Stardust We Are is one of their best albums, and the title track is among their best epics, hell, among prog rock's best epics (along with most other TFK epics). I like the 2nd disc a lot because many of the tracks hint at the title track to come, though the disc also has a couple of their weaker moments too, but luckily, they're short.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on April 29, 2012, 07:29:08 PM
Ghost of the Red Cloud is fantastic.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: King Postwhore on May 15, 2012, 03:30:13 PM
New 2 minute promo for the new album.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1NnWP0CBac&feature=youtu.be
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on May 15, 2012, 03:40:01 PM
Been waiting for someone to revive this thread.

Thanks for the link, but I'm trying to not hear anything from the new album until my hard copy is in my hands. I tried to do that with ADTOE last year, but, well, let's say I gave in to temptation.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on May 15, 2012, 05:23:40 PM
Pre-orders are up on the band's own website, although they only include the single CD and the digipak special edition 2CD set, but not the 2LP/2CD bundle that is mentioned on the front page...sad, as I would've bought the vinyl in addition to the CDs, but I went ahead and got the 2CD set.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on May 16, 2012, 02:50:43 PM
Who would have thought The Flower Kings would be on Blabbermouth?

https://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=174068 (https://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=174068)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on May 16, 2012, 06:59:42 PM
Listened to Stardust We Are for the first time today...I did really like The Church of Your Heart and the title track.

church of your heart is amazing. i got married 2 summer's back, and our wedding songs were DT's I Walk Beside You and POS' This Heart Of Mine. but had i already known 'Church' (which i only got to know just over a year ago), i probly woulda decided it was the ultimate wedding song and bumped one of the other two (or added a third, i s'pose)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 16, 2012, 10:58:30 PM
Who would have thought The Flower Kings would be on Blabbermouth?

https://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=174068 (https://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=174068)

Very nice! :)


church of your heart is amazing. i got married 2 summer's back, and our wedding songs were DT's I Walk Beside You and POS' This Heart Of Mine. but had i already known 'Church' (which i only got to know just over a year ago), i probly woulda decided it was the ultimate wedding song and bumped one of the other two (or added a third, i s'pose)

I could see that being a good wedding song, even with its extended length.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on May 17, 2012, 12:16:09 AM
^ ya, it might be too much for some of the guests. an edit (sacrilege!) might be required.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on May 17, 2012, 02:26:43 PM
Another update from TFK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a95OZnNIYX4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a95OZnNIYX4)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on May 18, 2012, 10:28:52 AM
Looks like we got some confirmation from Roine on the TFK Yahoo Group concerning why there is 2 discs when all the songs can fit onto one.

Quote from: Roine Stolt
[There is] a 23 minute interview film -
The other thing is that the songs on the bonus didn't really fit the concept- they're a tiny bit lightweight and upbest -
but well produced.

This is the way to go - trust me.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on May 25, 2012, 12:45:17 PM
So it's now 4 weeks before Banks of Eden will be released. Is anyone as excited as I am? I'm trying to not listen to the band much until the new album comes out, because I'm sure the new album will throw me on a serious Flower Kings kick. Luckily I have been keeping myself busy with Agents of Mercy, Karmakanic, Spock's Beard, Yes, and Beardfish  ;D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: glaurung on May 25, 2012, 08:33:11 PM
So I picked up a used copy of Paradox Hotel but I'm trying to figure out why this one has a different cover than the regular one. I can't even find a picture of this one online, but it has sort of a leather book texture on it and it just says Paradox Hotel Guest Book on the front. Any idea what's up with this copy?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on May 25, 2012, 08:56:43 PM
So I picked up a used copy of Paradox Hotel but I'm trying to figure out why this one has a different cover than the regular one. I can't even find a picture of this one online, but it has sort of a leather book texture on it and it just says Paradox Hotel Guest Book on the front. Any idea what's up with this copy?

That's the cover for the liner notes, right? IIRC, that's the liner notes booklet that comes in the digipak of the album, not the jewel case. The jewel case version that I own is a promo version that has no lyrics but only a single-sheet insert folded in half with the cover art on the outside, and a list of tour dates on the inside.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: glaurung on May 25, 2012, 10:19:55 PM
Somebody must have taken it out of a Digipack and put it in a jewel case then. :lol

The back cover is even right, it's just the front that's off.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 25, 2012, 10:59:29 PM
So it's now 4 weeks before Banks of Eden will be released. Is anyone as excited as I am?

Honestly, not really.  I am far more excited about the upcoming Rush CD, but once I get the TFK CD, I am sure I will be excited to listen to it.  I am cautiously optimistic that it will be great, but I have to admit that the relatively short length (by their standards) has me a bit worried that they went all-prog again from start to finish, and the diversity of all kinds of different styles is what makes their best albums their best albums, IMO.  I hope I am wrong.  I know the bonus songs will make it come out to almost 80 minutes, so time will tell.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on May 31, 2012, 05:24:21 PM
Roine mentioned on the TFK Yahoo Group that they sold out copies of Banks of Eden in pre-orders. That's awesome for the band and I hope they get on the Billboard charts (not that I really care about the charts, but it'd be good for exposure).

But don't worry, he said he ordered more CDs.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: adace on May 31, 2012, 05:29:31 PM
30 second samples https://www.amazon.co.uk/Banks-of-Eden/dp/B0084T6NW8/ref=sr_shvl_album_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1338506926&sr=301-4 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Banks-of-Eden/dp/B0084T6NW8/ref=sr_shvl_album_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1338506926&sr=301-4)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Ben_Jamin on May 31, 2012, 05:48:49 PM
Roine mentioned on the TFK Yahoo Group that they sold out copies of Banks of Eden in pre-orders. That's awesome for the band and I hope they get on the Billboard charts (not that I really care about the charts, but it'd be good for exposure).

But don't worry, he said he ordered more CDs.

I was gonna say, I wanted to buy one.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on May 31, 2012, 06:06:08 PM
30 second samples https://www.amazon.co.uk/Banks-of-Eden/dp/B0084T6NW8/ref=sr_shvl_album_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1338506926&sr=301-4 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Banks-of-Eden/dp/B0084T6NW8/ref=sr_shvl_album_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1338506926&sr=301-4)

Hmmm, sounds good! I cannot wait for this album. Between this and Rush's new album, I'll be pretty busy through June with new music!

And good thing I pre-ordered less than an hour after Roine put the pre-orders up on the TFK site! I hope mine gets signed like he said many will be!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on May 31, 2012, 06:25:00 PM
Must.... resist.... urge.... to.... listen to previews!

I want it to be completely fresh when I hear it. I'm still annoyed at myself for checking out ADTOE when it leaked.

I hope my local shop is getting Banks of Eden, they have most of the other TFK albums there, and are generally good when it comes to having new prog releases. I checked with them yesterday, and they weren't sure. But it was some woman who Ive never seen working there before, so who knows.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on May 31, 2012, 07:20:04 PM
was she cute at least?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on May 31, 2012, 07:38:02 PM
was she cute at least?

Well she was probably in her 40s, she was in good shape, and OK-looking I guess. Of course, I wish it was a 23 year old brunette that doesn't have 1000 piercings and is into prog rock. I'd have hung around all day.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on June 01, 2012, 03:43:16 PM
Looks like Roine is going to re-release the TFK back catalog...

Quote
Pale Rider
Just looking up some cool bonus material for the old TFK catalogue. New series coming this year - luxury pax.
What do YOU think is cool - live material - demos - videos ? Let us know. Off tomorrow for extensive rehearsal of the TFK golden oldies but with a brutal backbeat. Motorhead won't live thru this.......

Luxury "pax", eh? Looks like we may get 2-disc versions of one-disc albums and 3-disc versions of 2-disc albums (or more!). Cannot wait to see what they pull out of the "archives" to add to these sets. I wonder if there will be boxsets....

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 01, 2012, 03:53:53 PM
Looks like Roine is going to re-release the TFK back catalog...

Quote
Pale Rider
Just looking up some cool bonus material for the old TFK catalogue. New series coming this year - luxury pax.
What do YOU think is cool - live material - demos - videos ? Let us know. Off tomorrow for extensive rehearsal of the TFK golden oldies but with a brutal backbeat. Motorhead won't live thru this.......

Luxury "pax", eh? Looks like we may get 2-disc versions of one-disc albums and 3-disc versions of 2-disc albums (or more!). Cannot wait to see what they pull out of the "archives" to add to these sets. I wonder if there will be boxsets....

-Marc.

I just finished buying up all the TFK studio albums, and 1 live album, over the course of the last year and a half.  :facepalm:

Well, I'll only consider buying these new editions if there's anything worth having. I'd be down for more jams from Unfold the Future, and maybe bonus songs that were recorded on any of the albums, but then left on the back burner (if those exists, since Roine seems to release everything under the sun lol).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on June 01, 2012, 04:10:06 PM
Looks like Roine is going to re-release the TFK back catalog...

Quote
Pale Rider
Just looking up some cool bonus material for the old TFK catalogue. New series coming this year - luxury pax.
What do YOU think is cool - live material - demos - videos ? Let us know. Off tomorrow for extensive rehearsal of the TFK golden oldies but with a brutal backbeat. Motorhead won't live thru this.......

Luxury "pax", eh? Looks like we may get 2-disc versions of one-disc albums and 3-disc versions of 2-disc albums (or more!). Cannot wait to see what they pull out of the "archives" to add to these sets. I wonder if there will be boxsets....

-Marc.

I just finished buying up all the TFK studio albums, and 1 live album, over the course of the last year and a half.  :facepalm:

Well, I'll only consider buying these new editions if there's anything worth having. I'd be down for more jams from Unfold the Future, and maybe bonus songs that were recorded on any of the albums, but then left on the back burner (if those exists, since Roine seems to release everything under the sun lol).

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I've spent the last 7 years buying all of their albums, and I do mean ALL of their albums, that have been officially released (no Fan Club discs), and a few really rare items, especially Japanese Versions of their albums (Space Revolver, Adam & Eve, both with Bonus tracks not featured anywhere else, as well as the Limited Edition of The Rainmaker, also with a bonus disc).

If the re-issues contain all the Japanese/European exclusive tracks, as well as some live stuff (either audio or video), then I might get them, especially if the packaging is pretty sweet.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 04, 2012, 12:24:28 PM
So is everyone getting the 2CD special edition of Banks of Eden? I hope so, because the second disc will be just more songs, not B-sides or anything; those songs just didn't go with the theme of Banks of Eden, according to Roine Stolt.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 04, 2012, 01:13:06 PM
I've been putting off ordering this, but will the 2 CD version will available at places like amazon, lasercd, etc.?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on June 04, 2012, 02:01:23 PM

I just finished buying up all the TFK studio albums, and 1 live album, over the course of the last year and a half.  :facepalm:


same here. last summer/autumn i bought up everything 'cept for stardust and paradox. though i also still need adam & eve version w bonus disc.

anyone know whats the deal with the complete lack of flower kings merch?! i want a shirt, damnit.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 04, 2012, 02:01:36 PM
I've been putting off ordering this, but will the 2 CD version will available at places like amazon, lasercd, etc.?

Best Buy offers the single CD version for $10, Amazon will have it for about $12, but everywhere I look, the special edition 2CD version is anywhere from $35 to $50!!!

However, today I found this site offers it for just $21.92
https://www.grooves-inc.com/flower-kings-the-banks-eden-special-edition-insideout-music-cd-album-pZZa1-1897465510.html?language=en&utm_source=froogle_us&utm_campaign=froogle_us (https://www.grooves-inc.com/flower-kings-the-banks-eden-special-edition-insideout-music-cd-album-pZZa1-1897465510.html?language=en&utm_source=froogle_us&utm_campaign=froogle_us)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 04, 2012, 02:16:46 PM
I may have to get it from there, then.  $29 from TFK's website (plus shipping) seems pretty high.  I get that artists want fans to support them by buying from them directly, but why makes the prices so obscenely high?  Neal Morse does the same thing when ordering from Radiant.  And quite frankly, I don't care about getting a 20-minute interview with the band; I just want the music.  And if the regular CD is $10 at amazon, even ordering from that site means I am spending an extra $11 plus shipping on four songs that total about 22 minutes.  Doesn't seem quite worth it, really.  I may just opt for the single version (which comes in a jewel case, which I like, as opposed to a digipak, which I do not).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 04, 2012, 02:18:53 PM
$29 price has everything to do with the exchange rate and nothing to do with the band doing anything greedy.


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 04, 2012, 02:22:07 PM
I get that, but that is still a lot to pay.  I usually have no problem paying a little extra for my favorite bands, but over $30 after shipping for basically what amounts to a single disc's amount of music is too rich for my blood these days.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 04, 2012, 02:25:33 PM
Eh, I've spent $30 on way stupider stuff than this.   :lol

Just ordered my LTD edition from TFK site.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 04, 2012, 02:29:56 PM
I'm with you on the packaging issue, Kev. I don't like digipaks either, I wish the 2CD edition was a standard jewel case. Part of me want to order both editions so I have the jewel case AND the extra songs.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 06, 2012, 07:12:34 AM
I wish every album was a digipack - I hate jewel cases  :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Zydar on June 07, 2012, 01:02:05 PM
Nevermind, posted in the wrong thread  :facepalm:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: hefdaddy42 on June 09, 2012, 05:03:01 AM
OK, although a lot of my favorite individual TFK songs are the well-known epics (Garden of Dreams, Stardust We Are, The Truth Will Set You Free, etc), so far my favorite album is Paradox Hotel.

How off-base am I?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on June 09, 2012, 08:32:57 AM
OK, although a lot of my favorite individual TFK songs are the well-known epics (Garden of Dreams, Stardust We Are, The Truth Will Set You Free, etc), so far my favorite album is Paradox Hotel.

How off-base am I?

Not very far! :tup

PH is a top 3 TFK album for me, along with Stardust We Are and Unfold The Future. Something about it's many varied songs and the acoustic-feel of the whole thing just attract me in a way that I can't explain, although it wasn't an immediate favorite, Paradox Hotel grew on me like a virus, and now I cannot NOT love it. So many memorable songs and melodies, coupled with some great lyrics. It's also a bigger BAND effort, a lot of writing credits from people other than Roine on that album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 09, 2012, 08:47:33 AM
Yep, Paradox Hotel is awesome from start to finish, and is probably my 2nd favorite TFK record (I like Flower Power just a tad more), so you are not off-base at all here, hef. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: hefdaddy42 on June 09, 2012, 03:08:06 PM
 :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on June 09, 2012, 04:23:14 PM
anyone know whats the deal with the complete lack of flower kings merch?! i want a shirt, damnit.

maybe you should look through the back pages of this thread for a clue. you cant just come in here expecting others to do your research for you, pain of douche.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on June 09, 2012, 09:48:32 PM
Hef, Paradox Hotel has always been my favorite as well.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 10, 2012, 05:36:59 AM
Paradox Hotel is somewhere in the middle of the pack for me, but I still consider it one of their best albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 10, 2012, 10:01:36 AM
Paradox Hotel is somewhere in the middle of the pack for me, but I still consider it one of their best albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on June 10, 2012, 08:09:26 PM
I saw Adam and Eve in the record store today but I didn't get it. I decided to buy something else instead since I heard that its one of their worse albums. Should I have gotten it? Is it really that bad? I only have 4 other FK albums (Space Revolver, Stardust We Are, Back in the Work of Adventures, Retropolis) and I figured that I'll get their better albums first.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 10, 2012, 09:13:17 PM
I saw Adam and Eve in the record store today but I didn't get it. I decided to buy something else instead since I heard that its one of their worse albums. Should I have gotten it? Is it really that bad? I only have 4 other FK albums (Space Revolver, Stardust We Are, Back in the Work of Adventures, Retropolis) and I figured that I'll get their better albums first.

Honestly, they're all good. I think Adam & Eve is one of the stronger albums. Both epics are outstanding, and A Vampire' View always sends chills down my spine. Blade of Cain is one the best conclusions to an album. Not an album I would recommend for a TFK newbie, but you should have picked it up, especially since you're already familiar with the band.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on June 10, 2012, 10:31:20 PM
Adam and Eve isn't bad at all. Love Supreme is a really strong epic, plus there's other good stuff like Cosmic Circus, Babylon, and Drivers Seat.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on June 11, 2012, 11:32:39 AM
I regret not getting it. I didn't have much money so I hope they'll still have it next time I go.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 11, 2012, 12:56:53 PM
Comments from Roine regarding the new album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYpflvjmsi0&feature=player_embedded
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 11, 2012, 01:00:27 PM
I wouldn't regret it.  If you currently have Space Revolver, Stardust We Are, Back in the Work of Adventures and Retropolis, then your next purchases should be Unfold The Future, Flower Power, The Sum of No Evil, Rainmaker, Paradox Hotel and then Adam & Eve

I will admit that Adam & Eve is my least favorite TFK album, so I am biased.  It's not a BAD album, per se, they just have much, much better ones.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 11, 2012, 01:09:49 PM
Agreed, he should get Unfold the Future and/or Flower Power next, as those are 2 of their best, but I think once you get a few of the key albums, it doesn't matter the order of which you get their albums. If you're going to hear them all anyway, don't worry about it, like I said, they're all excellent.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 11, 2012, 01:18:10 PM
Of that group I'd probably pick Flower Power next. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 11, 2012, 01:26:09 PM
Yea, Garden of Dreams is probably their best overall piece of music. A one hour long epic.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 11, 2012, 01:43:58 PM
I think the other disc that comes with Flower Power is also very strong.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 11, 2012, 01:45:30 PM
Yep, Disc 2 of Flower Power has a bunch of great songs.  Okay, some of the atmospheric tracks aren't ones I go for a lot, and Magic Pie is a bit of a WTF (as in a totally wussy song), but Deaf, Numb and Blind, Stupid Girl, Psycedelic Postcard, Calling Home and Painter are all great.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 11, 2012, 02:01:46 PM
Agreed. It took me a while to appreciate disc 2 of FP, but I think it's one of their stronger discs overall. Lots of good songs on that one. It's just that GoD is definitely the centerpiece (and should have been an album of its own, but whatever). I just mentioned the giant epic because it is a big reason why you should own Flower Power.

However, I think Unfold the Future is the best of their double albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 11, 2012, 02:10:13 PM
I measure how much I like their albums by how much material I feel compelled to skip when I listen.  By that measurement, Flower Power is very high on the list because I don't skip much of either disc.  UTF, on the other hand, is probably a 50/50 album for me.  The highs are great, but I generally skip about half the tracks.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 11, 2012, 02:17:39 PM
I love how on every forum where TFK are discussed, no one can come to an agreement about which albums are the best, unlike most other bands. Maybe we can agree on some songs as the best, but not albums. I think it's great, and shows how versatile and eclectic TFK are.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 11, 2012, 02:23:25 PM
Very diverse band.  It used to bug me quite a bit that they were all over the map but I've kind of grown used to it.  Plus, after seeing them live so many times (5 so far!) I've grown to appreciate even their material that I don't always connect with personally. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on June 11, 2012, 03:12:46 PM
I love how on every forum where TFK are discussed, no one can come to an agreement about which albums are the best, unlike most other bands. Maybe we can agree on some songs as the best, but not albums. I think it's great, and shows how versatile and eclectic TFK are.

I always got the feeling that Stardust We Are was the general favorite.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Pols Voice on June 11, 2012, 03:18:32 PM
Space Revolver is the best. Then Retropolis.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on June 11, 2012, 03:23:27 PM
I love how on every forum where TFK are discussed, no one can come to an agreement about which albums are the best, unlike most other bands. Maybe we can agree on some songs as the best, but not albums. I think it's great, and shows how versatile and eclectic TFK are.

I always got the feeling that Stardust We Are was the general favorite.

SWA does show up in a lot of fans' top 3/top 5 lists for TFK albums. Heck, it's in MY Top 3 TFK Albums list, along with PH and UTF. I feel like the double-disc albums get a lot of attention, if anything, because of the sheer amount of music included on those albums.

I think Space Revolver makes it into many fans' top lists as well, especially for a single-disc album.

I do see, however, that many fans put The Rainkmaker and Adam & Eve in the bottom end of their lists more often than not, although that's not to say they aren't great albums. To the contrary, they're pretty good, but standing up against such great albums like SR, UTF and PH, they've got tough competition.

I do rank The Sum Of No Evil pretty highly, though, especially the Special Edition with the bonus tracks. Suffice to say, TFK have produced an amazing body of work that reaches out to it's various fans and pleases them all. I can't really complain, because between 1994 and 2007, they released ten albums with over 18 hours of music. Many bands don't produce that much music in their LIFETIMES, let alone only 13 years. Roine and company sure are prolific, and I'd say at least 90% of that material is 4-out-of-5 stars good!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 13, 2012, 10:16:28 AM
From Jonas Reingold's Facebook page:

Jonas Reingold (https://www.facebook.com/jonas.reingold)
I can understand that our customers are really upset of the shipping rates on the Ltd. Edition Vinyl package. It´s a big parcel 950 gram, but Posten the company that taking care of shipping here in Sweden (the only option for a small company like us) don´t agree that it´s to expensive. The only ones that doesn´t make money on our music is ourself, all the rest making profit from our business, it´s crazy but true. I could write a book about this subject but will spare you this because it´s a beautiful day. But something is not right when people like Roine and many more having a hard time living off music. It´s f-ed up . . .

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 13, 2012, 11:37:44 AM
It does suck, but such is the life for musicians in niche genres like symphonic prog rock, eh?  I still say Roine didn't do the band any favors by calling themselves The Flower Kings.  Not that they would have been huge otherwise, but a name like that is probably an instant turnoff for some.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 13, 2012, 03:09:09 PM
The name of the band at this point is irrelevant.  The problem is nobody pays for music any more. They just steal it.  It's killing bands like this who rely on that income to make a living. 


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 14, 2012, 05:09:25 PM
MY LOCAL SHOP HAS BANKS OF EDEN

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

I'M GOING TO PICK IT UP TONIGHT OR EARLIER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 14, 2012, 10:33:17 PM
lasercd has it now, too.  I was gonna order it from them, but then I remembered that nobody buys music anymore, so I didn't. :lol :lol :lol

J/k.  I ordered it, and hopefully will have it early next week. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 15, 2012, 08:20:41 AM
I wonder when TFK will ship orders placed on their webstore?  Eh, it doesn't matter, I've spent about $200 on music in the last two weeks, so I've got a ton of stuff to listen to anyway.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 15, 2012, 01:19:29 PM
This turned into a mini-review.

On my 2nd listen of Banks of Eden, and WOW, it kicks so much ass. It's definitely TFK, but there's something different about it. Roine is playing so great, even Tomas is showing off his chops more than he usually does. New drummer is excellent, Hasse sings some of the best vocals on the album, and Jonas is great as usual.

The epic "Numbers" is dark (for them), but has a lot of cool stuff going on. It's sort of different for the band. Damn, it's HEAVY!!!  :metal At times, it's also like The Flower Kings in a haunted house.  :eek Excellent guitar from Roine, some of his best work. It's not all dark, of course, and the main chorus/refrain is beautiful; maybe my favorite section from the whole album so far, a little jazzy. The climax of the song is so glorious, it's like the band are so friggin' happy to be back! I'm so happy for them, and for listening to this! A near-perfect epic, in so many ways.

The other songs aren't as dark, though there's moments. The album is only 55 minutes, and not one minute is wasted. The album just flies by. New drummer Felix rivals Zoltan in both ability and style, but he's got his own thing going on too. Every song is great, and they kind of all segue into each other with little atmospheric bits. I cannot see most people calling any songs here "filler", every song does it's job. Maybe because this is somewhat of a concept album, but the flow is magnificent, for those of you who have had a problem with most TFK albums being too long.

"For The Love Of Gold" might be this album's "Chicken Farmer Song", nice uplifting song from the Kings, and a nice contrast from the big, dark epic before. I gotta say, Roine is really pulling out all the stops on this album, he's on fire. This has to be some of his most powerful, and technical, guitar work. Also, great organ solo by Tomas.

"Pandemonium" sure is intense. Interesting vocals. Very dark. Roine's got that vocal effect he used on "Bavarian Skies", but it's used to great effect IMO, and isn't used a lot, in case you don't like it. Most of he vocals are Roine's normal voice. I don't know what it is, but the band just sound so energized and ready to take on the world, so to speak. Maybe it's the new drummer, he's playing so fierce.

"For Those About To Drown" is a lighter song, a little pop, but also includes some of the heaviest moments on the album too. Tomas plays some real technical stuff at times. Great ending.

I think the last song "Rising The Imperial" might be the best song on the album (not sure yet), and it's a Jonas song! Of course, he's come a long way since TFK's last album 5 years ago, what with Karmakanic's last 2 albums being superb. Jonas plays some great bass on this one. This song acts as a finale to the entire album, and the finale of the song itself rivals those of Devil's Playground, Stardust We Are, and other great epics by the band in the past.

The bonus songs are great too, the only reason I think they were separated from the main album is that they don't fit with the overall theme of the album. They are NOT leftover songs. They ARE great songs, and the last 2 songs are 2 of the best songs out of both discs.

Not taking the bonus disc into account, the album feels too short, even though it's under an hour. But that is not a flaw in the album, I'm just used to 2 1/2 hours of TFK on one album  ;)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 15, 2012, 01:44:35 PM
I didn't really talk about the bonus disc enough, so here we go.

First off, most of the bonus disc is sort of pop-prog. The first track "Illuminati", however, is an instrumental, sort of sounding like evil Pink Floyd, if you will. But Tomas' keys keep things from getting too dark.

But then, the second song "Fireghosts" is definitely the pop-prog song here. Pretty good, Jonas' bass is the best part of this all.

"Going Up" is a better pop-prog song than the previous, with a better chorus, and some acoustic guitar and sitar mixed in with the usual TFK instrumentation. Has a slight Karmakanic feel at times.

Last song is the best on the bonus disc. "LoLines" has some great heavy guitar riffing from Roine and Hasse. I realize while listening to this song, that Roine sings a little different than he usually does on this album, or he chose to sing over sections of music he wouldn't have done in the past, I don't know. What I do know is that it adds some nice color to the music (among other things). Great chorus, and nice leads by Roine (though it actually might be Hasse taking the solo). A good addition to the main album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 15, 2012, 01:46:34 PM
Cool review! I hope the technical playing isn't too over the top, though, as I always love the fact that TFK does great symphonic rock while rarely showing off on their instruments (especially on guitar and keys).

But who is Dennis? ???
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 15, 2012, 01:52:31 PM
Cool review! I hope the technical playing isn't too over the top, though, as I always love the fact that TFK does great symphonic rock while rarely showing off on their instruments (especially on guitar and keys).

But who is Dennis? ???

It's not like Dream Theater, nor is it all over the place all the time. It's just a little more than usual from TFK.

Sorry, that post was copy and pasted from the Prog Archives TFK thead.  :blush I just edited that part out, haha.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nekov on June 18, 2012, 07:39:32 AM
Just finishing my first listen and this album is great. I think they went back to an older TFK sound than what they've been doing in the last 2 or 3 albums. I will give this a couple more spins today
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: obscure on June 18, 2012, 07:57:49 AM
Loving this album!!!

My review...

......This time, they have put together a truly old school production together. It appears that they have found old, tube equipment and went for that very natural, very beautiful analogue sound. Stolt, on their website, says (and I quote) “We aimed for the classic big warm vinyl-sound of old records by Queen, Genesis, Zeppelin or Deep Purple.”

I believe that worked beautifully!

The classic line-up now has the addition of the new German drummer Felix Lehrmann   – who is a very good choice as you will see, Lehrmann adds to the atmosphere of each and every tune.

The opening track in particular is one of the greatest epic pieces I have ever heard by them with a really high replay value. As the die-hard fans might expect we are witnessing perfect utilization of band’s one of the strongest assets; contrasting voices of Stolt and Fröberg.  Call and response sections scattered around are brilliant!

Stolt’s guitar work stands out as it always does, but with subsequent listens the great melding of the awesome keys, bass, and drums unveil its beauty… The instruments were mixed clearly and cleanly, and each one has their spotlight time… There’s a great balance between beautiful melodies and complex instrumental sections…

Like I said, the album opens gracefully with a masterful epic… and we all know that they have a knack for epics…

However, Numbers is slightly different than all other TFK epics… definitely has something a little bit unusual about it. It is a very solid epic blending some innovative ideas harmonically on the contemporary side of the band’s own spectrum and it definitely works very well!

The tune is a hefty 25:30 minutes long with its mood maintained high thanks to the multiple varied sections and of course, as you might expect, its pace, vibe and feel keeps changing, gets jazzy in the middle and blues-y at the end…

Stolt’s guitars and vocals follow before a brilliant bridge by Fröberg’s deep, emotional and velvety voice.

Melodic, catchy, soft, dark, heavy, touchy, emotionally-charged… Just perfect…  One of the high points of the album followed by layered vocals in brilliant mix.

With the guitars, brilliant riffs here and there, the tune smoothly flows from poppy into proggy. Then comes Stolt again…

The tune picks you up, drops you down and make you feel all black and blue – it is impossible not to love it.

It fades out and suddenly silence reigns… and comes back with completely different vibe, soft, relaxing and laid back. Keyboards create an impressive atmosphere and the instruments here… God! The unison is an immediate win!

Then a heavy and darker atmosphere rises with the song flowing into the dramatic section. The tune you listen up to this point, what is essentially a poppy and beautiful song, evolves into so much more after the following sections with creative and inventive, fills, decorations, flourishes that constantly go on until the end…

Again a fade out and then in – going back to the main, killer melody. Stolt starts singing, serene and calm – and Fröberg chimes in taking over the lead and they start singing in a double melody… So deep… Amazing vocal harmonies – I don’t think it is possible to better utilize the contrast between the two voices. It is astounding!

If you have listened to the song up to here with all your attention, you must be consumed by now. But don’t think there is an easy way out – they are not done with you yet…

Think of the song in three acts and we are at the end of the second act yet.  Another twist comes with a fast paced section where musicianship is shining. The guitar solo and the bass lines are mind blowing.

The whole brilliant experience is tidied up with a darker version of the main melody leaving you exhausted and done for… Yet feeling much better for it.

It basically prods, shoves, pulls your soul this way and that before letting you fall into the void at its wake… When the song was done with me (yes), I had the urge to give a standing ovation!

This song has so much in it… It is full of complexity hence not the easiest to follow. With each listen you can spot another tasty musical experience…

I’m sure there is a specific “story” that was the seed of these lyrics – but, even though I’m sure it would be as futile as trying to analyse great poetry of masters, these lyrics make me think of a moment in life when you think you are happy on a personal level but it is just a high point in the cycle the humanity as a whole has been living through. There is fear and a sort of certainty that our perceived times of calm will go through storms all over again.

As I said, this might be far off the mark but the depth of the lyrics is such that they can make you feel different things with each read.

The most colourful song on the album, Pandemonium starts off with a super-dynamic and uplifting mood and evokes warm feelings right away… It’s the first song that caught my “eye” with its multiple mood changes, variations, ups and downs, highs and lows, fantastic keyboard driven moments and thoroughly proficient and soulful guitar work, and the brilliant instrumental outro. And of course, the very catchy melody…
After the low and deep, robotic Stolt vocals comes the higher notes delivered by Fröberg.  As I said earlier, the contrast in the two musicians’ styles and voices yield the perfect harmony.
You know those songs, when you hear them doing entirely different a thing, it makes you stop and listen, wonder what the song is called… This one is one of those. I was enthralled by the extremely engaging bridge written by Stolt and delivered by Fröberg… Seriously, this song has some of the best moments in the album… The tone of the keys and Fröberg’s voice  are in great harmony… The tune has a warm colour… Fröberg voice is playing an important role in creating the special mood that I love about this album.

For Those About to Drown drowns you in a torrent of infectious key lines by Bodin and some very tasty bass lines by Reingold. Stolt’s low vocals are building into a brilliant, uplifting, hook-driven chorus delivered by Fröberg again… You will sing along to this song… Resistance is futile  :)

The tune has one of the best examples of perfectly placed high-low vocals and reminds me of Waters-Gilmour interplays… Just like harmony and contrast of colours in an impressionist painting – all the while the instruments bringing the atmosphere to a deliciously choking density, thickness with layers and layers of instrumentation. The instrumental section where Tomas’ keys follow Stolt’s soulful guitar-lead is like chocolate with cognac!

The vocal mix – well, all of the channels for that matter – is just impeccable. Nothing dissolves into the background and nothing stomps anything else to the ground. They all work brilliantly together in a great harmony… I’m thinking, I think we have the analogue recording coupled with their extremely capable expertise in sound to thank for this.

Stolt’s proficiency with his guitar comes through… and songwriting is amazing as well. He doesn’t seem to be running out of ideas anytime soon.

It would be a shame to miss this one out!



Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 18, 2012, 10:22:42 AM
"Numbers" is powerful. I'm starting to get certain sections stuck in my head. Listening to Banks Of Eden again, I think the 4th time. This might be the best listen so far, as I'm finally starting to notice the little subtleties and transitions.

There's this part a little after the 7:00 minute mark in "Numbers". Anyone get an Opeth vibe?
And then it gets to the demonic part, then to the "Down, down down" part. Man, that one minute
of music is amazing. Chills down my spine!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 18, 2012, 12:58:16 PM
On my first listen now! :tup :tup

Just passed the "Down, down, down" section of Numbers, and, I swear, that sounds right out of Roine's Wall Street Voodoo solo album.  Especially the way he sings and the vocal effect.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 18, 2012, 01:14:02 PM
^ Enjoy Kev!  :tup

BoE has made me want to revisit TFK. I wanted to listen to one with Zoltan, as new drummer Felix is similar as he is a jazz/fusion drummer too. So I decided to go with Adam & Eve, because Ive listened to the other 2 Zoltan albums a million times. I gotta say, A&E is blowing me away!  :heart
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 18, 2012, 01:16:24 PM
Yeah, this drummer is definitely very similar to Zoltan in sound and style.  The production sounds terrific so far, too.

Numbers was pretty interesting.  It'll definitely take a few listens to grasp it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 18, 2012, 01:22:43 PM
Maybe my copy will be in my mailbox when I get home tonight  :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 18, 2012, 01:32:46 PM
Yeah, this drummer is definitely very similar to Zoltan in sound and style.  The production sounds terrific so far, too.

Numbers was pretty interesting.  It'll definitely take a few listens to grasp it.

Numbers gets better with every listen. It's my favorite piece of music on BoE right now, but the epics always stand out on TFK albums. To be honest, I think the last song on the bonus disc "LoLines" is better than a lot of what's on the main disc, which is all killer, no filler as it is.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 18, 2012, 01:34:24 PM
Well, as usual with most of the newer TFK albums, on my first listen, I am thinking that Froberg is singing too much and Roine not enough :lol, so that is the usual hurdle I am gonna have to get over. :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 18, 2012, 01:40:18 PM
After 4 listens, I think Roine and Hasse sing about equal amounts of time, though Roine might have more vocals on the bonus disc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 18, 2012, 02:13:48 PM
I've got the new Hasse Froberg disc to listen to so I don't care how much he sings on this one  :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 18, 2012, 02:20:25 PM
I've got the new Hasse Froberg disc to listen to so I don't care how much he sings on this one  :lol

How is it? I'm curious to hear how it is. I know it's on Spotify, but I haven't checked it out yet.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 18, 2012, 02:25:12 PM
I love both of his albums.  This new one "Powerplay" is even better than the first one. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 18, 2012, 03:10:26 PM
I love both of his albums.  This new one "Powerplay" is even better than the first one.

What's the style like? I have solo albums by Roine and Tomas, which are for the most part, closely related in style to TFK.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: obscure on June 18, 2012, 04:57:08 PM
I'd say prog + AOR... good one indeed...

For more info...  my interview with Hasse (https://www.ladyobscure.com/portfolio/hasse-froberg-interview-audio/)

a lil long tho... guy loves to talk... well yeah me too  :laugh:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 18, 2012, 09:30:44 PM
After 4 listens, I think Roine and Hasse sing about equal amounts of time, though Roine might have more vocals on the bonus disc.

After two listens, that sounds about right. 

For the Love of Gold definitely has the catchiest vocal melodies thus far, and Illuminati is a sweet instrumental.  Rising the Imperial also sounded nice.  Still working on the rest...
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on June 18, 2012, 10:45:40 PM
Can't wait to get the new album this weekend! I'm tempted to stream it but I kind of want to have the physical product.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 19, 2012, 09:33:03 AM
It's still all sinking in for me, but I decided to listen to Numbers by itself last night, and man, it just gets better every time. I like For The Love Of Gold, it's a little reminiscent of Yes, and TFK's own song, The Chicken Farmer Song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 19, 2012, 11:03:57 AM
My impatience made me buy the MP3 download from Amazon.com this morning.  What the hell, the band will get a little extra from me since I ordered the special edition CD from their website already, but I was dying to hear it.  I've been through it once and I know this is going to become one of my favorites.

Is it just me or is this the best production ever on an album from these guys?   :eek
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 19, 2012, 12:01:22 PM
I like For The Love Of Gold, it's a little reminiscent of TFK's own song, The Chicken Farmer Song.

Eh?  I don't hear that at all. ???

Is it just me or is this the best production ever on an album from these guys?   :eek

Too early to tell, but it does sound really good.  I'll have to wait till I have time to crank it up on my stereo to tell for sure.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 19, 2012, 02:08:11 PM
(https://oi50.tinypic.com/28i9p46.jpg)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 19, 2012, 02:36:30 PM
Who is he playing with now? 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 19, 2012, 02:44:57 PM
Who is he playing with now?

As far as I know, he has his own jazz group called the Zoltan Czorsz Trio. I assume they tour.

Here's their myspace.
https://www.myspace.com/zoltancsrsztrio (https://www.myspace.com/zoltancsrsztrio)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ronrule on June 19, 2012, 02:49:28 PM
The drumming is incredible on this, but the production on the drums is a little dry for my tastes. 2nd listen starting now... :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 19, 2012, 02:50:05 PM
Second listen, it's getting better and better  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 19, 2012, 03:30:22 PM
4th listen was the best one so far.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 20, 2012, 12:10:56 AM
Who is he playing with now?

As far as I know, he has his own jazz group called the Zoltan Czorsz Trio. I assume they tour.

Here's their myspace.
https://www.myspace.com/zoltancsrsztrio (https://www.myspace.com/zoltancsrsztrio)

People still use myspace?  What bands uses myspace and not facebook and/or twitter nowadays?  Seriously.

Anyway, Numbers is starting to grow on me, and Rising the Imperial is glorious. :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: obscure on June 20, 2012, 01:06:49 AM
Seriously.. myspace promotion is surprising me too.. I hardly ever check out bands' myspace pages... boring and something of the past....
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 20, 2012, 07:55:58 AM
I don't update my band's MySpace page any more, not worth it, no one cares. 

So, anyway, I had my third listen this morning to "Banks of Eden" at the gym, with my headphones.  I am LOVING the production, the new drummer is excellent and I am pretty sure this album is going to quickly make its way to the top half of my list of TFK albums.

This is the second album in a row they've made with not one track I feel compelled to skip.  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on June 20, 2012, 09:26:39 AM
It's unfortunate that MySpace went extinct, because it's still 10x better than twitter.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 20, 2012, 09:38:35 AM
The MySpace link for Zoltan's band is all I found on a quick search for samples of their music.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on June 20, 2012, 09:25:38 PM
Busy and thus late to the party, but here is my review of the album:

https://www.wpapu.com/rev065.html
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 20, 2012, 09:57:21 PM
It's still waaaaaay too early for me to imagine giving a rating or ranking to this record, but I like it a lot so far.  Seems pretty consistent and a definite upgrade over their last effort. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on June 20, 2012, 10:09:51 PM
I gave the album a good spin today, and while only 2/3rds of my attention was paid to it, I do have to say it is pretty damn good. It's as good, if not a bit better than The Sum Of No Evil. Definitely well worth the 5-year wait, IMO, and I'm excited to hear what this line-up has to offer in terms of future albums. I recall reading somewhere that Roine plans on going back in the studio this fall/winter for another album. Guess once you get going, you can't stop!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on June 20, 2012, 11:19:06 PM
Jordan Charles Rudess just listened to Banks Of Eden on MOG, as just posted on Facebook. :metal

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 21, 2012, 09:07:32 AM
I've listened to it now 4 times and I really love it.  Not sure if it will top The Sum of No Evil as my favorite just yet, but it might. 

Every track is a winner, and for me that's pretty rare with TFK

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 21, 2012, 09:54:54 AM
It IS pretty consistent, but then again, I think just about every TFK record is consistent from start to finish (except for The Rainmaker, A&E and The Sum of No Evil), so this is no surprise to me. :biggrin:

The question will be, how many, or if any, of these songs will stand out as truly great TFK that I can call one of their best.  The last album was lacking in that area, IMO.  I liked the last five songs, but none of them wowed me to the point where I'd call any of them GREAT TFK tunes. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 21, 2012, 11:40:14 AM
The interview is pretty cool, they show a lot of the vintage components that were used in recording the album.

Got my package yesterday:

(https://www.kirksnosehair.com/pics/tfk_banks.jpg)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 21, 2012, 01:46:17 PM
I still need to watch that, but I still can't get over how icky the new album cover and all of the other artwork associated with it is.  It's just...icky.  But great album covers have never been their thing, anyway...;) :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 21, 2012, 01:49:20 PM
Also, I swear that drum intro of LoLines reminds me so much of the beginning of Transatlantic's Lenny Johnson.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 21, 2012, 01:56:31 PM
The artwork is typical Flower Kings, I think. 

As far as the intros to Lenny Johnson and LoLines, they share the similarity that they're both played primarily on the snare drum, but they're in different time signatures, dude  :lol

I guess I can understand how you might thing they sound alike though, they are played at almost the exact same tempo and a very similar duration.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 21, 2012, 04:42:56 PM
I reckon.

Also, in redoing my TFK mp3 CDs for my car, I realized that they now have too many songs I like to fit them all on to two full 700 MB max CDs. :eek :eek :eek

So, I decided to break them up into three, while throwing in some of the stuff from side projects and Roine's solo albums:

Disc 1: Back in the World of Adventures, Retropolis, Stardust We Are and Flower Power, plus select tracks from Roine's solo albums The Flower Kings and Hydrophonia
Disc 2: Space Revolver, The Rainmaker and Unfold the Future, plus select tracks from Kaipa's Notes from the Past, all of Kaipa's Keyholder, all of The Tangent's The Music That Died Alone and The Tangent The World That We Drive Through track
Disc 3: Banks of Eden (placed first, as I always put the newest CD by a band first, so it comes up first when popping the CD in), Adam & Eve, Paradox Hotel and The Sum of No Evil, plus select tracks from Karmakanic's first three albums

And there were a few songs here and there from the TFK albums that I left off, simply because there wasn't room for everything, and it was better to lose a few interlude songs that get rid of one "normal" song that I wanted on there: a few of the shorter songs on BITWO and SWA, a few off of Disc 2 of Flower Power, One More Time from TSONE, some of the songs near the end of The Rainmaker, etc. 

 :hat :hat :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 22, 2012, 12:13:21 PM
Listening to BoE again. This time, I am not listening to the bonus disc along with the actual album, so that I can focus just on the main disc. I was starting to feel that BoE is not as good as most of the previous TFK output, but this listening session is making me think this might be a top 3 TFK album. I think listening to the bonus songs right after BoE brings the album down, so I will now keep the 2 separate from now on. I like the bonus songs by themselves, but not part of the album proper.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 22, 2012, 12:18:37 PM
Kevin, no "Mindrevolutions" by Kaipa?   :eek   
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 22, 2012, 12:22:02 PM
I never bothered checking out Mindrevolutions considering reviews for it across the board were not that great.  Looking at both PA and RYM, it looks to be their lowest-rated album of the five newer ones.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 22, 2012, 01:03:31 PM
I guess I need to check out Angling Feelings and In The Wake of Evolution, I never got around to those two.  I thought Mindrevolutions was pretty decent, but nowhere near the perfection of Keyholder, which I consider a masterpiece.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on June 22, 2012, 02:54:41 PM
Huzzah. Bought the 1 disc edition and got shipped the 2 disc edition.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 23, 2012, 12:43:29 PM
Sweet deal!

Before BoE came out, I asked my local record shop if they were going to have the special edition in stock. They said they were only ordering the single disc version, they even said that they had the single disc edition they day I found out they had it on the shelves. When I got there, they ONLY had the special edition, there was no single edition in sight.

This also reminds me, Ive never seen a copy of the single disc version of The Whirlwind either... Interesting.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on June 23, 2012, 10:55:05 PM
so far, the only track ive really really gotten into is Going Up. probably havent given it a fair shake yet, though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 24, 2012, 05:27:54 AM
Like most TFK albums, this album didn't really start to click with me until about the 4th listen.   Definitely a grower.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 25, 2012, 11:13:59 AM
I finally got a chance to listen to BoE in the car yesterday, and it was great. I got into Numbers so hard (always love music in the car, I can just blast it). The epic is great for air-drumming. Good album to drive to, as most of TFK's music is, imo.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 25, 2012, 11:50:32 AM
Nice review of "Banks of Eden" on Ytsejam.com  (https://www.ytsejam.com/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=2102)


And he loves the artwork, like me  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 25, 2012, 09:38:24 PM
So far, I pretty much like all of the non-epic songs quite a bit (which is all of them but Numbers :lol).

As for Numbers, it sounds good, but I am starting to wonder if it will ever rise up enough for me to call it great.  I know, I know, it has only been a week, but I am just spitballing here.  A friend and I were talking about it the other day (he is as big a TFK fan as I am, and our tastes when it comes to them are usually pretty similar), and we both agreed that Numbers might end up being similar to The Truth Will Set You Free and Love Is the Only Answer: good songs, but so long that it is hard to justify dedicating that many minutes to them on a regular basis when they have other songs of similar long length that are significantly better (I Am the Sun, Stardust We Are, Devil's Playground, etc.), especially once we get past the phase of listening to the album from start to finish, which is normal to do a lot when a CD is first out.  Time will tell...
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 26, 2012, 09:11:01 AM
I think it's a concept album and really other than the bonus tracks, I consider it a complete piece, to be listened to as a whole.  With that in mind, I think Numbers is great  :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: obscure on June 26, 2012, 10:34:40 AM
masterpiece!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 26, 2012, 10:52:48 AM
I think it's a concept album and really other than the bonus tracks, I consider it a complete piece, to be listened to as a whole.  With that in mind, I think Numbers is great  :tup

Yes! I know what you mean. Besides the fact that I almost always listen to TFK albums straight through, if you listen carefully, the "Imperial" theme is all over Numbers of course, it's also in For The Love Of Gold, Pandemonium, and Rising The Imperial. So musically, it could be seen as a concept album. Thing is, almost all their albums are concept albums  :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 26, 2012, 11:50:50 AM
This doesn't strike me as any more of a concept album than Stardust We Are or Paradox Hotel, both of which have recurring musical themes dotted throughout the album as well. 

So far, I think my favorite songs are Pandemonium and LoLines, but that could change from day to day. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 26, 2012, 12:13:42 PM
Right, that's what I was saying. Maybe because of the condensed nature of BoE, it is more noticeable.

BTW, I'm listening to Flower Power for the first time in almost 3 months, and I'm just  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 26, 2012, 02:32:45 PM
Why don't people like Magic Pie? I think it's a great song. I like Hasse's vocals on that one.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 26, 2012, 03:43:11 PM
Why don't people doesn't Kevin like Magic Pie? I think it's a great song. I like Hasse's vocals on that one.


It's one of my favorite tracks ever by TFK.   :tup



Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on June 26, 2012, 04:36:19 PM
just read nick's review.  :tup it slays that other one, linked.

perhaps nick's review skills are matched only by his interview skills.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 26, 2012, 10:23:50 PM
BTW, I'm listening to Flower Power for the first time in almost 3 months, and I'm just  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

Flower Power is nothing short of incredible.  I still remember being in awe the first few times I listened to the first three tracks of Disc 1.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

Why don't people like Magic Pie? I think it's a great song. I like Hasse's vocals on that one.

I just listened to it, to see if I was missing something.  Okay, it is better than I remember.  Hasse's vocals are mostly really good, but as usual, he tends to have a line here and line there that just sounds a bit too wimpy (like having a line sang with a lot of range, but not enough sheer power), and that is sometimes a turnoff for me in songs he sings, although nothing can ever top the absolute wussiness of Starlight Man's chorus. :lol :lol  It's why I always prefer it when Roine sings.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on June 27, 2012, 08:54:46 PM
last time i made an inquiry in this thread i got shutout, so im hesitant to even ask, but...

can one of you TFK-heads come up with a comprehensive list off all the TFK instrumentals? i own nearly everything theyve released after going apeshit with purchases last summer/autumn, but i only 'know' approximately half the material.  i am looking to make a playlist of their instrumentals to spin at a friend's place (though it'll be nice to have for myself as well).

i'll give a massage to anyone gracious enough to help. no guarantee on a happy ending, however.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on June 27, 2012, 09:54:12 PM
just read nick's review.  :tup it slays that other one, linked.

perhaps nick's review skills are matched only by his interview skills.

I admittedly haven't read the YtseJam one, but I thank you very much for the compliments, and appreciate you taking the time to read it even well after the album has been out.

As for the latter bit, I was actually going to interview Roine but unfortunately due to the time zone difference we weren't able to work out a good time.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 27, 2012, 11:28:46 PM
last time i made an inquiry in this thread i got shutout, so im hesitant to even ask, but...

can one of you TFK-heads come up with a comprehensive list off all the TFK instrumentals? i own nearly everything theyve released after going apeshit with purchases last summer/autumn, but i only 'know' approximately half the material.  i am looking to make a playlist of their instrumentals to spin at a friend's place (though it'll be nice to have for myself as well).

i'll give a massage to anyone gracious enough to help. no guarantee on a happy ending, however.

From the regular albums (not counting any bonus songs), with the best and most definitive ones bolded:

Atomic Prince/Kaleidoscope
Oblivion Road
Theme for a Hero
Temple of the Snakes (transitional piece)
The Wonder Wheel
Retropolis
Romancing the City (piano only, and works very well when combined with The Melting Pot)
The Melting Pot
Retropolis by Night
Flora Majora
A Room with a View (piano only)
Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar (should be combined with the next one)
The Man Who Walked with Kings
Crying Clown (transitional piece)
Pipes of Peace (keyboards only)
A Day at the Mall (transitional interlude/intro)
If 28 (piano only)
Hotel Nirvana (transitional piece)
Daw (God intro - would not sound right on its own)
Attack of the Monster Briefcase
Mr. Hope Goes to Wall Street

The Mean Machine
Dungeon of the Deep (does have some choir vocals, but that is it)
Sunny Lane
Gardens Revisited
Shadowland

Captain Capstan
Ikea by Night/Astral Dog (no reason to not combine these two, considering the former is a 4-second drum intro)
Power of Kindness
Hudson River Sirens Call 1998
Afterlife
Rumble Fish Twist
The Rainmaker
Blessing of a Smile
Red Alert
Christianopel
Soul Vortex
The Devil's Danceschool
Too Late for Tomatos
Babylon

Days Gone By (piano only, and is basically the outro for A Vampire's View)
The Blade of Cain (not technically an instrumental, since there are some vocals at the end, but those are merely Love Supreme reprises)
Pioneers of Aviation
The Unorthodox Dancing Lesson
Flight 999 (Brimstone Air)


If you did a playlist of all of the songs I bolded there, it would be most excellent. :)


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 28, 2012, 12:18:41 PM
Wow, that list makes me realize how many instrumentals they have. Doesn't seem like that when you listen to the albums.

btw, Banks of Eden is amazing. It's 5 out of 5 stars for me. One of the best albums of 2012. It's been getting some pretty favorable reviews online, even at ProgArchives who are usually pretty critical when it comes to a new TFK album. Even people who don't listen to TFK have been checking out BoE.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 28, 2012, 12:25:21 PM
Wow, that list makes me realize how many instrumentals they have. Doesn't seem like that when you listen to the albums.


I thought that exact same thing.  And the great majority of them are on the first four albums, and considering around Flower Power/Space Revolver was when Froberg's role was expanded, it makes you wonder if Roine has either intentionally wrote more songs with vocals in mind or if he wrote more back in the day since he didn't have confidence in his voice to carry an album full of all songs with him singing.  Probably the former.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 28, 2012, 10:48:20 PM


btw, Banks of Eden is amazing. It's 5 out of 5 stars for me. One of the best albums of 2012. It's been getting some pretty favorable reviews online, even at ProgArchives who are usually pretty critical when it comes to a new TFK album. Even people who don't listen to TFK have been checking out BoE.

To touch on this, check out these reviews by Sean Trane at Prog Archives:

Of Flower Power:

Quote
As they keep putting out important (the understatement of the century , let alone the millenium) quantities of music (the previous and following will be double CD also) , one wonders what the point is to putting one hour numbers going in all direction (especially when this goes nowhere),mindless soloing and doubtful concept .
I rented out this album , and to my great distress was simply unable to go through the entirity of it as almost every single note appears to be either redundant or lifted from a classic album.

As with most of TFK albums, this is for people who have yet to built discernement . Youger progheards will likely not agree with me, but once you have heard thousands of prog albums and put them in the historical perspective, you should see this relatively easily.

Of Stardust We Are:
Quote
Some of my friends rated this along with the Lamb on Broadway when it came out and I told to listen better and most of them never play this anymore , of course this only applies to the crusty old timers that we are , as most other young people did make this their Holy Grail. I sometimes wonder if the FK was not setting the goal at making the lengthiest tracks possible . In the following years they will put out many other fully filled double Cds full of fillers , lenghty directionless "jams "( lack of more precise word as this were not jams per se) , making for an incredible output in quantity but not quality. This is only an opinion and is not aimed at hurting anybody, artist or fans.

Of Space Revolver:
Quote
Read my other F K critics as I don't like to repeat myself. But I will have to find something to write if my opinion (which nobody cares for anyway ;-) is to be seen - are we at fifty words yet?
Again , with this album TFK repeats their musical props without changing much of their previous formula. There is of course a solid dose of hard work that going into such an album , (which are finely crafted too and have many positive qualities to their works) >> but I am afraid it is all lost on me. Every single note appears to have been heard in different albums scattered through the prog giants of the 70's.

All kidding aside and not wanting to hurt anybody's feelings but my opinion is: spend your hard earned cash on other Swedish groups that are more worthy of your support.

Shall I go on? :lol

And that guy is a COLLABORATOR on that site, meaning his reviews carry the most weight (twice as much as the average reviewers) when it comes to ratings and such.  What a joke that is. The guy doesn't even review the albums; he takes a new TFK album as an excuse to rip the band and give them 1 star.  I'll bet he doesn't even really listen to them.  And they let that guy be a collaborator!  Yet another reason why their ratings and their silly top 100 should never be taken seriously.


Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on June 29, 2012, 02:08:51 AM
Kev! youre my hero; thanx for the list. knowing half the material, and actively thinkin bout it, i knew it was gonna be intense.


Dungeon of the Deep (does have some choir vocals, but that is it)

The Blade of Cain (not technically an instrumental, since there are some vocals at the end, but those are merely Love


thanx for including. beforehand, i had thought to bring up such inclusions but forgot...you read my mind.


Babylon[/b]
Days Gone By (piano only, and is basically the outro for A Vampire's View)


ive always seen Babylon being Cosmic Circus' outro similarly to Days Gone By as A Vampire's View's outro. i love how they did transitions after both them songs. the 4 tracks go together so nicely.


From the regular albums (not counting any bonus songs), with the best and most definitive ones bolded:

Too Late for Tomatos


im interested in any other bonus tracks not mentioned. i know the one's from Adam & Eve bonus disc (so good! - different side of the band). surely there arent a bunch more(?!)

again, thanx dude...that took some effort.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 29, 2012, 08:49:44 AM
Wow, that list makes me realize how many instrumentals they have. Doesn't seem like that when you listen to the albums.


I thought that exact same thing.  And the great majority of them are on the first four albums, and considering around Flower Power/Space Revolver was when Froberg's role was expanded, it makes you wonder if Roine has either intentionally wrote more songs with vocals in mind or if he wrote more back in the day since he didn't have confidence in his voice to carry an album full of all songs with him singing.  Probably the former.


Over the years I have really grown to appreciate Roine's voice.  I used to hate it  :lol   But it's grown on me considerably.  One of the things that I really like about TFK is the contrast between Roine's vocals and Hasse's vocals.  And of course their voices blend incredibly well on the harmonies. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 29, 2012, 09:27:50 AM
  thanx dude...that took some effort.

No problemo.  And I forgot that Too Late for Tomatos was technically a bonus track; I guess I forgot since it is a part of the CD instead of being on a bonus CD.  But I'd still include it.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 29, 2012, 10:23:09 AM


btw, Banks of Eden is amazing. It's 5 out of 5 stars for me. One of the best albums of 2012. It's been getting some pretty favorable reviews online, even at ProgArchives who are usually pretty critical when it comes to a new TFK album. Even people who don't listen to TFK have been checking out BoE.

To touch on this, check out these reviews by Sean Trane at Prog Archives:

Of Flower Power:

Quote
As they keep putting out important (the understatement of the century , let alone the millenium) quantities of music (the previous and following will be double CD also) , one wonders what the point is to putting one hour numbers going in all direction (especially when this goes nowhere),mindless soloing and doubtful concept .
I rented out this album , and to my great distress was simply unable to go through the entirity of it as almost every single note appears to be either redundant or lifted from a classic album.

As with most of TFK albums, this is for people who have yet to built discernement . Youger progheards will likely not agree with me, but once you have heard thousands of prog albums and put them in the historical perspective, you should see this relatively easily.

Of Stardust We Are:
Quote
Some of my friends rated this along with the Lamb on Broadway when it came out and I told to listen better and most of them never play this anymore , of course this only applies to the crusty old timers that we are , as most other young people did make this their Holy Grail. I sometimes wonder if the FK was not setting the goal at making the lengthiest tracks possible . In the following years they will put out many other fully filled double Cds full of fillers , lenghty directionless "jams "( lack of more precise word as this were not jams per se) , making for an incredible output in quantity but not quality. This is only an opinion and is not aimed at hurting anybody, artist or fans.

Of Space Revolver:
Quote
Read my other F K critics as I don't like to repeat myself. But I will have to find something to write if my opinion (which nobody cares for anyway ;-) is to be seen - are we at fifty words yet?
Again , with this album TFK repeats their musical props without changing much of their previous formula. There is of course a solid dose of hard work that going into such an album , (which are finely crafted too and have many positive qualities to their works) >> but I am afraid it is all lost on me. Every single note appears to have been heard in different albums scattered through the prog giants of the 70's.

All kidding aside and not wanting to hurt anybody's feelings but my opinion is: spend your hard earned cash on other Swedish groups that are more worthy of your support.

Shall I go on? :lol

And that guy is a COLLABORATOR on that site, meaning his reviews carry the most weight (twice as much as the average reviewers) when it comes to ratings and such.  What a joke that is. The guy doesn't even review the albums; he takes a new TFK album as an excuse to rip the band and give them 1 star.  I'll bet he doesn't even really listen to them.  And they let that guy be a collaborator!  Yet another reason why their ratings and their silly top 100 should never be taken seriously.

Mind if I quote you over at PA? I just recently became a collaborator there and Ive been meaning to have those reviews taken down. Those reviews are from when the site was new, so they're short, but yes, he doesn't even talk about the music, he just hates on TFK. Usually his reviews are OK. If I can quote you, it can help in my defense to have those reviews edited/removed.

FYI, though, most members there do not take the top 100 list seriously anyway. We know it's just a popularity contest.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 29, 2012, 11:47:24 AM



Quote
As with most of TFK albums, this is for people who have yet to built [sic] discernement . Youger [sic] progheards [sic] will likely not agree with me, but once you have heard thousands of prog albums and put them in the historical perspective, you should see this relatively easily.


He's heard "thousands of prog albums" so clearly that makes him an expert on what music is objectively good and what music is not objectively good.   ::)




Welcome to the internet, guys.  :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on June 29, 2012, 11:57:34 AM
Of all the things he's said that is actually something I don't take as much issue with. When you've experienced more it can give you a better perspective. Having heard 5 albums and calling 1 of them the greatest album ever doesn't mean jack shit to me, as the sampling size is too small.

That said I don't agree with how he has chosen to wield the weapon of experience in this instance, and simply having experience certainly does not make you automatically correct, as this case demonstrates.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 29, 2012, 12:03:07 PM


Mind if I quote you over at PA? I just recently became a collaborator there and Ive been meaning to have those reviews taken down. Those reviews are from when the site was new, so they're short, but yes, he doesn't even talk about the music, he just hates on TFK. Usually his reviews are OK. If I can quote you, it can help in my defense to have those reviews edited/removed.

FYI, though, most members there do not take the top 100 list seriously anyway. We know it's just a popularity contest.

Just leave it anonymous and don't say what forum it came from.  I don't feel like getting into a forum war. :lol

Besides, you could copy and paste the same reviews and make the same general point yourself. ;) :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 29, 2012, 12:14:04 PM


Mind if I quote you over at PA? I just recently became a collaborator there and Ive been meaning to have those reviews taken down. Those reviews are from when the site was new, so they're short, but yes, he doesn't even talk about the music, he just hates on TFK. Usually his reviews are OK. If I can quote you, it can help in my defense to have those reviews edited/removed.

FYI, though, most members there do not take the top 100 list seriously anyway. We know it's just a popularity contest.

Just leave it anonymous and don't say what forum it came from.  I don't feel like getting into a forum war. :lol

Besides, you could copy and paste the same reviews and make the same general point yourself. ;) :)

Oh yea, I will keep it anonymous. I have the same viewpoints, I would just say something like, other people see his reviews and may immediately be turned off (especially since his reviews are usually the first one for those TFK albums).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 29, 2012, 02:19:08 PM
Ok, so I brought the issue up over at the PA forums.

If you're interested in following along, go here: https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=54797&PID=4557437#4557437 (https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=54797&PID=4557437#4557437)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 29, 2012, 11:12:58 PM
Yikes at that discussion from three years ago. :lol

What a tool that guy is.  Like was pointed out, nobody cares that he doesn't like the band, but you'd think a collaborator would put some actual effort into his reviews.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on June 30, 2012, 08:35:02 PM
On my third listen of the new album. Its getting better and better. At first I thought it was pretty "meh" but its really growing on me. I love Numbers and For The Love of Gold. The bonus tracks are surprisingly good, too.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 02, 2012, 08:32:25 AM
I really think this album is fantastic.  Lots and lots of great melodies that really stay with you after a few listens, and I love that repeated listens are definitely rewarded with all kinds of nooks and crannies. 


I really liked "The Sum of No Evil" as well, but I think "Banks of Eden" is a stronger album.  It seems like maybe they decided to dial back the amount of extended jamming and focused a bit more on creating strong songs. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: hefdaddy42 on July 02, 2012, 04:58:33 PM
I'm not going to bother with the new album until I have more fully digested their prior output.

BTW, Stardust We Are is one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard.  I also really liked the first album, Back In The World of Adventure.  I also listened to Adam & Eve, but although some of it was exceptional, there was a lot that didn't do it for me.  Retropolis and Space Revolver are also fantastic.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 03, 2012, 07:54:00 AM
Adam & Eve is a bit of a clunker, although it's got some good stuff on it.  I'm also not too crazy about Paradox Hotel

Roine's solo albums are also worth getting, "Hydroponia" and "The Flower King"





Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mladen on July 03, 2012, 08:30:39 AM
Prior to Banks of Eden, the only The Flower Kings album I listened to was The Sum of no evil, and I really liked that one. I never had the time and patience to go back to their more popular albums, but I knew I'll check them out at some point. However, recently I decided to give Banks of Eden a listen. Could prog be any more ''just okay'' than this? The melodies are fairly nice, it's a listenable album, but absolutely nothing stood out. It's a shame.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 03, 2012, 11:51:21 AM
After one listen I thought the same thing.


After three listens I thought it was a great album.


Now on my 8th or 9th listen, I'd put it at or near the top of their catalog.


I admit I'm a fanboy, though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 03, 2012, 12:57:19 PM


BTW, Stardust We Are is one of the most amazing albums I've ever heard.  I also really liked the first album, Back In The World of Adventure.  I also listened to Adam & Eve, but although some of it was exceptional, there was a lot that didn't do it for me.  Retropolis and Space Revolver are also fantastic.

 :tup :tup

Prior to Banks of Eden, the only The Flower Kings album I listened to was The Sum of no evil, and I really liked that one. I never had the time and patience to go back to their more popular albums, but I knew I'll check them out at some point. However, recently I decided to give Banks of Eden a listen. Could prog be any more ''just okay'' than this? The melodies are fairly nice, it's a listenable album, but absolutely nothing stood out. It's a shame.

I think the new album is way more than just "just okay," but I think I will have a hard time calling any of the songs one of their best songs.  Don't get me wrong, I like every song quite a bit, and like most of their albums, it is very consistent, but it doesn't have those two or three songs that just slay me.  Everything is really good, for sure, but just nothing I would call one of their best songs.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 03, 2012, 01:03:32 PM
Honestly, the way I measure their albums is by how many times I have to reach for the skip button.  They've only got three albums that do not compel me to do this often.  And "Banks of Eden" is one of those three.  I like every track, including the bonus tracks.


And I think track "Numbers"  "For The Love of Gold" and "Rising The Imperial" are up there with the best stuff they've ever recorded.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 03, 2012, 01:08:24 PM
See, I don't.

An album full of 10 songs that are all 8s won't be as good as an album with 10 songs with eight 9s and 10s and one or two 5s or 6s.

To use another example, I think Opeth's Damnation is amazingly consistent, but I wouldn't call any of those songs one of their best, so I can't call it their best album, even though it might be their most consistent (when talking about consistency from song to song).  Actually, Still Life is probably as consistent, but most or second most, I think most will get my point.

But back to TFK, I can probably count on one hand the number of songs of theirs I flat-out do not care for (and those songs even have some good things in them; they just aren't good enough to make the song likable for me), so almost none of their songs get skipped by me when listening to full albums as opposed to when I am listening to them on shuffle. 

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 03, 2012, 01:11:13 PM
Yeah, for me about half their catalog is instant skip.   Albums like Unfold the Future, for example, end up being about one good CD worth of music for me.  The rest....meh


The good stuff is beyond stellar, though.  I haven't seen them live 5 times for nothing!  :hefdaddy
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 03, 2012, 01:21:47 PM
Oh, I don't think this was posted here, but the set list from that show they did in Sweden a few weeks back was:

Paradox Hotel
Last Minute on Earth
In the Eyes of the World
The Truth Will Set You Free
Babylon
What if God Was Alone
Stardust We Are (Part 3 only)
There Is More to This World
I Am the Sun

This was before the release of Banks of Eden, hence them not playing anything from it, but I thought it was interesting that most of the songs that were played were ones that often got played in the years before their hiatus.  Once they start touring regularly here shortly, hopefully they will take advantage of their massive catalogue and start playing some different songs instead of the same old, same old, plus a bunch of new ones.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 03, 2012, 01:36:00 PM
Wow, that's a similar set list to what they did when they were touring for UTF.  I hope they come to the states again soon.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on July 03, 2012, 01:38:50 PM
The only album I ever feel like skipping tracks is Stardust We Are, on disc 2. Somewhere after Don Of The Universe, I get antsy to skip to the title track, as I'm not the biggest fan of the poppier stuff that's there like Different People, etc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 04, 2012, 01:15:28 PM
I can see getting antsy to hear Stardust We Are, but I absolutely adore both Different People and Ghost of the Red Cloud.  In fact, I remember being absolutely ecstatic when they played it when I saw them in Chicago back in late '06.  Set list for that show was:

Paradox Hotel
Hit Me with a Hit
Psycedelic Postcard
Hudson River Sirens Call
Jealousy
What If God Is Alone?
Just This Once
Pioneers of Aviation
Touch My Heaven
Mommy, Leave the Light On
End on a High Note
World of Adventures/Silent Sorrow
I Am the Sun
Life Will Kill You

Ghost of the Red Cloud
The Flower King

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on July 12, 2012, 12:04:09 PM
Listening to The Rainmaker, it pains me to put The Rainmaker at the bottom of the TFK album list every time. I enjoy it so much.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 12, 2012, 12:24:45 PM
That was my first TFK album and I still have a soft spot for it.  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 20, 2012, 12:29:33 PM
So, TFK fans, how do you think their discography stacks up against Dream Theater's?  Since both have 11 studio albums, this is an easy project!

Album vs Album (with my preference in bold):

Back in the World of Adventures vs When Dream and Day Unite
Retropolis vs Images and Words
Stardust We Are vs Awake
Flower Power
vs Falling into Infinity
Space Revolver vs Scenes from a Memory
The Rainmaker vs Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Unfold the Future vs Train of Thought
Adam and Eve vs Octavarium
Paradox Hotel vs Systematic Chaos
The Sum of No Evil vs Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Banks of Eden vs A Dramatic Turn of Events

Looks like a 6-5 edge for Dream Theater.  In the mid 00s, TFK had overtaken DT on my all-time list, but DT might be edging past them again.  I think TFK's least best albums are better than DT's least best albums, while I'd give DT the slight edge on the best albums being better (DT would have 3 in my top 25, while TFK would only have 2).  Plus, DT has the nostalgic edge as I have been listening to them far longer (1992 vs. 2000), not to mention the huge edge in non-studio album material (A Change of Seasons, FII b-sides, etc.) and more live DVDs to enjoy.  But it is close, and both bands are comfortably in my all-time top 5. :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: obscure on July 20, 2012, 01:27:28 PM
sorry if post before.... I'm just speechless

The Flower Kings live at Night of the Prog at Loreley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vRNyzHAkqY)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 20, 2012, 01:39:37 PM
Cool idea, Kevin, I'll play.....


Back in the World of Adventures vs When Dream and Day Unite
Retropolis vs Images and Words
Stardust We Are vs Awake
Flower Power vs Falling into Infinity
Space Revolver vs Scenes from a Memory
The Rainmaker vs Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Unfold the Future vs Train of Thought
Adam and Eve vs Octavarium (tie, I dislike both evenly)
Paradox Hotel vs Systematic Chaos
The Sum of No Evil vs Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Banks of Eden vs A Dramatic Turn of Events (tie, I like both evenly)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 20, 2012, 02:38:13 PM
The Flower King vs The Majesty Demos
Back In The World of Adventures vs When Dream And Day Unite
Retropolis vs Images And Words (TIE)
Stardust We Are vs Awake
Flower Power vs Falling Into Infinity (TIE)
Space Revolver vs Scenes From A Memory
The Rainmaker vs Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Unfold The Future vs Train of Thought
Adam & Eve vs Octavarium
Paradox Hotel vs Systematic Chaos
The Sum Of No Evil vs Black Clouds & Silver Linings (TIE)
Banks Of Eden vs A Dramatic Turn Of Events

TFK - 5
DT - 4
Ties - 3

TFK wins by 1!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 20, 2012, 08:08:07 PM
Adam and Eve vs Octavarium (tie, I dislike both evenly)

 :omg: :omg: :omg:

a top 2 TFK for me vs a standout DT album (in its uniqueness AND awesomeness)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on July 20, 2012, 11:38:46 PM
The Flower King vs The Majesty Demos
Back In The World of Adventures vs When Dream And Day Unite
Retropolis vs Images And Words
Stardust We Are vs Awake
Flower Power vs Falling Into Infinity
Space Revolver vs Scenes From A Memory
The Rainmaker vs Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Unfold The Future vs Train of Thought
Adam & Eve vs Octavarium
Paradox Hotel vs Systematic Chaos
The Sum Of No Evil vs Black Clouds & Silver Linings (TIE)
Banks Of Eden vs A Dramatic Turn Of Events

Octavarium the song is better than all of Adam & Eve, and I found it difficult to choose between Paradox Hotel and Systematic Chaos, as they're in my bottom 3 for both bands, but I think I appreciate PH a lot more than SC, and PH is still growing on me, so I chose that.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 25, 2012, 10:32:55 AM
You know what TFK record doesn't get talked about nearly enough? 

Retropolis. 

Seriously, that is easily one of their two or three best single albums; flawless from start to finish.  Okay, the 29-second Rhythm of Life opener is a bit out there :lol, but once the title track, one of the most epic prog instrumentals ever, kicks in, it is one helluva ride. :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on July 25, 2012, 12:44:21 PM
Retropolis was the last TFK studio album I got (not counting BoE), after a year and a half or so of collecting their albums, so while I have listened to it at least a few times, it hasn't had a chance to settle in my mind, and it was purchased at a time when I hit TFK overload, so I can't recall most of it. Every time I feel like listening to TFK, I make sure I try and put that one on, because it's my least familiar album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 25, 2012, 03:00:10 PM
Retropolis is the only other album that's reached towards the levels of UTF and A&E for me. there's two tracks that haven't completely won me over, but the rest is so so good. tracks 6 thru 10 are about as good as any 5 song stretch in their catalog that i've been able to find (to be fair, still a few unfamiliar albums).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 26, 2012, 08:37:00 AM
Adam and Eve vs Octavarium (tie, I dislike both evenly)

 :omg: :omg: :omg:

a top 2 TFK for me vs a standout DT album (in its uniqueness AND awesomeness)


Aside from a few tracks, I never really cared much for Adam & Eve and on the rare occasion that I do listen to Octavarium I really only like about 3 tracks and that does not include the title track, which, to me, just feels like a bunch of random ideas they stitched together....
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Perpetual Change on July 26, 2012, 09:05:35 AM
I'm just now discovering this band, though I've been a longtime fan of Transatlantic. So far, I'm enjoying the new record and also just got Adam & Eve 'cause it was second hand. I know it's not the most critically acclaimed, but it was the only one they had at the store and I do have an affinity for Gildenlol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 26, 2012, 09:19:54 AM
Retropolis was the last TFK studio album I got (not counting BoE), after a year and a half or so of collecting their albums, so while I have listened to it at least a few times, it hasn't had a chance to settle in my mind, and it was purchased at a time when I hit TFK overload, so I can't recall most of it. Every time I feel like listening to TFK, I make sure I try and put that one on, because it's my least familiar album.

I love the fact that so much of Retropolis is instrumental.  Only 5 of the 11 songs have vocals (even if two of the ones that don't are super short), and even better, almost all of the lead vocals are done by Roine Stolt. :)

Retropolis is the only other album that's reached towards the levels of UTF and A&E for me. there's two tracks that haven't completely won me over, but the rest is so so good. tracks 6 thru 10 are about as good as any 5 song stretch in their catalog that i've been able to find (to be fair, still a few unfamiliar albums).

No mention of track 11, The Road Back Home??  I absolutely love that tune; one of my favorites from the early TFK days. :coolio

I'm just now discovering this band, though I've been a longtime fan of Transatlantic. So far, I'm enjoying the new record and also just got Adam & Eve 'cause it was second hand. I know it's not the most critically acclaimed, but it was the only one they had at the store and I do have an affinity for Gildenlol

Unfold the Future is the other TFK record with Gildenlow, but is quite a hurdle to get over (double album, and the first song is 31 minutes), so I wouldn't necessarily get that one next just because it has Gildenlow.  I'd go for some of the other single albums, Space Revolver and Retropolis being the best of the remaining singles.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on July 26, 2012, 09:53:18 AM
the KevShmev is a wise man  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 26, 2012, 11:43:11 AM
I have my days. :biggrin:

Also, cool interview with Roine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok_-M8AkNko
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 26, 2012, 11:53:56 AM
I love the fact that so much of Retropolis is instrumental.  Only 5 of the 11 songs have vocals (even if two of the ones that don't are super short), and even better, almost all of the lead vocals are done by Roine Stolt. :)

hrrmm. hadnt completely nticed that. maybe has something to do with my like. also, so many of the vocal melodies kill it on this one.

Retropolis is the only other album that's reached towards the levels of UTF and A&E for me. there's two tracks that haven't completely won me over, but the rest is so so good. tracks 6 thru 10 are about as good as any 5 song stretch in their catalog that i've been able to find (to be fair, still a few unfamiliar albums).
No mention of track 11, The Road Back Home??  I absolutely love that tune; one of my favorites from the early TFK days. :coolio

its one of the few that hadnt completely won me over. perhaps the vocal melodies didnt seem as sick and/or something about the buildup/dynamics. i'll give it a spin today and see if i can pinpoint or maybe see if it wins me over.

I'm just now discovering this band, though I've been a longtime fan of Transatlantic. So far, I'm enjoying the new record and also just got Adam & Eve 'cause it was second hand. I know it's not the most critically acclaimed, but it was the only one they had at the store and I do have an affinity for Gildenlol
Unfold the Future is the other TFK record with Gildenlow, but is quite a hurdle to get over (double album, and the first song is 31 minutes), so I wouldn't necessarily get that one next just because it has Gildenlow.  I'd go for some of the other single albums, Space Revolver and Retropolis being the best of the remaining singles.

but...but...but not only is he a DG fanboy, but UTF is also the most universally loved/heralded TFK album!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 26, 2012, 12:05:34 PM


but...but...but not only is he a DG fanboy, but UTF is also the most universally loved/heralded TFK album!

It is?  ??? ???

Also, regarding The Road Back Home, I absolutely love the synth solo in the middle of the song; very Tony Banks-esque!!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 26, 2012, 07:43:54 PM
i thought it was. maybe i'm wrong. i was under the impression it made most fans' top 3 TFKalbums lists on this forum.

shit, i still havent gotten round to spinning The Road Back Home today. shall do so shortly.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 26, 2012, 08:23:57 PM
okay. i just gave The Road Back Home a spin. paid all sorts of close attention. first off, it was probably the most ive gotten into it (still winning me over, perhaps). musically, its pretty deadly, save for the ending. it just feels like the grandiose ending wasnt dynamic/grandiose enough. as for the vocal melodies, nothing in the song seemed as strong/catchy as my favorite vocal tracks on the album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Perpetual Change on July 26, 2012, 08:28:17 PM
HEY.

I'm not a Gildenlow fanboy, and I have plenty of nasty things to say about their last 3 albums and they way he's systematically dismantled the band to recreate it in his own image. But I do like his voice :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 26, 2012, 08:37:03 PM
sorry, didnt mean to misrepresent you.
i'll double my fanboyism to make up for it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Perpetual Change on July 26, 2012, 08:41:40 PM
Well, I don't know what's up.

I think you guys must be spoiled by all the great double albums this band have but out, because I am listening to Adam & Eve now and I think it's fantastic.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 26, 2012, 08:52:02 PM
Well, I don't know what's up.

I think you guys must be spoiled by all the great double albums this band have but out, because I am listening to Adam & Eve now and I think it's fantastic.

 :tup just wait til you check out the 2disc version  :hefdaddy
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Perpetual Change on July 26, 2012, 08:54:52 PM
Oh, so I just spent $10 on half the album. Well, that's annoying.  :yeahright
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 26, 2012, 09:02:00 PM
Well, I don't know what's up.

I think you guys must be spoiled by all the great double albums this band have but out, because I am listening to Adam & Eve now and I think it's fantastic.

 :tup just wait til you check out the 2disc version  :hefdaddy

Oh, so I just spent $10 on half the album. Well, that's annoying.  :yeahright

 :rollin

To be fair, the 2-CD version of A&E is a (mostly) rare Japanese version of the album, which includes the bonus tracks from the 2-CD version of The Rainmaker, plus 3 more that were recorded before then (included a track titled "Space Revolver"), so you get 9 tracks total on it. They aren't from the A&E sessions and are quite a bit older than that.

The only TFK albums that AREN'T 2-CDs (in any version) are the first two, Back In The World Of Adventures and Retropolis. Also, there are Japanese versions (bonus tracks) of Flower Power, Space Revolver, and the aforementioned Adam & Eve, while the 2-CD version of The Rainmaker was an InsideOut European digi-book release.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 26, 2012, 09:03:53 PM
okay. i just gave The Road Back Home a spin. paid all sorts of close attention. first off, it was probably the most ive gotten into it (still winning me over, perhaps). musically, its pretty deadly, save for the ending. it just feels like the grandiose ending wasnt dynamic/grandiose enough. as for the vocal melodies, nothing in the song seemed as strong/catchy as my favorite vocal tracks on the album.

Hmmm, well, at least you have a new appreciation for it. :)

Oh, so I just spent $10 on half the album. Well, that's annoying.  :yeahright

No, the bonus disc is only about half hour or so of music, most of which isn't as good as the regular disc, so I wouldn't sweat it. 

And glad you are enjoying Adam and Eve! :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 26, 2012, 10:12:14 PM
ya, i kinda misrepresented the A&E album. but that second disc does kick some serious ass. the instrumentals are all cool as fuck, and i'm quite fond of Agent Supreme. its got all the bells and whistles, figuratively and literally. just fun.

nice to hear everyone's in an A&E mood...i love it, but i get the opposite impression on its universal level of appreciation from what i gathered of everyone's views on UTF.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 26, 2012, 10:15:19 PM
Well, A&E is definitely a lower tier TFK record for me, but there are definitely some great tunes on there.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on July 26, 2012, 11:41:24 PM
I was talking up Adam & Eve around the time BoE came out, either here or on PA. I love it. Also, if you like Gildenlow's voice, I say, fuck it, and get Unfold the Future. Besides DG on vocals (mostly on disc 2), the album has 2 of their best epics, and another good epic in Silent Inferno. Most of the shorter tracks are very good to amazing.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 26, 2012, 11:45:23 PM
Just had a thought... I like TFK's odd-numbered releases more than their even ones...

Evens:
The Flower King
Retropolis
Flower Power
The Rainmaker
Adam & Eve
The Sum Of No Evil

Odds:
Back In The World Of Adventures
Stardust We Are
Space Revolver
Unfold The Future
Paradox Hotel

Banks Of Eden

The bolded ones are the ones I *really* like, and the second group has more that I really like. My Top 3 TFK albums would have to be SWA, UTF and PH, and the "odds" have all three. Weird! Still need to listen more on BOE...

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 27, 2012, 12:19:28 AM
Imagine how difficult it would be to rank all of their discs (starting with BITWOA since, for the 883rd time, The Flower King is NOT a TFK record) if you broke all of the double albums up and had to rank the 15 full discs (4 double albums and 7 singles)... :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 27, 2012, 07:17:19 AM
Imagine how difficult it would be to rank all of their discs (starting with BITWOA since, for the 883rd time, The Flower King is NOT a TFK record) if you broke all of the double albums up and had to rank the 15 full discs (4 double albums and 7 singles)... :biggrin:

True, not necessarily a TFK "record", but definitely the start of TFK music. Some might not think of the Majesty Demos as a Dream Theater album, but it's the start of Dream Theater music, as was evidenced by their Silver Anniversary being celebrated in 2010 and not 2014.

Either way, ranking 15 discs would be insanely hard, but why would you split up a double album? I never got the point of ranking "Disc 1 against Disc 2", like DT's Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence - a records format shouldn't have any bearing on how it is listened to or ranked. If it were all vinyl, would anyone be asking "how would you rank all 60 sides of TFK music?" :lol

I see 11 albums, not 15 discs, but that's just me. If the format allowed them to fit all their music for one album onto one piece of music medium, then we wouldn't have discussions like "the first disc is better" etc. etc. that many people seem to have with double albums (like The Lamb, The Wall, Snow, Six Degrees, etc.)

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on July 27, 2012, 11:00:45 AM
Not to mention, the double albums have many themes related to each other, FP has the GoD main themes, Stardust has the title track themes, UtF has the jazz improvs and themes from songs in other songs, like the end of Black and White, or The Navigator/Solitary Shell connection. I try to listen to their double albums in one sitting, when possible.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 27, 2012, 11:58:41 AM
Oh, I agree with almost everything you guys said, but I just think it would be interesting to take a whack at.  I know that Flower Power Disc 1 would stay number 1 on my list, Unfold the Future Disc 1 would be near the bottom, and I would have a very difficult time deciding which disc I preferred on both Stardust We Are and Paradox Hotel.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on July 27, 2012, 12:02:08 PM
I don't feel like ranking them all right now, but I'll do one of these for the double albums:

SWA1 > SWA2
FP1 > FP2
UtF1 = UtF2
PH1 < PH2
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 27, 2012, 02:43:45 PM
I don't feel like ranking them all right now, but I'll do one of these for the double albums:

SWA1 > SWA2
FP1 > FP2
UtF1 = UtF2
PH1 < PH2

Allllmost agree with you, but here's mine:

SWA1 = SWA2
FP1 > FP2
UtF1 = UtF2
PH1 = PH2

PH is just solid throughout, as is SWA, but I agree about FP and UTF.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Perpetual Change on July 27, 2012, 07:14:41 PM
I really love the three track run from "A Vampires View" to "Adam and Eve". Those two songs and the piano interlude between them are all fantastic. And I absolutely love the lyrics.

Haven't really digested the longer pieces on the album yet but I will get to it. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 28, 2012, 12:20:15 AM
Adam and Eve is one of those songs that has some cool things going on and was a good idea, but just wasn't executed as well as it could have been, IMO.  I love the bridge Roine sings in the middle, and a lot of the music is great, but those vocal melodies early on in the song are just hard for me to enjoy more often than not.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 28, 2012, 01:32:20 PM
I really love the three track run from "A Vampires View" to "Adam and Eve". Those two songs and the piano interlude between them are all fantastic. And I absolutely love the lyrics.

Haven't really digested the longer pieces on the album yet but I will get to it.

 :tup nice to see some title track love!!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Perpetual Change on July 29, 2012, 08:44:16 AM
This album continues to grow on me. The opening track is amazing, and Cosmic Circus is beautiful on a sonic level. Just listening with my eyes shut and some decent headphones on, I almost started crying because of how all these different sounds and instruments are intricately but flawlessly put together to create something so grand-sounding. Tomas Bodin is a special keyboardist. All of his arrangements are just so perfect with so much going on. I could listen to the entire album just focused on what he's doing.

I just love this album, though if there is a weakness for me it derives from the fact that "Driver's Seat" just doesn't pay off like the epic that opens the album up. Still, it's not bad at all. I like Adam & Eve much better than the new album so far.

I'm curious, what's the fan-consensus on "A Vampire's View"? I love it, and think it just sounds so good... but it does seem to be an odd-ball for TFK from what I've heard so far.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on July 29, 2012, 01:47:28 PM
i kinda wouldnt have minded if Driver's Seat had actually been broken into two tracks (which is kinda weird, cuz usually i want multi track songs and intros to songs to be joined into one track).

A Vampire's View is SO good. from what ive gathered, even those people not huge on A&E as a whole still acknowledge the brilliance of A Vampire's View.
I'd love to hear TFK do a few more of these mini-musical type tunes.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 29, 2012, 04:07:33 PM
A Vampire's View doesn't seem to be a song that gets talked about a lot, but I like it a lot, which is saying something considering I am not a big Gildenlow fan.  I like the vibe of it a lot, and the solo piano piece at the end of it, Days Gone By, is absolutely gorgeous.

Still glad you are digging A&E, PC! Starlight Man is still the biggest tease ever (great lead guitar line, great verses, but terribly bland chorus), and the title track is a bit of a question mark for me, but the rest is great.  I agree that the payoff in Driver's Seat might not be their best (especially compared to the climaxes of their best epics like GoD, SWA and I Am the Sun), but as a whole, it is still a damn good song.  I like how all three singers sing lead at one point or another. 

And Tomas Bodin is definitely special.  He is hands down one of my favorite rock keyboard players ever. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ronrule on August 01, 2012, 04:09:59 PM
I love A&E, the title song, vampires view, Gildenlow (I think my favorite of his with TFK is Fast Lane though)...!

I often skip Love Supreme for some reason...that first set of melody/lyrics is just sounds so awkward to me. And I just love getting to that sugary acoustic 6/8 goodness of Cosmic Circus.

Starlight Man chorus is my cue for some obnoxious air bass playing.  Gotta love "you-KNEE-verse"!

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on August 02, 2012, 01:04:05 PM
... I just love getting to that sugary acoustic 6/8 goodness of Cosmic Circus.

gotta love 6. most recent facebook status: Newstrum is obliged to like any song/section in 6/4 or 6/8. 


...New Strum = pain of occupation

also, im spinning cosmic circus as i type.  :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: senecadawg2 on August 02, 2012, 08:32:27 PM
I just got Space Revolver and The Rainmaker. After a couple of listens, I'm really enjoying Space Revolver, and am now about to check out the other. How do these two albums compare to the rest of their discography?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on August 02, 2012, 10:11:14 PM
Most agree that The Rainmaker sits near the bottom of the list, but it is still good.

Space Revolver is usually pretty highly-regarded.  I'd consider it their best single album, and probably their 3rd or 4th best overall. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on August 03, 2012, 09:18:13 AM
Kev is right.  The Rainmaker is often rated pretty low.  I happen to love that album, probably because it was my first from TFK - it's got some really cool tracks on it.



Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on August 03, 2012, 09:55:10 AM
ive been meaning to make Space Revolver the next TFK i get into, but i keep feeling daunted by the task for some reason. ive spun track one a shit ton, and think its deadly, but ive only heard bits and pieces of the rest of the album (not even sure ive checked out every track at least once yet).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on August 03, 2012, 11:03:27 AM
I like The Rainmaker. It has some of the band's best music on there. My least favorite is actually Retropolis. Of course, no TFK album is bad.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on August 12, 2012, 01:00:00 PM
I'm listening to Banks Of Eden, after exactly one month since the last time I listened to it (according to my last.fm), and it sounds just as fresh and exciting. I dare say I'm enjoying it even more now, since I'm more familiar with the music.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on August 12, 2012, 01:25:00 PM
How has BoE been holding up for you guys? How would you rank your favorite songs from it?

I'm just going to rank the main disc. I don't feel I've listened to the bonus disc enough.

Numbers
For The Love of Gold
For Those About To Drown
Rising The Imperial
Pandemonium
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on August 12, 2012, 09:54:47 PM
I still think it's great, but it isn't something I am listening to a lot, which might be a bad sign since I usually go nuts with listening to CDs by my favorite bands when they first come out, especially when I really like them.  For example, Clockwork Angels came out around the same time, and I have only listened to Banks of Eden a fraction of how much I've listened to Clockwork Angels.  And it's not like Clockwork Angels is still dominating my music time to where I can't fit TFK in; I can.  Banks of Eden simply isn't a CD that has grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on August 13, 2012, 01:18:36 AM
ive been revisiting the new album recently. never did give it that much of a chance when it first came out, as i had quite a few other albums on the go getting in the way. For the Love of Gold has probably emerged for me as THE track of the album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Icebear on August 18, 2012, 12:02:00 PM
So...

I'm about to see TFK live for the first time since 2007. It's outdoors, it's free and Jonas Reingold seems to be in a good mood. I predict awesomeness.  If they play Stardust We Are, I will confirm said awesomeness.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on August 18, 2012, 12:56:32 PM
I'm pretty sure they're going to play Stardust We Are, in part, or in full. They are playing the new material now, though, so I'm not sure what their set lists are like at this point.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Icebear on August 19, 2012, 01:29:46 AM
...and they did. Fun gig. Roine had a high fever and really had to push through. We got one song from Banks of Eden ("Numbers"), and a bunch of older songs (Last minute on earth, I am the sun, Paradox Hotel, Stardust, to name a few). Felix sounded great!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on August 19, 2012, 05:46:03 AM
I think the new album has held up well.  Still too early for me to rank the tracks, but right now I think "Rising The Imperial" might be my favorite.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on August 19, 2012, 07:11:46 PM
i was just spinning the new album on the drive home...despite expecting huge things to come this year, being a huge fan of both beardfish and btbam, i think for the love of gold is gonna be stiff competition for song of the year.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: SomeoneLikeHim on August 31, 2012, 09:11:59 AM
So I am going to see these guys in November but I'm really not familiar with them. I have a lot of listening to do :D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Bongasti on August 31, 2012, 11:07:21 AM
Same here! I thought it was about time for me to get familiar with these guys, so I got the tickets. I've only yet listened to their latest album, so which one would you guys recommend next?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on August 31, 2012, 02:02:06 PM
Same here! I thought it was about time for me to get familiar with these guys, so I got the tickets. I've only yet listened to their latest album, so which one would you guys recommend next?

Space Revolver.

It sums up most aspects of the band in one album, without being a 2 and a half hour double album. It has one of the band's greatest songs, "I Am The Sun", as well other greats like "Monster Within", "Chicken Farmer Song", "Slave To Money", and "Rumble Fish Twist".

If you're feeling adventurous, I'd say get Unfold the Future, it also has, arguably, the band's greatest epic, "The Truth Will Set You Free" and contains some of the rockiest, jazziest, and more experimental stuff the band has ever made. And it's 2 and a half hours long.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on August 31, 2012, 02:45:25 PM
Same here! I thought it was about time for me to get familiar with these guys, so I got the tickets. I've only yet listened to their latest album, so which one would you guys recommend next?

If you want a single album, Space Revolver or Retropolis.

If you want to get crazy and get a double album, Flower Power, Paradox Hotel or Stardust We Are.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on August 31, 2012, 06:21:06 PM
He could honestly pick any album at random and it would probably be a great choice to start with (except The Rainmaker, while good, I don't think it's the best album to start with).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on October 01, 2012, 07:13:21 PM
So, over 3 months later, how does BOE hold up for everyone?

I haven't given it much time since I got it, and have probably only really listened to it twice. It came out about the same time as Rush's new album so it got pushed to the back burner, and after being on a huge Rush kick for over 2 months, I geared up for the new Neal Morse (which pushed Marillion's new album to the other back burner), and now I am on a Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson kick... I *will* revisit Banks Of Eden sometime soon!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on October 01, 2012, 10:04:45 PM
That pretty much sounds like me (big Rush phase for most of the summer, and then a PT/SW phase lately).  Looking at my iTunes, I haven't listened to anything from Banks of Eden on it since the middle of August, and I haven't listened to a lick of TFK in the car since then either.  Just not in the mood for them as of late, I guess.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on October 01, 2012, 10:12:19 PM
That pretty much sounds like me (big Rush phase for most of the summer, and then a PT/SW phase lately).  Looking at my iTunes, I haven't listened to anything from Banks of Eden on it since the middle of August, and I haven't listened to a lick of TFK in the car since then either.  Just not in the mood for them as of late, I guess.

For me, TFK have always been a Spring/Summer band - their music just doesn't suit me for the Fall and Winter seasons as much as Spock's Beard/Neal Morse and Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson do, which have been the bands/artists I have been listening too as of late. Rush is always the Summer rock band I love to listen to, and since their last 3 studio albums have all been released in May, they ruled the summer.

I'm sure once news of new TA hits around the New Year, I'll dive back into some TFK and/or Roine Stolt goodness.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: SomeoneLikeHim on October 11, 2012, 12:28:55 PM
God, Banks of Eden is SO good! I am so stoked for the concert in three weeks!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: jsem on February 11, 2013, 03:43:43 PM
Time to bump this thread. I only recently started listening to a bit of their material... the albums don't really quite get stuck in my head. Will take multiple listens.

But one this is for sure.... the song Paradox Hotel blew my mind from the first second. It's barely prog, but SOO good.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on February 11, 2013, 03:58:49 PM
Time to bump this thread. I only recently started listening to a bit of their material... the albums don't really quite get stuck in my head. Will take multiple listens.

But one this is for sure.... the song Paradox Hotel blew my mind from the first second. It's barely prog, but SOO good.

Paradox Hotel is a Top 3 TFK album for me, along with Unfold The Future and Stardust We Are.

It was mostly written acoustically, so the songs are very guitar oriented, and there's a lot more of the other members on this album in terms of writing contributions (where as the usual TFK album is nearly all Roine's material). There's a lot of variety on this album, too, which covers a LOT of ground for TFK, both old and (at the time) new. It's also special being that it's the only TFK album with drummer Marcus Liliequist, even though he appeared on Tomas Bodin's solo albums I AM and YOU ARE and Roine's solo album Wall Street Voodoo. He provides solid drummer on an album that, as you say, is less proggy than their previous (and future) efforts, but the key to this album is the strength in the song writing, and not the proggy showmanship or chops (even though there's enough of that on the album).

It took me a LONG time to get into PH, being the band's first new album after I discovered them in 2005, but after years of listening, I grew to love and appreciate and fully enjoy the whole album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on February 21, 2013, 11:55:15 AM
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/536969_4256083172874_1145495628_n.jpg)

First day of rehearsals for the joint-tour with the Neal Morse Band!

Any predictions as to what their 90 minute set will be? I expect at least 3 songs from BOE, including "Numbers" and "Rising The Imperial".

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on February 22, 2013, 08:52:16 AM
I'd be surprised if they played all of Numbers, since that would take up nearly 1/3 of their set list, but you never know.  Since they are likely to be playing in front of some people who have never seen them before, I think stuff like Stardust We Are Part 3 and some of The Truth Will Set You Free (which they love playing) are good bets.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mladen on February 22, 2013, 08:55:44 AM
I think it's strange not to perform the centerpiece of the album you're promoting. It's not like I care, though.  ;D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 22, 2013, 12:57:24 PM
Been a few years since I've seen them.  Last time I saw them they were touring in support of The Sum of No Evil

And I ate dinner at a table right next to them before the show.


heh, I still have a picture from that


(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/55966936/tfk.jpg)


They were sitting behind us and there was this huge mirror on the back wall, so I snapped this shot.  After the show when they were signing my CD, Hasse says "you should have joined us for dinner at the restaurant"  :eek   :lol   :facepalm:

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 22, 2013, 01:02:28 PM
Yeah, that was 2007, I had front row seats:


(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/55966936/tfk2.jpg)


(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/55966936/tfk3.jpg)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Lolzeez on February 22, 2013, 03:20:59 PM
Listened to this band for the first time this week. Banks Of Eden is a good album but for some reason it was kinda unmemorable. The highlight for me was obviously Numbers and For The Love Of Gold. FTLOG has such amazing vocals and a sweet guitar solo. It's quite catchy. The rest? I don't remember much.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: SomeoneLikeHim on February 22, 2013, 04:23:51 PM
That's exactly what I thought the first time I listened. Nothing really stood out. Trust me, it wil come.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on February 22, 2013, 09:14:38 PM
Listened to this band for the first time this week. Banks Of Eden is a good album but for some reason it was kinda unmemorable. The highlight for me was obviously Numbers and For The Love Of Gold. FTLOG has such amazing vocals and a sweet guitar solo. It's quite catchy. The rest? I don't remember much.

Most of the band's material doesn't hit you on first listen. The music demands, and rewards, repeated listens. The music itself is usually very dense compositionally, which is why I think the music doesn't hit you right off the bat; because you don't know where the music is going and/or you are expecting something else. I'm telling you, listen to Banks of Eden again and get back to me.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on February 23, 2013, 08:45:34 AM
Review from the TFK yahoo mailing list:

It was a superb evening. Perhaps I had som wiches about songs, but I was satiesfied. Opening track was Numbers folloed by Cosmic Lover which was a positive surprise. I loved the way Jonas played the bass in the song. Roine´s guitarr solo on The Truth Will Set You Free was awesome. I was pure magick,I guess it must have been ten minutes long. Roine! You hit the right spot there, beautiful and expressive.
 
Neal played mostly from the new album Momentum and ended with a very long track World witout End. Lot from Questionmark and  Author of Confusion from One are songs from the concert, Also an excellent show with a tight band. I must say that the volume was a little bit to high.
 
Transatlantic with parts from Whirlwind with som errors in switching from one part to another, anyhow I enjoyed it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Lolzeez on February 23, 2013, 03:08:20 PM
Listened to the album again. I think I'm starting to really dig it. Here are my rankings.

Numbers
For The Love Of Gold
For Those About To Drown
Illuminati
Rising The Imperial
LoLines
Pandemonium
Going Up
Fireghosts

I really enjoyed For Those About To Drown and the solo on Illuminati. So yeah. I guess I'm going somewhere. Now tell me,where do I go next?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: SomeoneLikeHim on February 23, 2013, 03:14:52 PM
I haven't heard all that much either, but you need to listen to the song "Stardust We Are"! So beautiful :hefdaddy
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on February 23, 2013, 11:04:07 PM


I really enjoyed For Those About To Drown and the solo on Illuminati. So yeah. I guess I'm going somewhere. Now tell me,where do I go next?

If you want to dive into a single disc, go for Space Revolver; that is their best single CD, IMO.

If you want to be daring and dive headfirst into some of the double albums, you cannot go wrong with Paradox Hotel, Flower Power or Stardust We Are. 

And as always, I will recommend saving Adam and Eve, The Rainmaker and The Sum of No Evil till the end.  They are all good, but definitely the weakest links in their catalogue.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on February 23, 2013, 11:46:59 PM
I wish Illuminati was included in the main album, as the other three songs do feel like B-sides. But that opening song on the bonus disc is too strong to have been included there. I don't always listen to the bonus disc when I listen to BoE but when I listen to that song, I wish I did, if only for that song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on February 24, 2013, 08:33:31 AM
I don't agree with that.  I think all four songs are strong, and I think that overall the whole album, all nine songs and all, is very consistent.  It would be difficult for me to rank the songs in order of favorite to least favorite simply because they are all of about equal quality.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 04, 2013, 10:01:37 AM
Spring is here, and so is a new TFK phase for yours truly!

Blasting Monster Within as we speak.  I love how crazy and evil this song is. :metal :metal
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 05, 2013, 03:14:19 PM
Looks like the band is working on a new album and this is what Roine had to say about it yesterday:

Fact is -  working on this new album -
my gut feel is that those of you who liked the weirdness
interludes and the cinematic effects  and ambiences will find
this new album interesting.

I could be wrong - but it has some   superspacy stoner  droner  jams that resembles Santanas Caravanserai
and still  plenty of catchy, classic symph prog  and also somewhat  heavy 
riffy sections.
The names Black Sabbath and Dimmu Borgir  were both mentioned more than once in the strudio
but also Queen, Rush, James Bond   and albums like Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother.
That's our weird musical environment  -  but be aware that we are still in "construction mode" so
these are all blueprints  for  what's to come -  this album is still a shapeshifter - day by day.

It will however not be a double album - but if you like adventurous prog - and fearless genre  bending -
this may be it.

Roine.

 :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 05, 2013, 04:11:24 PM
Fans who claimed BOE was "more of the same" will hopefully see this as a more experimental TFK. I hope they really pull out all the stops, broaden their scope, and release something that is totally out of left field, like UTF, following SR and TR, it was definitely quite a bit different, and not just because it was their longest album.

I'm looking forward to new TFK later this year or early next year!

New DT, TFK and TA all within 6 months of each other. AMAZING! :tup

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 06, 2013, 10:39:59 AM
@ Kev - thanks for posting that. Great insight from Roine.

@ Letter M - I don't know why people think BoE is "more of the same". Who's been saying that anyway?? Most people I see enjoy Boe. What album can you compare it to? It definitely has its own sound,  if anything it's more related to recent Roine/Jonas works (AoM, TA, Karmakanic) than the last 3-4 TFK albums as far as the overall sound goes. Besides that, though, I think it's a lot better than half of their albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 06, 2013, 11:45:51 AM
I don't know if I would say it was more of the same, but it definitely had a lot of that classic TFK thing going on.  Overall, Banks of Eden is very consistent, and I can turn it on and enjoy everything on it, but it was their second CD in a row that failed to have a single song that made me think, "This is one of their best songs ever."  That is why I cannot call it one of their best when albums like Paradox Hotel, Stardust We Are and Retropolis are just as consistent, but also are filled with songs that DO make me think, "This is one of their best songs ever."
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 07, 2013, 11:27:06 PM
Per Roine on FB earlier today:

Just finished tracking session at Fenix studio Sweden for a new Flower Kings album. For release early Oct. Progadelic Baby !

 :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: adace on April 07, 2013, 11:49:04 PM
Per Roine on FB earlier today:

Just finished tracking session at Fenix studio Sweden for a new Flower Kings album. For release early Oct. Progadelic Baby !

 :tup :tup
Damn, that's soon! Looking forward to it!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 08, 2013, 10:07:32 AM
Well, that is still six months away, so it's not that soon. ;)  But it should be interesting to see what they do next. Based on Roine's comments, I am hoping they get a little out there and experimental instead of going with the all-out prog like they did on the last two records.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: MoraWintersoul on April 08, 2013, 10:22:48 AM
I am hoping they get a little out there and experimental instead of going with the all-out prog like they did on the last two records.
Gotta love how experimental and prog aren't synonyms anymore :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 08, 2013, 10:34:31 AM
Maybe a better way to put it would be to say that I hope they get more experimental outside of the symphonic rock window. ;)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on April 09, 2013, 02:54:24 PM
Studio report from Hasse, posted today:
https://www.myspace.com/hassefrobergandthemusicalcompanion/blog/546826858

I hope they play some new stuff when I see them next month. I like Banks of Eden, but it's nice to see them doing something different.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 09, 2013, 10:46:18 PM
Hard not to get excited after reading that.  And I'm definitely glad to hear they are all contributing, as that ups the chances of it being a diverse CD. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 10, 2013, 11:51:34 AM
Even though it is not a real TFK album, Roine's The Flower King solo album needs more love.  Sure, the title track is great, and many rave over Humanizzimo (and both are great), but the songs I visit the most on that record are Dissonata, The Magic Circus of Zeb (Roine's best guitar song ever!!) and The Pilgrims Inn.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on April 10, 2013, 12:32:14 PM
Great update!

I like The Flower King. I certainly treat it like a Flower Kings album. I think it's second only to Back In The World as far as the pre-Stardust albums go, with Retropolis third.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 10, 2013, 12:35:09 PM
I definitely like Retropolis more than BITWOA (Retropolis is a top 5 TFK record, in my book), but the latter is still very good and one helluva debut record.
 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: drew512 on April 10, 2013, 12:47:06 PM
Even though it is not a real TFK album, Roine's The Flower King solo album needs more love.  Sure, the title track is great, and many rave over Humanizzimo (and both are great), but the songs I visit the most on that record are Dissonata, The Magic Circus of Zeb (Roine's best guitar song ever!!) and The Pilgrims Inn.

Seconded. I absolutely adore this album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on April 10, 2013, 01:36:57 PM
Even though it is not a real TFK album, Roine's The Flower King solo album needs more love.  Sure, the title track is great, and many rave over Humanizzimo (and both are great), but the songs I visit the most on that record are Dissonata, The Magic Circus of Zeb (Roine's best guitar song ever!!) and The Pilgrims Inn.

Seconded. I absolutely adore this album.
I do too. There's a lot of great music on it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 10, 2013, 02:11:23 PM
I remember when I first got into that record; I played it non-stop literally for weeks!  I think it is one of Roine's best non-TFK records, along with the three Transatlantic records, Kaipa's Keyholder and the first Tangent album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on April 30, 2013, 11:55:03 AM
So I'm sitting here listening to my mixed-together version of "I Am The Sun", at exactly 25:24 in length, and it got me wondering...how would you guys rank TFK's side-length epics? I'm only counting the ones that are between 18-27 minutes long, so no "Garden Of Dreams" or "The Truth Will Set You Free" (mostly because they would likely end up in the top of many fan's lists anyway).

These are the songs for consideration in the rankings:
Humanizzimo*
Stardust We Are
I Am The Sun
Devil's Playground
Love Supreme
Driver's Seat
Monsters & Men
Love Is The Only Answer
Numbers

*Technically a Roine Stolt solo album song, but TFK have played it live, and many fans still count The Flower King as the band's first album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 30, 2013, 12:06:08 PM
I think we've done this before, but I'll play again:

1. I Am the Sun
2. Stardust We Are
3. Devil's Playground
4. Monster and Men
5. Driver's Seat
6. Love Supreme
7. Numbers
8. Love Is the Only Answer

Humanizzimo is not a TFK song (kind of like how DT playing LTE songs in the past doesn't make them DT songs).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on April 30, 2013, 01:35:47 PM
Fans who claimed BOE was "more of the same" will hopefully see this as a more experimental TFK. I hope they really pull out all the stops, broaden their scope, and release something that is totally out of left field, like UTF, following SR and TR, it was definitely quite a bit different, and not just because it was their longest album.

I'm looking forward to new TFK later this year or early next year!

New DT, TFK and TA all within 6 months of each other. AMAZING! :tup

-Marc.


Honestly, for me, they could release BOE II and I'd be thrilled.  I've still got it in regular rotation. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on May 07, 2013, 02:54:42 PM
Did anyone else see them in Pennsylvania this weekend? I saw them on Friday night, and they were great despite Roine being sick. I'm not sure what was wrong (I'm assuming a bad cold or something) but he was apparently bed-ridden and didn't fly to the States until the morning of the show. For portions of the show, he sat in a chair playing, à la Robert Fripp. The rest of the guys were excellent and I believe Hasse covered some of his vocals. When Roine did sing, he sounded alright to me. Previously, I wasn't a big fan of Hasse's vocals all that much, but I loved his voice live. Tomas Bodin and Jonas Reingold were unsurprisingly awesome and a lot of fun to watch. The setlist was great, and  I know that the new album isn't seen as one of their best, but Numbers and Rising The Imperial were fantastic live.

The sound at the show was great, especially the drums. The were very clear and prominent in the mix and they didn't sound muddy at all. It was an all-around great show and it made me ever more excited for the next album!

On another note, I'm listening to Paradox Hotel right now for the first time. Monsters and Men is phenomenal!! I also picked up Unfold The Future, which I also didn't have. Now I just have to get Flower Power, Adam & Eve, and The Sum of No Evil to complete their studio album discography.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on May 07, 2013, 04:42:23 PM
Wow.

I checked out DVD 1 of Meet the Flower Kings over the weekend, and I think my brain is still recovering.  I knew they had some long songs, but three songs on the entire disc (actually only two, with a break between "Garden of Dreams" part 1 and part 2)?

I have Blockbuster Online and basically my queue is loaded up with DVDs and Blu-rays of concert vids, whatever I can find.  I manage the queue online, but when they finally come, it's just the disc in a printed envelope, and half the time you can't read what's printed on it.  I was therefore unprepared for this.

Anyway, I have a new band to check out.  And apparently 22 pages of this thread to read as well.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mindflux on May 07, 2013, 07:36:30 PM

Anyway, I have a new band to check out.  And apparently 22 pages of this thread to read as well.

I feel you. I picked up Roine Stolt's "The Flower King" due to some positive reviews on here (I think?) and now, I've got a LOT of TFK history to listen to and catch up on.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: yeshaberto on May 07, 2013, 10:26:29 PM
Just finished their set here in LA, warming up for neal morse and both of us were blown away.  Great live band
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on May 08, 2013, 08:13:37 AM
Whenever they come within reasonable driving distance of me, I go and see them.  Lucky for me, when they tour the New England area, I'm friends with the promoter who arranges the gigs, so I've had the chance to attend their pre-show sound check a few times and hang with the band before and after they go on stage.  They're a pretty cool group of dudes.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on May 08, 2013, 08:29:55 PM
Just finished their set here in LA, warming up for neal morse and both of us were blown away.  Great live band
I was kind of surprised that they didn't add any more US dates, but I guess the Transatlantic recording sessions got in the way. I could imagine that the NM/TFK shows would sell well, especially with the addition of Portnoy.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: yeshaberto on May 08, 2013, 10:37:42 PM
Unfortunately this one was barely half full
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 08, 2013, 10:56:56 PM

I was kind of surprised that they didn't add any more US dates, but I guess the Transatlantic recording sessions got in the way. I could imagine that the NM/TFK shows would sell well, especially with the addition of Portnoy.

I think you are overestimating the draw of all of them in the U.S.  Neither TFK nor Neal as a solo artist draw well at all here in the States (Roine has said in the past that TFK often loses money when they tour here), and Portnoy probably isn't gonna bring in anyone who wouldn't have gone to the show anyway. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ariich on May 09, 2013, 02:14:25 AM
I think we've done this before, but I'll play again:

1. I Am the Sun
2. Stardust We Are
3. Devil's Playground
4. Monster and Men
5. Driver's Seat
6. Love Supreme
7. Numbers
8. Love Is the Only Answer

Humanizzimo is not a TFK song (kind of like how DT playing LTE songs in the past doesn't make them DT songs).
This is almost my exact ranking, I think I'd probably just swap the top 2 around. :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on May 09, 2013, 07:26:08 AM

I was kind of surprised that they didn't add any more US dates, but I guess the Transatlantic recording sessions got in the way. I could imagine that the NM/TFK shows would sell well, especially with the addition of Portnoy.

I think you are overestimating the draw of all of them in the U.S.  Neither TFK nor Neal as a solo artist draw well at all here in the States (Roine has said in the past that TFK often loses money when they tour here), and Portnoy probably isn't gonna bring in anyone who wouldn't have gone to the show anyway.


Yeah, unfortunately, they don't draw many fans in the US.  The most I've seen at any of the 4 shows I've seen them at was when I saw them a the Three Rivers Prog Festival in Pittsburgh a few years back.  When I've seen them as the only band or with a local opener in smaller venues the crowds have been in the 50 to 75 range, tops
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: bobs23 on May 09, 2013, 07:49:59 AM
At the LA show on Tuesday I would be surprised if there were 400 people there. It's a real shame, as both bands kicked some major ass. The Transatlantic encore was a nice treat.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on May 09, 2013, 08:00:22 AM
At the LA show on Tuesday I would be surprised if there were 400 people there. It's a real shame, as both bands kicked some major ass. The Transatlantic encore was a nice treat.

On one hand they deserve more, but really, they pull far better than most prog-rock bands who actually try and make a go of things in the states.

Oh, and Hasse is awesome! After TFK show Friday night he basically just hung around with fans all Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night before leaving for the Philly show Sunday.

(https://www.nickeh.com/images/ros02.jpg)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on May 09, 2013, 02:06:25 PM

I was kind of surprised that they didn't add any more US dates, but I guess the Transatlantic recording sessions got in the way. I could imagine that the NM/TFK shows would sell well, especially with the addition of Portnoy.

I think you are overestimating the draw of all of them in the U.S.  Neither TFK nor Neal as a solo artist draw well at all here in the States (Roine has said in the past that TFK often loses money when they tour here), and Portnoy probably isn't gonna bring in anyone who wouldn't have gone to the show anyway.
Wow, I know they don't draw huge crowds, but I thought they'd at least break even. Its pretty sad that a band like them has to lose money to play here.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: ColdFireYYZ on May 09, 2013, 02:08:39 PM
At the LA show on Tuesday I would be surprised if there were 400 people there. It's a real shame, as both bands kicked some major ass. The Transatlantic encore was a nice treat.

On one hand they deserve more, but really, they pull far better than most prog-rock bands who actually try and make a go of things in the states.

Oh, and Hasse is awesome! After TFK show Friday night he basically just hung around with fans all Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night before leaving for the Philly show Sunday.

(https://www.nickeh.com/images/ros02.jpg)
I'm pretty sure I saw you a few times last weekend!

I met Hasse at the signing table and thanked him for a great show, but I didn't talk to him anywhere else. I saw him walking outside the theater but I felt a little funny approaching him.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 09, 2013, 11:39:06 AM
I've probably said this before, but I'll say it again, The Flower King has to be one of the best prog albums made since 1980. It's such a fun record, and some of Roine's most powerful performances.

Also, I don't know if it's been mentioned here, but Roine announced on his Facebook recently:
"Next week - a Mellotron from early 70's arrives @ Casa Stolt. More vintage to come then......btw. The TFK album is recorded on real reel to reel tape machine. Release Oct 2013."

!!!  :omg:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on June 09, 2013, 01:59:41 PM
I watched Disc Two of Meet the Flower Kings (DVD) a couple of times over the past few days.  Man, those guys are amazing.  I know the albums aren't wall-to-wall epics like that, but still, putting together and playing all those long, complex tunes is incredible.

I have mixed feelings about the concert footage being broken up by the "behind the scenes" stuff.  Usually I just want to play the concert and immerse myself.  But with The Flower Kings, I usually need a break after each song anyway.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on June 24, 2013, 07:04:11 PM
Saw this at the TFK message boards:

Quote
Directly from Roine:

The Symphonic piece is just waiting - still asleep - morphing but as time goes - things may get better.
Or hopefully I realize it is crap before I release it………...or maybe it's genius.

Time is what I need - I've been woking solid for more than a year.

Future plan: TFK new album first - then TA album - then AoM DVD editing & mix - then TFK reissues (Vinyls) then TFK DVD from Banks Of Eden 2012 & NealMorse/TFK tour 2013.

Then……maybe Sympho piece …or new AoM, once Steve Hackett release our singer from Genesis bondage.
Then maybe …….wait , we're well into 2014.

Let's hope we're all alive.

Roine.

TFK ON VINYL!!! I don't even OWN a vinyl player and I WANT these... if the finished products look beautiful, like great colored vinyl and beautiful gatefold jackets, then I am SOLD. Of course, all the Double CDs will likely end up being Quadruple LPs...so it'll get pricey, but I WILL SAVE MY PENNIES IF I HAVE TO!

Also, more DVDs and live stuff, and of course, new TFK and TA next year. MAN... Roine's been busy and will continue to do so through 2014!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on June 24, 2013, 09:34:14 PM
I don't even own a record player, but if Flower Power gets released on vinyl, I am buying it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on June 25, 2013, 08:27:53 AM
I'm curious about thatsymphonic piece. It's NOT on the new TFK album but something else? Either way I'm excited
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on June 25, 2013, 05:52:38 PM
I'm curious about thatsymphonic piece. It's NOT on the new TFK album but something else? Either way I'm excited

IIRC, he's been working on that for YEARS... I think since the Paradox Hotel days. He's had a lot of projects come and go since then, like 3rd World Electric and Agents Of Mercy, so it's been on the back burner for a very long time.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nihil-Morari on June 27, 2013, 01:42:25 AM
I'd love me some TFK vinyl. Just as I'm starting to complete my CD discography of them. Oh well...  :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 14, 2013, 06:04:35 PM
Check out this instrumental, previously unreleased track from 2005 (the band put it up on facebook):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UaZIFmQg5VA

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on July 14, 2013, 08:38:16 PM
Cool stuff! :tup

I like the goofy vocals.  Roine has cited Zappa as an influence, and you can really hear it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on August 21, 2013, 08:02:50 AM
Sounds like the new TFK record will be called Desolation Rose and is due out in late October.  wOOt!!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: darkshade on August 24, 2013, 08:02:22 PM
Oh yea!!! I'm more excited to see the cover art and if it will top Banks of Eden, which I felt was the best art out of all the TFK albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: SomeoneLikeHim on September 11, 2013, 04:44:30 AM
NEWS : THE FLOWER KINGS – reveal release of new studio album ‘Desolation Rose’ late October.

Swedish progressive-rock royalty The Flower Kings have had a busy year since regrouping in 2012 for the ‘Banks Of Eden’ album, and with a new creative vigour the band are following that with the fantastic new album ‘Desolation Rose’ due out on 28th October 2013.
The artwork, once again created by Silas Toball, can be viewed above and the band had this to say about the forthcoming release:

"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)

The track-listing for the album is as follows:
1 Tower ONE 13:39
2 Sleeping Bones 04:16
3 Desolation Road 04:00
4 White Tuxedos 06:30
5 The Resurrected Judas 08:24
6 Silent Masses 06:17
7 Last Carnivore 04:22
8 Dark Fascist Skies 06:05
9 Blood Of Eden 03:12
10 Silent Graveyards 02:52

Earlier this year, The Flower Kings embarked on a very special tour alongside Neal Morse & Mike Portnoy to celebrate InsideOutMusic’s 20th Anniversary, playing to sold out crowds across Europe and the US.

Look out for more information and videos in the coming weeks!
Pre Sale start soon at The Flower Kings web shop:
www.flowerkings.se


For more information visit:
www.flowerkings.se
https://www.facebook.com/TheFlowerKings
https://www.reverbnation.com/theflowerkings
https://www.myspace.com/cosmiclodge

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1237151_657190240973017_507379119_n.jpg)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on September 11, 2013, 08:49:18 AM
Yeah, Baybay!!  :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on September 11, 2013, 11:17:32 AM
Wow, their 2nd consecutive studio album that is under 60 minutes (not counting bonus tracks)!  Interesting.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on September 11, 2013, 11:23:36 AM
I didn't even notice that.  I saw some longer songs and some shorter ones.  But with The Flower Kings, even though they can crank out a lot of music, it's still about quality over quantity, and they haven't let me down yet.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 11, 2013, 01:56:40 PM
I was kind of surprised by the track lengths, but I'm always down for some new stuff from these guys.  Hope they tour in my area again.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Shadow Ninja 2.0 on September 11, 2013, 01:59:06 PM
Cover art is really nice.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: SomeoneLikeHim on September 11, 2013, 02:01:06 PM
Cover art is really nice.
I agree, still not the best cover for a prog album coming out in october. ;D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Shadow Ninja 2.0 on September 11, 2013, 02:02:34 PM
Um, I'm drawing a blank here. Which cover are you referring to?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mindflux on September 11, 2013, 02:04:17 PM
Um, I'm drawing a blank here. Which cover are you referring to?

The one a few posts up?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: SomeoneLikeHim on September 11, 2013, 02:06:18 PM
Um, I'm drawing a blank here. Which cover are you referring to?
The new Ayreon album! :metal
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on September 11, 2013, 02:08:02 PM
..I saw some one longer songs and some shorter ones.  But with The Flower Kings, even though they can crank out a lot of music, it's still about quality over quantity, and they haven't let me down yet.

noticed the same. I got some lofty expectations for this one.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Shadow Ninja 2.0 on September 11, 2013, 02:42:22 PM
Um, I'm drawing a blank here. Which cover are you referring to?

The one a few posts up?

...no.

Um, I'm drawing a blank here. Which cover are you referring to?
The new Ayreon album! :metal

Oh, duh. :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on September 12, 2013, 04:30:08 PM
I was kind of surprised by the track lengths, but I'm always down for some new stuff from these guys.  Hope they tour in my area again.

The track lengths are interesting, and they haven't had this many varied lengths since their first two proper albums (BITWOA and Retropolis), but there's only one 10+ minute song, and again, the longest track on the album opens it.

I cannot wait to hear this, although I never really fully connected with BOE when it came out - then again, I didn't fully connect with PH when it came out, but TSONE was an instant love for me. I guess I'll be spinning BOE in October in preparing for the next album, DR.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on September 13, 2013, 08:28:12 AM
I didn't even notice that.  I saw some longer songs and some shorter ones.  But with The Flower Kings, even though they can crank out a lot of music, it's still about quality over quantity, and they haven't let me down yet.

They haven't let me down yet either, in the sense of releasing an album that was a major disappointment, but it is interesting to note that since I became a fan in the latter part of 2000, they have only released two albums that I loved to death fairly immediately on release:

The Rainmaker: liked it when it came out, but definitely came off as not as good as everything else prior to it.
Unfold the Future: was pretty nutty over this when it came out, although I now probably only love about half of it.
Adam & Eve: was somewhat of a disappointment; it grew on me a lot over time, and now I like it a lot.
Paradox Hotel: loved it when it came out; still love it. My 2nd favorite.
The Sum on No Evil: was majorly underwhelmed by this; still am. It is solid, but by far their least impressive record to date.
Banks of Eden: thought it was very good upon release, but, aside from when I first got it, never really went through a stage where I couldn't stop listening to it.  Very good effort, but still lacking that little extra something.

Here's hoping this new one is an ass-kicker. :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on September 13, 2013, 09:09:00 AM
I came to The Flower Kings relatively recently (via Transatlantic), and because they have so much music out there, I really haven't gotten to know the individual albums, let alone songs, very intimately.  I tend to pick an album, put it on, and let it go.  Really, to me, it all sounds great.  If I dig more into it, I'm sure I'd find songs I like more than others, and albums I like more than others, and some I like less than others as well.

But honestly, right now, I think "I'll put on some Flower Kings" and do exactly that, and I'm good with it.  They haven't let me down yet.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mosh on September 13, 2013, 09:23:41 AM
I came to The Flower Kings relatively recently (via Transatlantic), and because they have so much music out there, I really haven't gotten to know the individual albums, let alone songs, very intimately.  I tend to pick an album, put it on, and let it go.  Really, to me, it all sounds great.  If I dig more into it, I'm sure I'd find songs I like more than others, and albums I like more than others, and some I like less than others as well.

But honestly, right now, I think "I'll put on some Flower Kings" and do exactly that, and I'm good with it.  They haven't let me down yet.
That's actually why I can't really get into these guys. It's all good, but I can't get to know any of their stuff, the same way I've gotten to know albums by the classic prog albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on September 13, 2013, 11:18:10 AM
To me, TFK have always been a band who makes ALBUMS, not songs. I mean, sure, yes they make songs, they have tracks on their albums, but the experience of the album is so much greater taken as a whole rather than as songs. This doesn't mean they don't have great SONGS, although usually those happen to be their epics like "Stardust We Are", "The Truth Will Set You Free" or "Love Is The Only Answer". But they have some songs that stick out, particularly ones from Paradox Hotel, which was a more song-based album anyway.

TFK's albums are just better taken as wholes, and even though nearly half of their albums are double-CD length, they're still amazing taken as a whole. Like what you guys said, I doubt I could name songs and tracks off many of their albums, but they haven't made an album I truly disliked. Sure, there are some like The Rainmaker or Adam & Eve that I didn't really get INTO, but there's still some great moments on those albums (both, oddly, are single albums).

They're a different beast than, say, Spock's Beard, who write albums full of songs, where you can listen to them out of context from the album, but more or less, with TFK, there's just something better about the songs when listened to in context of the whole album. I don't know what it is, but they're like a REALLY good deli sandwich - with all the right ingredients, as good as some of them may be individually, they're SO MUCH TASTIER when taken all together in ONE BITE. And when you FINISH that sandwich, it is just SO satisfying, especially the double albums (which, I guess if we're talking subs, they'd be the foot-longs).

Bands like Dream Theater or Spock's Beard or Marillion make albums full of songs that aren't (typically) needed to be heard all in one go, and I like that about THOSE bands. They're more like chips, in regards to lunch foods, albeit different flavors of chips. But you know what you're usually getting each time you get a new bag of chips, and as a whole, the bag is great! You may get one or two chips that aren't as good as the rest, but you know they're all good, just more or less the same across the board.

Then we get a band like Transatlantic, which, just happens to be a full meal of sandwich AND chips, and you just can't help but want more even though you're stuffed by the end of it.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 13, 2013, 12:09:20 PM
Hasse Fröberg has a couple of "solo" albums out.  Both are worth checking out. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Ben_Jamin on September 13, 2013, 12:22:59 PM
Can't wait for preorder....

Haha I'm waiting for three preorders...Live at Luna Park, DR, and Ayreon.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mindflux on September 13, 2013, 01:48:31 PM
Just got an email from Radiant records that they'll have a FK preorder soon with special offers.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mindflux on September 17, 2013, 03:13:08 PM
From Radiant:

The nefarious Mister Stolt and his Swedish cronies have done it again! Roine's been hard at work for the first part of the summer on this great new cd, which I'm sure all of the Flower Kings fans are going to really like. We're going to be selling them at Radiant and we'll start taking pre-orders pretty soon. The first 50 pre-orders will get a signed Flower Kings post card along with their cd. The release date is October 28.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on September 17, 2013, 05:08:17 PM
From Radiant:

The nefarious Mister Stolt and his Swedish cronies have done it again! Roine's been hard at work for the first part of the summer on this great new cd, which I'm sure all of the Flower Kings fans are going to really like. We're going to be selling them at Radiant and we'll start taking pre-orders pretty soon. The first 50 pre-orders will get a signed Flower Kings post card along with their cd. The release date is October 28.

Signed Post Card?!? UGH!!! NEAL/RADIANT!!! You're killing me with your pre-order specials... I'm waiting to see if Reingold Records will have anything special, as they sometimes do with signed discs/booklets/digipaks, but the post card might be nice, too!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mindflux on September 21, 2013, 12:14:56 PM
THE FLOWER KINGS - "DESOLATION ROSE" - Mediabook LTD edition version 2 x CD .
Swedish progressive-rock royalty The Flower Kings have had a busy year since regrouping in 2012 for the ‘Banks Of Eden’ album,
and with a new studio album ‘Desolation Rose’ due out on 28th October 2013.
The artwork, once again created by the gifted Silas Toball.
"Being somewhat of a political statement, the 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.


1 Tower ONE 13:39
2 Sleeping Bones 04:16
3 Desolation Road 04:00
4 White Tuxedos 06:30
5 The Resurrected Judas 08:24
6 Silent Masses 06:17
7 Last Carnivore 04:22
8 Dark Fascist Skies 06:05
9 Blood Of Eden 03:12
10 Silent Graveyards 02:52

Bonus Disc:
1. RUNAWAY TRAIN 6:30
2. INTERSTELLAR VISITATIONS 2:26
3. LAZY MONKEY 2:26
4. PSALM 2013 2:05
5. THE WAILING WALL 3:20
6. BADBEATS 5:20
7. BURNING SPEARS 3:15
8. THE FINAL ERA 2:58

SHOP at : www.flowerkings.se
Price: 22 euro Free shipping
Price: 30 usd Free shipping
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Ben_Jamin on September 21, 2013, 12:39:11 PM
Of course ordered the mediabook. I feel like I have to listen to this because that is one good concept.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mindflux on September 21, 2013, 12:44:31 PM
Of course ordered the mediabook. I feel like I have to listen to this because that is one good concept.

I'm not even sure I know what a media book is.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mindflux on September 21, 2013, 12:55:24 PM
Here's an interesting blip from their page about the Vinyl+CD package

Quote
Be aware that ALL customers outside of Europe pay a total of 50 US Dollars - We know it is steep, but shipping is insanely expensive shipping from Sweden, A bit of consolation may be that YES - you can get it signed. Just give us notice when you purchase.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: pain of occupation on September 22, 2013, 01:45:06 PM
anyone see that new interview with roine? pretty good read. and it also contains a nugget that should perhaps put the debate to rest: roine apparently considers The Flower King to be a The Flower Kings album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mindflux on September 23, 2013, 08:12:52 AM
sound snip from new album

https://soundcloud.com/pale-rider-1/flower-kings-desolation-rose


Also preorder is up on Radiant with signed postcard:

https://www.radiantrecords.com/default.aspx

Not sure when it went up though.. *Edit: Got the email a minute after I posted this.  :rollin
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on September 23, 2013, 09:34:42 AM
anyone see that new interview with roine? pretty good read. and it also contains a nugget that should perhaps put the debate to rest: roine apparently considers The Flower King to be a The Flower Kings album.

Hmmm, interesting. I mean, I guess I consider it a TFK album in the same way that DT's Majesty Demos are a DT 'album', or are DT songs. They're like proto-DT, or in Roine's case, proto-TFK. But the band and press and reviewers and other such places have referred to their discography starting with BITWOA, so their newest album would be counted as number 12 (Hey, guess who else just released their 12th album? lol).

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on September 23, 2013, 09:42:27 AM
anyone see that new interview with roine? pretty good read. and it also contains a nugget that should perhaps put the debate to rest: roine apparently considers The Flower King to be a The Flower Kings album.

Why would that put the debate to rest?  This isn't like, "DT says that Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is one song, so therefore it is."  The Flower King was released as a Roine Stolt solo album, and it very much sounds like a solo album considering it is very guitar-driven, and good luck finding a TFK record as guitar-driven as it.

sound snip from new album

https://soundcloud.com/pale-rider-1/flower-kings-desolation-rose

I wonder if it is a bad sign that those clips did absolutely nothing for me.  :(
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on September 23, 2013, 10:44:06 AM
Roine considers it an album by The Flower Kings.  That's cool.  And there are some arguments to support that.

Unfortunately, fans generally do not have the same criteria as the artists themselves.

I noted the words "should" and "perhaps" in your statement, though.  This is just one of those things that will never be settled, because different people have different criteria.  There's a similar debate going on at the YesFans forums regarding the Anderson-Bruford-Wakeman-Howe album, whether or not it counts as a Yes album.  It is included in the Discography on the band's official site, which would seem to settle the debate (perhaps), but the fact is that it doesn't say Yes on the cover, and four former Yes members playing on the album doesn't make it a Yes album.

The Flower King is officially a Roine Stolt solo album.  To many people, that alone means that it is not a Flower Kings album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on September 23, 2013, 03:34:47 PM
Roine considers it an album by The Flower Kings.  That's cool.  And there are some arguments to support that.

Unfortunately, fans generally do not have the same criteria as the artists themselves.

I noted the words "should" and "perhaps" in your statement, though.  This is just one of those things that will never be settled, because different people have different criteria.  There's a similar debate going on at the YesFans forums regarding the Anderson-Bruford-Wakeman-Howe album, whether or not it counts as a Yes album.  It is included in the Discography on the band's official site, which would seem to settle the debate (perhaps), but the fact is that it doesn't say Yes on the cover, and four former Yes members playing on the album doesn't make it a Yes album.

The Flower King is officially a Roine Stolt solo album.  To many people, that alone means that it is not a Flower Kings album.

Conversely, while Porcupine Tree's debut album, On The Sunday Of Life, is largely a Steven Wilson solo album with a fake-band-name on it, people consider it the band's first album, while the first album to really feature the full band didn't occur until later. For some, something as superficial as having the band's name on the album is enough to count it as a part of the band's given discography, even though in the case of OTSOL, it wasn't even a band effort, just SW and some guests, but that's about it.

Then again, there's always personal discographies, which I tend to do myself for plenty of bands like TFK and PT and DT, where I include these debatable albums and EPs and such.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nick on October 08, 2013, 10:52:20 AM
Short notice, but if anyone has any pressing questions for Roine post them up, as I'll be interviewing him tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on October 08, 2013, 11:09:13 AM
Once and for all, what is the correct way to pronounce your first name?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nick on October 08, 2013, 11:13:00 AM
Once and for all, what is the correct way to pronounce your first name?

:lol I will ask him that, but it will be before the interview. So I will say it as best I can however he tells me!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on October 08, 2013, 11:21:51 AM
That's a good plan.  But remember to report the results back here.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on October 08, 2013, 12:41:16 PM
Roy-nuh.

That has been made clear on various occasions.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nick on October 08, 2013, 12:42:04 PM
That's what I thought, but whenever I interview someone I check with them just to be sure.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 08, 2013, 01:19:16 PM
That sample sounded exactly the way I expected it to sound  :tup     :corn
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on October 08, 2013, 01:37:18 PM
Roy-nuh.

That has been made clear on various occasions.

Yeah well unless he tells me personally, it's just hearsay.  :P
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on October 08, 2013, 02:06:52 PM
BTW, I'm listening to The Rainmaker right now, kinda forgot about it because it get such bad reviews, but this really is a great album. I agree it lacks an I Am The Sun-calibre song, but I'm at City of Angels right now, and there's not a moment I haven't enjoyed.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ariich on October 08, 2013, 02:14:07 PM
BTW, I'm listening to The Rainmaker right now, kinda forgot about it because it get such bad reviews, but this really is a great album. I agree it lacks an I Am The Sun-calibre song, but I'm at City of Angels right now, and there's not a moment I haven't enjoyed.
Yeah I really dig it as well, very nice album! :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: senecadawg2 on October 08, 2013, 02:30:38 PM
Yeah, Rainmaker and Space Revolver are the only two FK albums I own and I was surprised to see it generally regarded as one of the bottom tier albums, given that it was my early favorite of the two. As of now, I regard them as relatively equal.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on October 08, 2013, 02:33:43 PM
Yeah, Rainmaker and Space Revolver are the only two FK albums I own and I was surprised to see it generally regarded as one of the bottom tier albums, given that it was my early favorite of the two. As of now, I regard them as relatively equal.

Space Revolver is actually my favorite of their albums  :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: senecadawg2 on October 08, 2013, 02:51:02 PM
Where should I go next?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ariich on October 08, 2013, 03:36:49 PM
Paradox Hotel, definitely!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: SomeoneLikeHim on October 08, 2013, 04:20:28 PM
Roy-nuh.

That has been made clear on various occasions.
As a swede, I can confirm. Although I would say it's more like Roy-neh.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: senecadawg2 on October 08, 2013, 05:10:09 PM
Paradox Hotel, definitely!

So I'm listening on Spotify right now.

I like it a lot, particularly the three song run of Lucy Had a Dream, Bavarian Skies, and Self-Consuming.

It is reaaally looooong though, and a lot to take in on one listen.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on October 08, 2013, 05:51:43 PM
Paradox Hotel, definitely!

So I'm listening on Spotify right now.

I like it a lot, particularly the three song run of Lucy Had a Dream, Bavarian Skies, and Self-Consuming.

It is reaaally looooong though, and a lot to take in on one listen.

Heh, it's not even the longest of their 4 full double-albums! Wait til you get to Unfold The Future - it STARTS with a 31 minute epic! :tup

PH is great, though, and while it took me years to actually 'get it' (as in, have it click with me), it was worth the wait. The song-writing is top-notch and each piece, while unique from those around it, works with the whole album to create a magnificent total work.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nick on October 16, 2013, 07:28:21 AM
My interview got pushed back a week, but I just finished it up, and can Roine talk! I was afraid I had too few questions prepared, but not the case. Also, there will be a fun drinking game with this one, and it won't be for what I say for once!

Have to leave now to get some things done and visit the dentist, but hope to have this available for you guys late this afternoon.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: nikatapi on October 16, 2013, 07:30:39 AM
Hey guys, last Friday i did an interview with Roine Stolt, he's a great guy and very interesting to talk to.
You can read the interview here if you want https://www.rocking.gr/interviews/en/The-Flower-Kings-interview-Roine-Stolt/17634/ (https://www.rocking.gr/interviews/en/The-Flower-Kings-interview-Roine-Stolt/17634/)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on October 16, 2013, 08:10:53 AM
I feel like I'm the only guy here who didn't get to interview Roine Stolt.  :(
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nick on October 16, 2013, 02:09:53 PM
https://www.wpapu.com/int014.html

My interview. :)

I feel like I'm the only guy here who didn't get to interview Roine Stolt.  :(

I asked Roine why not, he said he's afraid of tigers.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on October 16, 2013, 02:11:00 PM
It figures.  But I'm starting to get used to that.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on October 17, 2013, 10:11:52 AM
Roine posted this on facebook, a lyric video for one of the new songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-AGdlyoR5A

I love the way it started, with the piano and all, but I have to admit that I was dismayed when the vocals came in and I realized that Froberg was doing them instead of Roine.  This is the type of song where Roine usually does them and make the song that much better because of it.  Sadly, and I am not sure why, but I just can't get that much intro Froberg's voice that much anymore.  Even when listening to the old TFK stuff, I almost always go for the songs that Roine sings (or is the dominant singer). 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Ben_Jamin on October 17, 2013, 01:26:01 PM
Great song. The music fits the subject quite nicely. Do I sense this going into the next song?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Ben_Jamin on October 22, 2013, 12:48:42 PM
I received Desolation Rose yesterday. First reaction, great album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on October 22, 2013, 03:04:33 PM
I received Desolation Rose yesterday. First reaction, great album.

Where dud you order from? I pre-ordered from TFK's own web store so I hope mine comes in this week!

-M.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Ben_Jamin on October 22, 2013, 05:13:03 PM
I received Desolation Rose yesterday. First reaction, great album.

Where dud you order from? I pre-ordered from TFK's own web store so I hope mine comes in this week!

-M.

From their webstore, got it signed by Roine.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 23, 2013, 10:24:54 AM
Yeah, that's where I ordered from too.


I love the new song, vocals and all  :)


Haven't received my copy of the CD yet
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on October 23, 2013, 11:36:12 AM
I received Desolation Rose yesterday. First reaction, great album.

Where dud you order from? I pre-ordered from TFK's own web store so I hope mine comes in this week!

-M.

From their webstore, got it signed by Roine.

Got mine in the mail yesterday! The packaging is glorious! Still haven't listened to it but I will today, I am sure!!! Cannot wait to dive right in to it!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Ben_Jamin on October 24, 2013, 01:03:15 AM
I'm enjoying the name of the album

 Desolation ROSE, by The FLOWER Kings.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on October 24, 2013, 06:15:01 AM
I received Desolation Rose yesterday. First reaction, great album.

Where dud you order from? I pre-ordered from TFK's own web store so I hope mine comes in this week!

-M.

From their webstore, got it signed by Roine.

Got mine in the mail yesterday! The packaging is glorious! Still haven't listened to it but I will today, I am sure!!! Cannot wait to dive right in to it!

-Marc.

What version did you get Marc?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on October 24, 2013, 09:40:16 AM
I received Desolation Rose yesterday. First reaction, great album.

Where dud you order from? I pre-ordered from TFK's own web store so I hope mine comes in this week!

-M.

From their webstore, got it signed by Roine.

Got mine in the mail yesterday! The packaging is glorious! Still haven't listened to it but I will today, I am sure!!! Cannot wait to dive right in to it!

-Marc.

What version did you get Marc?

Got the signed 2-CD mediabook limited edition. It's really well done, nice and thick, and with beautiful artwork.

Besides, it's not a TFK album if it isn't 2 discs!  :rollin

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on October 24, 2013, 10:09:09 AM
I received Desolation Rose yesterday. First reaction, great album.

Where dud you order from? I pre-ordered from TFK's own web store so I hope mine comes in this week!

-M.

From their webstore, got it signed by Roine.

Got mine in the mail yesterday! The packaging is glorious! Still haven't listened to it but I will today, I am sure!!! Cannot wait to dive right in to it!

-Marc.

What version did you get Marc?

Got the signed 2-CD mediabook limited edition. It's really well done, nice and thick, and with beautiful artwork.

Besides, it's not a TFK album if it isn't 2 discs!  :rollin

-Marc.

Well, I went to the TFK site to check if that edition was still available, and for 22 euro's and free shipping I couldn't say no. Thanks for the heads up! I probably would've bought the regular single disc edition in a cd shop for at least 18 euro's if it wasn't for your message  :D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on October 24, 2013, 11:20:54 AM
Well, I went to the TFK site to check if that edition was still available, and for 22 euro's and free shipping I couldn't say no. Thanks for the heads up! I probably would've bought the regular single disc edition in a cd shop for at least 18 euro's if it wasn't for your message  :D

No problem! I love supporting TFK through their web store, and getting the LTD set was a no-brainer for me, and getting it SIGNED was an awesome bonus! Hope you enjoy yours when you get it in! I've spun a bit of it now and it's really good! I'm hoping it sticks more than BOE did for me last year. I'll probably spin both as the weeks go along, and try to give BOE a second chance at hitting me, then seeing where DR goes.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 24, 2013, 01:44:36 PM
Got my signed Limited Edition Media Pack thingy in the mail yesterday.  I've listened to both discs once so far.  Bonus disc has some pretty cool stuff on it along with the main album.


Only one listen so far, way too early to comment on it either way, but it sounds very promising.



Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Mindflux on October 24, 2013, 07:51:08 PM
Got my copy from Radiant today with the signed postcard by Roine.  Sweet.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 25, 2013, 08:37:55 AM
I've listened twice now.  Good album.  Most definitely a grower that will require the *PRAT.














*PRAT = Prog Rock Acid Test - a term coined by PapaJim Harrell which refers to the process of giving an album multiple listens before deciding how good/bad it might be.  Many prog rock albums do not sound very good upon first listen and require repeated listens to truly appreciate.  The best albums grow on you as you listen more.  So, the term PRAT was used a great deal back around the time when Spock's Beard were at the height of their popularity (V-era)....once the term was coined by PapaJim, everyone on the Spock's Beard forum (a ghost town these days  :(  ) would defer commenting on any new music until they had subjected it to "The PRAT"







Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on October 26, 2013, 02:09:52 AM
I've listened twice now.  Good album.  Most definitely a grower that will require the *PRAT.


*PRAT = Prog Rock Acid Test - a term coined by PapaJim Harrell which refers to the process of giving an album multiple listens before deciding how good/bad it might be.  Many prog rock albums do not sound very good upon first listen and require repeated listens to truly appreciate.  The best albums grow on you as you listen more.  So, the term PRAT was used a great deal back around the time when Spock's Beard were at the height of their popularity (V-era)....once the term was coined by PapaJim, everyone on the Spock's Beard forum (a ghost town these days  :(  ) would defer commenting on any new music until they had subjected it to "The PRAT"

 :lol Let's bring that back!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on October 26, 2013, 11:42:10 AM
I didn't know that there was a term for it, but it's a principle that does apply often.  The whole point of prog is to push boundaries, do things outside the norm, but at the same time, there has to be enough familiar elements for our brains to latch onto.  The ratio is different for everyone, and will vary from piece to piece as well.

The first several times I listened to "Close to the Edge" by Yes, that intro was just cacaphony.  It was so "out there" that I couldn't grasp it.  Eventually I realized that it was in fact just in 4/4, and I could hear patterns in it, tonalities, then finally actual melodies became apparent.  Now, it's just a bit of music played by four guys.  Four amazing guys, but I can get my brain around it.

Prog is often like that.  At first, maybe too weird to register as "good".  Your brain is still trying to making heads or tails of it.  Then at some point you "get" it.  That doesn't automatically make it good, but at least you feel like you're in a position to make that judgement.  There's still a lot of music that I don't like, but I have to admit that I just don't get it, or maybe it's just not for me so I can't say whether it's good or bad.  I just don't like it (yet?)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on October 27, 2013, 05:05:29 AM
I didn't know that there was a term for it, but it's a principle that does apply often.  The whole point of prog is to push boundaries, do things outside the norm, but at the same time, there has to be enough familiar elements for our brains to latch onto.  The ratio is different for everyone, and will vary from piece to piece as well.

The first several times I listened to "Close to the Edge" by Yes, that intro was just cacaphony.  It was so "out there" that I couldn't grasp it.  Eventually I realized that it was in fact just in 4/4, and I could hear patterns in it, tonalities, then finally actual melodies became apparent.  Now, it's just a bit of music played by four guys.  Four amazing guys, but I can get my brain around it.

Prog is often like that.  At first, maybe too weird to register as "good".  Your brain is still trying to making heads or tails of it.  Then at some point you "get" it.  That doesn't automatically make it good, but at least you feel like you're in a position to make that judgement.  There's still a lot of music that I don't like, but I have to admit that I just don't get it, or maybe it's just not for me so I can't say whether it's good or bad.  I just don't like it (yet?)

Exactly, great example too. That intro is weird, but gets more understandable after a number of listens. Prog songs can be greatly complex too, with a lot of movements, and that's something too you just have to get to know about a song. I remember the first time I listened to The Truth Will Set You Free (the TFK song), and I really forgot what song I was listening to. Now everything connects, themes return and get revisited, and it's one amazing song, instead of half an hour of music.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 28, 2013, 03:33:05 PM
Anyone else who has this new album from The Flower Kings getting a sort of "old school Flower Kings" vibe from it?  This album, the way it's structured, the way the songs sound and flow and just the overall mood of the album really reminds me of the "Stardust We Are" era of the band...
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on October 28, 2013, 03:59:52 PM
Anyone else who has this new album from The Flower Kings getting a sort of "old school Flower Kings" vibe from it?  This album, the way it's structured, the way the songs sound and flow and just the overall mood of the album really reminds me of the "Stardust We Are" era of the band...

I do get a sort of SWA/FP-era feel from this album, but a lot of it is a good mix of TFK sounds from across their discography. It's a good balance, and I find myself spinning it more on release week than I did with BOE when it came out.

I am planning, however, to listen to BOTH BOE and DR, just to see how BOE has held up, and because I feel like I never gave it the attention it needed last year when it was new. It's also nice to have 2 albums back-to-back by the same band. TFK was/is quickly becoming the new Yes in terms of constantly changing personnel.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ariich on October 29, 2013, 07:56:57 AM
On my first listen, and it's nice stuff so far. As is always the case with TFK it'll name a number of listens to soak it all in, but I like what I'm hearing so far. Just finished White Tuxedos, nice song!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on October 29, 2013, 12:13:05 PM
The first few listens of this were rather disappointing for me (probably because of my usual  :( reaction whenever I hear Froberg since instead of Roine :lol), but I am starting to like Desolation Rose a lot now.  The flow is definitely very nice, I like the recurring "silent graveyards" vocal melody, and there is a lot of tasty guitar work and dazzling piano lines.  Favorite songs so far are Tower One (love those unison lines with the guitar and piano in the middle of the song), Sleeping Bones, The Resurrected Judas and Dark Fascist Skies.  The Silent Masses struck me at first as another Starlight Man - great verse sang by Roine; weak chorus sang by Froberg - but the chorus is growing on me.

However, unlike Banks of Eden, where the songs on the bonus disc seemed to be as strong as the songs on the main disc, that is not the case here.  The exception being that all of the instrumentals on the bonus disc are really good.  I find it odd that they regulated all of the instrumentals to the bonus disc.  Most of the songs with vocals on the bonus disc strike me as being pretty average thus far, especially Lazy Monkey, which is a rare case of me not like the way Roine is singing, although that goofy ass vocal melody would be hard for most vocalists to pull off. :lol

But overall, this CD is sounding very good. :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ariich on October 29, 2013, 12:15:48 PM
However, unlike Banks of Eden, where the songs on the bonus disc seemed to be as strong as the songs on the main disc, that is not the case here. 
Agreed. I pretty much treat Banks of Eden as a double album, whereas I can't see myself doing that here. The main album is very strong though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 29, 2013, 02:15:37 PM
I've only listened to the bonus disc once so far.  Can't really make a call on that.


But the main CD is great.  I think I might even like it better than Banks of Eden, too early to say for sure though

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nekov on October 30, 2013, 09:22:46 PM
Only one listen so far but I can say it's the album I've enjoyed the most on the first listen by these guys.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on October 31, 2013, 11:36:09 AM
This just in:

(https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1395407_594756080572771_849527656_n.jpg)

Great so far, I love the ending of Tower One, I am at White Tuxedos now, wonderful!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on October 31, 2013, 01:08:31 PM
I am kind of torn on White Tuxedos.  I love the musical vibe, and the vocal melodies in the verses are pretty neat, but I am not sure how much I love the chorus; it sounds a bit weird and clunky, for now. But it could just be that I am initially thrown by them having a chorus that isn't as lush and melodic as usual.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 31, 2013, 01:14:56 PM
Oh, man, I love "White Tuxedos"


"You black-hearted bastard!"



Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on October 31, 2013, 01:21:39 PM
To clarify, while I said I was torn on it, I am not saying I don't like it; I am just liking many of the others more right now.  But it's still early. 

The Wailing Wall from the bonus disc is definitely all kinds of awesome, and I swear, I had the melody from Burning Spears in my head all last night.  That's impressive when the melody from an instrumental can get stuck in your head like that.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 31, 2013, 01:28:48 PM
You'll chuckle at this, Kevin, but lately I've found myself liking Roine's vocals more than Hasse  :lol


What the hell is happening to me?  ???    :justjen   :facepalm:    :eek    :P 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on October 31, 2013, 01:32:01 PM
Sounds like you are wising up. :P :hat

But jokes aside, Froberg's voice appears to have lost some power.  I have noticed when he hits some major notes on this record, his voice doesn't sound as full, almost like its hoarse.  Granted, it has always had that kind of quality to it, but it appears to be more prevalent now.  But hey, aging takes its toll, right?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 31, 2013, 01:38:24 PM
Yeah, power vocalists like him very often lose some of the oomph in their voices when they get to be in their late 40's and beyond.  They should write songs in slightly lower keys so he doesn't have to strain so much.  I still like the way he sounds for the most part (hell, I bought all of his solo material!) but yeah, you can tell he's a bit tired now.


Meanwhile, Roine still sounds about the same as he did 10 years ago, and his voice has really grown on me a lot in the last few years.  :tup   It's very unique.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ariich on October 31, 2013, 03:14:51 PM
I like Hasse's voice a lot, but Roine's has a beautiful quality to it. Different strengths between the two of them, and I've always felt they compliment each other really well.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on November 01, 2013, 11:58:00 AM

Meanwhile, Roine still sounds about the same as he did 10 years ago, and his voice has really grown on me a lot in the last few years.  :tup   It's very unique.

Well, it only took you around 12 years to come around to what I used to say on the old Spock's Beard forum. ;) :lol :biggrin:

I like Hasse's voice a lot, but Roine's has a beautiful quality to it. Different strengths between the two of them, and I've always felt they compliment each other really well.

They do, but I think the band could be just as awesome, if not moreso, if Roine still did all of the vocals.  Hell, look at how awesome Retropolis is as a whole, and Roine does 95% of the lead vocals on that record.  Same goes for the Garden of Dreams suite, where Roine sings every section except for the title track.  In a way, I think it was better when he was writing songs that were geared towards his own voice, as I think he sometimes now writes songs and sections that he knows will be meant for Hasse.  Froberg didn't really become a regular co-lead singer till the early 00s, and many would argue that the bulk of their best stuff is in those first four albums (all from the 90s), myself included.  In fact, I remember getting The Rainmaker, which was the first new TFK record after I became a fan, in 2001 and was shocked when the first song featured Froberg singing lead, as before then, he was, to me, merely the guy who did the occasional lead vocal, and now here he was leading off the record with a lead vocal. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on November 01, 2013, 12:13:18 PM
Also, I think Roine has taken the online chatter about their double albums being too padded to heart too much, and I think that is why he made the last two albums one-disc regular releases (with a bonus disc).  And both of those albums aren't like The Sum of No Evil, where the bonus tracks were all just okay; the bonus disc from both Banks of Eden and Desolation Rose have some of the strongest material from either record.  But I think the criticism made Roine, who doesn't always react well to stinging criticism, even if he does take it to heart, go for more concise, single releases. 

Look at Desolation Rose again: all of those really cool instrumentals were seemingly just thrown on the bonus disc, while the main disc does not have a single instrumental.  That is quite a contrast to an album like Stardust We Are, which has a 20-minute stretch on Disc 1 where there is nothing but instrumentals (four straight, with one being an intro to another, two regular-type instrumentals, and then a short transitional instrumental).  That kind of stretching out made an album like Stardust We Are that much more awesome, as it is very sprawling in scope.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on November 02, 2013, 10:24:39 PM
Really cool interview with Roine Stolt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2lpsplUb4w

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on December 24, 2013, 11:06:22 PM
Many listens of Desolation Rose later, I like it a lot and think it is very good, but like Banks of Eden, cannot call it great.  But that is okay; not every album is gonna be a 5-star one.  And while there really isn't a single song from the last two albums I would call one of their best, nearly every song ranges from enjoyable to very good.  Yay for consistency. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on January 05, 2014, 03:14:48 AM
I really really like Desolation Rose. I think it's their best since Adam and Eve, or even Unfold The Future. I love the way certain themes reoccur during the album, binding songs together. I've nearly only listened to it while driving, so I can't even say where songs end, and others begin, it's really an album imo.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on January 10, 2014, 09:32:21 AM
So I was looking at progarchives and noticed that TFK's last two albums happen to be their highest rated, and the only two, other than their first album, to have a score higher than 4.00...I mean, it's a BIT odd, but I guess it's good for TFK and their fans (and critics) if they can come back from a 5 year hiatus and put out two of their highest rated albums out. Not many bands could come back from a break like that and knock it out of the park like they have.

Personally, though, I'm still trying to warm up to BOE and DR as I still find myself still wanting to spin TSONE, PH or UTF more than their last two albums. I guess because they're still so "new" to me that they haven't really sunk in, but I did spin both the other day and I'm feeling a little more familiar with them now.

I still kind of wish DR has it's instrumental bonus tracks mixed in with the album like they did in the old days - do some lyrical pieces, then instrumental ones, all mixed in together.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on January 10, 2014, 12:58:54 PM
So I was looking at progarchives and noticed that TFK's last two albums happen to be their highest rated, and the only two, other than their first album, to have a score higher than 4.00...I mean, it's a BIT odd, but I guess it's good for TFK and their fans (and critics) if they can come back from a 5 year hiatus and put out two of their highest rated albums out. Not many bands could come back from a break like that and knock it out of the park like they have.

Personally, though, I'm still trying to warm up to BOE and DR as I still find myself still wanting to spin TSONE, PH or UTF more than their last two albums. I guess because they're still so "new" to me that they haven't really sunk in, but I did spin both the other day and I'm feeling a little more familiar with them now.

I still kind of wish DR has it's instrumental bonus tracks mixed in with the album like they did in the old days - do some lyrical pieces, then instrumental ones, all mixed in together.

-Marc.


The last two albums have been great.  In fact, I rate their last three albums, The Sum of No Evil, Banks of Eden and Desolation Rose pretty highly.  TSONE is my favorite album from this band, period.  But I'd probably rate their studio albums like this:



[AWESOME]
01 - The Sum of No Evil
02 - Banks of Eden
03 - Desolation Rose


[EXCELLENT]
04 - Space Revolver
05 - The Rainmaker
06 - Flower Power


[VERY GOOD]
07 - Unfold The Future
08 - Stardust We Are


[GOOD]
09 - Back In The World of Adventures
10 - Paradox Hotel


[MEH]
11 - Adam & Eve
12 - Retropolis




 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on January 10, 2014, 01:08:38 PM
I don't put a lot of stock in those ratings over at PA, simply because a lot of their early albums had their ratings tainted by collaborators who hated the band and gave them terrible reviews, thus knocking the cumulative scores down (since their ratings are given a ton more weight to the overall rating than normal fan ratings).  It looks like those specific collaborators aren't doing that anymore.  Plus, if you read the gigantic Flower Kings thread over there, or check out the TFK yahoo mailing list, while the last two albums have been fairly well-liked by fans, you'd never get the impression that most think either are among their best, so, while focusing on just the fans who post could be considered anecdotal, as opposed to the higher number of reviewers who give ratings, I simply do not buy that the fanbase as a whole thinks the last two albums are their two best albums, like the deeply-flawed PA rating system would have us believe.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nick on January 10, 2014, 03:53:22 PM
Kirk... wah? Sum of No Evil is *easily* one of their worst albums. As bad as a hiatus was, the blandness of that album at least made it bearable. Glad they were able to recharge the batteries and have come back with some great stuff since though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on January 10, 2014, 05:23:56 PM
Kirk... wah? Sum of No Evil is *easily* one of their worst albums. As bad as a hiatus was, the blandness of that album at least made it bearable. Glad they were able to recharge the batteries and have come back with some great stuff since though.

I dunno - I kind of agree with Kirk here. It's pretty good, especially with the bonus tunes added in, it's a solid 95-minute album with a good side-long epic and some nice shorter tunes. Dare I say, I like it more than A&E and TR as far as single albums go. It's not AS great as BITWOA or Retropolis (which are just classics IMO), but it's nearly up there. They managed to recapture that classic sound but it give a stronger, heavier twist in some parts while still being reminiscent of their old days.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on January 12, 2014, 08:11:37 AM
I'm with Nick here (how often do I say that? :lol).  While the last two albums aren't as great as most of the early stuff or Paradox Hotel, they are both far better than The Sum of No Evil, which I would say is their least best/worst album to date.  It's not bad; it's just not that great.  Of course, fans' opinions are all over the map when it comes to a lot of their albums, but for me, TSONE is by far the TFK album I got back to the least.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on January 13, 2014, 12:28:44 PM
ya, we are an all over the place group of fans. kirk's two "meh" albums are both in my top 3.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on January 13, 2014, 12:32:50 PM
A big reason why I enjoy A&E a lot, despite a few average tunes, is the sound of it.  The drums sound incredible, and the bass is so thick and warm; it's a very organic-sounding record.

And Retropolis is totally awesome. :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: kirksnosehair on January 13, 2014, 12:52:59 PM
Kirk... wah? Sum of No Evil is *easily* one of their worst albums. As bad as a hiatus was, the blandness of that album at least made it bearable. Glad they were able to recharge the batteries and have come back with some great stuff since though.

I dunno - I kind of agree with Kirk here. It's pretty good, especially with the bonus tunes added in, it's a solid 95-minute album with a good side-long epic and some nice shorter tunes. Dare I say, I like it more than A&E and TR as far as single albums go. It's not AS great as BITWOA or Retropolis (which are just classics IMO), but it's nearly up there. They managed to recapture that classic sound but it give a stronger, heavier twist in some parts while still being reminiscent of their old days.

-Marc.


Yeah, it's just a taste thing I guess.  I don't feel compelled to skip any tracks on the last three albums.  On every other disc they have, there are songs I skip.  I guess I'm one of those people who doesn't really like any of those noodling transitional tracks.  I prefer the way they released the last three albums.  One concise, solid prog album start to finish, then a disc of odds and ends from the writing sessions.  Based on how their albums are getting rated lately, I'd say that's probably a fairly common view.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on January 13, 2014, 03:25:12 PM
Kirk... wah? Sum of No Evil is *easily* one of their worst albums. As bad as a hiatus was, the blandness of that album at least made it bearable. Glad they were able to recharge the batteries and have come back with some great stuff since though.

I dunno - I kind of agree with Kirk here. It's pretty good, especially with the bonus tunes added in, it's a solid 95-minute album with a good side-long epic and some nice shorter tunes. Dare I say, I like it more than A&E and TR as far as single albums go. It's not AS great as BITWOA or Retropolis (which are just classics IMO), but it's nearly up there. They managed to recapture that classic sound but it give a stronger, heavier twist in some parts while still being reminiscent of their old days.

-Marc.


Yeah, it's just a taste thing I guess.  I don't feel compelled to skip any tracks on the last three albums.  On every other disc they have, there are songs I skip.  I guess I'm one of those people who doesn't really like any of those noodling transitional tracks.  I prefer the way they released the last three albums.  One concise, solid prog album start to finish, then a disc of odds and ends from the writing sessions.  Based on how their albums are getting rated lately, I'd say that's probably a fairly common view.

Funny you bring up how their last 3 albums have been a single disc of concise stuff with the "extras" tossed on the bonus disc, but when TSONE came out, and I was huge in to making re-done tracklists for my car's TFK CD-r copies, I made TSONE a 2-disc album, with both discs clocking in at about 45 minutes each, opening with "Love Is The Only Answer", then going in to the four shorter tracks. The second disc opens with "One More Time", the continues with the rest of the album as originally ordered. It has a great flow and I love opening with an epic (a la "Monsters & Men", "The Truth Will Set You Free", and after the fact, "Numbers").

At least for BOE, I could put all the tracks on one CD-r, but the latest one just can't be bothered with to fit the bonus tracks into the main album, especially since there aren't any strategic track breaks - they almost all segue in to each other! Ah well, it sounds great either way.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 04, 2014, 11:28:11 AM
Listening to Desolation Rose again the other day, it really stood out to me how boring some of Froberg's vocal parts are.  And I am not sure it is his fault; they are just lazy melodies.  Take Tower One.  Good song, with a fantastic middle section (around 6:30 to 10:50 is totally awesome), but that main melody Froberg sings early in the song and then later in the song is just not a grabber.  Same thing with the chorus in The Resurrected Judas.  Both of those are really good songs that have some really boring choruses, sung by Froberg, that kind of keep them from being great.  And again, I am not even sure that is his fault; the melodies themselves just aren't overly interesting.  It makes me wonder if Roine specifically writes melodies with Froberg in mind instead of letting them just come out, and then sorting it out later (meaning, who will sing what).

Those instrumentals are the bonus disc are all dynamite, though. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: darkshade on February 04, 2014, 11:45:16 AM
Most of the TFK ratings on Prog Archives are skewed from ratings and reviews made 9-10 years ago, up til 2007 or so. During the hiatus, I think they were gradually appreciated more, especially after The Whirlwind came out. Another reason I think the ratings are like that, is that the band's albums are a growers, but the last albums have had better flow, so the transition tracks being part of the bonus disc allowed the listener to feel like they're listening to one long piece.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 04, 2014, 11:52:36 AM
Yeah, the new album has a great flow.  It is easy to turn it on, and before you know it, it's over.  It's a very enjoyable listen, from start to finish.  But, like Banks of Eden, it just doesn't have any songs I would call one of their best.

But honestly, I think most of their albums flow really well, especially the early ones like Stardust We Are, Retropolis, Flower Power Disc 1, and even Unfold the Future.  The "transitional" tracks on Stardust We Are, along with the recurring themes that are heard here and there, make the flow on that record that much better.  And I love the dark nature of the 2nd half of Disc 1 on Paradox Hotel, as we get four darker songs in a row before waking up to End on a High Note.  The flow of that whole 33-minute plus section is immaculate. :facepalm: :facepalm:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Xersiz on February 06, 2014, 11:35:22 AM
Last two albums are definitely better than most of their work, i just gave my 2 hours and listened Unfold The Future and there is nothing remarkable except Devil's Playground and maybe Genie in a Bottle (yeah,i'm including The Truth Will Set You Free). Numbers in "Bank of Eden" is a  far superior musical piece than their famous 20+ epics.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 06, 2014, 12:27:27 PM
I don't know, I think Silent Inferno is pretty awesome, too.  But I agree that UTF really only has a couple of truly great songs (The Truth... is not one of them). 

Numbers is quite good, but as great as I Am the Sun, Stardust We Are, Garden of Dreams, or Devil's Playground?  Not in my book.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 06, 2014, 12:37:27 PM
come on, guys, im pretty sure its against thread rules to low-grade UTF.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 06, 2014, 12:42:21 PM
Nope, it's not. 

Unfold the Future is good, but it's not great.  While I like most of Disc 1, Silent Inferno is the only song from it that I revisit much at all.  Even with as much as I like Disc 2, the middle of it kind of wanders off into no-man's land for a bit.  It's good when listening the whole album*, but not as stand-alone songs when randomly picking TFK songs to listen to.

*But who has time to listen to an album that long on a regular basis?  Hell, just trying to get through all of the The Truth... in one sitting is exhausting, and that is the first damn song!! :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 06, 2014, 02:17:12 PM
touché. as much as I spun the hell out the album 18-24 months ago, it was a very rare occasion I played it front to back. in fact, I got to know the album essentially inside out before I ever gave Devil's Playground a second listen...I would enjoy the hell outta the first 5 hours of the album, get to DP and chicken out; just a daunting task to 'learn' another epic at that point. eventually started spinning DP on its own, came to realize I'd been missing out on possibly the best part of the entire album!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 06, 2014, 02:30:47 PM
See now, Devil's Playground was an instant grabber for me.  While many were going bonkers over The Truth Will Set You Free at first, I was like, "Uh, the other epic is miles better." Haha.  And I still think it is.  The Truth... is too long and tedious.  It has some spectacular moments, and the bass playing throughout is pretty sick, but as a whole, it just doesn't work that well for me.

To me, the hidden gem on that record is Too Late for Tomatos (even though it bugs me that they spelled the last word wrong, not adding the 'e' before the 's' when making it plural :lol), which kind of gets lost in being right after a huge epic, similar to how Astral Dog gets overlooked because it is seemingly tacked on to the end of Disc 1 of Flower Power after the Garden of Dreams suite.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 06, 2014, 03:12:42 PM
especially when TLFT is probs the best instrumental on there.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 06, 2014, 10:10:57 PM
True.  I still can't get over how great most of the instrumentals from the Desolation Rose bonus disc are.  Most of those are probably the strongest tracks from those sessions. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 10, 2014, 10:51:51 PM
as i mentioned in the transatlantic thread, ive had kaleidoscope for how(?) long now and still havent dabbled 'much' beyond the covers disc. something to do with being scared of a let down or whatever. well, i went to throw it on about 6 days ago and for some reason (aformentioned being a pussy?) i kinda scrolled past it, i guess looking for something else to trump it, when all of a sudden TFK cathes my eye and i contemplate going with Desolation Rose...confession, the 11ish spins ive given most of the album these past 6 days were thrice how much i'd spun up until last week. it wasnt that i was scared so much as im not quite the TFK fanboy that i am Transatlantic. also didnt help that TFK are more of a spring band, so the release date was a little off.
long story long, this album's killer!  :metal as indicated, ive been obsessed with it this week. i liked BOE, but i really only loved three songs. it appears this be a far more consistent album for me.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 11, 2014, 06:13:13 AM
Just picked up Desolation Rose.  haven't had time to listen yet, but I'll get a good day in after the boss leaves from his visit here.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 12, 2014, 02:09:04 PM
I think the clear standout songs from the main disc are:

Tower One
Sleeping Bones
The Resurrected Judas
Last Carnivore

However, I think the three best songs from the sessions are all instrumentals on the bonus disc:

Interstellar Visitations
The Wailing Wall
Burning Spears
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: King Postwhore on February 12, 2014, 04:00:12 PM
Boss is at work this week so I haven't had a chance but I'm dying to give it a spin.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 20, 2014, 12:33:22 PM
Boss is at work this week so I haven't had a chance but I'm dying to give it a spin.

Update? :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 20, 2014, 12:35:45 PM
Speaking of updates, having gone through a major TFK phase lately, here is my updated album rankings:

1. Flower Power
2. Paradox Hotel
3. Stardust We Are
4. Retropolis
5. Space Revolver
6. Back in the World of Adventures
7. Adam & Eve
8. Banks of Eden
9. Unfold the Future
10. Desolation Rose
11. The Rainmaker
12. The Sum on No Evil
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on February 20, 2014, 12:43:59 PM
Speaking of updates, having gone through a major TFK phase lately, here is my updated album rankings:

1. Flower Power
2. Paradox Hotel
3. Stardust We Are
4. Retropolis
5. Space Revolver
6. Back in the World of Adventures
7. Adam & Eve
8. Banks of Eden
9. Unfold the Future
10. Desolation Rose
11. The Rainmaker
12. The Sum on No Evil

That's a mighty powerful top three you've got there. I'll admit, I haven't given FP enough attention to really love it as much as I feel I should. My top three would be (in no order), PH, SWA and UTF, with FP in fourth...or SR. Not sure.

Either way, I feel like I'll be entering my Flower Kings phase soon enough with Spring approaching.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Perpetual Change on February 20, 2014, 12:56:08 PM
I haven't heard much TFK, but my rankings would probably be

1. Retropolis
2. Adam & Eve
3. Paradox Hotel
4. Banks of Eden

So... where do I go next?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 20, 2014, 01:00:43 PM
Anywhere, but The Rainmaker and The Sum of No Evil, which stand out as easily the two least best.  Both have some good stuff on them, but neither stand out when compared to the rest of what they've put out.

If you want a single album, go with Space Revolver or Back in the World of Adventures.  Or maybe Banks of Eden, which is pretty accessible, as it rocks harder than the average TFK album, and has awesome guitar work all over the place (especially if you factor in the bonus disc).

If you are feeling ambitious and want to dive into a double album, go with Flower Power or Stardust We Are.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: 7deg_inner_happiness on February 20, 2014, 08:13:25 PM
I have a real hard time ranking The Flower Kings albums.  I guess it depends on my mood at the time.  IMO you can't go wrong with any of them; they're all great listens!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on February 24, 2014, 12:02:49 PM
So with the recent burst of Spring-like weather in my area (Maryland/East Coast), the TFK-season has begun!

To start off, I've been rattling around remixed tracklistings for TFK's latest album, Desolation Rose. Like with other albums with bonus tracks (Space Revolver, The Rainmaker and The Sum Of No Evil), I'm trying to turn the album in to, yet another double album.

With so many tracks, and all the instrumental/segue-y pieces relegated to the "Bonus Disc" this go around, I felt like the main disc was missing those interludes, especially with how good they are, so I've taken it upon myself to re-instate them and create a 2-disc album, with each disc at about 45-46 minutes.

And for further old-time-y-ness, I made sure that each disc would feel like an vinyl LP, making sure each chunk of music would fit on a 20-25 minute side of vinyl, so there are four major chunks of music on my version of DR:

Disc 1
Tower ONE
Burning Spears
Lazy Monkey
The Wailing Wall

Dark Fascist Skies
Psalm 2013
Sleeping Bones
Desolation Road
White Tuxedos

Disc 2
The Resurrected Judas
Silent Masses
Last Carnivore
Badbeats

Runaway Train
Interstellar Visitations
Blood Of Eden
Silent Graveyards
The Final ERA


I figured "Psalm 2013" would fit great before "Sleeping Bones" since the former ends with rain/storm sounds while the latter begin with them. Putting "Burning Spears" after the opening epic made sense because the opening lyric references it and the closing chord/notes of "Tower ONE" segue nicely in to the beginning of "Burning Spears". Also, reprising "Burning Spears" from side one is the echo of it in "Paslm 2013", so there's a nice call-and-response on the first disc.

Closing the album with "The Final Era" sounded right, and cross-fading the drum roll in the fading notes of "Silent Graveyards" was easy enough, and it sounded totally natural, too. So after fitting those three bonus tracks in to the main sequence, it was a matter of filling in the rest. I needed shorter tracks to fill in "Side 1", so "Lazy Monkey and "The Wailing Wall" fit the bill. Opening "Side 2" was "Dark Fascist Skies", which seemed to fit better earlier in the album for me, at least, conceptually.

Not wanting to put another 8+ minute track on either Sides 1, 2 or 3, the instrumental "Interstellar Visitations" had to move to "Side 4" before the closing trio of tracks, and with the room left, I opened that side with "Runaway Train". This left "Badbeats", which would fit in at the end of "Side 3". I had originally wanted to open that side with it, but "The Resurrected Judas" just sounded better as an opener for the second disc.

I'm pretty satisfied with this arrangement, but it'll take a week or so of listens to get used to it. Luckily, I didn't burn myself out on the album last fall when it came out. As pain of occupation said, TFK is more of a Spring band, so I think I was subconsciously waiting til now to really give this a decent listen. It's truly a remarkable album, and a good step in the right direction from Banks Of Eden, which was pretty good, especially after a five year hiatus!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 24, 2014, 12:46:17 PM
Both tracks with vocals from the bonus disc are pretty weak.  Lazy Monkey, in particular, is pretty forgettable.  Strange, too, considering how great every bonus track instrumental is.

Banks of Eden has really been growing on me recently, though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on February 24, 2014, 01:25:15 PM
Both tracks with vocals from the bonus disc are pretty weak.  Lazy Monkey, in particular, is pretty forgettable.  Strange, too, considering how great every bonus track instrumental is.

Banks of Eden has really been growing on me recently, though.

Yeah, I could see why those lyrical bonus tracks didn't quite make it to the album, but in the case of any "complete album remix" I've done for TFK, I've included all the bonus tracks related to a studio album, "good" or not.

I'll have to give BOE more attention as well. It kind of got pushed back to the back burner that year. I mean, 2012 had new Rush, Neal Morse, Marillion, and many others, so while TFK had a triumphant return that year, the others still kind of stood out to me. Almost seems unfair in retrospect, but it's not too late to go back and give it the love it needs.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 26, 2014, 11:32:48 PM
Both tracks with vocals from the bonus disc are pretty weak.  Lazy Monkey, in particular, is pretty forgettable.  Strange, too, considering how great every bonus track instrumental is.

Banks of Eden has really been growing on me recently, though.

man i dig Lazy Monkey. short and fun. its kinda been filling in for Agent Supreme a bit lately.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 27, 2014, 08:51:21 AM


man i dig Lazy Monkey. short and fun. its kinda been filling in for Agent Supreme a bit lately.

Huh?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 27, 2014, 06:44:40 PM


man i dig Lazy Monkey. short and fun. its kinda been filling in for Agent Supreme a bit lately.

Huh?

I just haven't been spinning much A&E lately, and miss hearing Agent Supreme...but Lazy Monkey helps me get my short&fun fix.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on February 27, 2014, 06:53:01 PM


man i dig Lazy Monkey. short and fun. its kinda been filling in for Agent Supreme a bit lately.

Huh?

I just haven't been spinning much A&E lately, and miss hearing Agent Supreme...but Lazy Monkey helps me get my short&fun fix.

"Agent Supreme" is from The Rainmaker, specifically the Limited Edition Bonus Disc.

Did you mean "Love Supreme", which is from Adam & Eve?

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 27, 2014, 07:17:13 PM
the Japanese bonus disc of A&E has the 6 songs from The Rainmaker bonus disc, plus three more!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on February 27, 2014, 07:23:49 PM
the Japanese bonus disc of A&E has the 6 songs from The Rainmaker bonus disc, plus three more!

Ahhh, of course. I guess I recognize them more as bonus tracks from The Rainmaker since it came first, and the other three from the Japanese A&E 2-disc edition also came from the Space Revolver era/tour/sessions, so they're SR bonus tracks to me.

But that makes sense now!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 27, 2014, 07:52:39 PM
ya, I guess my way's kinda backwards. I just don't have The 2 disc version of Rainmaker.

I kinda include the bonus disc when claiming A&E as my favorite TFK album. not really fair of me.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 28, 2014, 08:54:52 AM
Except for Harvest Time, which is pretty great, I never did get those bonus tracks from The Rainmaker or Adam & Eve.  And they are impossible to find.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on February 28, 2014, 09:12:31 AM
could Agent Supreme maybe be their most underrated song?!

...i'm crowning it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 01, 2014, 01:03:03 PM
Nah.  I can think of tons of great TFK songs that don't get talked about enough.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on March 01, 2014, 04:24:18 PM
too late, its been crowned.

ok, how bout merry-go-round?
im spinning the fuck out of it lately, but I don't think ive ever seen anyone mention it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on March 01, 2014, 04:42:09 PM
I was listening to Stardust We Are a couple nights ago, and I have to admit my absolute LOVE for the track "Don Of The Universe". Great instrumental track, and it's got some great, soothing moments on it.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: pain of occupation on March 01, 2014, 05:03:52 PM
listened to that song in the presence of my father Don a couple hours ago. it combos quite nicely with the aforementioned merry-go-round.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Mladen on March 02, 2014, 04:28:09 AM
The new album has really grown on me over the last couple of weeks. I probably felt the need to give it another chance because of Kaleidoscope. I like Desolation rose much, much better than the previous two albums. The streak of songs from The Silent masses to Silent graveyards is truly awesome, and Tower one and White tuxedos also have some great moments. Maybe it's time to listen to some of their classic albums, it just depends on my mood and all the other great music out there.  ;D
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 02, 2014, 08:17:19 AM
Pretty much every normal-length song on Stardust We Are slays (and even most of the short "transitional" tracks sound really nice within the flow and context of the album), and The Merrygoround and Don of the Universe are definitely two of my favorites.  I love how Don of the Universe is built around one of the title track's main themes, while having its own identity.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on December 22, 2014, 02:15:16 PM
All's been quiet on the Flower Kings front, but I recently found out that Hasse Froberg & The Musical Companion have a new album in the works, simply titled HFMC. (I guess it's self-titled...kind of?)

Hasse recently updated the band's FB page to reveal that they have been working hard to get it done, but missed their deadline to have it out by their original release date of February 15th (or something close to that). I'd imagine it'll be out in March or April at this point, with pre-orders coming in January or February.

I've been wondering if Hasse would do another album with them so I'm happy that they are. Between this and the new Karmakanic album next year, we're getting two tasty TFK-related albums, I'm sure! I just wish Tomas Bodin would release something new! The last solo-related work he did was with Eggs & Dogs back in 2009, the album titled YOU ARE (a follow-up to his 2005 release I AM), the second part in a planned trilogy. He just needs to make HE SHE IT IS and be done with it!

As for Roine next year, I've heard he's been working on a couple projects, as usual, but he never seems to openly commit to anything until it's nearly done and the press release is out, but I've heard he's got some symphonic stuff sitting around, a guitar-driven album, and something jazzy. Who knows. Another album by 3rd World Electric would be fun to hear, or perhaps one more from Agents Of Mercy.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on December 29, 2014, 07:06:48 AM
A little bit of a shame that TFK don't seem to be doing anything in their 20th anniversary year. Back in the World of Adventures came out in 1995.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on December 29, 2014, 11:47:40 AM
A little bit of a shame that TFK don't seem to be doing anything in their 20th anniversary year. Back in the World of Adventures came out in 1995.

Very sad indeed, although I wouldn't mind a live album. Been awhile since they released one of those, and they've had two studio albums to tour on they could pull from to make a live album. It could be one whole show or a compilation of best songs/recordings. Anything will do.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on January 01, 2015, 08:35:45 AM
Please, no more Agents of Mercy.  I can't stand that nasally voice by that poor man's Peter Gabriel.  Ugh.

As for the 20 years, I'd rather they write some new music, instead of forcing some release just for the hell of it. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on January 30, 2015, 10:41:48 AM
Some updates from the Flower Kings Family Tree:

Quote
'So, the composition part of my new album "She belongs to another tree" is READY!
The rest is about the final touch...small adjustments, fine editing, a.s.o.
All in all there will be 10 songs clocking in around 73 minutes in total.

This time I´ve worked with a LOT of pure analog sounds like the Minimoog, DSI Tetra, Rhodes, DSI Evolver (partly analog). I also have a lot of my sad piano pieces.
Yes I would say this album is the most emotional album I´ve made so far.

I´ve created the soundscapes in a new way. Mostly "handmade" using the analog side together with some assorted pedals. I guess this is the true craftsmanship. Anyway it has been great fun "Absofuckinlutely" to quote my dear friend Felix Lehrmann.

Finally I would like to mention the little concept... everything is more or less related to "The Tree". And talking about trees, the slaughter of the Rain Forrest is still on.

However nevertheless I guess you will be able to get the album in a near future!. It will be released by Reingold Records! More info will come

Here is the final song list:

1 Dried leaves from the sky
2 She belongs to another tree
3 When the Ballerina Fish made her Gum Crawl
4 Damn I was stung by a Zap Goblin
5 The Sloths are never climbing inwards
6 A Drama Queen in a Sky Bar
7 Dancing a tree in a Paranormal Café
8 Tree Top Sunset
9 Night Forrest

10 Bonus - Shelter My Roots

With warmth.
Tomas'

Looks like Tomas has a new album out, but no word on release date or band members involved.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote
Stolt et ses complices vont bientôt s'installer en studio pour concocter un nouveau disque dans l'esprit du progressif symphonique des années 70. Disque qu'ils nous présenteront lors d'un des rares concerts de Kaipa Da Capo.

TRANSLATION: [Stolt and his accomplices will soon settle into the studio to record a new album in the spirit of the 70's symphonic prog, disc that they will present in a rare Kaipa Da Capo concert.]

Source: https://www.terraincognita.quebec/
Quote
Kaipa da Capo will play tracks from Kaipa's classic albums of the 70's plus tracks from their new album that is planned for 2015.

Source: https://www.terraincognita.quebec/english.html

Roine's Kaipa Da Capo (reunion of old Kaipa music) will be releasing a new album, even though the current Kaipa has had new music recently. Double the Kaipa, double the fun!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote
The third studio release from Hasse Froberg (Flower Kings) and his band Musical Companion combines complex Rock energy, strong vocal melodies and majestic Symphonic grandeur.

Containing three 10 minute plus epics and instrumental dexterity galore, HFMC finds Froberg and his band delivering a confident and powerful statement on their Glassville Records debut.

Presented in a three panel digipak.

Pre-order for March 9th release at the special pre-order price of £9.99 GBP.
tracks
1. Seconds (1:47)
2. Can't stop the clock (7:22)
3. Everything can change (5:13)
4. Pages (15:23)
5. Genius (5:48)   
6. In the warmth of the evening (10:42)
7. Something worth dying for (5:31)
8. Someone else's fault (10:14)
9. Minutes (1:08)

The new HFMC album will be out in a couple of months, so fans of the first two albums should definitely look forward to this one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonas Reingold has a new Karmakanic album coming out sometime in the first half of this year, but no other details have been revealed (as far as I know) at this time.

Jonas is also working on a project with Nick D'Virgilio and Randy McStine called The Fringe.
https://www.facebook.com/thefringetrio

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, has anyone else spun Kaipa's Sattyg or the Barracuda Triangle album Electro Shock Therapy? What're your thoughts? I've spun the latter once and it was quite interesting, although I'd need more spins. The former is more of the same of modern-day Kaipa. They're good, but kind of the same after awhile. Both albums definitely need more spins from me.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on January 30, 2015, 07:57:02 PM
I'd be lying if I said I had any interest in solo albums by Reingold or Bodin. 

I like quite a bit of Kaipa's stuff, but they tend to be a band I'll go through a 3-day spurt every two years or so where I listen to nothing but them, and then away they go till two years later again. :lol :lol

The same thing pretty much goes for Karmakanic, with the exception of Entering the Spectra, which is one of my favorite songs ever.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: finn the fisherman on February 27, 2015, 06:04:48 AM
Some interesting news concerning Stolt.Apparently he's touring later in the year with ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett,in his band.Stolt will be playing acoustic guitar,occasional lead guitar and bass! Has R.S.ever played bass live? Looking forward to this in U.K.in October!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on February 27, 2015, 04:13:27 PM
Sadly, Roine will probably make more money as a hired gun on the Hackett tour than he would touring the Flower Kings at this point. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: finn the fisherman on February 27, 2015, 04:52:37 PM
Sadly, Roine will probably make more money as a hired gun on the Hackett tour than he would touring the Flower Kings at this point.

Very true!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on February 27, 2015, 06:31:12 PM
Sadly, Roine will probably make more money as a hired gun on the Hackett tour than he would touring the Flower Kings at this point.

Very true!

While this is VERY true, I hope that he gets some exposure through the Genesis fans/audience that come to see Steve Hackett's concerts. My hope is that fans who have YET to hear about Roine will see him on stage, ask about it, discover that Steve and Roine go back about 6 years and that Steve played with him on Transatlantic on a couple of occasions, and eventually discover The Flower Kings. Once you hit TFK, there's a WHOLE WORLD of Swedish prog that you can branch off from there, even just from current/former TFK members and their solo/side-project albums. It'll be really neat to see if this works in Roine's favor, but either way, congrats to him on joining Steve on their next tour! I hope he releases another live album so we can hear Roine's bass playing! Hell, I still need to get the previous two live Genesis Revisited albums!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: BRGM on March 18, 2015, 11:19:28 AM
Listening to Garden of Dreams, suddenly Dungeon of the Deep comes on and I get a strange urge to listen to Bridges In the Sky   :o
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on March 19, 2015, 02:00:14 PM
Listening to Garden of Dreams, suddenly Dungeon of the Deep comes on and I get a strange urge to listen to Bridges In the Sky   :o

That's strange! I got it after listening to the intro of Last Minute On Earth!  ;)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: seasonsinthesky on September 22, 2015, 06:56:34 PM
So "Devil's Playground" is a 25 minute song without named sections? Do I have that right?

Seems so rare for a prog band! Especially when the other epic on the album has named pieces.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on September 22, 2015, 08:26:45 PM
So "Devil's Playground" is a 25 minute song without named sections? Do I have that right?

Seems so rare for a prog band! Especially when the other epic on the album has named pieces.

They've done plenty of others, including "Numbers" and "Love Is The Only Answer", as well as the side-length epics from Adam & Eve, "Love Supreme" and "Driver's Seat".

And while "I Am The Sun" is split into two parts on Space Revolver, it was more so to book-end the album that way (think DT's "In The Presence Of Enemies" or Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", though both of those did have movements). I do not think the whole song itself (when pieced together is about 25 minutes) had separate named movements, at least lyrically it didn't.

Neal Morse has also, in recent years, released two epics without individual sections or movements with names - "Seeds Of Gold" (from Testimony Two) and "Alive Again" from The Grand Experiment.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: seasonsinthesky on September 23, 2015, 06:32:04 AM
So "Devil's Playground" is a 25 minute song without named sections? Do I have that right?

Seems so rare for a prog band! Especially when the other epic on the album has named pieces.

They've done plenty of others, including "Numbers" and "Love Is The Only Answer", as well as the side-length epics from Adam & Eve, "Love Supreme" and "Driver's Seat".

And while "I Am The Sun" is split into two parts on Space Revolver, it was more so to book-end the album that way (think DT's "In The Presence Of Enemies" or Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", though both of those did have movements). I do not think the whole song itself (when pieced together is about 25 minutes) had separate named movements, at least lyrically it didn't.

Neal Morse has also, in recent years, released two epics without individual sections or movements with names - "Seeds Of Gold" (from Testimony Two) and "Alive Again" from The Grand Experiment.

-Marc.

True, I forgot "Numbers" doesn't either, and it's one of my top favourites!

I wonder if this is indicative of whether or not the epics are pieced together from separate parts or if they are through-composed. Or, alternatively, if they get split by lyrical parts.

Personally, I like having a roadmap (even unnamed ones, like several in "The Same River" by Riverside), and having artist-designated transition times that I can choose to split myself. Sometimes these are obvious but sometimes not – consider the epics on Frances the Mute by The Mars Volta which, while given named sections, don't transition between them in a necessarily linear fashion like is common. And then you get "Cassandra Gemini" split in nearly random spots without a link to the named sections! Such a nightmare because of the people who decided that meant they had to use the section names from both "Miranda" and "Cassandra" to give all the separate tracks a name, despite all of them being part of "Cassandra."
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on September 23, 2015, 05:58:17 PM
It wouldn't surprise me if bands like ELP and Yes gave subsections in long songs back in the day titles so record companies would have spots to put minor grooves in the vinyl, instead of one side of an LP having one song with just the one at the beginning.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on September 23, 2015, 06:32:59 PM
ELP did, but Yes did not.  Part of the coolness factor with a side-long epic was that it took the entire side of an LP, with no breaks either audibly or physically on the medium.

"Tarkus" has seven movements and they're visible on the vinyl.  "Karn Evil 9" has three "impressions" which are true breaks, and the first impression is split across the sides.  "Memoirs of an Officer and a Gentleman" has four named sections, and they're visible on the vinyl.

"Close to the Edge" and "Awaken" have named sections, but the songs are single tracks on the vinyl.  "The Gates of Delerium" and all four "Tales from Topographic Oceans" are single tracks without sections.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on September 24, 2015, 07:02:30 PM
Hmmmm. I never would have looked that all up, so props to you for doing so. :lol :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on September 24, 2015, 09:13:36 PM
(I didn't have to look it up.  The vinyl hasn't changed in 40 years.)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on September 24, 2015, 09:59:10 PM
Damn, and I thought I had a great memory. :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on September 25, 2015, 07:21:31 AM
The record albums I bought in the 70s were the ones I played over and over, and I went through "the ritual" many times.  Slide the record out of the sleeve.  Admire the sheer beauty of the medium.  The smooth blackness of the vinyl, divided, or not, into tracks.  No fingerprints anywhere, ever.  Read the label.  If there's artwork on the label itself, bonus!  Play the album while reading the lyrics on the sleeve or jacket.

You remember what you saw; you remember what you felt.  This is music.  There is nothing greater in all of creation.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 25, 2015, 07:26:59 AM
Behold, the words of the prophet.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on September 25, 2015, 09:10:25 AM
Not sure what happened there, but suddenly I felt the need to go deep.  Really deep.










(https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/Images/300/7961_93965_p1.jpg)


I did mean every word of it, though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 25, 2015, 10:18:45 AM
My post was made with the deepest respect.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on September 25, 2015, 12:10:22 PM
Oh, I understand that, and Thank You.  But I'm pretty much required to respond with false modesty.  I think it's in the rules.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 25, 2015, 12:39:49 PM
But of course.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on September 30, 2015, 01:00:45 PM
Listening to Stardust right now, on vinyl, I love that record.

InsideOut is having a major Vinyl sale, I ordered way too much of it. You guys should check it out. Stardust triple vinyl with 2 cd's for just 19 euros. https://www.insideoutshop.de/Category/I_LOVE_THE_BLACK/202?Page=2 (https://www.insideoutshop.de/Category/I_LOVE_THE_BLACK/202?Page=2)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nihil-Morari on February 09, 2016, 09:51:52 AM
I found a couple of TFK gems in a record shop in Paris. My collection is getting completer, I bought:

The Flower King (that album is way better than I thought it would be!)
Roine Stolt - Wallstreet Voodoo
Tour Kaputt (DVD)

I'm watching the DVD now and apart from the drummer (his style just doesn't really fit the band imo, and you sense that he hasn't been with the band for long) this is a great show.

Anyway, any news of a new record?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on February 09, 2016, 12:47:10 PM
Anyway, any news of a new record?

As far as I know, it's been quiet on the FloKis front for awhile. Jonas has been working on completing the new Karmakanic record, as well as working with Randy McStine and Nick D'Virgilio on The Fringe. Roine has been playing and touring with the Steve Hackett band for awhile, as well as the Kaipa Da Capo 70's line-up, and possibly releasing a new album with that line-up (while the modern Kaipa also still exists). Tomas just released a new solo album not long ago. And Hasse...well, I'm not sure what he's been up to.

I imagine they'll get the itch to write and record a new album this year, as it's been a couple of years now since DR came out, so I'd expect a new album late this year or next year (likely the latter). It also depends on if Transatlantic decide to get back together for TA5, which would delay Roine a bit more.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on July 09, 2016, 09:29:54 AM
Hanging out with a friend last night who is a fellow TFK fan, and after we cranked up a bunch of their turns from his massive playlist of them, several things became even more obvious about Froberg to both of us than even before:

-Most of their best songs feature Roine on lead vocals or at least sharing them to a large extent. Very few songs where Froberg is the primary lead vocalist are ones either of us would call a favorite.  Even ones where he does a fair amount of lead vocals - What If God Is Alone?, End of a High Note, A King's Prayer - feature just as much or more vocals by Roine.

-His voice has declined big time.  Go listen to his singing during the latter half of Rising the Imperial, especially the last two minutes, for example. Any time he tries to take it up a notch or two on the last two albums, his voice sounds very thin and hoarse.  His voice has always been a bit iffy for me, anyway, and it's now reaching the point of being distractingly mediocre. 

I guess this just confirms why the first five albums (before Froberg took on a bigger role vocally) and Paradox Hotel are my favorites, with me largely preferring Disc 1 over Disc 2 (Disc 1 is much more Roine lead vocal-heavy than 2). 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Mosh on July 09, 2016, 10:43:19 AM
I've never considered Roine a good singer, but I've noticed he put more character into his vocals on the earlier Flower Kings/Transatlantic albums, which mostly makes up for it. Nowadays his vocals seem almost like an afterthought. Something being done out of necessity. He still writes solid vocal melodies though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on July 09, 2016, 12:15:51 PM
Yep, he doesn't sing as much as he used to, which may or may not have to do with some criticism he has taken over the years, some of which I know he took to heart.  But nothing can erase that incredible run at the start of the Flower Kings career, which saw Roine doing most of the vocals.  Just look at the amazing epics from the first five albums:

World of Adventures (lead vocals all Roine)
Big Puzzle (lead vocals all Roine)
Stardust We Are (lead vocals by Roine in all of parts 1 and 2, with Froberg doing part 3)
Garden of Dreams (all lead vocals by Roine except for the actual Garden of Dreams song of the suite)
I Am the Sun (all lead vocals by Roine)

 :coolio :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on August 06, 2017, 06:41:14 PM
NEWS FROM THE MOON

There are quite a few wizards behind the ivories in the progressive galaxy –
But there’s only one jedi…

Ladies, gentlemen, droids and whatnots…
The circle is now complete.

Meet the master joining MOON SAFARI:

Mr. TOMAS BODIN

As most of you know, Tomas and Moon Safari go way back.
Back to 2003, as a matter of fact, when he helped us making the first demo
and later co-produced our debut album: A doorway to summer.

MOON SAFARI is really excited to work with TOMAS again.
We’re meeting up next week and will bring you and update then.

Peace! / Moon S

Tomas Bodin The Flower Kings


------

Seems as tho Tomas joined Moon Safari, which feels like another nail in the FloKis coffin. It's been about 4 years since the last album, and Roine hasn't said much about wanting to do another Flower Kings album any time soon. In fact, last I heard, he was working on a follow-up to the first Anderson/Stolt album. Couple that with all the stuff that Jonas has been doing with Karmakanic and The Tangent, it doesn't seem likely that the Flower Kings will return anytime soon, if ever.

I'm not sure what Hasse has been up to, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's got another Musical Companion album in the works (which would be awesome). It's a bit sad that, after 5 years of waiting after The Sum Of No Evil, they pump out only two albums, then go back on hiatus for another 4-5 years. I guess TFK fans were spoiled, getting a new album ever 12-18 months for 12 years straight (95-07), but in the last 10 years, only 3 albums have been released.

I think if Roine wants to close the door on the band, he should probably say so. I always hope that whenever he posts news or I read an interview with him, we get confirmation one way or another, but he seems to dance around the issue. *sigh*

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on August 06, 2017, 08:34:55 PM
I pretty much assumed they were done after another hiatus happened following the mostly disappointing Desolation Rose.  Roine has other outlets for his creativity these days, and there doesn't seem to be any demand anymore for more Flower Kings, even in the tiny circles where people know them.  Oh well, they had a great run.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Mosh on August 06, 2017, 08:37:21 PM
Does Stolt have a main project? Seems like he just floats around like Portnoy. Too bad because I like him best in Flower Kings.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: gazinwales on August 06, 2017, 08:45:44 PM
I read somewhere that he was working on high resolution/5.1 mixes for the deluxe Anderson/Stolt album for release later this year.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on August 06, 2017, 09:02:59 PM
I always considered The Flower Kings his main project.  He just likes to do lots of other stuff, too.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on August 07, 2017, 08:18:38 AM
It's like Porcupine Tree all over again. Why do we even need definitive statements from bands saying that they are done? Why can't they leave the door open for working together again when they want to? And if that turns out to be never, then so be it. None of us know what's down the line.

TFK were one of the most prolific bands of the 90s/00s. Approx. 18 hours of music released in 12 years (1995-2007), including 4 double albums of over 130 minutes each, is a truly remarkable rate of churning out music.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on August 07, 2017, 08:43:26 AM
It's like Porcupine Tree all over again. Why do we even need definitive statements from bands saying that they are done? Why can't they leave the door open for working together again when they want to? And if that turns out to be never, then so be it. None of us know what's down the line.

True, none of us do know, but for some of us, it's nice knowing how the band and its leader feel about said band. An update or two about them would be great every now and then, especially if they intend to keep going. They can definitely leave the door open to work together again, and that's fine, but it'd be nice to know that they are willing to, and want to. Rather, Roine and company have been pretty quiet about TFK in recent years, as far as I know, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of urgency to get them back together after the last two albums. It just feels like Roine (and possibly the others) are done with the band, going into their second 4-5 year hiatus in 10 years. To be honest, this feels worse than Porcupine Tree in my eyes, but at least more than just the frontman/main writer have projects going on, which is good for Jonas and Tomas at least.

If they never intend to come together again, a definitive decision would be nice to hear, and I can accept that they'll never record again and be happy with what we've gotten in the last 22 years. I just dislike the anticipation of waiting for more TFK news when there likely won't be any in the foreseeable future.


TFK were one of the most prolific bands of the 90s/00s. Approx. 18 hours of music released in 12 years (1995-2007), including 4 double albums of over 130 minutes each, is a truly remarkable rate of churning out music.

Oh definitely a hugely remarkable effort. Their prolific-ness was one of their drawing points, and it's not like their music was bad at all. Sure, they had a couple less-than-well-liked albums, but even those sounded great by comparison to other bands at the time, and the performances were always stellar, despite changing line-ups. They definitely helped usher in the "3rd Wave" of prog in the 90's and if it weren't for them, there'd probably be a few less bands doing that kind of music in the 2000's and 2010's.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on August 07, 2017, 06:55:28 PM
I always considered The Flower Kings his main project.  He just likes to do lots of other stuff, too.

This.

I read somewhere that he was working on high resolution/5.1 mixes for the deluxe Anderson/Stolt album for release later this year.

I pray the second album is far more memorable than the first, which wasn't bad, but just very forgettable.  Definitely one of the biggest disappointments ever for me, given the two main guys involved.

It's like Porcupine Tree all over again. Why do we even need definitive statements from bands saying that they are done? Why can't they leave the door open for working together again when they want to? And if that turns out to be never, then so be it. None of us know what's down the line.

TFK were one of the most prolific bands of the 90s/00s. Approx. 18 hours of music released in 12 years (1995-2007), including 4 double albums of over 130 minutes each, is a truly remarkable rate of churning out music.

Great points. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on October 26, 2017, 02:02:10 PM
Just got this email from Burning Shed. Considering that I only own 2 of these, this is a purchase for me. One is Unfold The Future and the version in this set is not the one I have. The price is right.

(https://burningshed.com/image/cache/data/The%20Flower%20Kings/kingsflower-300x300.png)


Burning Shed Page (https://burningshed.com/store/InsideOutMusic/the-flower-kings_a-kingdom-of-colours-1995-2002_boxset)

A lavish 10cd set collecting all the Flowers Kings’ studio albums from 1995-2002.
 
From the splendour of 1995’s Back In The World Of Adventures onwards, Roine Stolt and his band have created an ambitious Symphonic Rock imaginatively railing against the trends of the day.
 
Includes the 2017 remastered and remixed version of Unfold The Future, liner notes and an interview with Roine conducted by Dom Lawson (The Guardian, Prog Magazine).
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: goo-goo on October 26, 2017, 02:26:52 PM
Does it say if it will include booklets? I've seen other collections like this from Redemption and James LaBrie solo but I do not know if they have booklets either. Maybe somebody can chime in if one of you guys own the Redemption or JLB collection set?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on October 26, 2017, 02:39:22 PM
Found this blurb from the product page on the Inside Out Shop website:

"Featuring a brand new interview with Roine Stolt (done by Dom Lawson / Prog Magazine, The Guardian) and liner notes, plus a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity making it also a collectible release"

Not entirely helpful, but it mentions liner notes.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on October 26, 2017, 05:41:33 PM
Does it say if it will include booklets? I've seen other collections like this from Redemption and James LaBrie solo but I do not know if they have booklets either. Maybe somebody can chime in if one of you guys own the Redemption or JLB collection set?

So I have the box that Inside Out put out for Anneke Van Giersbergen a year or two ago. The Discs are in cardboard sleeves with the front and back artwork. Then there is a booklet that is essentially all of the liner books for all of the albums in one cohesive booklet.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Ben_Jamin on October 26, 2017, 06:42:47 PM
Does it say if it will include booklets? I've seen other collections like this from Redemption and James LaBrie solo but I do not know if they have booklets either. Maybe somebody can chime in if one of you guys own the Redemption or JLB collection set?

So I have the box that Inside Out put out for Anneke Van Giersbergen a year or two ago. The Discs are in cardboard sleeves with the front and back artwork. Then there is a booklet that is essentially all of the liner books for all of the albums in one cohesive booklet.

Thats what I figured it'd be. Thats convenient though.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on October 27, 2017, 08:42:17 AM
I own the Beardfish set. The five discs are in wallets with the artwork on them, and there is a single booklet which contains all the original booklet artwork and lyrics for each album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: goo-goo on October 27, 2017, 09:08:54 AM
I hope this set comes like this with all the album booklets into one.

Thanks for the heads up guys!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: seasonsinthesky on October 27, 2017, 09:15:34 AM
Inside Out made a more in depth post about it on Instagram:

Quote
The collection will also include the newly remixed and remastered version of ‘Unfold The Future’, which will be issued on vinyl for the first time on the 3rd November 2017 in a gatefold triple 180g vinyl package (include the album on double CD). Stolt comments: “For this re-release I have carefully remixed “The Truth Will Set You Free”, “Devil’s Playground” and “Black & White” - it wasn’t easy to find, or even remember, where all files resided. These remixes (more than one hour worth of music) are, as I see it, more detailed and better balanced - where I found this album to be painfully brutal, overly compressed and rough in the original 2002 mix, at times.” The entire album has been also remastered in 24bit/96khz, features liner notes from Stolt and still is a highly diverse stylistic journey that now can be rediscovered in its ultimate edition.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on December 09, 2017, 11:33:12 AM
Amazon has a nice profile picture of the box. They also have it down to $48. Got my copy ordered.

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81pAJlt3kpL._SL1500_.jpg)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on December 09, 2017, 09:44:42 PM
Wow, that's a great price for this set!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nel on December 10, 2017, 11:38:03 PM
Think I'll order it. I only have the most recent three studio albums and this seems like a great way to boost my collection.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: goo-goo on December 11, 2017, 09:39:03 AM
So the boxset doesn't include ALL of the studio albums?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: darkshade on December 11, 2017, 09:49:26 AM
I own all TFK studio albums, so there isn't much reason for me to get this, and I'm not a collector/completist beyond owning the studio albums.

However, I see there is a remixed version of Unfold the Future. This frustrates me because this is at least the third mix of the album that has been released that I know of. I know of one from back in the day when I had a "free" copy. When I bought the album, it included an extra track at the end of disc 2, Too Late For Tomatoes, and the mix sounded different, and many of the tracks segued into each other. I recall hearing The Truth Will Set You Free and immediately noticing that the music starts right away, as opposed to what I was used to which was a fade-in; I also recall a part during the song was played by a different instrument that what I had heard previously. I haven't been able to find a copy of UtF that has what I assume is the original mix, they all have the TLFT "bonus" track. I wonder if this new mix is like the one I described.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on December 11, 2017, 10:19:22 AM
So the boxset doesn't include ALL of the studio albums?

Only the first 7 under The Flower Kings name. There was actually an album before that in 1994 that was a Roine solo album that was titled The Flower King. That album led to the formation of the band.

They have 5 more albums after the contents of the box. Maybe they plan another box? Not really sure. Either way, it's a good deal and I'm jumping on it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on December 14, 2017, 11:03:20 PM
For whatever reason, Amazon seems to have dropped the ball with this. I pre-ordered weeks ago and they can't even tell me when they'll have it stocked and release day is Friday.

Just checked Laser CD and they have it in stock with a price of $40. Shipping is no more than $5 depending on what you choose. So, yeah, canceled Amazon and got the hookup from Laser. This will end up cheaper than Amazon in the end. Can't say that too often.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Fritzinger on December 15, 2017, 02:17:13 AM
For whatever reason, Amazon seems to have dropped the ball with this. I pre-ordered weeks ago and they can't even tell me when they'll have it stocked and release day is Friday.

Just checked Laser CD and they have it in stock with a price of $40. Shipping is no more than $5 depending on what you choose. So, yeah, canceled Amazon and got the hookup from Laser. This will end up cheaper than Amazon in the end. Can't say that too often.

I think insideout is selling the box for more or less the same price! Dont know how much shipping to the states will cost though, since I believe all their stuff comes from Germany.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on December 15, 2017, 06:53:50 AM
The press release for this boxset referred to this as being "the first part of a career-spanning [anthology]", so there is more than likely another boxset coming in the future that will cover the later albums.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on December 15, 2017, 09:21:35 AM
For whatever reason, Amazon seems to have dropped the ball with this. I pre-ordered weeks ago and they can't even tell me when they'll have it stocked and release day is Friday.

Just checked Laser CD and they have it in stock with a price of $40. Shipping is no more than $5 depending on what you choose. So, yeah, canceled Amazon and got the hookup from Laser. This will end up cheaper than Amazon in the end. Can't say that too often.

I think insideout is selling the box for more or less the same price! Dont know how much shipping to the states will cost though, since I believe all their stuff comes from Germany.

Laser CD is actually the US storefront for Inside Out now. Not sure when that happened. Much like Burning Shed has become the storefront for England.

Burning Shed had this up from the get-go but shipping was high. Laser CD didn't post it until just yesterday. They didn't do a pre-order option.

Either way, glad I'm getting it and at an awesome price. Looking forward to Part II now that it has been mentioned.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on December 19, 2017, 05:32:51 PM
My box showed up today. Very nice set. The discs are housed in either single cardboard sleeves or gatefold sleeves with front and back artwork. There is a large bound booklet that is all of the album booklets joined together.

Also, there are only 3000 of these sets total. Mine is number 242.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on December 19, 2017, 08:09:49 PM
Sounds really nice!  :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on December 20, 2017, 01:50:03 AM
There is a large bound booklet that is all of the album booklets joined together.

That's really cool. You don't miss out because you're getting the box rather than the individual albums. That was what clinched it for me getting the Beardfish 5-disc box that IO brought out last year.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Mindflux on December 20, 2017, 02:37:49 PM
I don't see it on lasercd.com ?

Amazon is still in limbo
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on December 20, 2017, 02:56:36 PM
I don't see it on lasercd.com ?

Amazon is still in limbo

They mentioned in the description that they expected it to sell out quick on their site. I think it disappeared like 2 days after they posted it. Must have blown through their stock quickly. This thing seems to be in a bit of high demand.

Burning Shed and Insideoutshop.de both still have it. Bit more pricey plus shipping will be worse. There's always eBay as well but it looks like those are inflated already in price.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 01, 2018, 06:07:47 AM
I bought the Kingdom of Colours box set today (566/3000). Six of the albums are new to me (the only duplicate is Stardust We Are), so there's an awful lot of shiny new music for me to enjoy over the coming weeks and months.

Something noticeable is that about 6 minutes has been shaved off the 2017 remaster of Devil's Playground, the closing track on Unfold the Future. The box itself has it at 25:26, the CD wallet indicates 24:30, but the actual playing time is around 19:20.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on March 01, 2018, 08:11:45 AM
I bought the Kingdom of Colours box set today (566/3000). Six of the albums are new to me (the only duplicate is Stardust We Are), so there's an awful lot of shiny new music for me to enjoy over the coming weeks and months.

Something noticeable is that about 6 minutes has been shaved off the 2017 remaster of Devil's Playground, the closing track on Unfold the Future. The box itself has it at 25:26, the CD wallet indicates 24:30, but the actual playing time is around 19:20.

Yeah, Roine seemed to really change a few things with the remix/remaster. I noticed a couple of songs with some times that were a bit off. I have the original and after comparing them, decided to keep the original on my iPod.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 01, 2018, 09:50:44 AM
I'm not familiar with Devil's Playground, so I wouldn't really know which bits were omitted.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on March 01, 2018, 11:26:25 AM
Heads up - Roine mentioned on facebook that a second boxset is on the way for their remaining albums, which seems to me that this really does mean the end of TFK as we know it, and that's okay. They had a good long run with a TON of music, so if they never record again, I won't be too upset.

As someone who already owns every album, and some of them twice (different editions), is the box set worth getting? Being limited to 3000 kind of makes it something I want to own given it's "rarity", but I'm sure I could save the money for something new, like The Sea Within.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 01, 2018, 12:04:49 PM
I have to say, I'm really enjoying Garden of Dreams. The instrumental passage starting with that brilliant solo in All You Can Save is spectacular!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 01, 2018, 05:51:10 PM
The Garden of Dreams suite remains Roine's biggest triumph as a writer of music, IMO.   :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 02, 2018, 07:02:13 AM
Listening to The Rainmaker now. How come no one's pointed out that Sword of God begins with the same Agnus Dei choir sample that Jordan Rudess went on to use in Bridges in the Sky? Also, I'm wondering if the throat singer TFK begins the album with is from the same sample bank that JR used for his "Shaman".
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Fritzinger on March 03, 2018, 04:28:59 AM
Listening to The Rainmaker now. How come no one's pointed out that Sword of God begins with the same Agnus Dei choir sample that Jordan Rudess went on to use in Bridges in the Sky? Also, I'm wondering if the throat singer TFK begins the album with is from the same sample bank that JR used for his "Shaman".

Damn, you're right.

Plus, I always thought that that sample sounds like "agnus deshi"  :facepalm:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Fritzinger on March 03, 2018, 05:52:39 AM
I just listened to The Devil's Playground on vinyl, and I found out why it is shorter! Roine cut out a couple of minutes of weird jazzy instrumental stuff for the remix, WHICH DISAPPOINTS ME VERY MUCH. Why would he do that? It's like 4 or 5 minutes he cut out!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 03, 2018, 06:14:18 AM
Maybe it's not that important. It's like comparing Marillion's 2013 remix of Radiation with the original. They cut out certain interlude passages and while it seemed weird at the time, but then like everything else (and like Marillion sang on Living With the Big Lie) you get used to it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Fritzinger on March 03, 2018, 06:44:00 AM
Imagine, Genesis cut out the whole Willow Farm out of Supper's Ready or Dream Theater suddenly skip The Reckoning in In The Presence Of Enemies. This is not something you get used to, nor is it something someone should get used to. It's also not 20-30 seconds or so, it is a full 4-5 minute long part. Plus, the wacky, weird jazz stuff in that album is why I love the album in the first place. Roine specifically talks about that stuff in the liner notes. Why would he cut so much of it out?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 03, 2018, 09:48:04 AM
From my perpective, I've only listened to DP once, so it's not yet ingrained in my psyche. I shall get used to this new version. There's plenty of weird jazziness elsewhere on the album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on March 03, 2018, 09:50:37 AM
I just listened to The Devil's Playground on vinyl, and I found out why it is shorter! Roine cut out a couple of minutes of weird jazzy instrumental stuff for the remix, WHICH DISAPPOINTS ME VERY MUCH. Why would he do that? It's like 4 or 5 minutes he cut out!

This is why I made the call to stick with original CD release. He seemed to make some little and some very big cuts here and there.

What I found a bit more odd, is that my original version also has Too Late For Tomatoes which they left off of the remixed version.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Orbert on March 03, 2018, 10:29:24 AM
I get that it's the artist's call as far as re-editing, re-mixing, or whatever else they choose to do with their material.  But I would always prefer to have the original versions, the ones I grew up with or otherwise got used to.  They can include alternate versions as bonus tracks if they want.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Fritzinger on March 03, 2018, 11:29:30 AM
I just listened to The Devil's Playground on vinyl, and I found out why it is shorter! Roine cut out a couple of minutes of weird jazzy instrumental stuff for the remix, WHICH DISAPPOINTS ME VERY MUCH. Why would he do that? It's like 4 or 5 minutes he cut out!

This is why I made the call to stick with original CD release. He seemed to make some little and some very big cuts here and there.

What I found a bit more odd, is that my original version also has Too Late For Tomatoes which they left off of the remixed version.

If I remember correctly, Too Late For Tomatoes was a bonus track on the original album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 03, 2018, 12:52:06 PM
I just listened to The Devil's Playground on vinyl, and I found out why it is shorter! Roine cut out a couple of minutes of weird jazzy instrumental stuff for the remix, WHICH DISAPPOINTS ME VERY MUCH. Why would he do that? It's like 4 or 5 minutes he cut out!

If he cut out the part from 19:00 or so to a 21:00-ish, that will make me chuckle, because I always thought that section seemed just totally thrown in there and the song would have been just fine without it.

Listening to The Rainmaker now. How come no one's pointed out that Sword of God begins with the same Agnus Dei choir sample that Jordan Rudess went on to use in Bridges in the Sky? Also, I'm wondering if the throat singer TFK begins the album with is from the same sample bank that JR used for his "Shaman".

Probably because Sword of God sucks major swamp water, and it is best to not talk about that atrocity. :P
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: seasonsinthesky on March 03, 2018, 05:19:50 PM
I just listened to The Devil's Playground on vinyl, and I found out why it is shorter! Roine cut out a couple of minutes of weird jazzy instrumental stuff for the remix, WHICH DISAPPOINTS ME VERY MUCH. Why would he do that? It's like 4 or 5 minutes he cut out!

This is why I made the call to stick with original CD release. He seemed to make some little and some very big cuts here and there.

What I found a bit more odd, is that my original version also has Too Late For Tomatoes which they left off of the remixed version.

If I remember correctly, Too Late For Tomatoes was a bonus track on the original album.

Is the Discogs entry wrong, then? It says TLFT is the last song on side E of the new vinyl and remains the last track on the new 2xCD.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on March 03, 2018, 07:36:38 PM
I just listened to The Devil's Playground on vinyl, and I found out why it is shorter! Roine cut out a couple of minutes of weird jazzy instrumental stuff for the remix, WHICH DISAPPOINTS ME VERY MUCH. Why would he do that? It's like 4 or 5 minutes he cut out!

This is why I made the call to stick with original CD release. He seemed to make some little and some very big cuts here and there.

What I found a bit more odd, is that my original version also has Too Late For Tomatoes which they left off of the remixed version.

If I remember correctly, Too Late For Tomatoes was a bonus track on the original album.

Is the Discogs entry wrong, then? It says TLFT is the last song on side E of the new vinyl and remains the last track on the new 2xCD.

They included it on the new vinyl but they left it off the new CD in the boxset. That's what I was talking about. Didn't make any sense since the original CD has it.

I just double checked my box and it isn't listed in the track list nor did it show up when I ripped it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: goo-goo on March 03, 2018, 08:12:04 PM
Are the bonus tracks included in the boxset for the ret of the albums?

Maybe the next boxset will include all the extra tracks as a separate cd.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on March 03, 2018, 08:18:38 PM
Are the bonus tracks included in the boxset for the ret of the albums?

Maybe the next boxset will include all the extra tracks as a separate cd.

Roine mentioned on Facebook that 3 albums in the 2nd boxset will have their bonus discs. He didn't specify which, but it's safe to say they're most likely TSONE, BOE, and DR.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 04, 2018, 04:15:57 AM
Probably because Sword of God sucks major swamp water, and it is best to not talk about that atrocity. :P

In your opinion. I have yet to form an opinion, and would like to do so based on the music itself, not tarnished by others.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2018, 08:37:04 AM
Good luck. :P
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 04, 2018, 09:57:58 AM
I'm curious as to what people's favourite songs are on these albums (namely BITWOA, Retropolis, Stardust, Flowerpower, Space Revolver, Rainmaker and Unfold the Future). Let's enthuse about what we do enjoy.

I listened to Space Revolver last night, and while there are several amazing moments, I have to point out the solo at the end of A King's Prayer. Incredible!
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2018, 10:06:55 AM
Back in the World of Adventures
Big Puzzle
World of Adventures
Train to Nowhere
Theme for a Hero

Retropolis
Silent Sorrow
The Road Back Home
The Judas Kiss
Rhythm of the Sea

Stardust We Are
The Man Who Walked with Kings
Stardust We Are
Ghost of the Red Cloud
Different People
In the Eyes of the World
Compassion

Flower Power (it is 2 words, not 1 :P)
The whole Garden of Dream suite is amazing, with the first 7 and last 3 tracks really standing out
Deaf, Numb and Blind
Psycedelic Postcard
Stupid Girl

Space Revolver
I Am the Sun Part 1
I am the Sun Part 2
Monster Within
A King's Prayer (one of the few TFK songs with Froberg on lead vocals I listen to anymore)

The Rainmaker (still their weakest album ever by far)
Serious Dreamers
Elaine

Unfold the Future
Devil's Playground
Silent Inferno
Genie in a Bottle
Solitary Shell
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 04, 2018, 11:35:12 AM
Stardust We Are
The Man Who Walked with Kings
Stardust We Are
Ghost of the Red Cloud
Different People
In the Eyes of the World
Compassion

Replace Compassion with Just This Once and these are probably my favourites off SWA too.

Quote
Flower Power (it is 2 words, not 1 :P)
The whole Garden of Dream suite is amazing, with the first 7 and last 3 tracks really standing out
Deaf, Numb and Blind
Psycedelic Postcard
Stupid Girl

Beyond the Garden of Dreams suite which I loved, DN&B and Stupid Girl were two of the tracks that stood out on Disc 2 on first listening the other night.

----------------------

Meanwhile I'm currently spinning Unfold the Future for the first time. The recurring chorus in The Truth Will Set You Free is certainly recalling Yes to me. I could easily imagine Jon Anderson singing that passage.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 04, 2018, 07:00:01 PM
Despite that almost annoyingly-quirky intro, I love Just This Once.  Circus Brimstone is a favorite as well. Really, every song on that record is great, and all of the short little interlude tracks do a tremendous job of aiding the flow and giving the record a very cohesive flow.

I like The Truth Will Set You Free, but I don't love it.  And I never listen to it because it is too long, and if I am going to dedicate 30 minutes to a single song, it better be pretty awesome.  The bass guitar is the best thing about that song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Fritzinger on March 05, 2018, 03:14:56 AM
I'll only list the albums I know very well.

Stardust We Are
- Circus Brimstone
- In The Eyes Of The World

Flower Power
- Deaf, Numb & Blind
- Calling Home
- Garden Of Dreams (duh)

Unfold The Future
- Silent fuckin Inferno (best song by TFKs ever in my opinion)
- Devil's Playground (the full version, Roine! The full version!)
- The Truth Will Set You Free
In my opinion, the whole rhythm section of this album is phenomenal. It has just the amount of Jazz influence I sometimes miss in Prog music.

I only know the others from hearing them 4-5 times, so I won't give votes for them.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: DTA on March 05, 2018, 05:48:41 AM
Back in the World of Adventures
Big Puzzle
World of Adventures
Train to Nowhere
Theme for a Hero

Retropolis
Silent Sorrow
The Road Back Home
The Judas Kiss
Rhythm of the Sea

Stardust We Are
The Man Who Walked with Kings
Stardust We Are
Ghost of the Red Cloud
Different People
In the Eyes of the World
Compassion

Flower Power (it is 2 words, not 1 :P)
The whole Garden of Dream suite is amazing, with the first 7 and last 3 tracks really standing out
Deaf, Numb and Blind
Psycedelic Postcard
Stupid Girl

Space Revolver
I Am the Sun Part 1
I am the Sun Part 2
Monster Within
A King's Prayer (one of the few TFK songs with Froberg on lead vocals I listen to anymore)

The Rainmaker (still their weakest album ever by far)
Serious Dreamers
Elaine

Unfold the Future
Devil's Playground
Silent Inferno
Genie in a Bottle
Solitary Shell

Awesome list, and most of my favorites as well. I'd probably replace Train to Nowhere with My Cosmic Lover from BITWOA and Road To Sanctuary and the title track are my top picks from The Rainmaker. Silent Sorrow might be their best "under-the-radar" song. Such a great track. I'd also pick Slave To Money from SR. So many great ideas stuffed into its 7 minutes.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 05, 2018, 05:05:18 PM

- Silent fuckin Inferno (best song by TFKs ever in my opinion)
 

It's not my favorite, but that song is definitely pretty awesome.

  I'd also pick Slave To Money from SR. So many great ideas stuffed into its 7 minutes.

Slave to Money is one of those really good songs that I never see get talked about.  Much to love about it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on March 19, 2018, 09:19:29 PM
Second box has been announced. 3 discs of bonus tracks. I own none of these albums. This is a must buy for me.

https://www.insideoutmusic.com/newsdetailed.aspx?IdNews=22244&IdCompany=8
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on March 20, 2018, 10:21:59 AM
Second box has been announced. 3 discs of bonus tracks. I own none of these albums. This is a must buy for me.

https://www.insideoutmusic.com/newsdetailed.aspx?IdNews=22244&IdCompany=8

So, about those bonus tracks...they're not at all what I imagined (well, not entirely).

Bonus Disc 1
These two are from the Retropolis sessions, and were previously available on Édition Limitée Québec 1998
1 Kite 07:32
2 Buffalo Man 05:28

These two are from Scanning The Greenhouse
3 The Flower King (re-recording 1998) 11:46
4 Stardust We Are (re-recording 1998) 08:57

Of these five, I only recognize "Last Exit" (from the Japanese release of Space Revolver), and "Agent Supreme" (from the bonus disc of The Rainmaker). I'm not sure where the other three come from... a Fan Club disc perhaps?
5 Last Exit 09:17
6 Brazilian Woman 04:18
7 Dexter Frank Jr. 02:24
8 Agent Supreme 02:34
9 Space Traveller 13:10


Bonus Disc 2
I have NO idea where these come from, with the exception of "A Good Heart", which was a demo bonus track from Space Revolver's Japanese release. Do the other three come from a Fan Club disc?
1 Petit Heritage 02:02
2 A Good Heart 05:21
3 The Crown and The Cross 04:54
4 King of Grief 03:51

These three were available on the Adam & Eve Japanese bonus disc (along with The Rainmaker bonus tracks, which are strangely absent from here, with the sole exception of "Agent Supreme" above).
5 She Carved Me a Wooden Heart 05:59
6 Space Revolver 07:33
7 Jupiter Backwards 06:25

These three are from The Sum Of No Evil
8 The River 05:43
9 Turn The Stone 05:07
10 Regal Divers 06:01


Bonus Disc 3 - These are the bonus tracks from Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose
1 Illuminati 06:20
2 Fireghosts 05:50
3 Going Up 05:10
4 LoLines 04:40
5 Runaway Train 04:41
6 Interstellar Visitations 08:24
7 Lazy Monkey 02:25
8 Psalm 2013 02:10
9 The Wailing Wall 03:18
10 Badbeats 05:24
11 Burning Spears 03:15
12 The Final Era 02:57



So all in all, I'm only missing these six tracks from my library of TFK songs, 30:39 length of music that I've never heard before in my life. Is it worth getting this box set just for these six tracks, despite already owning everything else?
6 Brazilian Woman 04:18
7 Dexter Frank Jr. 02:24
9 Space Traveller 13:10
1 Petit Heritage 02:02
3 The Crown and The Cross 04:54
4 King of Grief 03:51

EDIT - Apparently "Space Traveller" and "Petit Heritage" were on the 2004 Fan Club disc, the former by Michael Stolt, the latter by Roine.
Also, the other four were on the 2005 Fan Club disc, all Roine Stolt songs with no other members credited to them.

I was on the fence about the first box set, but if I decide to get the second, I'd almost feel obligated to get the first just to have the matching set. Ahhhhhhh... I really wish Roine didn't put anything "new" on these sets. It baffles me that most of the Rainmaker and Space Revolver bonus tracks are still missing, and no inclusion of "The Cinema Show" or "Little Deceiver" either.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: goo-goo on March 20, 2018, 10:24:53 AM
I think I'm going to bite the bullet for both box sets. I only have Banks of Eden and haven't bought any other FK cd. I mainly stream them on Google Play. With the inclusion of all the bonus tracks, then I'm in.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: SwedishGoose on March 20, 2018, 10:38:06 AM
Got the first box despite having 3 albums previously.

Of this one I have nothing.... so a no-brainer for me
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on March 20, 2018, 10:38:45 AM
I was a bit confused by some of this as well. Again, No Too Late For Tomatoes. They included it on the reissue vinyl of Unfold by not the CD or the bonus tracks. I noticed Cinema Show missing as well.

I just did some checking of the Fan Club discs on Prog Archives and it appears that most of the scraps are from various fan club discs.

I wish they would make the Fan Club discs available in some form. I know there is some decent stuff on those.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 25, 2018, 12:05:40 PM
So less than a month after I pick up A Kingdom of Colours 1, the second box is announced. As with the first box, I currently only have one of these latter albums (The Sum of No Evil), so it'll be nice to get the rest of them in one go, along with, so it seems, a trove of bonus tracks.

I can't see it in the press release, but Amazon has the release date of this new box as June 1st.

While I'm here, I'll post what I was originally going to post:

I've just finished listening to Space Revolver again, and I noticed that really intense low bass sound at the very end of I Am the Sun Part 2. The only other time a sound like that has been borderline uncomfortable for me was the long ending chord of Strip the Soul by Porcupine Tree.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 25, 2018, 08:36:00 PM
 ???

Why is that low bass uncomfortable?

Personally, I think it is pretty bad ass.  Jonas Reingold is a monster on the bass.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on March 27, 2018, 01:33:38 PM
It just is. I can't explain it beyond that. It certainly doesn't detract from anything, and it's certainly an interesting and cool way to end the album.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2018, 05:02:53 PM
 :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on March 30, 2018, 01:17:26 PM
As of yesterday, I believe, the second box set is now up for pre-order.

I'm still debating on whether or not to get it, especially since I already have the special editions of all the albums included, and would only be missing 6 Fan Club tracks... ehhhh. I'd rather save that money and hunt down the original fan club discs, to be honest.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: goo-goo on March 30, 2018, 01:26:49 PM
Finally pulled the trigger with the 1st box.  :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on April 03, 2018, 08:30:06 AM
Something that bugs me a bit about the boxset are the inaccuracies in the lyrics booklets. Verses swapped around (Silent Inferno) or entire chunks left out all together (I Am The Sun Pt. 2). As these presumably are redos of the original booklets, these errors must be in the originals too. It doesn't help one to get their bearings around unfamiliar music when these inaccuracies abound like this. Maybe one or two can't be avoided, but there are just so many here and it's off-putting.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Nel on April 04, 2018, 12:20:18 AM
Also pulled the trigger on the first box. I saw that the second one was up for preorder on Amazon, so I just bought them both.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: The Letter M on April 06, 2018, 11:04:53 AM
Something that bugs me a bit about the boxset are the inaccuracies in the lyrics booklets. Verses swapped around (Silent Inferno) or entire chunks left out all together (I Am The Sun Pt. 2). As these presumably are redos of the original booklets, these errors must be in the originals too. It doesn't help one to get their bearings around unfamiliar music when these inaccuracies abound like this. Maybe one or two can't be avoided, but there are just so many here and it's off-putting.

Looking at my original releases of those albums, for "I Am The Sun (Part 2)", the lyrics that start back up at 4:47 don't have lyrics printed after the initial verses because they're the repeated chorus from Part 1. Otherwise, all the lyrics are there.

And as for "Silent Inferno", my booklet has all the lyrics printed in the order they are sung on the original album. So either Roine switched the song verse around in his edits, or the booklet is misprinted. Either way, both instances are correct in my original releases.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Fritzinger on April 06, 2018, 11:15:31 AM
If I recall correctly, I noticed the wrong song lengths on the Unfold The Future CD too when I bought it some years ago.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on April 10, 2018, 05:21:44 PM
Call me crazy, but I think these box sets is their subtle way of telling us, it's over.  I think the band is done.  If so, kudos on a phenomenal run. :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on April 10, 2018, 09:07:08 PM
Call me crazy, but I think these box sets is their subtle way of telling us, it's over.  I think the band is done.  If so, kudos on a phenomenal run. :tup :tup

Coming up on their 2nd five-year hiatus, I think once we got through 2017 with no news, and Roine taking on more projects/tours, I knew it was over. Their last two albums were a nice last-hurrah, a one-two-punch of back-to-back releases for them to show off one last time, though it's a shame that line-up never evolved into a bigger of a deal.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Fritzinger on April 11, 2018, 01:05:52 AM
With all the great stuff Roine is involved into these days, I can't say this bothers me much. He has The Sea Within (which hopefully will be great) and his project with the great Jon Anderson.

But I agree, this band has made lots of great albums, my favs being Unfold The Future (duh) and The Sum Of No Evil.
Still - similar to Steven Wilson, I enjoy the stuff he does now even more than his work with his main band.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: RoeDent on April 11, 2018, 01:25:01 AM
If I recall correctly, I noticed the wrong song lengths on the Unfold The Future CD too when I bought it some years ago.

Even more so now that Devil's Playground has been cut to a little over 19 minutes instead of its previous 24/25.


Looking at my original releases of those albums, for "I Am The Sun (Part 2)", the lyrics that start back up at 4:47 don't have lyrics printed after the initial verses because they're the repeated chorus from Part 1. Otherwise, all the lyrics are there.

And as for "Silent Inferno", my booklet has all the lyrics printed in the order they are sung on the original album. So either Roine switched the song verse around in his edits, or the booklet is misprinted. Either way, both instances are correct in my original releases.

-Marc.

Really? And there was me thinking nothing from Part 1 was reprised in Part 2. Or at least it didn't sound like it. I guess I need to get more familiar with that song. I wish they'd perhaps make that a bit more obvious though. When following along to get your bearings round a song, you don't expect to have to turn back a couple of pages like that. They usually print the lyrics again, or at least add "repeat chorus" or something like that.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
Post by: Fritzinger on April 11, 2018, 01:57:12 AM
If I recall correctly, I noticed the wrong song lengths on the Unfold The Future CD too when I bought it some years ago.

Even more so now that Devil's Playground has been cut to a little over 19 minutes instead of its previous 24/25.



Don't even remind me, I'm still super pissed about this  :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on April 11, 2018, 05:13:58 PM
9 years again (1st post in this thread), my album rankings was:

My personal ranking of TFK albums would go like this:

1. Flower Power*
2. Paradox Hotel*
3. Stardust We Are*
4. Space Revolver
5. Retropolis
6. Unfold the Future*
7. Back in the World of Adventures
8. Adam and Eve
9. The Sum of No Evil
10. The Rainmaker

*denotes double album

I think now it would be:

1. Flower Power
2. Paradox Hotel
3. Stardust We Are
4. Space Revolver
5. Retropolis
6. Back in the World of Adventures
7. Banks of Eden
8. Adam and Eve
9. Unfold the Future
10. Desolation Rose
11. The Rainmaker
12. The Sum of No Evil
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Fritzinger on April 12, 2018, 05:34:41 AM
How come you rate The Sum so low? I think it's a great album. Zoltan was the best drummer this band ever had and he had a great impact on the band imo.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on April 12, 2018, 06:05:25 AM
I agree that Zoltan was awesome, and all three albums he played on sound great (sonically and all that jazz), but on The Sum..., the songwriting just isn't there.  It's not bad, but it just doesn't stand out like it does on most of the other albums.  If I had to do a Flower Kings top 100, it might get one song in there (The Sum of No Reason), and even that is a big might.  One More Time is the most boring longer song ever.

Plus, as someone who has never hidden the fact that Hasse's lead vocals are very hit or miss for me, I don't think it's a coincidence that all of the albums near the bottom are ones where he sings a lot.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: DTA on April 12, 2018, 07:32:46 AM
I agree that Zoltan was awesome, and all three albums he played on sound great (sonically and all that jazz), but on The Sum..., the songwriting just isn't there.  It's not bad, but it just doesn't stand out like it does on most of the other albums.  If I had to do a Flower Kings top 100, it might get one song in there (The Sum of No Reason), and even that is a big might.  One More Time is the most boring longer song ever.


Agree completely. I have played the hell out of their albums so much that I know nearly every song inside and out, but Sum is the one album that is a gigantic chore to listen to and that I lose interest in. I can't even tell you what Life In Motion sounds like. I actually like Love Is The Only Answer quite a bit.

My ranking would go:

1. Stardust We Are
2. Flower Power
3. Retropolis
4. Space Revolver
5. Back In The World Of Adventures
6. Desolation Rose
7. Unfold The Future
8. Banks Of Eden
9. The Rainmaker
10. Paradox Hotel
11. Adam & Eve
12. The Sum Of No Evil

I like Paradox Hotel for the most part, but Monsters & Men may be their weakest epic.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on April 16, 2018, 01:11:05 PM
So, I had no idea that Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion released a live DVD/2CD set last fall, and just now ordered it from their website. It's a hefty set list with music from all 3 of their albums, but more over, their website news page posted in January saying that they were working on a LOT of new music for their 4th studio album, and have enough material for a double, including a 25-minute epic!

In the absence of The Flower Kings, at least HFMC is working and putting out new music, and while sitting here at work listening to the debut, I had forgotten how great these albums were! Looking forward to watching that live concert and hearing whatever their 4th album will be, hopefully it'll come out this year!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on April 16, 2018, 05:41:38 PM

Agree completely. I have played the hell out of their albums so much that I know nearly every song inside and out, but Sum is the one album that is a gigantic chore to listen to and that I lose interest in. I can't even tell you what Life In Motion sounds like. I actually like Love Is The Only Answer quite a bit.

Life in Motion is one of those songs where Froberg's vocals really let the song down. Roine sometimes had the tendency to write vocal lines for Froberg that seemed like they were meant for someone with power and range, but in the throat of Froberg, just came out sounding almost hoarse, thin and lacking any kind of strength or fullness. Really sucks the life out of certain songs.  And then there are songs where Froberg sounds really good.  It's strange.

I like Paradox Hotel for the most part, but Monsters & Men may be their weakest epic.

Despite some glaring and obvious flaws, I like Monsters and Men a ton. Some of Bodin's most beautiful piano work ever, and the ending is magnificent.

Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on April 24, 2018, 09:12:41 AM
Listening to Garden of Dreams. I love the flow of this suite! The three main instrumental passages are spread fairly evenly through the work. The first one from the solo in All You Can Save (4) thru 5 and 6 (c. 7 mins), the second and quieter one (again around 7 minutes) covering parts 12 and 13 bringing a breather (the choir outburst in Dungeons of the Deep is spectacular!), then the 10-minute instrumental break covering parts 15-17 before the closing Final Deal.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on April 24, 2018, 07:53:40 PM
Yep, all of those instrumental breaks are incredible.

Roine's guitar solo in All You Can Save might be his best. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on May 13, 2018, 05:19:47 PM
For those of us in the US, Laser CD has the new box up for pre-order for $40. Shipping was $2.90 for me. Jumped all over that.

https://www.lasercd.com/cd/kingdom-colours-ii-9cd-box-set-preorder
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on June 11, 2018, 01:18:26 AM
The second box set was originally set for a 1 June release, but then it got pushed back to the 15th, now Amazon's saying it'll be the 22nd. After the debacle surrounding the Spock's Beard release, I'm beginning to be concerned about InsideOut. Proof that when you go major (InsideOut became part of Sony recently) things start to go down the pan.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: SwedishGoose on June 12, 2018, 11:41:20 AM
Has anyone seen this:

https://cultuurpodiumboerderij.nl/programma/spocks-beard-flower-kings/

Spock's Beard and Roine Stolts Flower Kings revisited....

Anyone know which musicians are in the revisited Flower Kings?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: ProfessorPeart on June 12, 2018, 12:43:14 PM
The second box set was originally set for a 1 June release, but then it got pushed back to the 15th, now Amazon's saying it'll be the 22nd. After the debacle surrounding the Spock's Beard release, I'm beginning to be concerned about InsideOut. Proof that when you go major (InsideOut became part of Sony recently) things start to go down the pan.

Yeah, Ken at Laser CD sent an email a few weeks back alerting of the push to the 15th and said that he expected things to ship before the street date. It's now the 12th and I don't have a shipping notice yet so I was starting to wonder about this myself.

I'm in no hurry. Just want the product to arrive correct the first time.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Mindflux on June 12, 2018, 12:46:29 PM
My Kingdom of Colours 2 was at the house when I went at lunch time. I ordered it from Amazon.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on June 12, 2018, 12:47:25 PM
So make of this what you will, but a recent concert date announcement for Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands, on December 7th this year, features Spock's Beard (their first announced tour date of the year) and something called "Flower Kings Revisited".

So... what does this mean? Is Roine finally dipping back into the TFK catalog with his fellow Kings? Or Is he touring with different band members (though we can expect Jonas to be by his side regardless). I haven't seen anything from Hasse Froberg or Tomas Bodin today, but that doesn't mean they aren't involved somehow.

If a new tour is what it takes for Roine and company to reignite the Flower Kings fire, I hope this reunion results in a new album! If not, I hope we get a great live album from them!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Orbert on June 12, 2018, 12:51:23 PM
Marc, I'm pretty sure it's this:

https://cultuurpodiumboerderij.nl/programma/spocks-beard-flower-kings/
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on June 12, 2018, 01:11:24 PM
Marc, I'm pretty sure it's this:

https://cultuurpodiumboerderij.nl/programma/spocks-beard-flower-kings/

Hmm, doesn't say much about the TFK, though it's interesting to see who SB has filling in for the drum throne!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Fritzinger on June 12, 2018, 01:13:48 PM
So make of this what you will, but a recent concert date announcement for Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands, on December 7th this year, features Spock's Beard (their first announced tour date of the year) and something called "Flower Kings Revisited".

So... what does this mean? Is Roine finally dipping back into the TFK catalog with his fellow Kings? Or Is he touring with different band members (though we can expect Jonas to be by his side regardless). I haven't seen anything from Hasse Froberg or Tomas Bodin today, but that doesn't mean they aren't involved somehow.

If a new tour is what it takes for Roine and company to reignite the Flower Kings fire, I hope this reunion results in a new album! If not, I hope we get a great live album from them!

-Marc.

I hope not! Roine has been doing so much cooler stuff since he's not with The Flower Kings anymore... Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within are both way better than the last two Flower Kings albums, in my opinion.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Mindflux on June 12, 2018, 01:18:04 PM


I hope not! Roine has been doing so much cooler stuff since he's not with The Flower Kings anymore... Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within are both way better than the last two Flower Kings albums, in my opinion.

Anderson/Stolt was an absolute snooze fest.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on June 12, 2018, 01:25:19 PM
So make of this what you will, but a recent concert date announcement for Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands, on December 7th this year, features Spock's Beard (their first announced tour date of the year) and something called "Flower Kings Revisited".

So... what does this mean? Is Roine finally dipping back into the TFK catalog with his fellow Kings? Or Is he touring with different band members (though we can expect Jonas to be by his side regardless). I haven't seen anything from Hasse Froberg or Tomas Bodin today, but that doesn't mean they aren't involved somehow.

If a new tour is what it takes for Roine and company to reignite the Flower Kings fire, I hope this reunion results in a new album! If not, I hope we get a great live album from them!

-Marc.

I hope not! Roine has been doing so much cooler stuff since he's not with The Flower Kings anymore... Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within are both way better than the last two Flower Kings albums, in my opinion.

Having not heard TSW yet, I can't compare, but to me, Anderson/Stolt was a bit of a bore for me. It was too much Anderson, not enough Stolt for him to get "equal billing" in the band name.

Then again, I quite liked the last two TFK albums, more so Desolation Rose than Banks Of Eden, but both were pretty good-to-great over-all.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Orbert on June 12, 2018, 01:29:18 PM
I hope not! Roine has been doing so much cooler stuff since he's not with The Flower Kings anymore... Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within are both way better than the last two Flower Kings albums, in my opinion.

Anderson/Stolt was an absolute snooze fest.


I had high hopes for Anderson/Stolt, but yeah, it completely failed to excite.  Nice enough sounding, but no balls.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: DTA on June 12, 2018, 02:20:31 PM
I could've sworn I read that Roine wanted to go out and play material from The Flower King album on tour. Maybe that's this?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on June 12, 2018, 06:56:44 PM


I had high hopes for Anderson/Stolt, but yeah, it completely failed to excite.  Nice enough sounding, but no balls.

That was my impression.  It felt like Stolt was more content to be Jon Anderson's backing band, and Anderson can get way too wordy at times. That is what the album felt like.  It wasn't bad, but just kind of there.  I am cautiously optimistic that the second will be a lot better.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Orbert on June 12, 2018, 10:58:49 PM
I didn't realize that they were gonna do a second one, but if so then cautiously optimistic sounds about right.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: SwedishGoose on June 12, 2018, 11:23:08 PM
I like the Andersson / Stolt record a lot.... but yes it is more Andersson / Yes than FK
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Fritzinger on June 13, 2018, 12:30:01 AM
I think you guys are underestimating Stolts work on that album! Sure, the melodies are all recognisable as 100% Anderson, but the whole arrangements, the structure of the songs, a lot of harmonies are typical Stolt. Andersons output in the last 130 years have basically been his melodies and vocals, poorly arranged. I am very glad he found someone who can deal with his peculiar melodies and put them in a great instrumental context. Just like Yes did. This was A/S's first album. I get it, maybe Jon overdid it a little with the truth, the soul, the glorious and the we are one with the earth stuff. But I am very excited for a second alum.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: SwedishGoose on June 13, 2018, 04:47:25 AM
Spock's Beard / The Flower Kings revisited tour announced


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156530666970439&id=289541335438



New Flower Kings tune coming!!!!


Two tourdates in Sweden!!!!

Soo happy!!!@
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: PepeLePew on June 13, 2018, 05:54:31 AM
SAGA's Mike Thorne drumming for them (Spock's Beard) on tour???

NICE!!!!  :biggrin:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on June 13, 2018, 05:52:07 PM
Since Roine said a "few new faces," I am going to guess right away that Tomas Bodin will not be a part of this. I would guess Roine, Jonas and Hasse will be a part of it, with Roine getting a different drummer and keyboard player, and maybe another "jack of all trades" player, hence the "revisited" tag instead of just calling them the Flower Kings.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: SwedishGoose on June 13, 2018, 06:46:06 PM
According to the promotor that booked them for Sweden Roine, Jonas and Hasse are confirmed so far.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: darkshade on June 13, 2018, 09:35:07 PM
I've never warmed up to Desolation Rose, the album just kind of happens when I listen to it (which is pretty infrequently.)
I'd like to see more TFK albums in the future, but if it's more of DR, then no. Still, I'd like to see this music get played, they've created a lot of music.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: jasc15 on June 13, 2018, 10:40:31 PM
New here.  I've heard about the flower Kings for like 10 or 12 years since browsing these forums in one form or another, but only just now actually listened to them, and only because they appear on Pandora occasionally.  Wow, Big Puzzle!  I hope this isn't their peak, with the rest of their music leaving me underwhelmed.  I think I'll pick up the album and give it a cover to cover spin.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on June 14, 2018, 01:22:12 AM
New here.  I've heard about the flower Kings for like 10 or 12 years since browsing these forums in one form or another, but only just now actually listened to them, and only because they appear on Pandora occasionally.  Wow, Big Puzzle!  I hope this isn't their peak, with the rest of their music leaving me underwhelmed.  I think I'll pick up the album and give it a cover to cover spin.

It'd have to be quite special to top something like Stardust We Are or Garden of Dreams.

And on the tour, I got the impression from the story that it's not The Flower Kings proper, but a new touring band playing TFK material, focusing in part on The Flower King album. Notice the small s after King on the logo. And the name change to Roine Stolt's The Flower King(s) Revisited. Basically, Stolt's pulling a Yes/Queensryche/Kaipa. This is a further nail in the coffin of the original Flower Kings. They are done.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on June 14, 2018, 05:51:35 AM
Big Puzzle is pretty amazing and definitely one of their best songs, but there are tons of other great TFK tunes out there to snack on. :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: jasc15 on June 14, 2018, 07:34:30 AM
New here.  I've heard about the flower Kings for like 10 or 12 years since browsing these forums in one form or another, but only just now actually listened to them, and only because they appear on Pandora occasionally.  Wow, Big Puzzle!  I hope this isn't their peak, with the rest of their music leaving me underwhelmed.  I think I'll pick up the album and give it a cover to cover spin.

It'd have to be quite special to top something like Stardust We Are or Garden of Dreams.

And on the tour, I got the impression from the story that it's not The Flower Kings proper, but a new touring band playing TFK material, focusing in part on The Flower King album. Notice the small s after King on the logo. And the name change to Roine Stolt's The Flower King(s) Revisited. Basically, Stolt's pulling a Yes/Queensryche/Kaipa. This is a further nail in the coffin of the original Flower Kings. They are done.
Oh jeez, another "which is the real band?" situation.  I'm not about to get hung up on that stuff.  Ill just listen to Back In the World of Adventures.

BTW, I've never purchased an MP3 album.  In fact, I haven't purchased much new music at all in the last 5-10 years, and when I have, it was on CD.  Does it really matter where I buy it?  Amazon has it for $8.99.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: jasc15 on June 28, 2018, 12:41:34 PM
Bought it on google play.  I just realized i had a bunch of play credit, so its basically free.  I was wondering about bit rates of downloaded mp3 files, but since 99% of my listening these days is in the car, it doesn't really matter.  The google play files are 320 kbps anyway.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on June 28, 2018, 06:15:49 PM
Bought it on google play.  I just realized i had a bunch of play credit, so its basically free.  I was wondering about bit rates of downloaded mp3 files, but since 99% of my listening these days is in the car, it doesn't really matter.  The google play files are 320 kbps anyway.

 :tup :tup
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: jasc15 on July 03, 2018, 09:45:33 AM
That bit at about 2:30 in Big Puzzle sounds lifted right from a Genesis song, but I can't figure which one exactly.  Maybe The Musical Box?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: DTA on July 03, 2018, 10:44:16 AM
That bit at about 2:30 in Big Puzzle sounds lifted right from a Genesis song, but I can't figure which one exactly.  Maybe The Musical Box?

Kind of reminds me of It, but doesn’t sound like a rip-off or anything.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on July 03, 2018, 05:21:49 PM
That part never struck me as sounding like a specific part of a Genesis song.  It has, however, always struck me as an amazing part of an amazing song. :coolio
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on August 14, 2018, 12:02:49 PM
Listening to Unfold the Future this evening, and I find another lengthy instrumental passage stretching across multiple songs. The last vocal in Black and White is around 1:45, so from there we count c. 5 mins to that song's ending at 7:07. Then all of Christianopel (8:15) and the first 2:45 of Silent Inferno, giving us a stretch of a good 16 minutes without any vocals. This is still some way short of the c. 21-minute instrumental stretch from the end of Church of Your Heart, thru Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar, The Man Who Walked With Kings, Circus Brimstone, Crying Clown, up to the start of Compassion. So far, this is the longest stretch of instrumental I've found on an album that's not entirely instrumental.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Nick on August 14, 2018, 12:30:54 PM
Anyone who has been following on Facebook might have seen some comments, but my earlier suspicions are certainly confirmed, Roine and Tomas are definitely not on great terms right now.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on August 14, 2018, 01:24:56 PM
That's a shame. It often happens to bands with a clear lead figure. See also PT/Steven Wilson. It's very much a "I'm the main man, you're my backup band" situation. And that can only last so long. TFK had a great run though, releasing an extraordinary amount of music for such a relatively short period of time.

(For the record, I'm not aware of any animosity between Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson. I'm just comparing them because both PT and TFK started off as solo projects by Steven Wilson and Roine Stolt respectively, before evolving into full-time bands.)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on August 14, 2018, 05:45:20 PM
Anyone who has been following on Facebook might have seen some comments, but my earlier suspicions are certainly confirmed, Roine and Tomas are definitely not on great terms right now.

Agreed, that is a huge shame. They made some amazing music together in TFK (and other bands). I wonder what happened...obviously, I doubt we'll ever know unless someone writes a TFK biography in the future and we find out years and years later...

I guess this is why Roine and Jonas are taking TFK music on the road with SB, but with an entirely new band behind them. I guess The Flower Kings, as we knew them, really are done. It was a good run, but at least this is a more definitive answer and we won't have to keep guessing whether or not there will be any more TFK.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Orbert on August 14, 2018, 06:25:57 PM
For the benefit of those who don't follow bands on social media, can someone summarize what was said or what happened?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on August 14, 2018, 06:30:04 PM
I haven't seen it, but I remember there being some tension between Roine and Tomas in the late 00's (it was talked about a lot on the TFK yahoo mailing list at the time), which I think was a big part of why they took a few years off.  They got back together for two albums in the early 10's, but my guess is that they had trouble getting along again over the long haul, which is why the band hasn't worked together again for nearly five years.  TFK was clearly the result of Roine's vision, but Tomas' input and playing was integral to the band. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on August 18, 2018, 08:09:59 AM
A friend bought the remixed Unfold the Future and played Devil's Playground for me last night.

Ugh.

Seriously.  Ugh.

I cannot believe he cut out the section right around the 10-minute mark.  That section with the evil riff is one of my favorite moments of the entire Unfold the Future record. 

Plus, the remix took away a lot of the bite of the main riff.  Yeah yeah, everything is clearer and more stuff, previously buried, is fleshed out more, but the main riff sounds like someone turned his amp way down.

Major disappointment.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: DTA on August 18, 2018, 08:20:27 AM
A friend bought the remixed Unfold the Future and played Devil's Playground for me last night.

Ugh.

Seriously.  Ugh.

I cannot believe he cut out the section right around the 10-minute mark.  That section with the evil riff is one of my favorite moments of the entire Unfold the Future record. 

Plus, the remix took away a lot of the bite of the main riff.  Yeah yeah, everything is clearer and more stuff, previously buried, is fleshed out more, but the main riff sounds like someone turned his amp way down.

Major disappointment.

That's really bizarre. Were there any liner notes that mentioned why this part was cut out? Roine seems off his creative game lately. His recent releases have been lackluster and he just seems to have lost his ability to create meaningful productions anymore. I may like TFK as a whole more than SB/Neal Morse, and I always sort of made a parallel between Roine and Neal as the essential modern-day prog composers, but Neal has definitely kept his game on on point and evolved better than Roine has.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on August 18, 2018, 08:40:14 AM
I've always liked TFK more than Spock's, but in the last 15 years, Neal has lapped Roine several times when it comes to making great records.  Paradox Hotel is the only TFK album (in the last 15 years) I would put in the same league with many of Neal's solo prog albums (The Whirlwind is a wash since they both had a big hand in writing it).

I actually made a similar observation last night to that friend, about how Roine's creativity seems to be dwindling or at least off his game.  The Anderson/Stolt album was somewhat of a snoozer, the Sea Within CD is just okay, and now this brutal remix of what was previously a great TFK song.  Bummer to see, but given his incredible and prolific creative output from 1994-2002 (TFK, TA, etc.), I can't quibble too much. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on August 18, 2018, 09:24:42 AM
A friend bought the remixed Unfold the Future and played Devil's Playground for me last night.

Ugh.

Seriously.  Ugh.

I cannot believe he cut out the section right around the 10-minute mark.  That section with the evil riff is one of my favorite moments of the entire Unfold the Future record. 

Plus, the remix took away a lot of the bite of the main riff.  Yeah yeah, everything is clearer and more stuff, previously buried, is fleshed out more, but the main riff sounds like someone turned his amp way down.

Major disappointment.

Yeah, there's a solid 6 minutes cut out of the remix. It's even more disappointing that the back of the box has the length as 25:26, so you think you're getting the full song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on August 18, 2018, 11:10:48 PM
That does seem odd.  Remixing the song and cutting part of it is just a horrible decision. I know, it's their song and they can do whatever they want with it, and we still have the original to get the whole song, but putting the original time length on there when it is cut down seems like false advertisement to me.  They should be better than that.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Fritzinger on August 20, 2018, 04:20:59 AM
A friend bought the remixed Unfold the Future and played Devil's Playground for me last night.

Ugh.

Seriously.  Ugh.

I cannot believe he cut out the section right around the 10-minute mark.  That section with the evil riff is one of my favorite moments of the entire Unfold the Future record. 

Plus, the remix took away a lot of the bite of the main riff.  Yeah yeah, everything is clearer and more stuff, previously buried, is fleshed out more, but the main riff sounds like someone turned his amp way down.

Major disappointment.


I was super happy when this album was announced for vinyl, and extremely disappointed when I realised they cut this part out. Can't understand this at all. Makes me super pissed.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on August 21, 2018, 12:19:57 PM
As soon as the cut happened, I gave the "I'm out" hands signal and zoned out for the rest of the tune.  Once they cut that part out, that remixed version was dead to me.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: SwedishGoose on September 13, 2018, 04:41:49 AM
ROINE STOLT’S THE FLOWER KING, ’Manifesto Of An Alchemist’

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156775457025439&id=289541335438

The album features a host of other musicians, including long-time collaborators Jones Reingold, Hans Froberg & Michael Stolt, as well as fellow The Sea Within member Marco Minnemann, Max Lorentz, Zach Kamins, Rob Townsend & Nad Sylvan.

‘Manifesto Of An Alchemist’ features stunning artwork from Shaun Beyond (https://www.instagram.com/shaunbeyond/), and will arrive as a limited edition CD digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD & as digital download. You can find the full track-listing below:
1. Rainsong
2. Lost America
3. Ze Pawns
4. High Road
5. Rio Grande
6. Next To A Hurricane
7. The Alchemist
8. Baby Angels
9. Six Thirty Wake-Up
10. The Spell Of Money

Arriving on the 23rd of November
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: DTA on September 13, 2018, 05:17:20 AM
If Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within never existed I’d be super excited for this but I honestly have no confidence in Roine’s songwriting anymore. Even his album production is dull as hell now. Listen to how vibrant and alive everything sounded on Back In The World Of Adventures and then how bland The Sea Within album sounds in comparison. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong and pleasantly surprised but I doubt it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on September 13, 2018, 10:48:23 AM
Your move, Tomas...
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Nick on September 13, 2018, 11:08:31 AM
I really don't like this move. Roine has all these other projects, so why take on this drama with the name The Flower Kings when he obviously can't straight up use it with Tomas. It's been a long time (2005?) since an awesome solo album in Wall Street Voodoo, so why not finally release another of those?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on September 13, 2018, 02:27:33 PM
ROINE STOLT’S THE FLOWER KING, ’Manifesto Of An Alchemist’

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156775457025439&id=289541335438

The album features a host of other musicians, including long-time collaborators Jones Reingold, Hans Froberg & Michael Stolt, as well as fellow The Sea Within member Marco Minnemann, Max Lorentz, Zach Kamins, Rob Townsend & Nad Sylvan.

‘Manifesto Of An Alchemist’ features stunning artwork from Shaun Beyond (https://www.instagram.com/shaunbeyond/), and will arrive as a limited edition CD digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD & as digital download. You can find the full track-listing below:
1. Rainsong
2. Lost America
3. Ze Pawns
4. High Road
5. Rio Grande
6. Next To A Hurricane
7. The Alchemist
8. Baby Angels
9. Six Thirty Wake-Up
10. The Spell Of Money

Arriving on the 23rd of November

Well, this was out of left field. I thought after Muse's next album in November, that was it for new music for me this year, but I guess I was wrong! Like others have said above, I'm a bit reluctant to be TOO excited about this, given Roine's recent track record, and personally speaking, I haven't been too excited by his last two released with Anderson and TSW (which I haven't given much of a chance to be honest). I'll still get this and hope for the best, but it might be a wait-and-see with regards to reviews leading up to the release. I just pre-ordered Steven Wilson's upcoming live album and will be pre-ordering Morsefest 2017 next week, so I've covered a lot of my music spending for a long time...

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on September 13, 2018, 05:36:10 PM
I didn't see this coming.  It's not the same without Bodin, but enough of the other band members are there to call this the Flower Kings.  Oh well. 

And I am with those who are somewhat pessimistic about this.  Roine used to be an auto-buy for me, but after Anderson/Stolt and the Sea Within (both kind of bland), this will be a "listen before I buy" record.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: gzarruk on September 13, 2018, 08:57:32 PM
Could anyone please explain me what happened with all TFK drama? Just read about this album and it’s TFK but without being an “official” TFK album.  :huh:
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on September 13, 2018, 09:26:51 PM
Not much to it, based on what we know. Sounds like Roine Stolt and Tomas Bodin just don’t get along anymore.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: SwedishGoose on September 14, 2018, 12:15:57 AM
Note.... this is not the Flower Kings. It's Roine Stolt's Flower King, so harking back to that first album before The Flower Kings were formed.
It will be an auto but for me I like both Anderson / Stolt and The Sea Within and about a week after release I will see Roine Stolts Flower Kings revisited/ Spock's Beard live twice.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: gzarruk on September 14, 2018, 06:51:39 AM
Not much to it, based on what we know. Sounds like Roine Stolt and Tomas Bodin just don’t get along anymore.

So he’s out there doing anything he can, except an actual TFK album?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on September 15, 2018, 09:31:50 AM
It's obvious that there are legal goings-on involved here. Otherwise it would have been a proper TFK album, and they would have just said that Bodin had left the band. It's completely screwed up TFK discography, like Kaipa da Capo did to Kaipa's discography. Also, the name seems pretty desperate. It doesn't flow well as a band name. This album has a serious identity crisis going on about it.

Although it should be expected, considering how TFK's closest comparitor in the old-prog brigade, Yes, what mess they are in in terms of lineups and band members.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on September 15, 2018, 10:18:46 AM
I am guessing that, even though the Flower Kings was Roine’s brain child, Bodin has rights to the name as well since he’s been on every album and never left the band, so I’m guessing Roine doesn’t want to deal with issues should he go forward with the band without Bodin.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on September 15, 2018, 12:00:37 PM
It's obvious that there are legal goings-on involved here. Otherwise it would have been a proper TFK album, and they would have just said that Bodin had left the band. It's completely screwed up TFK discography, like Kaipa da Capo did to Kaipa's discography. Also, the name seems pretty desperate. It doesn't flow well as a band name. This album has a serious identity crisis going on about it.

Although it should be expected, considering how TFK's closest comparitor in the old-prog brigade, Yes, what mess they are in in terms of lineups and band members.

Most definitely, I think this is just Roine's way to continue TFK work without the other half(?) of the TFK sound, but calling the band "Roine Stolt's The Flower King" is semi-brilliant in the way that it harkens back to the 1994 solo album, The Flower King, which, while laying the groundwork for the TFK sound as it would become, was an album entirely written by Roine, and performed without Tomas Bodin.

Depending on the album's sound and feel, this could be an indirect sequel to the original 94 album, sort of in the way that Kaipa Da Capo is the sequel to the 70's Kaipa band/albums.

Also, your comparison to Yes is pretty apt, and it's been one I've made before myself (alongside the Genesis/Spock's Beard comparison). While not as publicly known, I'm sure there's been drama within the ranks of The Flower Kings, but probably not as insane as some of the stuff that's happened with Yes. I think one thing I'm aware of is that Tomas and Zoltan did not get along well, which is why he left the band after Adam & Eve, but only briefly came back for The Sum Of No Evil. Other than that, I've never really heard of or read anything more than that, but maybe someone else here can fill me in?

I am guessing that, even though the Flower Kings was Roine’s brain child, Bodin has rights to the name as well since he’s been on every album and never left the band, so I’m guessing Roine doesn’t want to deal with issues should he go forward with the band without Bodin.

This definitely makes the most sense. I don't think there's ever been an official TFK album without Stolt AND Bodin on it, so they both might have stakes in the name, legally speaking. Naming this new project "The Flower King" is a bit of a middle-finger to Bodin, but it's a smart way to go about not having to use the actual band name while still (possibly) connecting it to the original solo album.

I recently tried to read a post on the TFK message boards (Garden Of Dreams) about how Tomas was upset that Roine was touring The Flower Kings music with different band members this fall, but every time I visit those message boards, I get ridiculous popups and malware redirects, so I've tried avoiding to read the posts there.

EDIT - Managed to read the post on the message board there on my laptop without getting popups.  Here's what Tomas has said about the tour:

Quote
For me such sad day.

The Flower Kings back on the road. And I have to read about it on the the internet.

Surly there must be better ways to tell a person, you’re not welcome anymore.

Basically I’m just sad. It feels like I have done more for the band, like I deserve some respect.

Best
Tomas



-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Fritzinger on September 16, 2018, 06:07:23 AM
Wow, Tomas' message is really touching. I get it, you've built a reputation, a BAND with a friend and released tons of great material. You don't get along too well anymore, so you decide to call it quits. Then your friend just says f*ck you all I'll just do this thing by myself.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on September 16, 2018, 06:45:30 PM
Wow, Tomas' message is really touching. I get it, you've built a reputation, a BAND with a friend and released tons of great material. You don't get along too well anymore, so you decide to call it quits. Then your friend just says f*ck you all I'll just do this thing by myself.

By himself...with 2 of the other 3 "core" members of TFK, Jonas Reingold and Hasse Froberg. Those two, along with Roine and Tomas, formed the main core of the band since Jonas joined way back in 1999. To say he is touring or releasing a new album "by himself" is a bit of a mislead.

It really does seem to be a bit of a "FU" to Tomas, but I doubt anyone here knows the true story (whatever it may be). We know that Tomas had issues getting along with Zoltan, despite being the member who brought him into the band initially (and praised his drumming). Perhaps it's Tomas' fault for not getting along with Roine these days? Who is to say...

Either way, we've got Roine releasing a new album with Jonas, Hasse, and his brother/former TFK member Michael Stolt, as well as upcoming touring member Zach Kamins on keyboards, this new group is pretty much The Flower Kings in spirit. A shame that Roine would carry on without Tomas, but perhaps Roine felt it necessary to keep moving forward, as he's continuously producing music and recording/playing with many people.

I think the last time Tomas released something was in 2015 (She Belongs To Another Tree, an electronic/ambient solo album), and that was roughly 6 years after his previous release with Eggs & Dogs (his then-new band) and their only release, You Are (the second in a trilogy that started with I Am, but never finished with He She It Is). Tomas was also working on a project with Hasse called Crime Of The Century (https://tomasbodin.se/news/crime-of-the-century/), at least 3 years ago, but nothing has come of that since then. Perhaps a lot of roadblocks have appeared before him, but of the four core TFK members, he's been the only one not producing anything of note, which is sad - he's got a unique sound that I really enjoy and I'll miss his keyboard playing in The Flower King(s).

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Nel on September 16, 2018, 07:16:16 PM
My music library is already a clusterfudge of artist/band names so I think I'll just file this one into my database as a new Flower Kings album rather than "Roine Stolt's The Flower King".  :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on September 16, 2018, 08:53:12 PM
My music library is already a clusterfudge of artist/band names so I think I'll just file this one into my database as a new Flower Kings album rather than "Roine Stolt's The Flower King".  :lol

I know what you mean. I've kept all "Neal Morse Band" releases under my "Morse, Neal" folder, though this one might be a bit tricky.

Part of me wants to put it in the "Flower Kings, The" folder I have, but I also could put it in the "Stolt, Roine" folder, which, honestly, is probably where it'll end up since the release *IS* named Roine Stolt's The Flower King.

Then again, I put the Circus Brimstone live instrumental album in my TFK folder, sooooo...

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on September 17, 2018, 01:49:00 PM
I had the Neal Morse Band stuff under a different name, but now that I am listening to most of my music in the car from my iPhone instead of CDR's and like hitting random play, I have the NMB stuff under Neal Morse as well, that way I can hit shuffle on Neal Morse and get anything from his solo career or the two NMB albums. Yeah, I could do a playlist and drag that to my phone, but I tend to swap songs on and off from my phone on a regular basis and do not want to have to worry with updating the playlist and then dragging the new one to the phone again.  It's just easier this way.

I am sure I will do the same thing with this new Roine Flower King album, assuming it is good enough for me to buy.  I will check it out first, but since he he is back to being the main lead vocalist, as he said on FB, I am sure I will like it.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: darkshade on September 20, 2018, 09:28:07 AM
Dipped my toes into Kaleidoscope, never got into it much, but lately been feeling this kind of music again, and enjoyed the album the most since it came out. I enjoyed the first epic, Into The Blue it was? I don't remember. I thought it was strong, and I really liked Daniel's vocals. The other epic didn't do much for me, and the middle 3 tunes were OK but nothing crazy. Still my least favorite Transatlantic album by far, if not one of my least favorite albums by Roine/Neal.

I've been casually following this recent TFK news. Roine IS The Flower King, so I think he can do what he wants, but I think there's legal issues to why it's not called a Flower Kings album proper. I feel like he should have just called it Roine Stolt or "Stolt" or something like that, unless this is a follow up to Roine's 1994 solo album, but I don't think it will sound like it. In fact, I wasn't thrilled with the last TFK album, so my expectations aren't very high for RSTFK.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on September 20, 2018, 07:45:43 PM
Kaleidoscope is good, but it's dwarfed big time by its three predecessors. 

I agree that Desolation Rose was not that great, but I blame that on Froberg singing the vast majority of the lead vocals.  With Roine back in the seat as the lead vocalist, I have  hopes that his songwriting will return to form. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on September 23, 2018, 10:49:53 AM
I've reached something of an impasse when it comes to Roine Stolt-led albums. I've got the first Kingdom of Colours box, and very little I've read so far both here and in other places suggests anything other than Roine's best material (as far as TFK goes) is contained within said boxset, and that the albums from Adam and Eve onward will be disappointing in comparison. And having read mixed-to-negative reviews of Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within. Nothing has yet convinced me that I need those albums in my collection.

Is there anything positive that might help me change my mind here?
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on September 23, 2018, 09:01:17 PM
I've reached something of an impasse when it comes to Roine Stolt-led albums. I've got the first Kingdom of Colours box, and very little I've read so far both here and in other places suggests anything other than Roine's best material (as far as TFK goes) is contained within said boxset, and that the albums from Adam and Eve onward will be disappointing in comparison. And having read mixed-to-negative reviews of Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within. Nothing has yet convinced me that I need those albums in my collection.

Is there anything positive that might help me change my mind here?

While Adam And Eve isn't as well-received as the band's previous albums, it does feature more Daniel Gildenlow, so if you want to hear more of his input in the TFK-world, this is where to hear it. Better-received are the two albums following A&E, and they're two of my favorites, especially Paradox Hotel. After the heavily jazz-fusion-inspired and epic-heavy UTF and A&E, PH goes back to a double album formula full of great SONGS that don't rely on just long sprawling instrumental sections and improvisations - instead, the songs really breathe new life into the band and vice versa. It took me a long time to "get" the album, but once I did, it shot up to my personal number 3 TFK album and has sat there ever since (behind SWA and UTF). Almost every song is a joy, and in fact, the longest song is NOT my favorite (though good, it's one of their weaker epics).

For what followed PH, the reunion of Zoltan with TFK was celebrated with The Sum Of No Evil did go back to the jazzy-styled sounds but this one was a bit more prog-infused and goes right back to the classic 70's prog. It's a bit of a catch-all for all eras of TFK, with some literal throwbacks to earlier TFK music and lyrics (though small ones), and some great performances by the whole band. For me, after the wildly different PH, TSONE was a bit of a return to form, but both albums were great in their own rights.

After those two, the next two albums that came were a bit middle-of-the-road for me. I don't go back to them very often, but they're pretty decent. They released two albums after a 5-year-break and they're both kind of same-y to me, and both feature the same line-ups as well.

I'd say, if you're interested in completing the discography, get it for PH and TSONE, and maybe you might like some of Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose.

It's interesting that, now, after another 5-year-break since DR, Roine has returned to making TFK music, albeit under a different band and without Tomas Bodin. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this new album will turn out. I'll agree that The Sea Within wasn't very gripping at first listen, but it's slowly grown on me. As for Roine's input on it, as near as I can tell, he co-wrote only 6 of the album's 12 songs, and is credited solely for one tune (the instrumental "Sea Without"), so only about half of the album was his input. With Anderson/Stolt, most of the music was written by Anderson with Stolt (and like half a dozen other writers involved) providing other input, but from the sound of it, it just sounds like he wrote what he played for the most part, and not the bulk of the music composition.

I think basing an opinion on latter-day TFK on Roine's two more recent releases is a bit unfair, though it's reasonable to feel reluctant to order Manifesto Of An Alchemist based on those two lukewarm releases.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on September 24, 2018, 05:51:06 PM
The Sum of No Evil is a return to form stylistically, but the album itself is weak compared to their best works. Same for Desolation Rose. Those two and The Rainmaker are easily their weakest three to date.

On the flip side, Paradox Hotel is freaking incredible, and Banks of Eden is really good, too.  Those albums should be owned by any TFK fan.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: ronnibran on September 24, 2018, 07:56:50 PM
I really need to check this band out more.  It's been ages since I've given it a try.  In the past year or so I've really grown to appreciate the more "Roine" sounding moments in the Transatlantic albums, so this would be a natural next thing to check out.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Ben_Jamin on September 24, 2018, 08:39:01 PM
I bought Instant DeLIVEry and I love that set. The Paradox Hotel songs work really well live. Pioneers of Aviation is an amazing instrumental song.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on September 25, 2018, 08:45:26 PM
The Sum of No Evil is a return to form stylistically, but the album itself is weak compared to their best works. Same for Desolation Rose. Those two and The Rainmaker are easily their weakest three to date.

On the flip side, Paradox Hotel is freaking incredible, and Banks of Eden is really good, too.  Those albums should be owned by any TFK fan.

I think part of the reason I like TSONE so much is because it came out not long after I became a fan, and I was a fan of the band's earlier works (Stardust We Are and Retropolis, in particular). At that point in time (06-07), I hadn't grown to liking PH quite yet, so hearing an album that was stylistically similar to their earlier works REALLY appealed to me, and as a drummer, I enjoyed the return of Zoltan (who was one of my favorite parts of UTF). In retrospect, it is a bit weaker comparatively, but on its own, it stands the test of time for me - I still highly enjoy it, but I can see how others might not.

On BOE and DR, I think I like the latter slightly more, but that might be because of my tweaked tracklist that mixes in the bonus songs and makes the album a true double, with the instrumental stuff that didn't make the cut interspersed throughout the album, much like their older works that had instrumental pieces across their albums. And I think coming out not long after BOE, I didn't get BOE much of a chance to sink in, but DR really just hit me and kind of stuck with me harder than BOE. I'm sure in a few years, I'll grow to appreciate BOE more and more, but DR just slightly holds a higher place than it.

I really need to check this band out more.  It's been ages since I've given it a try.  In the past year or so I've really grown to appreciate the more "Roine" sounding moments in the Transatlantic albums, so this would be a natural next thing to check out.

The best way to start is chronologically. I'm sure that's what most folks might say, but if that's too time consuming, I would suggest their third album, Stardust We Are, or their fifth, Space Revolver. Both are top-notch releases and embody what I consider the best strengths of the band at their peak!

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on September 25, 2018, 08:59:33 PM
Zoltan's drumming was always killer and his drum sound was awesome; it's a shame the songwriting wasn't better when he was brought back into the fold for TSONE.  What's even more frustrating is the sound of the album is really nice - the bass and drums sound really deep and fat while not being overpowering; it's a great mix.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: SwedishGoose on September 26, 2018, 03:48:13 AM
New dates in Canada added

https://www.facebook.com/100000996741078/posts/1914662971910242/
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on September 28, 2018, 10:33:13 AM
Pre-orders are live for Roine Stolt's The Flower King - Manfiesto Of An Alchemist.
https://roinestoltstheflowerking.lnk.to/Manifesto

According to the track times of the CD on the InsideOut store, the album will be 69:21 long. The InsideOut store also has an exclusive vinyl option as well.

I'm still going to wait on pre-ordering this, at least until samples begin to come out, or even reviews. There don't seem to be any major CD exclusives anywhere (special packaging, signed postcards, etc.) so I am not in a rush to order this, especially with all of the other new studio and live albums coming out this fall.

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Fritzinger on October 01, 2018, 07:57:34 AM
Pre-orders are live for Roine Stolt's The Flower King - Manfiesto Of An Alchemist.
https://roinestoltstheflowerking.lnk.to/Manifesto

According to the track times of the CD on the InsideOut store, the album will be 69:21 long. The InsideOut store also has an exclusive vinyl option as well.

I'm still going to wait on pre-ordering this, at least until samples begin to come out, or even reviews. There don't seem to be any major CD exclusives anywhere (special packaging, signed postcards, etc.) so I am not in a rush to order this, especially with all of the other new studio and live albums coming out this fall.

-Marc.


I have found the track lengths of this one:
--SPOILERS--


Quote
Disc 1 Side 1
01. Rainsong (01:27)
02. Lost America (09:50)
03. Ze Pawns (08:27)
Disc 1 Side 2
01. High Road (12:32)
02. Rio Grande (07:50)
Disc 2 Side 1
01. Next to a Hurricane (04:25)
02. The Alchemist (06:57)
03. Baby Angels (03:48)
Disc 2 Side 2
01. Six Thirty Wake-Up (04:17)
02. The Spell Of Money (09:48)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on October 05, 2018, 09:12:38 AM
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=8CtjFiJt6yw&list=OLAK5uy_k47vPie6mKnRTqHTy_fsP3Q2pMMbXpfKs

First full song preview is up! Listening now...

-Marc..
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Fritzinger on October 05, 2018, 12:07:44 PM
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=8CtjFiJt6yw&list=OLAK5uy_k47vPie6mKnRTqHTy_fsP3Q2pMMbXpfKs

First full song preview is up! Listening now...

-Marc..

Please share your thoughts  :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on October 05, 2018, 05:43:28 PM
I listened early and liked it.  Sounds very much like the Flower Kings and much more interesting than anything from the album with Anderson or the Sea Within record.  Hearing Roine on lead vocals again was pretty sweet. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: The Letter M on October 05, 2018, 08:06:26 PM
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=8CtjFiJt6yw&list=OLAK5uy_k47vPie6mKnRTqHTy_fsP3Q2pMMbXpfKs

First full song preview is up! Listening now...

-Marc..

Please share your thoughts  :)

I was getting ready for work this morning when I was listening to it, but I'm giving it another go right now, and I'd have to say, I'm a little impressed. My expectations for this project are low given Roine's output with Anderson/Stolt and Sea Within, but like Kev said, this is a very-TFK-sounding song, and I think having Jonas and even Froberg with him helps, as well as the obvious Roine vocals.

The opening is VERY different than what I expect from Roine's music, very percussive with those 16th-note attacks in the drums and bass, and the verse is very groovy. I miss the sounds of Tomas' keys, but the use of organ here and there really helps elevate this a bit. It might take some time for me to absorb everything about this song, but I'm a bit more hopeful for this whole thing now. I want to pre-order, but I may wait a little while (after some more paychecks and bills paid off) - I hope between this album and the upcoming tours that Roine feels more energized and will begin to make his own music again, and not just settle on collaborations that produce mixed results. It's a shame that this is coming out so soon after The Sea Within, which may now feel like he's abandoning it in favor or TFK-flavored music again, but I wouldn't blame him - it's hard to tour on an album without the main vocalist aboard (Daniel Gildenlow).

-Marc.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: DTA on October 06, 2018, 05:23:48 AM
From just one listen, there were some good moments, but didn't really do much for me. There was nothing that made me want to relisten to it. I think I'm off the Roine-train unfortunately.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on October 08, 2018, 08:00:43 AM
Listening to Garden of Dreams again, and I'm beginning to think my favourite section, in terms of where it is and the subsequent effect it has, is actually the second of the three main instrumental passages, covering The Mean Machine and Dungeons of the Deep. It's a breather in what is a masterfully-arranged suite. Then it's not a sudden swing back into activity, as you have the piano solo of Indian Summer slowly bringing us back up from the depths, and the very gradual buildup of that section before we have another lengthy prog freakout in Sunny Lane.

Also, the choir bit in Dungeons of the Deep gives me goosebumps.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on October 08, 2018, 05:37:56 PM
Yep, that is great stuff.  It's like you wander off into no-man's land, almost like you are lost, before finding yourself again. 

For my money, the whole suite is the best thing they've ever done, and I can name a part I love to death from practically all 18 tracks, although Business Vamp remains my favorite single TFK song ever. 
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: Bentower on October 09, 2018, 09:10:46 AM
Aaah yes, The Garden of Dreams! The Flower Kings at their epic best. Such a gorgeous and effortlessly flowing piece. Having just listened to it following Lost America it's obviously in a different league sonically as well.
Also, it makes for a wonderfully suitable soundtrack for shrooming, being that it's varied, highly emotional and psychedelic af. :)
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on October 09, 2018, 11:43:52 AM
Aaah yes, The Garden of Dreams! The Flower Kings at their epic best. Such a gorgeous and effortlessly flowing piece. Having just listened to it following Lost America it's obviously in a different league sonically as well.
Also, it makes for a wonderfully suitable and soundtrack for shrooming, being that it's varied, highly emotional and psychedelic af. :)

 :coolio :hat
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on October 09, 2018, 01:20:12 PM
The only thing that causes a problem for me is that Garden of Dreams is such a vast piece of music that requires a lot of concentration...then you have a further 80 minutes of music on the Flower Power album afterwards. And there are some amazing songs on Disc 2. Painter is without doubt one of my favourite tracks. But I'm finding I can never listen to the whole album in one session. It's too much.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on October 09, 2018, 05:47:03 PM
Well yeah, pretty much every TFK double album is impossible to listen to in one setting.  They are so loooooong.  :lol :lol

On the one hand, I think Garden of Dreams would have been released as a studio album by itself, but on the other hand, the second disc does have some great stuff.  Tacking Astral Dog on to the end of the first disc still seems so weird.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on October 11, 2018, 12:20:02 AM
Yup. That is a strange one.

Flower Power was the first full album I listened to on the day I got the Kingdom of Colours box. When I did it then, I broke it into three parts. 1. Garden of Dreams, 2. Captain Capstan thru Psychedelic Postcard, 3. the rest of disc 2. It still took up the entire evening though, probably close to 3 hours factoring in the breaks.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on October 11, 2018, 05:49:29 PM
Yep, you pretty much have to dedicate a whole evening to it if you want to listen to the whole album.  :lol :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: RoeDent on November 06, 2018, 09:55:38 AM
This podcast just came out, with an extended Roine Stolt interview, including picking their top 5 Flower Kings songs: https://progreport.com/podcast-prog-report-top-5-flower-kings-songs/

Something really significant that came from it, and it's painting a not-particularly-good picture of the label InsideOut for me personally, is how they chose to go with the band name Roine Stolt's The Flower King for the new Manifesto of an Alchemist album. It was IO that decided to split albums by Spock's Beard and The Sea Within into two discs even though they could easily fit on one. I'm beginning to feel the rot of Big Business (aka Sony) has started to seep into what is one of prog's biggest labels. Just a few decisions where I feel InsideOut of pre-Sony times would have made better ones.
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Career-spanning box sets now out)
Post by: KevShmev on November 06, 2018, 07:16:51 PM
That was a mostly good listen, and I say "mostly'" because I had it on while doing other things and zoned out a bit at times.  Not surprised to hear Roine say that he thinks Stardust We Are is their best album.  :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 08, 2018, 06:14:01 PM
Still not sure about this Lost America song from the upcoming album (just listened to it for the second time), as it kind of just plods along while not having any real hook.  Should be interesting to see what the whole new album sounds like. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 09, 2018, 07:51:41 AM
Still not sure about this Lost America song from the upcoming album (just listened to it for the second time), as it kind of just plods along while not having any real hook.  Should be interesting to see what the whole new album sounds like.

It didn't grab me at all unfortunately. I'm still going to get the album, but it will probably go the way of The Sea Within and not receive much play outside of a few initial listens. The only good thing this man has released in the past few years is the Kaipa DaCapo album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 10, 2018, 09:07:36 AM
Still not sure about this Lost America song from the upcoming album (just listened to it for the second time), as it kind of just plods along while not having any real hook.  Should be interesting to see what the whole new album sounds like.

It didn't grab me at all unfortunately. I'm still going to get the album, but it will probably go the way of The Sea Within and not receive much play outside of a few initial listens. The only good thing this man has released in the past few years is the Kaipa DaCapo album.

Listening to that podcast the other day got me on to a Flower Kings kick the last few days and it really is stunning how amazing those early Flower Kings records are.  Don't get me wrong, I like all of their albums to some degree, and 2006's Paradox Hotel remains one of my favorites, but I think it's clear that 1995-2000 was the Flower Kings sweet spot. Roine's creativity and writing was at its peak and those first five albums are all nothing short of magnificent, and it almost seems unfair to expect him to peak like that again. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 10, 2018, 09:19:55 AM
Still not sure about this Lost America song from the upcoming album (just listened to it for the second time), as it kind of just plods along while not having any real hook.  Should be interesting to see what the whole new album sounds like.

It didn't grab me at all unfortunately. I'm still going to get the album, but it will probably go the way of The Sea Within and not receive much play outside of a few initial listens. The only good thing this man has released in the past few years is the Kaipa DaCapo album.

Listening to that podcast the other day got me on to a Flower Kings kick the last few days and it really is stunning how amazing those early Flower Kings records are.  Don't get me wrong, I like all of their albums to some degree, and 2006's Paradox Hotel remains one of my favorites, but I think it's clear that 1995-2000 was the Flower Kings sweet spot. Roine's creativity and writing was at its peak and those first five albums are all nothing short of magnificent, and it almost seems unfair to expect him to peak like that again.

I agree. The albums from The Flower King through Space Revolver just have such a unique vibe. The production was bright and cheerful, the drums big and expansive, and the melodies and arrangements were extremely catchy yet also complex. The Rainmaker definitely brought a darker vibe, which as much as I love, ended the positive nature of the band's music that I loved so much. Just something as simple as the majestic verses of Slave To Money was so refreshing to hear. UTF is also excellent, but I don't like how "tight" the music sounded from a production standpoint. Gone are the big expansive drums and keyboard sounds for a smaller, more compact jazzier sound. Roine has been unable to recreate that huge sound since.

I think there is greatness in every FK album, though The Sum Of No Evil is the worst of the bunch imo. Too much meandering and the songs are just too long. I actually think Desolation Rose is really good and it was only 5 years ago so maybe I'm being too harsh on him. Speaking of which, how are the Agents of Mercy albums? It's the only project of his that I've yet to hear a note of.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 10, 2018, 09:34:40 AM
I only heard the first Agents of Mercy record, which had a really short shelf life for me since the singer made me want to rip my ears off.  :lol :lol

The Rainmaker is definitely one of their three least best albums (I would now rank it slightly ahead of The Sum of No Evil and Desolation Rose), but I still like it quite a bit.  It has a feel and vibe unlike any other FK record, and that is cool to visit every once in a while. 

Unfold the Future is really good from a totality standpoint, but it is so damn long that I feel like I need to take a half day off work to listen to it. :lol  Fortunately, it does have a few songs I like enough to listen to on their own here and there - Silent Inferno, Fast Lane, Man Overboard, Solitary Shell and Devil's Playground. I still like Genie in a Bottle, but not nearly as much as I used to.  Roine said on FB that The Truth... will get played on the upcoming tour and all I could think of was, "What a waste of 30 minutes."  It's not a bad song, but it's so long and so plodding.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 10, 2018, 10:45:27 AM
Ooooh, yeah that singer is tough to put up with. The music behind sounded pretty good, but the vocals are probably too much.

I can already guess that Roine is going to do a "best-of" type setlist for the upcoming tour. He's already mentioned Stardust We Are, and that combined with The Truth is already an hour of music. I love those songs (SWA is probably my fav FK song overall), but they do eat up a chunk of setlist time and have been represented live already so much it seems like a waste.

I'm also guessing In The Eyes Of The World, There Is More To This World, The Flower King, an edited I Am The Sun (not doing the entirety of Parts 1 & 2 is easily their lamest live decision aside from cutting out portions of Garden of Dreams) and maybe Last Minute On Earth will make appearances. Great songs, but I always get disappointed when bands do the "obvious" choices. I'd kill to hear Silent Sorrow, The Judas Kiss, Theme For A Hero, The End Of Innocence, Monster Within, Slave To Money, and Calling Home represented.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 10, 2018, 12:38:46 PM
I agree with most of that.  With so many great songs, doing so many long epics doesn't leave much room for a lot of other songs.  I am lucky in that the only time I saw them (late '06), they gave us this killer set list:

Paradox Hotel
Hit Me with a Hit
Psycedelic Postcard
Hudson River Sirens Call 1998
Jealousy
What If God Is Alone?
Just This Once
Pioneers of Aviation
Touch My Heaven
Mommy, Leave the Light On
End of a High Note
World of Adventures
Silent Sorrow
I Am the Sun

Life Will Kill You
Ghost of the Red Cloud
The Flower King

Getting Silent Sorrow and Ghost of the Red Cloud, two of my favorites, made my night. :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: SwedishGoose on November 10, 2018, 12:46:55 PM
Will see them twice in december in Stockholm and Malmö.

Only seen them once before, way back in 1996, when they gave us this setlist:

Atomic Prince
The Magic Circus of Zeb
Big Puzzle
The Sounds of Violence
Train to Nowhere
Den skrattande grevinnan
Inget nytt under solen
The Flower King
Go West Judas
Humanizzimo
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 10, 2018, 01:03:07 PM
Man, I would have loved to have seen them back when Big Puzzle was a regular part of the set list.  That's a top 3 FK song for me now. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 11, 2018, 06:19:33 AM
I agree with most of that.  With so many great songs, doing so many long epics doesn't leave much room for a lot of other songs.  I am lucky in that the only time I saw them (late '06), they gave us this killer set list:

Paradox Hotel
Hit Me with a Hit
Psycedelic Postcard
Hudson River Sirens Call 1998
Jealousy
What If God Is Alone?
Just This Once
Pioneers of Aviation
Touch My Heaven
Mommy, Leave the Light On
End of a High Note
World of Adventures
Silent Sorrow
I Am the Sun

Life Will Kill You
Ghost of the Red Cloud
The Flower King

Getting Silent Sorrow and Ghost of the Red Cloud, two of my favorites, made my night. :hat

I saw them on that tour too, but I honestly have zero recollection of the show. I also saw them at Nearfest and a small NJ show in 2002 (or 2003?)  that I remember clearly, but the 2006 show is a complete blur. That is a really cool setlist though. I love that they went so heavy on Paradox Hotel for the tour as it's a great album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 11, 2018, 06:21:30 AM
Will see them twice in december in Stockholm and Malmö.

Only seen them once before, way back in 1996, when they gave us this setlist:

Atomic Prince
The Magic Circus of Zeb
Big Puzzle
The Sounds of Violence
Train to Nowhere
Den skrattande grevinnan
Inget nytt under solen
The Flower King
Go West Judas
Humanizzimo

Wow... :o I always thought Go West Judas would be a killer live track and it's never made an appearance in the past 20+ years.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 11, 2018, 06:30:07 AM

I saw them on that tour too, but I honestly have zero recollection of the show. I also saw them at Nearfest and a small NJ show in 2002 (or 2003?)  that I remember clearly, but the 2006 show is a complete blur. That is a really cool setlist though. I love that they went so heavy on Paradox Hotel for the tour as it's a great album.

Agreed.  The greedy part of me wanted Self-Consuming Fire and Lucy Had a Dream as well, but given how many PH songs they were already playing, I was more than happy.  :coolio

I always thought Go West Judas would be a killer live track and it's never made an appearance in the past 20+ years.

It took me years to really warm up to that song, but I really like it now.  It manages to rock while still having some cool proggy elements; a very natural live song.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 17, 2018, 07:49:23 AM
The setlist from their Sao Paulo show is up. Looks exactly like what I expected them to play. I guess it's their first show in awhile, but I can't help but get disappointed when I see the same old predictable choices. And I'll never understand why this man does not want to play the end of IATS Pt. 1 or the beginning of IATS Pt. 2, which is easily the best part of the entire album. 

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-flower-kings/2018/carioca-club-sao-paulo-brazil-6397ee37.html
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 17, 2018, 09:09:38 AM
Based on what Roine said on FB, that set list looks about what I expected. It was nice to see something from Paradox Hotel (What If God Is Alone?) played.

Regarding I Am the Sun, I've never gotten the deal with not playing the second half of Part 1 or the first half of Part 2, but it is what it is. Sometimes shortened versions of long songs just catch on live and the artist always leaves it that way.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 17, 2018, 11:52:00 AM
Based on what Roine said on FB, that set list looks about what I expected. It was nice to see something from Paradox Hotel (What If God Is Alone?) played.

Regarding I Am the Sun, I've never gotten the deal with not playing the second half of Part 1 or the first half of Part 2, but it is what it is. Sometimes shortened versions of long songs just catch on live and the artist always leaves it that way.

What If God Is Alone? is great. It seems to be the only song from that album that ever got any sort of live play after the tour. I think End On A High Note would also be a cool song to return.

I'd give anything to hear a full I Am The Sun. I made a FK-epic-only playlist for work that I listened to this week and I think IATS has actually surpassed SWA as my favorite epic of theirs. The "I'm in the middle, now see what I've done" part may be his greatest melody ever. The result of my listening is that Roine was unparalleled with writing epics in TFK. They are all (with the exception of Monsters & Men) very high quality and unique (which I can't say for Neal's epics even though as a whole, Neal's entire output is stronger) and have incredibly memorable melodies throughout.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 17, 2018, 10:26:04 PM
I have to push back on the Monsters and Men comment, since I think that is pretty excellent. 

Focusing on the epics that are 15 minutes plus, the only ones I really never listen to anymore are Love Is the Only Answer and The Truth Will Set You Free. Both are good songs, but if I am going to dedicate that much time to a long epic, it had better be great, and neither fits the bill, for me anyway.

I agree that I Am the Sun (when taking the two parts together as one song) is better than Stardust We Are. Its close, but I Am the Sun just has that little extra something. 

As for Neal, I can't think of one long epic of his that I would give the Love is the Only Answer/The Truth treatment. All of them are more than great enough to justify me dedicating that much time to listening.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 18, 2018, 08:22:54 AM
Monsters & Men and Love Is The Only Answer meander a bit too much for their own good and (to me) lack the high points all the other epics have. Love... has a stronger chorus melody and stays with me longer so that one tends to get a pass and listened to regularly. But after listening to M&M a few times this past week, it still does absolutely nothing for me and does not surprise me that it was never played live. The Truth is a really awesome song, but I definitely have listened to it too much in the past to want to sit through it again so I'll agree with you there. I've listened to IATS and SWA (and Humanizzimo, Garden of Dreams, Love Supreme, etc) a ton too but never get tired of them for whatever reason like I do with Truth.

I feel like Neal went through a weird super-long epic period that produced some songs that feel like they simultaneously go on forever and go nowhere. So Many Roads, World Without End, and Alive Again mainly. I honestly have no desire to ever hear them again. Seeds of Gold from that same time period is a total anomaly and is one of the best things he ever did. All his other epics either solo or with SB are superb and well worth the time but those three are such a chore.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 18, 2018, 09:41:50 AM
Roine all but said that Monsters and Men wasn't played live because Marcus Liliequist, the drummer on Paradox Hotel, hated it.  Even though I like it a lot, I am glad it wasn't played because, given its length, it probably would have been at the expense of 3-4 other songs from PH.

Humanizzimo isn't a TFK song, but I do like it a lot. 

I have never hidden the fact that Hasse's voice is very hit or miss for me, and I think him doing most of the lead vocals on The Truth is one of the hangups I have with it.  Heck, look at a song like Tower One; I love the middle section where Roine sings, but the first and last third of the song I am really iffy on cause Hasse's voice is rather grating at times. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 18, 2018, 10:22:44 AM
I did not know that about Marcus. I always kind of felt that he was sort of a "hired gun" for that period and it's surprising that Roine would've accommodated his likes/dislikes to the extent that he'd leave a big opening-song epic unplayed. Not that I minded as I'd literally rather have any other PH song in the set besides that one, but pretty cool of Roine otherwise. Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. Same as Hydrophonia, aka the lost Flower Kings instrumental album (and one of Roine's strongest albums IMO).

Agreed on Hasse. I like when he's used for bridges and other smaller parts (middle of There Is More To This World, SWA Pt. 3, Church Of Your Heart) but when he dominates the vocal parts, I tend to like the song less. He really took a lot of the lead from UTF onward and it got even weirder when Daniel was added to the mix. I'm sure that has something to do with my liking them better during the earlier years when it was almost entirely Roine and/or instrumental.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 18, 2018, 10:34:03 AM
I did not know that about Marcus. I always kind of felt that he was sort of a "hired gun" for that period and it's surprising that Roine would've accommodated his likes/dislikes to the extent that he'd leave a big opening-song epic unplayed.

Marcus apparently was very critical of it during the recording process, and I think it made Roine question how good it really was, rather than accommodating his dislike when it came to writing the set list for the tour. That is the impression I got (going from memory, as it has been years since I read Roine's comments).

  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

Agreed on Hasse. I like when he's used for bridges and other smaller parts (middle of There Is More To This World, SWA Pt. 3, Church Of Your Heart) but when he dominates the vocal parts, I tend to like the song less. He really took a lot of the lead from UTF onward and it got even weirder when Daniel was added to the mix. I'm sure that has something to do with my liking them better during the earlier years when it was almost entirely Roine and/or instrumental.

For sure.  I've always said, I doubt it's a coincidence that my three least favorite TFK albums are the ones where Hasse sings the most lead - The Rainmaker, The Sum of No Evil and Desolation Rose.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: SwedishGoose on November 19, 2018, 11:36:22 AM
Got my signed copy of Manifesto today... on my first listen and I like it.... love some of it and some will possibly take a little time to grow.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Kyo on November 20, 2018, 04:05:35 AM
  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

I think you'd be surprised how many songs on TFK albums would fit your definition of "very much a Roine Stolt solo song".
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 20, 2018, 03:56:12 PM
  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

I think you'd be surprised how many songs on TFK albums would fit your definition of "very much a Roine Stolt solo song".

Yeah. I'm almost positive Roine did a lot of the keyboards and bass on everything from The Flower King through Flower Power. If you listen to Hydrophonia, the same sounds and styles as the stuff on FK albums are all present. I feel like once Jonas joined around Space Revolver, then it became an actual full-fledged band.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 20, 2018, 06:57:14 PM
  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

I think you'd be surprised how many songs on TFK albums would fit your definition of "very much a Roine Stolt solo song".

I would be, since I doubt there are many full band songs on a Flower Kings album where Roine plays almost everything. 


Yeah. I'm almost positive Roine did a lot of the keyboards and bass on everything from The Flower King through Flower Power. If you listen to Hydrophonia, the same sounds and styles as the stuff on FK albums are all present. I feel like once Jonas joined around Space Revolver, then it became an actual full-fledged band.

Considering there is no reason to think, why would say that?  Saying that does a complete disservice to Tomas Bodin, whose input and style has been a major part of TFK's sound since the beginning. 

And of course Hydrophonia had the same sounds and styles...Roine was the main writer again!  But the playing of the other Kings is what makes the songs on the TFK records Flower Kings songs, not just Roine songs.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Nekov on November 23, 2018, 08:06:16 AM
Got my signed copy of Manifesto today... on my first listen and I like it.... love some of it and some will possibly take a little time to grow.

I just listened to it. It sounds like a TFK album which is a good thing to be honest
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 23, 2018, 03:45:10 PM
Most of the 90-second samples on iTunes sounded good, but one featured some harmonies where you could clearly hear the singer Roine used on those Agents of Mercy albums, and I actively dislike that guy's voice, so it scared me off from buying it for now.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on November 23, 2018, 05:10:31 PM
Most of the 90-second samples on iTunes sounded good, but one featured some harmonies where you could clearly hear the singer Roine used on those Agents of Mercy albums, and I actively dislike that guy's voice, so it scared me off from buying it for now.

 :lol I guess Nad Sylvan does take some getting used to. At least, according to this (https://www.discogs.com/Roine-Stolts-The-Flower-King-Manifesto-Of-An-Alchemist/release/12836588), Nad only appears on one track, and it's one of the shorter ones.

I've listened to most of the album in the last day or so, and I'm more impressed with it than I was with Anderson/Stolt and The Sea Within. It's definitely got a full-on TFK vibe, but I do miss the presence of Tomas Bodin. However, the combination of Jonas, Hasse, and Roine definitely feels like home in terms of sounding like TFK, even though Jonas only appears on 3 songs and Hasse on 4. In that respect, it's still VERY much a Roine Stolt solo album, just with a new moniker, and is more like the long-awaited sequel to Stolt's solo album The Flower King.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on November 24, 2018, 06:51:55 AM
  Humanizzimo is a FK song in everything but name really. 

How so?  Except for the sax and drums, Roine plays/sings everything on it - all vocals, all guitars, bass and all keys.  It is very much a Roine Stolt solo song.

I think you'd be surprised how many songs on TFK albums would fit your definition of "very much a Roine Stolt solo song".

I would be, since I doubt there are many full band songs on a Flower Kings album where Roine plays almost everything. 


Yeah. I'm almost positive Roine did a lot of the keyboards and bass on everything from The Flower King through Flower Power. If you listen to Hydrophonia, the same sounds and styles as the stuff on FK albums are all present. I feel like once Jonas joined around Space Revolver, then it became an actual full-fledged band.

Considering there is no reason to think, why would say that?  Saying that does a complete disservice to Tomas Bodin, whose input and style has been a major part of TFK's sound since the beginning. 

And of course Hydrophonia had the same sounds and styles...Roine was the main writer again!  But the playing of the other Kings is what makes the songs on the TFK records Flower Kings songs, not just Roine songs.

You're definitely right about Tomas. I just listened to Manifesto and all's I could think of was "it needs more keyboards and stronger melodies!" I think I finally figured out what's different about Roine's more recent projects. The guitar has become the main instrument and the keyboards seem to sit in the back of the mix whereas earlier FK material had the keys in a much more prominent role. Dream Theater sort of did the same thing once Kevin Moore left.

One listen through Manifesto and I found it underwhelming. Next To A Hurricane, The Alchemist, and Baby Angels stood out on first listen but nothing stuck with me from the other songs. I played Hydrophonia right after and Shipbuilding, Little Cottage By The Sea, and Wreck Of The HMS Nemesis just blew away anything on Manifesto with how full-of-life and dynamic they sounded. Roine's new production style just sounds flat and without dynamics and I think that's harming the overall vibe of the music he's trying to capture. I'm going to keep listening and hope some other stuff jumps out. High Road needs some more attention.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 24, 2018, 07:41:41 AM


 :lol I guess Nad Sylvan does take some getting used to. 

There is no getting used to a singer with that atrocious of a voice. :lol :lol

You're definitely right about Tomas. I just listened to Manifesto and all's I could think of was "it needs more keyboards and stronger melodies!" I think I finally figured out what's different about Roine's more recent projects. The guitar has become the main instrument and the keyboards seem to sit in the back of the mix whereas earlier FK material had the keys in a much more prominent role. Dream Theater sort of did the same thing once Kevin Moore left.

One listen through Manifesto and I found it underwhelming. Next To A Hurricane, The Alchemist, and Baby Angels stood out on first listen but nothing stuck with me from the other songs. I played Hydrophonia right after and Shipbuilding, Little Cottage By The Sea, and Wreck Of The HMS Nemesis just blew away anything on Manifesto with how full-of-life and dynamic they sounded. Roine's new production style just sounds flat and without dynamics and I think that's harming the overall vibe of the music he's trying to capture. I'm going to keep listening and hope some other stuff jumps out. High Road needs some more attention.

I noticed that when I listened to the samples; the sound was very muddy and seemed to lack any personality.  I listened to both Lost America and High Road (both are on YT) and neither did a lot for me, and the mixing/production sure didn't help the cause. :(
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on November 24, 2018, 10:42:08 AM
Not surprised by the underwhelming reaction. If you didn't like Anderson/Stolt or The Sea Within, it's pretty obvious that he's now past his prime, and it'll take something truly spectacular to restore his reputation. And I wasn't impressed by the Nad Sylvan Courting the Widow album. I'm tempted to get rid of it. I have little desire to listen to it again.

My question is...when should Roine have stopped? TFK lost all their momentum after The Sum of No Evil, and that band is now dead.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on November 24, 2018, 01:42:53 PM
They took a break after The Sum..., but came back years later with Banks of Eden, which was pretty damn great.  Desolation Rose was odd in that most of the best songs were from the bonus disc, while the main disc was very choppy. 

That said, I am not one to tell any musician when they should stop making music. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Fritzinger on November 25, 2018, 04:26:10 AM
They took a break after The Sum..., but came back years later with Banks of Eden, which was pretty damn great.  Desolation Rose was odd in that most of the best songs were from the bonus disc, while the main disc was very choppy. 

That said, I am not one to tell any musician when they should stop making music.

Absolutely this. I never understand when fans "tell" musicians to stop making music.
I've heard the same about Dream Theater (after 8vm, or Greatest Hit), Yes, Spock's Beard.
If you don't like their stuff anymore, don't buy it. But don't tell an artist that his work is so bad that the world would have been better off without it. I find that highly disrespectful.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: gzarruk on November 25, 2018, 05:27:10 AM
They took a break after The Sum..., but came back years later with Banks of Eden, which was pretty damn great.  Desolation Rose was odd in that most of the best songs were from the bonus disc, while the main disc was very choppy. 

That said, I am not one to tell any musician when they should stop making music.

Absolutely this. I never understand when fans "tell" musicians to stop making music.
I've heard the same about Dream Theater (after 8vm, or Greatest Hit), Yes, Spock's Beard.
If you don't like their stuff anymore, don't buy it. But don't tell an artist that his work is so bad that the world would have been better off without it. I find that highly disrespectful.

Completely agree. They’re basically telling them “just retire, you’re done”. That’s not a very nice thing to say/hear.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 14, 2019, 04:51:52 AM
Picked up A Kingdom of Colours II today. Looking forward to delving into the second half of The Flower Kings' career.

Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel (2cd)
The Sum of No Evil
Banks of Eden
Desolation Rose

Plus three bonus discs with loads of extra tracks.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on January 14, 2019, 05:49:53 AM
Picked up A Kingdom of Colours II today. Looking forward to delving into the second half of The Flower Kings' career.

Adam & E
Paradox Hotel (2cd)
The Sum of No Evil
Banks of Eden
Desolation Rose

Plus three bonus discs with loads of extra tracks.

I wanted to pick this up solely for that disc of bonus tracks from earlier in their career which contains a bunch of songs that I've somehow never managed to hear, but I just can't justify the spending on a bunch of stuff I already own. Wish I could find a digital version where I could just buy a single disc.

Adam & Eve actually grew on me very recently when I started listening to it at work for a week straight. I never liked it much but now I rank it much higher. The epics are excellent and a lot of the other songs are kind of atypical and adventurous. Timelines and Vampire's View especially. Not a fan of Gildenlow's added involvement, but he works in VV.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on January 14, 2019, 08:46:14 AM
I like most of A&E, largely due to the experimental nature; there is quite a bit of stuff on there that sounds unlike anything else they ever did.  Starlight Man is still one of the biggest teases in TFK history.  Such cool verses with a neat vibe...and then that chorus is so weak and limp.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 14, 2019, 09:35:19 AM
I've actually had the "TFK discography" thread from a few years ago bookmarked for some time now, to read bits on each album as I've listened to them. It's quite helpful, especially comments picking out thematic reprises etc.

I started off with Banks of Eden earlier. Very impressive. I really liked Numbers and For Those About to Drown. At 53 minutes, it's their shortest studio album, so it was a good place to start. I'm thinking of tackling the huge Paradox Hotel album this evening. 137 minutes of music.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on January 14, 2019, 10:59:49 AM
I loved Banks of Eden when it came out and it has aged well.  The bonus disc songs are all really good as well.

My love for Paradox Hotel has not waned a bit in the nearly-13 years since its release.  Consistent greatness on both discs. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Zydar on January 14, 2019, 11:46:47 AM
Just wanted to chime in and say thanks to KevShmev for your Top 50 list earlier in this thread. It's helped me a lot to introduce me to their stuff last month.

Right now I'm listening to the title track to Paradox Hotel. That section beginning at 3:00 is just awesome, for instance.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 14, 2019, 12:00:02 PM
Right now I'm listening to the title track to Paradox Hotel. That section beginning at 3:00 is just awesome, for instance.

Ooh! I shall look forward to that. I'm midway through disc 1 of the same album right now. Bavarian Skies....umm, I have questions. Anyway, so far the standout have been Monsters & Men and Pioneers of Aviation.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Zydar on January 14, 2019, 12:02:51 PM
Right now I'm listening to the title track to Paradox Hotel. That section beginning at 3:00 is just awesome, for instance.

Ooh! I shall look forward to that. I'm midway through disc 1 of the same album right now. Bavarian Skies....umm, I have questions. Anyway, so far the standout have been Monsters & Men and Pioneers of Aviation.

End On A High Note is brilliant as well. THAT OUTRO.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 14, 2019, 01:44:35 PM
On the title track now. I can totally imagine this being on one of the Nick d'Virgilio-led Spock's Beard albums. It's got the sort of Feel Euphoria/Octane vibe to it. Great song!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on January 14, 2019, 02:20:19 PM
I like the song Paradox Hotel, but it is probably my least favorite song from the album along with the Unorthodox instrumental. 


Just wanted to chime in and say thanks to KevShmev for your Top 50 list earlier in this thread. It's helped me a lot to introduce me to their stuff last month.


Glad to help, as always. :)

I haven't looked at my top 50 in a while, but I suspect it would be very different now.  It was done before the last two albums, and I am sure Banks of Eden would get at least one song on there (Numbers) and maybe a few others.  Nothing from Desolation Rose would make it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 14, 2019, 02:27:07 PM

I'm listening to a few tracks off the 3 bonus discs now. Unfortunately the booklet doesn't really go into much detail about the tracks, so apart from a few I have no idea what album sessions they come from. I know that The River, Turn the Stone and Regal Divers are from The Sum of No Evil, and all the tracks on Bonus Disc 3 are taken from the last two albums' bonus discs. But apart from that I'm stuck.

Kite, Buffalo Man, Last Exit, Brazilian Woman, Dexter Frank Jr., Agent Supreme, Space Traveller (currently on this and loving it),

Petit Heritage, A Good Heart, The Crown and The Cross, King of Grief, She Carved Me A Wooden Heart, Space Revolver (I assume this one's obvious), Jupiter Backwards.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on January 14, 2019, 02:40:15 PM
I can't recall off the top of my head where most of those came from (sessions-wise), but I am sure Marc will chime in and break it down for ya. :P

Last Exit, I do know, is an extension of A King's Prayer from Space Revolver. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on January 14, 2019, 03:16:58 PM
On the title track now. I can totally imagine this being on one of the Nick d'Virgilio-led Spock's Beard albums. It's got the sort of Feel Euphoria/Octane vibe to it. Great song!

There's a part in Skeletons At The Feast around 2:40 that sounds like it could be off a 90's FK album. I definitely feel like these two influenced each other a bit back then.

Kite and Buffalo Man are from Retropolis.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on January 14, 2019, 03:53:36 PM
I can't recall off the top of my head where most of those came from (sessions-wise), but I am sure Marc will chime in and break it down for ya. :P

Last Exit, I do know, is an extension of A King's Prayer from Space Revolver. 

 :lol How did you know?! :tup


I'm listening to a few tracks off the 3 bonus discs now. Unfortunately the booklet doesn't really go into much detail about the tracks, so apart from a few I have no idea what album sessions they come from. I know that The River, Turn the Stone and Regal Divers are from The Sum of No Evil, and all the tracks on Bonus Disc 3 are taken from the last two albums' bonus discs. But apart from that I'm stuck.

Kite, Buffalo Man, Last Exit, Brazilian Woman, Dexter Frank Jr., Agent Supreme, Space Traveller (currently on this and loving it),

Petit Heritage, A Good Heart, The Crown and The Cross, King of Grief, She Carved Me A Wooden Heart, Space Revolver (I assume this one's obvious), Jupiter Backwards.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Let's see...
-"Kite" and "Buffalo Man" were written and/or recorded around the sessions for Retropolis, and you can hear some of the themes used on Retropolis in "Kite".
-"Last Exit", as Kev said, is an instrumental extension of "A King's Prayer" from Space Revolver, which is pretty fantastic in its own right.
-"A Good Heart" is another bonus track from the bonus disc of Space Revolver.
-"Dexter Frank Jr.", "Brazillian Woman", "The Crown And The Cross", and "King Of Grief" are all songs written and performed by Roine Stolt (originally released on the 2005 TFK Fan Club disc)
-"Agent Supreme" was a bonus track on the bonus disc for The Rainmaker
-"Petit Heritage" and "Space Traveller" were originally released on the 2004 TFK Fan Club disc, the former composed by Michael Stolt, the latter by Roine Stolt
-And finally, the last three tracks, "She Carved Me A Wooden Heart", "Jupiter Backwards" and "Space Revolver" were all originally released as a free 3-track EP made available to Japan concerts in 1999, though I've never been sure if they came from the Flower Power sessions or the (slightly more obvious) Space Revolver sessions (though the track "Space Revolver" could have been an outtake from that album, it could be that Roine re-used the title of the song as an album title for their follow-up to Flower Power).

Even with ALL of those bonus tracks (not including the ones from their last 3 albums), they STILL left out a LOT of others, including but NOT limited to:
-"Regal Dinners", "Papercup Angels", "Butterfly Queen", and "End Of A Century" from Flower Power (all written by Tomas Bodin)
-"The Meadow", "Dream On Dreamer" (Alternate Vocal Take by Tomas), and "Venus Flytrap" from Space Revolver (the latter two by Tomas Bodin)
-"Excerpt From Valkyrian", "Mr. Hope Goes To Salzburg", "Violent Brat", "The Woman With No Shadow", and "One Whole Half" (written by Jonas Reingold, later released on the debut album by Karmakanic), all from The Rainmaker (with the first three written by Tomas Bodin, the third having later been released on his 2nd solo album Pinup Guru, reworked as the first part of the song "What's Going On").
-"Little Deceiver", an outtake from the Rainmaker sessions but wasn't released until the 2007 compilation The Road Back Home
-And just about every track released in the Fan Club 2000 disc, which features a lot of songs and a couple of covers, including "Across The Universe" and the classic "Cinema Show".

Going back through all of these, it is interesting to see that Roine did not include all of those Bodin-penned tracks from their first several albums. Makes me wonder if that was done on purpose to spite Tomas, if it was just that he didn't feel they needed to be included, or if Tomas didn't want him to use that music? Who knows...

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 15, 2019, 01:32:01 AM
While this thread has some life to it...one of the weirder samples I learnt about a few days ago. For some bizarre reason (and I'm not complaining at all about it), they used a sample from a badly-acted commercial on Silent Inferno: "I've fallen, and I can't get up".

It's like how just before the music starts on Different People, you can hear very faintly that famous "I know you're gonna dig this" sample that basically every house/dance record of the 80s and early 90s deployed.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Fritzinger on January 15, 2019, 02:52:39 AM
Silent Inferno is my favourite Flower Kings song of all time, and I noticed that sample too, but I never knew (or thought about) where it came from!

By the way, am I the only one who really likes The Sum Of No Evil?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on January 15, 2019, 06:25:14 AM
Silent Inferno is my favourite Flower Kings song of all time, and I noticed that sample too, but I never knew (or thought about) where it came from!

By the way, am I the only one who really likes The Sum Of No Evil?

TSONE suffers from unnecessary bloating, especially in the opening track which is easily their worst first track imo (followed right by the similarly bloated Monsters & Men). Right off the bat, I'm bored to tears. Then immediately after this bloated track comes a gigantic 25 minute epic.  It's fatiguing and a rearranged tracklisting with some editing might make it easier to get through. I really enjoy the next 3 tracks, with the fake title track being my favorite on the album, but then Life In Motion feels unnecessarily long too which makes the ending drag.

With edited opening/closing tracks, a stronger short song included, and the epic moved around, I think I'd like it more but it's an album I never desire to listen to whereas I'm pretty satisfied with nearly every other album they've done.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on January 15, 2019, 08:18:11 AM
It doesn't help either that Hasse Froberg is the primary lead vocalist on that album (which never helps the cause).  But yeah, most of the songs feel bloated and tedious.  It's a shame, too, since the album sounds pretty awesome (from a mixing and sonic standpoint). 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Zydar on January 15, 2019, 08:25:00 AM
I've only heard 3 albums so far (The Road Back Home, Space Revolver, and Paradox Hotel) but I'lll post my 10 favourite tracks so far.

Ghost Of The Red Cloud (probably my very favourite)
I Am The Sun (favourite epic)
World Without A Heart
Paradox Hotel
End On A High Note
Chickenfarmer Song
The Flower King
Different People
Cosmic Lover
Stupid Girl

I lean more towards the more catchy uptempo stuff, since that's my background in music.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 15, 2019, 09:13:37 AM
I've really been getting into Back in the World of Adventures recently. Particularly two of the instrumentals, Atomic Prince/Kaleidoscope and Theme for a Hero. My Cosmic Lover is definitely my favourite on the album though. So catchy and rhythmic. I haven't really gotten into either of the bookending epics yet though. Big Puzzle certainly doesn't have anything that I've memorized yet.

Btw, here's the commercial from which that sample at 8:32 of Silent Inferno is taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQlpDiXPZHQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQlpDiXPZHQ)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on January 15, 2019, 09:41:19 AM
I am familiar with that commercial from way back.  That sample being used in the song made me chuckle at first, but I am so used to it now that I don't even think about it.

Big Puzzle is, for my money, a top 5 TFK song.  I love the pace and vibe of it so much.  World of Adventures is pretty great as well.  My Cosmic Loves is a run rocker, and Train to Nowhere is a notable track from that record as well.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 15, 2019, 01:14:31 PM
Onto Banks of Eden now. Damn, Numbers is *awesome!*
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on January 15, 2019, 02:18:30 PM
I am familiar with that commercial from way back.  That sample being used in the song made me chuckle at first, but I am so used to it now that I don't even think about it.

Big Puzzle is, for my money, a top 5 TFK song.  I love the pace and vibe of it so much.  World of Adventures is pretty great as well.  My Cosmic Loves is a run rocker, and Train to Nowhere is a notable track from that record as well.

Big Puzzle is excellent, though I'd probably take World Of Adventures and Theme For A Hero over it. I love the short little instrumental tracks he used to throw into his albums even though a lot were kind of bullshit. Made it feel more cohesive and some how more fun to listen to straight through.

Onto Banks of Eden now. Damn, Numbers is *awesome!*

Numbers is a great epic. What a great comeback that whole album is. Not a weak moment and For The Love Of Gold is the closest they've come to recapturing that 90's FK sound.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on January 15, 2019, 03:16:02 PM
Numbers is definitely great.  3 awesome guitar solos. I repeat, 3 awesome guitar solos!!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: darkshade on January 28, 2019, 12:25:01 PM
Today I realized there is a new Flower Kings album, as well as Spock's, Neal Morse, Tangent, and soon DT.  :metal

Granted I was lukewarm on Desolation Rose, I haven't even checked out the Anderson/Stolt or Sea Within albums, so I had no expectations for Manifesto of an Alchemist. I did go through all the TFK albums recently, not knowing Roine was preparing a new TFK related album. I went online and saw there's only a couple of reviews

So with that in mind, I listened to the new album today and I have to say I enjoyed it a whole lot more than I did Desolation Rose. I still feel like I don't know any of the songs from DR, but I already look forward to relistening to MoaA soon. It sounds fresh.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on January 29, 2019, 02:18:50 AM
Listening to The Truth Will Set You Free. As much as I enjoy the song, I think I've picked out the main problem I have with it. It repeats the same verse and chorus melody a bit too much. As fine enough as they are as tunes, some of the other epics of that sort of length have larger sections and the "main" verse and chorus often doesn't come back again until the very end. It almost serves as the A section in a rondo form in this instance. Thankfully it stops in the last 10 minutes and we end with new music, including an awesome instrumental break with fantastic drumming.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on January 29, 2019, 07:50:52 AM
Yeah, it's pretty repetitive for the first half or so.  The mellow part Roine sings around the 18-minute mark or so (I think) is awesome and then when they come out of it with that triumphant-sounding melody...that is great stuff. It's just so much work to get to it.  I have so many really long songs in my music catalogue now that something has to be pretty damn great for me to dedicate 20+ minutes to it, and The Truth just doesn't clear the bar for me. If I am going to dedicate that much time to a single Flower Kings song, it is gonna be Stardust We Are, I Am the Sun or Numbers, most of the time.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on March 01, 2019, 11:48:20 AM
Sorry I keep bumping this thread, but I keep finding bits in this music that interest me.

The "main" riff in Deaf Numb and Blind from Flower Power reminds me an awful lot of the main riff in Transatlantic's Duel With the Devil. I'm assuming Roine brought that riff with him to the Bridge Across Forever sessions, especially as the two albums were only released two years apart.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on March 01, 2019, 01:13:14 PM
Sorry I keep bumping this thread, but I keep finding bits in this music that interest me.

The "main" riff in Deaf Numb and Blind from Flower Power reminds me an awful lot of the main riff in Transatlantic's Duel With the Devil. I'm assuming Roine brought that riff with him to the Bridge Across Forever sessions, especially as the two albums were only released two years apart.

I just listened to the first half of DNAB and I'm not hearing any riff similar to DWTD. Do you have time-stamps for both songs so I can compare, because I'm really curious. I just watched the Building The Bridge documentary the other night and a good chunk of DWTD comes from Neal's "Dance With The Devil" demo, so it could be that the riff you're thinking of might come from Neal's original demo anyway (have you heard it?). I know Roine contributed the "II. Walk Away" portion of DWTD from his original demo (labeled "Roine's Demo Bits" on the limited edition second disc).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on March 02, 2019, 04:31:54 AM
I hear a slight resemblance. Could be a vague self-ripoff from Roine but as Letter M said, it sounds like Duel was mostly Neal's anyway so that's unlikely. Also, I know Roine had a couple ideas that weren't used in TA that were then just made into FK songs. I believe those songs were Monster Within and I Am The Sun but does anyone know for sure?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on March 02, 2019, 04:38:03 AM
1:00 into Duel With the Devil (https://youtu.be/z3G4u_yud6k?t=59)

1:10 into Deaf, Numb and Blind (https://youtu.be/72b5h7rWGCY?t=69)

The first half of the riff is the same, just transposed in a different key. I wonder if it was brought into the BAF sessions from DFAB, but then altered.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on March 02, 2019, 10:33:34 AM
1:00 into Duel With the Devil (https://youtu.be/z3G4u_yud6k?t=59)

1:10 into Deaf, Numb and Blind (https://youtu.be/72b5h7rWGCY?t=69)

The first half of the riff is the same, just transposed in a different key. I wonder if it was brought into the BAF sessions from DFAB, but then altered.

That's very interesting. I listened to both Roine's Demo Bits and Neal's "Dance With The Devil" demo and I didn't hear any riff that resembles the one you posted.

I went back and watched the documentary and it seems like the riff came up during the sessions, most likely by Roine, as it suddenly appears when they're hammering out the intro to DWTD, which cobbles together parts of Roine's and Neal's demos, as well as on-the-floor ideas.

It could be that Roine just subconsciously pulled out that riff as it fit the chords Neal had. Both writers have self-plagarised before, so it's no surprise here. Good catch, either way! Not sure I would've picked up on that!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on March 02, 2019, 11:04:16 AM
In fairness, I haven't listened to Duel for a while, so less of the riff is similar than I thought, but it's still a decent-enough chunk for me to remember Duel when listening to DN&B for the first time about a year ago.

It was a year yesterday that I bought the first Kingdom of Colours box.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on April 03, 2019, 12:31:36 PM
Love Supreme really clicked with me today. Man, this song is absolutely fantastic, especially from around 12:00 to the end. I know his voice is something of an acquired taste, but for me Hasse Froberg really adds something special to the band. And Daniel Gildenlow's backing vocals from 15:20 are spectacular!

I was on a train journey today and managed to get through all of Garden of Dreams (60 mins) and Love Supreme (20 mins). It was nice.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: DTA on April 03, 2019, 01:58:09 PM
Love Supreme is a really cool song, as is Driver's Seat which never really gets mentioned. I like how ballsy they were to release two albums in a row with two epics. Adam & Eve has grown on me a lot recently and I rate it much higher than I previously did. Timelines is also a great song that really slipped through the cracks but is worth revisiting.

Garden of Dreams is always worth listening to if you have the hour to spare. That song is a really great journey and while I like SWA and IATS a bit better overall, I can't deny that Garden is their true masterpiece and the height of Stolt's and Bodin's compositional abilities.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on April 04, 2019, 07:01:39 AM
I decided to take the plunge and pick up Manifesto of an Alchemist today. I previewed a few tracks recently, and I really enjoyed the big-sounding drums, plus I'm on a big TFK kick lately.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on April 04, 2019, 08:06:46 AM
I'm about due for a TFK kick. Always happens once spring really kicks in with warmer temps.  :hat

Regarding Love Supreme, I really like the "stream of consciousness" feel that one has; it flows so effortlessly.  And I can even deal with Froberg's voice in that one!  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on June 15, 2019, 12:54:01 PM
https://www.facebook.com/84014399944/posts/10151758339464945/

August 30: Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion - Parallel Life

 On Friday the 30th of August HFMC will release their fourth and long-awaited studio album 'Parallel Life'. The album has been recorded at Soundfront Productions. Pre-orders from 28/6 2019

Produced by: Hasse Fröberg and Kjell Sandberg
Sound engineers: Kjell Sandberg and Bosse Lindmark
Artwork by: Ed Unitsky - www.facebook.com/Ed.Unitsky.fanpage
Photos by: Tallee Savage - www.savagebeauty.se
Label: GlassVille Records

Tracks:
1. Parallel Life – 22:32 (Music: Fröberg/Strandberg/Haraldsson Lyrics: Fröberg)
  I. A prophet's escape
  II. To change
  III. You and life
  IV. Hand to the sky
  V. An otherworldly purpose
  VI. A choice moment
2. Sleeping with the ghost – 05:27 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)
3. Time waits – 09:56 (Music: Strandberg Lyrics: Strandberg)
4. All those faces – 04:46 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)
5. Rain – 09:05 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)
6. Friday – 05:40 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)
7. Never alone – 08:20 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)

I really enjoyed the first three albums so I'm excited to see them make another album!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Fritzinger on June 15, 2019, 01:02:08 PM
I had no idea Hasse had a solo project! I will definitely check this out.
Side note: I always thought that Ed Unitsky designed the most hideous album covers.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Orbert on June 16, 2019, 12:09:57 AM
HFMC is pretty good stuff, even if the name is a bit awkward.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on June 16, 2019, 03:37:22 AM
HFMC is pretty good stuff, even if the name is a bit awkward.

I do find it weird that I see HFMC sometimes referred to as "Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion" and other times as "Hasse Fröberg & The Musical Companion", with the acronym HFMC omitting the "and" and "and the". A better name might have been "The Hasse Fröberg Musical Companion", but that sort of comes off as a more side-project-sounding name, when I think the intention was for him to have his own main band, especially since TFK have been pretty inactive over the last 6 years, not counting Stolt's "Revisited" version of the band (which lacks TFK keyboardist Tomas Bodin, who I feel is integral to the band).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Orbert on June 16, 2019, 11:41:50 PM
Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion is how I usually see it, give or take the dots over the "o".  I wrote it off to English not being their first language, although I don't know if that's the case.  "The" Musical Companion would make more sense, but it's still a rather awkward name for a band.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Fritzinger on August 21, 2019, 04:07:20 AM
Big news! Roine has re-named the band into The Flower Kings and they are about to release a new double album. Unfortunately without Bodin.

Quote
Progressive rock legends The Flower Kings are pleased to announce the release of their brand new studio double-album ‘Waiting For Miracles’ on the 8th November 2019. The album is comprised of 15 new tracks, recorded over the summer at RMV studio in Stockholm, Sweden – a vintage studio space owned by ABBA star Benny Andersson.
Band leader Roine Stolt comments: “We have gone back to the joyful and playful style that made the band famous in the late 90’s. So here ‘more’ is always ‘more’! At time the lyrics have a bit of a serious concern about the state of our world, but overall the theme is full of joy and colour.”
The band, currently comprised of Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold, Hasse Fröberg, Zach Kamins & Mirko DeMaio (the most recent live line-up), have crafted an adventurous collection of pure prog-rock. Expect boat-loads of vintage keyboards, odd time signatures and long guitar solos – with elements of pop, symphonic and cinematic music.
The album will be released as a 2CD, Gatefold 2LP + 2CD & as digital album, featuring beautiful artwork by American artist Kevin Sloan. Find the full track-listing below:
Disc 1:
1. House Of Cards
2. Black Flag
3. Miracles For America
4. Vertigo
5. The Bridge
6. Ascending To The Stars
7. Wicked Old Symphony
8. The Rebel Circus
9. Sleep With The Enemy
10. The Crowning Of Greed
Disc 2:
1. House Of Cards Reprise
2. Spirals
3. Steampunk
4. We Were Always Here
5. Busking At Brobank

(https://scontent-ber1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/69315700_10157633986770439_7437907428433199104_o.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_oc=AQkq50DuEW-73tytPfQIvGjWUQAvjQ8WxFBZd_2ua-GTjwT2RGwcVi1NocsyUaiv-DfYYwbPtMT5XmXNIGAqTC05&_nc_ht=scontent-ber1-1.xx&oh=bf324b289d6ec91687d7339ecc6ad7a4&oe=5E103E29)

Source: insideout Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic/photos/a.427085880438/10157633986765439/?type=3&theater
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: SwedishGoose on August 21, 2019, 06:27:30 AM
Very good news..... I will be seeing them live again in December. A new album a month in advance is perfect.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Nel on August 21, 2019, 06:28:12 AM
Ha! Knew I was right to just keep MoaA listed as a FK album. That rename didn't last long at all.

Like the album art. I'll be checking it out day 1!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: Zydar on August 21, 2019, 07:08:06 AM
Nice! It will be my first new album since I started listening to them a few months ago. Cool album art too.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on August 21, 2019, 07:22:41 AM
Well this is a pleasant surprise. Also glad the name issue has been solved. More than happy to add Manifesto to the full TFK canon. And now we have brand new music to look forward to.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on August 21, 2019, 09:43:28 AM
I wonder if Roine and Tomas had a falling out/agreement about the naming of this new album with regards to calling it a Flower Kings album proper. This will be the first TFK album without him, and what's funny is the press release's mention of "boat-loads of vintage keyboards", as if to say, "We know you miss Tomas, but don't worry..."

I'll go in with no expectations, but I'm sure this will sound closer to the luke-warm MOAA than any of the latter-day TFK albums. Hopefully this album has more contributions from Jonas and Hasse to give it the full-TFK-experience. Of course, their first album in SIX YEARS would be a double album - typical! :lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: RoeDent on August 21, 2019, 10:11:49 AM
I wonder if Roine and Tomas had a falling out/agreement about the naming of this new album with regards to calling it a Flower Kings album proper. This will be the first TFK album without him, and what's funny is the press release's mention of "boat-loads of vintage keyboards", as if to say, "We know you miss Tomas, but don't worry..."

I'll go in with no expectations, but I'm sure this will sound closer to the luke-warm MOAA than any of the latter-day TFK albums. Hopefully this album has more contributions from Jonas and Hasse to give it the full-TFK-experience. Of course, their first album in SIX YEARS would be a double album - typical! :lol

-Marc.

To me, it's just like "Tomas left the band, and the band carries on." I'm going to assume he was given a chance to join them before they made Manifesto, but turned it down.

And it's their second album in 2 years, counting Manifesto of an Alchemist, which is the same band that toured in 2018, the only difference being Marco Minnemann has left.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on August 21, 2019, 01:24:48 PM
I wonder if Roine and Tomas had a falling out/agreement about the naming of this new album with regards to calling it a Flower Kings album proper. This will be the first TFK album without him, and what's funny is the press release's mention of "boat-loads of vintage keyboards", as if to say, "We know you miss Tomas, but don't worry..."

I'll go in with no expectations, but I'm sure this will sound closer to the luke-warm MOAA than any of the latter-day TFK albums. Hopefully this album has more contributions from Jonas and Hasse to give it the full-TFK-experience. Of course, their first album in SIX YEARS would be a double album - typical! :lol

-Marc.

To me, it's just like "Tomas left the band, and the band carries on." I'm going to assume he was given a chance to join them before they made Manifesto, but turned it down.

And it's their second album in 2 years, counting Manifesto of an Alchemist, which is the same band that toured in 2018, the only difference being Marco Minnemann has left.

Considering that I've read there were issues between Tomas and Roine in recent years, I doubt that Tomas was given much of a say on whether or not TFK was to continue without him. Perhaps he allowed Roine and company to continue the band name without him, but I don't think Roine will ever open up to what really happened between him and Tomas.

Either way, I certainly don't count MOAA as a proper TFK album, but more as a spiritual successor to Roine's The Flower King, the proto-TFK album.

Regardless of how you feel about counting MOAA as a TFK album, I think having the TFK name back is good for Roine, considering the luke-warm reception that his last three major musical outings (Anderson/Stolt, The Sea Within, MOAA) garnered, having the "official title" on this work might propel it to greater heights. With two discs of music, I hope they put out the best of what they've got, though I'm sure long-time FloKis fans will feel the difference without Tomas on keys.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: KevShmev on August 21, 2019, 03:12:26 PM
A Flower Kings album without Tomas Bodin is not something I ever wanted to see, but here we are. Will be interesting to see how good it is, after, like Marc said, the last few albums Roine put out being rather blah.  I fear he has lost his fastball, but maybe doing the first Flower Kings album in six years inspired him to really bring it this time. I am crossing my fingers.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on August 21, 2019, 04:59:51 PM
Very cautiously optimistic about this. I do miss the upbeat, "joyful" style they had in the 90's but it's tough to believe musicians when they say they're returning to the sound of their most popular era (remember MP said Black Clouds was like having Pull Me Under, The Glass Prison, A Change of Seasons, and Octavarium on the same album??) Plus Roine has really not done anything worthwhile musically since the Kaipa DaCapo album. Invention/Sea Within/Manifesto were all very lackluster and were produced like garbage too. But a double album is a bold statement so I'm hoping inspiration really struck this time and we get something excellent.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on August 21, 2019, 07:12:02 PM
I will be a little disappointed if the band does not say anything about why Tomas Bodin is not on this album.   This will be their 13th studio album, and when a guy who was on the first 12 is not on the 13th, I don't think it's unfair to get some type of statement or explanation.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Orbert on August 21, 2019, 08:06:07 PM
Agreed.  Someone should say something!

In other news, I'm currently listening to a playlist of all The Flower Kings I have on my PC.  22:21:55.  There's some live stuff in there, but even so, these guys have an insane amount of material.  I'm trying to think of any other band in any genre that has as much studio material as The Flower Kings.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on August 21, 2019, 09:31:08 PM
Agreed.  Someone should say something!

In other news, I'm currently listening to a playlist of all The Flower Kings I have on my PC.  22:21:55.  There's some live stuff in there, but even so, these guys have an insane amount of material.  I'm trying to think of any other band in any genre that has as much studio material as The Flower Kings.

Before their 5-year hiatus (after TSONE), they had released over 18 hours of studio material across 10 albums and various other releases, in the span of only 12 years. That's an average of 90 minutes of music per year, which is INSANELY prolific. Roine, Tomas, Hasse, and everyone else they brought in (and out of) the band definitely pulled out all the stops when it came to writing. It was a renaissance for Stolt, IMO, and his work since 2007 has been hit-and-miss. I wasn't originally impressed with Banks Of Eden or Desolation Rose, but I grew to love them over time. As previously stated, since then, his work hasn't done much to wow me, but I hope this new album will change my mind about him. Even his stuff on Transatlantic's Kaleidoscope wasn't very outstanding - it suited the album, sure, but the most I can recall are the solo section to "Shine" and the distinctly Stolt-y parts of the title track.

As for other bands in any genre that have as much studio material - doesn't Hawkwind have an insane number of albums? Granted, even if it comes close to 22 hours of music, it would be over a much longer period of time. It will always astound me that TFK put out 18+ hours of music in 12 years.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on August 22, 2019, 12:43:53 AM
You can also include Hydrophonia which is basically a lost FK instrumental album and Wall Street Voodoo which, though not really prog,I find to be pretty high quality despite being bloated.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on August 22, 2019, 01:28:39 AM
I will be a little disappointed if the band does not say anything about why Tomas Bodin is not on this album.   This will be their 13th studio album, and when a guy who was on the first 12 is not on the 13th, I don't think it's unfair to get some type of statement or explanation.

Why? They don't owe us one. It's like Portnoy. Bodin's gone, get over it, move on. One man does not make a band, no matter how significant to their sound he is.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on August 22, 2019, 08:10:44 AM
I wasn't originally impressed with Banks Of Eden or Desolation Rose, but I grew to love them over time. 

I was really high on Banks of Eden from the start, and time has been really kind to that record.

On the other hand, Desolation Rose has gone the other way. Granted, it was never in the "I love it" category, but while it has a lot of great moments, some of the melodies seem a bit clunky or just a bit off.  I can't put my finger on what it is, but I have never hidden the fact that I greatly prefer Roine as a singer over Hasse, and the latter sings a lot on this record, so maybe that is part of it.  The instrumental tracks from the bonus disc are really the only songs I go back to anymore from this record.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: goo-goo on August 22, 2019, 09:00:10 AM
@KevShmev

I actually prefer Hasse's voice. Became (or I am) a HUGE fan of his band Hasse Froberg and the Musical Companion. I do tend to like raspy singers like John Wesley and John Mitchell, and Hasse definitely falls down in this category.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Orbert on August 23, 2019, 12:45:45 PM
Agreed.  Someone should say something!

In other news, I'm currently listening to a playlist of all The Flower Kings I have on my PC.  22:21:55.  There's some live stuff in there, but even so, these guys have an insane amount of material.  I'm trying to think of any other band in any genre that has as much studio material as The Flower Kings.

Before their 5-year hiatus (after TSONE), they had released over 18 hours of studio material across 10 albums and various other releases, in the span of only 12 years. That's an average of 90 minutes of music per year, which is INSANELY prolific. Roine, Tomas, Hasse, and everyone else they brought in (and out of) the band definitely pulled out all the stops when it came to writing. It was a renaissance for Stolt, IMO, and his work since 2007 has been hit-and-miss. I wasn't originally impressed with Banks Of Eden or Desolation Rose, but I grew to love them over time. As previously stated, since then, his work hasn't done much to wow me, but I hope this new album will change my mind about him. Even his stuff on Transatlantic's Kaleidoscope wasn't very outstanding - it suited the album, sure, but the most I can recall are the solo section to "Shine" and the distinctly Stolt-y parts of the title track.

As for other bands in any genre that have as much studio material - doesn't Hawkwind have an insane number of albums? Granted, even if it comes close to 22 hours of music, it would be over a much longer period of time. It will always astound me that TFK put out 18+ hours of music in 12 years.

-Marc.

I realized that I also have Roine solo albums and related (such as Anderson/Stolt) in this same playlist, so it's not just Flower Kings.  But it's still pretty nuts how much there is, and yeah, most of it is from the original 12-year run.

I'd heard a lot about Hawkwind and checked them out a few years back.  I thought they were okay, but honestly nothing super-exciting.  Maybe I need to let them grow on me a bit.  Or maybe because there's so much of it, I just didn't happen to hit the ones that would grab me better.  I suppose if I end up really getting into them, then I'd have a lot to get into, which would be cool.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on August 23, 2019, 02:09:59 PM
I realized that I also have Roine solo albums and related (such as Anderson/Stolt) in this same playlist, so it's not just Flower Kings.  But it's still pretty nuts how much there is, and yeah, most of it is from the original 12-year run.

Ahh okay, yeah, if you add in albums like The Flower Kings, Hydrophonia, Wall Street Voodoo, and other TFK-related albums/projects like 3rd World Electric, then you'd get a much longer playlist. Without them, you still get 10 TFK albums over 12 years with over 18 hours of music, which is mind-blowing when you think about how many other albums/bands Roine, Jonas, Hasse, and other TFK members were all a part of. They were the Yes of the 90's/00's prog scene in that sense - a sprawling family of proggers that branched out and created a tapestry of (mostly) Swedish symphonic prog goodness!


I'd heard a lot about Hawkwind and checked them out a few years back.  I thought they were okay, but honestly nothing super-exciting.  Maybe I need to let them grow on me a bit.  Or maybe because there's so much of it, I just didn't happen to hit the ones that would grab me better.  I suppose if I end up really getting into them, then I'd have a lot to get into, which would be cool.

My only inclination to EVER check out Hawkwind was their apparent influence on Arjen and his works, but I've never taken the time to get into them. Space rock just doesn't seem up my alley, but I could always change my mind later. And to be honest, the sheer amount of albums has kind of scared me into wanting to check them out as well - it seems daunting to want to get into them at first!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on August 24, 2019, 09:32:37 AM
@KevShmev

I actually prefer Hasse's voice. Became (or I am) a HUGE fan of his band Hasse Froberg and the Musical Companion. I do tend to like raspy singers like John Wesley and John Mitchell, and Hasse definitely falls down in this category.

Understand.  There is just a certain tone he often hits that makes me wince. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on August 24, 2019, 02:26:37 PM
I enjoy both Roine and Hasse on vocals. Hasse adds a lot of power to TFK's vocals, and while Roine is a more than capable vocalist, he seems to struggle with high parts or parts that require some gusto. If you listen to There's No Such Night from Garden of Dreams, he audibly struggles on the high parts, at least to start with. And again on The Final Deal, when he reaches the climax of that part ("As we sail the sky") his voice breaks audibly.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on August 24, 2019, 03:10:05 PM
I actually like that aspect of Roine's singing, especially in The Final Deal.  I get goosebumps every time I listen to The Final Deal, in large part thanks to his vocals.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Manifesto of an Alchemist coming
Post by: The Letter M on September 06, 2019, 10:54:44 PM
https://www.facebook.com/84014399944/posts/10151758339464945/

August 30: Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion - Parallel Life

 On Friday the 30th of August HFMC will release their fourth and long-awaited studio album 'Parallel Life'. The album has been recorded at Soundfront Productions. Pre-orders from 28/6 2019

Produced by: Hasse Fröberg and Kjell Sandberg
Sound engineers: Kjell Sandberg and Bosse Lindmark
Artwork by: Ed Unitsky - www.facebook.com/Ed.Unitsky.fanpage
Photos by: Tallee Savage - www.savagebeauty.se
Label: GlassVille Records

Tracks:
1. Parallel Life – 22:32 (Music: Fröberg/Strandberg/Haraldsson Lyrics: Fröberg)
  I. A prophet's escape
  II. To change
  III. You and life
  IV. Hand to the sky
  V. An otherworldly purpose
  VI. A choice moment
2. Sleeping with the ghost – 05:27 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)
3. Time waits – 09:56 (Music: Strandberg Lyrics: Strandberg)
4. All those faces – 04:46 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)
5. Rain – 09:05 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)
6. Friday – 05:40 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)
7. Never alone – 08:20 (Music: Fröberg Lyrics: Fröberg)

I really enjoyed the first three albums so I'm excited to see them make another album!

-Marc.

It has been about 3 months since I posted about the next HFMC album, and while it was delayed a couple of weeks, the release is upon us! The album drops next Thursday, September 12th, and I'm looking forward to it! I finally managed to pre-order it after I saw so many fans on Facebook receiving their copies early, so I hope mine comes in before the 12th. If not, I'll get my digital download from the bandcamp page I ordered the CD from. The purchase gave me one early song to download but I've avoided listening to it as I want to wait until I can hear the whole thing.

Hopefully the new TFK album doesn't overshadow this one, especially since it seems initial reactions and reviews have been pretty positive so far! Either way, it's a good time to be a Flower Kings fan with new Hasse and Roine stuff coming out!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on September 08, 2019, 01:27:03 PM
Listened to Space Revolver today on a long car ride. What a brilliant album. I always ignored You Don't Know What You've Got but it's really a great catchy pop song (same with Magic Pie even though the middle goes off into prog-rock territory). I think what Roine's music is missing nowadays is layers and layers of keyboards and acoustic guitar arpeggios playing supporting melodies in the background. There's so many moments in older FK music where there's subtle guitar/synth parts in the background that just fill the spectrum so well. Now his production style is so dry, it sounds like exactly what the live band consists of...1 guitar, 1 bass, 1 drummer, 1 keyboardist, 2 singers. Maybe he wants to reproduce new music accurately live so he's limiting extraneous instrumentation, but I think the album as a product suffers as a result.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on September 08, 2019, 01:52:36 PM
Listened to Space Revolver today on a long car ride. What a brilliant album. I always ignored You Don't Know What You've Got but it's really a great catchy pop song (same with Magic Pie even though the middle goes off into prog-rock territory). I think what Roine's music is missing nowadays is layers and layers of keyboards and acoustic guitar arpeggios playing supporting melodies in the background. There's so many moments in older FK music where there's subtle guitar/synth parts in the background that just fill the spectrum so well. Now his production style is so dry, it sounds like exactly what the live band consists of...1 guitar, 1 bass, 1 drummer, 1 keyboardist, 2 singers. Maybe he wants to reproduce new music accurately live so he's limiting extraneous instrumentation, but I think the album as a product suffers as a result.

Well, the new album promises lots of keyboards, so I'm hopeful we get that sound again. The thicker instrumentations are why I also really love the Meet The Flower Kings live album, when they had a whooping SEVEN members playing live, with Daniel helping to fill in a lot of guitars, keys, percussion and vocals. That live version of the band feels SO full, maybe even TOO full at times, but it's a nice dense sound that works well for their material.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on September 08, 2019, 02:31:22 PM
Listened to Space Revolver today on a long car ride. What a brilliant album. I always ignored You Don't Know What You've Got but it's really a great catchy pop song (same with Magic Pie even though the middle goes off into prog-rock territory). I think what Roine's music is missing nowadays is layers and layers of keyboards and acoustic guitar arpeggios playing supporting melodies in the background. There's so many moments in older FK music where there's subtle guitar/synth parts in the background that just fill the spectrum so well. Now his production style is so dry, it sounds like exactly what the live band consists of...1 guitar, 1 bass, 1 drummer, 1 keyboardist, 2 singers. Maybe he wants to reproduce new music accurately live so he's limiting extraneous instrumentation, but I think the album as a product suffers as a result.

I know what you mean.  I love the production of the earlier Flower Kings albums, where there is so much space for each instrument, and there are so many little soft touches and fills from various instruments.  The overall sound is very spacious.

And hell yeah to Space Revolver!  Great record from start to finish.  I go back and forth between what I think their best single album is, between that one and Retropolis.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: goo-goo on September 10, 2019, 09:46:14 AM
@KevShmev

I actually prefer Hasse's voice. Became (or I am) a HUGE fan of his band Hasse Froberg and the Musical Companion. I do tend to like raspy singers like John Wesley and John Mitchell, and Hasse definitely falls down in this category.

Understand.  There is just a certain tone he often hits that makes me wince.

When he tries to go for the high notes, he struggles and strains quite a bit.

Anyways, I got the new Hasse CD and it's pretty cool. Still think their 1st two albums are the best. The epic song doesn't quite do it for me. Hopefully it will grow on me. The shorter songs are very strong and have very memorable melodies. Top notch playing by everyone.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on September 11, 2019, 03:58:18 PM
Because Sweden is about 10 hours ahead, the new HFMC album dropped on bandcamp digitally, so I've had a chance to listen to a bit of it, and it sounds REALLY good. Exactly what I expected from this band, though I am sad that they broke the pattern of having 9 tracks on each album! Despite that, we get a side-length epic opening song, which is has a lot of good stuff.

I haven't had a chance to really digest the whole album yet, but I am digging what I've (casually) heard so far. This will surely tide me over until the next TFK album (a phrase I didn't think I'd utter ever again), and so far, it's a great addition to the HFMC catalog!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on September 11, 2019, 04:01:14 PM
Maybe I'll check that album out. I'm in a prog rock mood and really haven't checked out anything new in that genre since Southern Empire last year.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MinistroRaven on September 13, 2019, 06:45:08 AM
Progressive rock legends The Flower Kings are pleased to present a first track from the group’s much anticipated new studio double-album ‘Waiting For Miracles’, which will be released on InsideOutMusic on the 8th November 2019. The album is comprised of 15 new tracks, recorded over the summer at RMV studio in Stockholm, Sweden – a vintage studio space owned by ABBA star Benny Andersson.

Listen to ‘Black Flag’ here:
Spotify - http://bit.ly/TFKBlackFlagSpotify
Apple Music - https://theflowerkings.lnk.to/WaitingForMiracles/AppleMusic 
Deezer: http://bit.ly/TFKBlackFlagDeezer

Furthermore, presales for physical and digital formats have started! “Waiting For Miracles” is available as 2CD, Gatefold 2LP + 2CD & as digital album. Order your format of choice below:
https://theflowerkings.lnk.to/WaitingForMiracles

The following limited vinyl editions can be pre-ordered now, too:
200x light-blue plus signed post card @ Burning Shed UK http://bit.ly/TFKBurningShed
100x orange & 200x red @ InsideOut Shop Germany http://bit.ly/TFK-IOMShop
100x yellow @ JustForKicks Germany http://bit.ly/TFK_JFK
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on September 13, 2019, 08:00:50 AM
Looking at the tracklist, seems the album is a scant 83:33, their shortest double album to date. The second disc is only 21:13 as well, so I wonder if those 5 tracks are part of a suite that forms an epic? Otherwise, why not split the album more evenly into 41-ish minutes each disc?

CD1

1. House Of Cards 1:55
2. Black Flag 7:37
3. Miracles For America 9:54
4. Vertigo 10:02
5. The Bridge 5:17
6. Ascending To The Stars 5:32
7. Wicked Old Symphony 5:39
8. The Rebel Circus 5:45
9. Sleep With The Enemy 5:48
10. The Crowning Of Greed 4:51
 
CD 2
 
1. House Of Cards Reprise 1:20
2. Spirals 5:04
3. Steampunk 6:21
4. We Were Always Here 7:36
5. Busking At Brobank 0:52

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on September 13, 2019, 09:36:59 AM
Disc 2 has to be bonus tracks. Even if the Disc 2 tracks do make up an "epic" (which I doubt, cos why not make it one track like almost every other TFK epic, save Garden of Dreams and I Am the Sun), you'd expect the discs to be more evenly split. It's not the first time InsideOut have done this.

Disc 1 is still plenty of length for a main album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on September 13, 2019, 12:21:21 PM
I doubt that they're bonus tracks as I haven't seen any where stating that disc 2 isn't a part of the main album. I'm sure it's part of the main album considering the first track of disc 2 is a reprise of the first song of the album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on September 13, 2019, 02:53:39 PM
Why the hell is the album split like that then?! It's horrible! Why not have 6 tracks on disc 1 and the remaining 9 on disc 2? Unless there's a 1, 2 or even a 3 missing from the runtime of Busking At Burbank. It's a strange title for an epic, but hey...could just be a "jam session" track like Astral Dog or Don of the Universe.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on September 13, 2019, 03:14:55 PM
Why the hell is the album split like that then?! It's horrible! Why not have 6 tracks on disc 1 and the remaining 9 on disc 2? Unless there's a 1, 2 or even a 3 missing from the runtime of Busking At Burbank. It's a strange title for an epic, but hey...could just be a "jam session" track like Astral Dog or Don of the Universe.

The lengths seem correct. The album is on a double vinyl set, with Disc 2 taking up Side 4, and Disc 1 taking up Sides 1-3.
https://burningshed.com/the-flower-kings_waiting-for-miracles_blue-double-vinyl_2cd

A (19:26)
1. House Of Cards 1:55
2. Black Flag 7:37
3. Miracles For America 9:54
 
B (20:51)
1. Vertigo 10:02
2. The Bridge 5:17
3. Ascending To The Stars 5:32
 
C (22:03)
1. Wicked Old Symphony 5:39
2. The Rebel Circus 5:45
3. Sleep With The Enemy 5:48
4. The Crowning Of Greed 4:51
 
D (21:13)
1. House Of Cards Reprise 1:20
2. Spirals 5:04
3. Steampunk 6:21
4. We Were Always Here 7:36
5. Busking At Brobank 0:52

I do agree, though, that Sides 1-2 should have been Disc 1 of the CD, and Sides 3-4 should have been Disc 2, but I am sure there is some conceptual reason as to why only Side D makes up Disc 2 alone.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on September 16, 2019, 10:01:08 AM
Wow! I'm really digging Black Flag, I gotta say! Sounds like classic Flower Kings! Complete with a wonderful Roine (I presume) guitar solo.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MinistroRaven on October 03, 2019, 09:06:44 PM
Guys, we are interviewig Roine tomorrow 9 am do you have questions for him?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on October 03, 2019, 09:14:38 PM
Guys, we are interviewig Roine tomorrow 9 am do you have questions for him?

Yes.

Why is Tomas Bodin not part of the Flower Kings anymore?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: gzarruk on October 03, 2019, 10:18:14 PM
Guys, we are interviewig Roine tomorrow 9 am do you have questions for him?

What can he tell us about the Transatlantic writing sessions? Any tentative release dates? Anything? :biggrin:
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on October 04, 2019, 01:23:06 AM
Why is I Am The Sun always played live in an edited form?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Fritzinger on October 04, 2019, 04:42:32 AM
Why did he edit 6 minutes of music out of The Devil's Playground for the vinyl re-release of Unfold The Future?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on October 04, 2019, 12:01:28 PM
Why is there only 21 minutes of music on Disc 2 of the new album? Why aren't the discs split more evenly?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MinistroRaven on October 09, 2019, 08:43:25 AM
Interview time:

Check out this extensive and informative feature by Scott Medina with The Flower Kings founder and Transatlantic member Pale Rider, there's a wealth of information in there about the two bands upcoming releases you certainly don't want to miss! Inside Out Music #Interview #Feature

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/features/interview-with-roine-pale-rider-stolt

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MinistroRaven on October 09, 2019, 12:33:12 PM
Interview time:

Check out this extensive and informative feature by Scott Medina with The Flower Kings founder and Transatlantic member Pale Rider, there's a wealth of information in there about the two bands upcoming releases you certainly don't want to miss! Inside Out Music #Interview #Feature

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/features/interview-with-roine-pale-rider-stolt

(https://i.ibb.co/SPgwY0c/77587-D64-7-AAD-412-F-897-D-C678-E9499-C74.png)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on October 09, 2019, 07:35:31 PM
Roine did a nice job of mostly ducking the question about Bodin, but he's not really the type to get into the drama and be brutally honest, so I wasn't that surprised, to be honest.  It is what it is.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on October 10, 2019, 05:41:10 AM
Great interview and all, but what on earth is Pale Rider? There's no mention of that, other than in the url and in Ministro's post above.

I think Roine dodged the Bodin question with a fair amount of skill and reason. As he said, they've been through their share of drummers over the years, and no one batted an eyelid. Band members come and go, even seemingly-established members.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on October 10, 2019, 07:10:34 AM
Great interview and all, but what on earth is Pale Rider? There's no mention of that, other than in the url and in Ministro's post above.

Pale Rider has been Roine's social media handle for nearly a decade, I believe, since the Whirlwind Tour. It's from the lyrics of "A Man Can Feel", which I'm pretty sure he wrote, from The Whirlwind album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on October 10, 2019, 08:39:20 AM


I think Roine dodged the Bodin question with a fair amount of skill and reason. As he said, they've been through their share of drummers over the years, and no one batted an eyelid. Band members come and go, even seemingly-established members.

Tomas Bodin is the only other person besides Roine Stolt who has been a full-fledged member of the Flower Kings on every album prior to the forthcoming one (unless you want to call Forberg who has been on every album as well, but was a part-timer at best on the first few albums), so the drummers that have come and gone are not fair comparisons.  It is naive for Roine, or anyone else, to talk like Bodin hasn't been the 2nd most important member when it comes to the band's sound.  I suspect Roine actually does know this, but he has to put a happy face on it publicly now, which I get.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MinistroRaven on October 10, 2019, 12:16:29 PM
Great interview and all, but what on earth is Pale Rider? There's no mention of that, other than in the url and in Ministro's post above.

Pale Rider has been Roine's social media handle for nearly a decade, I believe, since the Whirlwind Tour. It's from the lyrics of "A Man Can Feel", which I'm pretty sure he wrote, from The Whirlwind album.

-Marc.

This!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on October 11, 2019, 09:58:46 AM
Ah, the problems and misunderstandings that come with copy-pasting your DTF posts from presumably-Facebook.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on October 12, 2019, 10:17:09 AM
"Miracles For America" dropped online yesterday. I'm currently at work as I just find out about it, so I can't really listen right now, but the first minute or so sounded good!

https://youtu.be/vTcAXEb6amE

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on October 12, 2019, 12:44:04 PM
I haven't listened properly, but again it sounds very much like classic Flower Kings, to me at least.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MinistroRaven on October 12, 2019, 01:56:09 PM
I haven't listened properly, but again it sounds very much like classic Flower Kings, to me at least.

The entire album does
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on October 14, 2019, 07:21:47 AM
Good to hear, I guess. I don't think this will be a release day purchase for me. I've kinda OD'd on Flower Kings over the last 20 months or so, with picking up pretty much their entire discography. That and the fact I'll be spending the week following the release watching a charity marathon.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: majo on October 15, 2019, 07:22:10 AM
Miracles for America is an awesome track.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MinistroRaven on October 22, 2019, 08:37:49 AM
Progressive rock legends THE FLOWER KINGS are due to hit the road in December in support of their latest album ‘Waiting For Miracles’ (out November 8th, 2019), and unfortunately touring partners Kayak have been forced to drop out of the tour due to unexpected health issues. Joining the tour as replacements will be Russian chamber prog band Iamthemorning who recently released their new studio album, as well as Rikard Sjöblom – known for his work in Beardfish, Gungfly & Big Big Train.

Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings comments:
“We bring news regarding the upcoming Flower Kings tour of December - the Dutch classic band Kayak, who was initially to be our touring partner has had to pull out, due to serious and unexpected medical conditions of main guy Ton Scherpenzeel.  We are all sad about this but wish for a speedy recovery and perhaps another chance to share the stage later on. 

The brighter news is that we’ve managed to get the brilliant band Iamthemorning, singer Marjana Semkina and pianist Gleb Kolyadin & band, to join us in a package show that will also include a set from genius Rikard Sjöblom (Big Big Train, Beardfish). We will all play our separate sets - but there will likely be guesting and as usual the grand finale is not to be missed! We’re really looking forward to a great evening of expanding, young, vibrant ‘prog’ music. New songs from The Flower Kings brand new double album ‘Waiting For Miracles’ and bundles of classic Flower Kings and beautiful and groovy music from our new guests.”

The three acts will perform 12 dates across 6 countries, and you can find the full list of shows below, tickets on sale now:
1st December – Bahnhof Pauli, Hamburg, Germany
2nd December – Musik Zentrum, Hannover, Germany
3rd December – OK Andaluzia, Piekary Slaskie, Poland
4th December – Klub U Bazyla, Poznan, Poland
6th December – Burgerweeshuis, Deventer, Netherlands
7th December – De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
8th December – Scala, London, UK
9th December – Piano, Dortmund, Germany
10th December – Columbia Theater, Berlin, Germany
11th December – Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark
12th December – Brewhouse, Gothenburg, Sweden
14th December – Kraken, Stockholm, Sweden
 
As mentioned previously, ‘Waiting For Miracles’ is due out on November 8th, 2019. The album is comprised of 15 new tracks, recorded over the summer at RMV studio in Stockholm, Sweden – a vintage studio space owned by ABBA star Benny Andersson.

The band, currently comprised of Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold, Hasse Fröberg, Zach Kamins & Mirko DeMaio (the most recent live line-up), have crafted an adventurous collection of pure prog-rock. Expect boat-loads of vintage keyboards, odd time signatures and long guitar solos – with elements of pop, symphonic and cinematic music.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: SwedishGoose on October 22, 2019, 09:37:49 AM
Good that it's posted.... was coming here for that

Praying for a full recovery for Ton Scherpenzeel.

Love that we will get both iamthemorning and Rickard Sjöblom
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on October 22, 2019, 02:12:02 PM
https://progreport.com/the-flower-kings-waiting-for-miracles-album-review/

The Prog Report posted one of the first reviews of WFM a couple days ago. Sounds promising, but it didn't really answer my question as to why the album is cut across its two discs the way it is. Has anyone asked Roine about that yet? :lol

Anyways, just a couple more weeks til it comes out, and I'm kind of excited, but it's been a HUGE year for prog music that I love - Neal Morse Band, Dream Theater, Big Big Train, Flying Colors, and many more, with TFK and No-Man coming out next month. It's been hard to keep up with really give each album the time they deserve, but many of them haven't disappointed me, so I'm hopeful that the new TFK brings me back to the TFK sounds that really move me!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: SwedishGoose on October 24, 2019, 05:48:17 AM
Why did I not notice this little snippet in Roines announcement above?

-------
We will all play our separate sets - but there will likely be guesting and as usual the grand finale is not to be missed!
-------

This could be very interresting....

How about Roine Stolt guesting on Lighthouse by iamthemorning  singing Mariusz Dudas parts.
Gleb guesting on one song in Rickard Sjöbloms set.
Rickard Sjöblom guesting with The Flower Kings on a song.

Last year when TFK and Spock's Beard toured they did a grand finale with everyone on stage doing Hey Jude. A nice way to end the evening and a good way to get to thank all artists at the end.
Hopefully something like that this tour too.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on October 24, 2019, 11:40:04 AM
The Prog Report posted one of the first reviews of WFM a couple days ago. Sounds promising, but it didn't really answer my question as to why the album is cut across its two discs the way it is. Has anyone asked Roine about that yet? :lol

It is so frustrating that no one has answered this question. They don't want to use the term "Bonus Disc" or "Bonus EP", but if they did this would be a more palatable decision to me. Instead it's left me confused. If they trust the Disc 2 songs enough to be part of the main album they should have split the album more evenly between the discs.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: 425 on October 24, 2019, 04:34:47 PM
I'm not asking this to be confrontational; I'm genuinely curious: Why does it matter whether or not the album is split evenly across the two discs?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on October 24, 2019, 04:35:56 PM
I'm not asking this to be confrontational; I'm genuinely curious: Why does it matter whether or not the album is split evenly across the two discs?

Short answer: it doesn't.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on October 24, 2019, 04:47:46 PM
I'm not asking this to be confrontational; I'm genuinely curious: Why does it matter whether or not the album is split evenly across the two discs?

Shot answer: it doesn't.

It really doesn't, but I am curious as to Roine's reasoning. It would be like front-loading the first disc of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway with the first 3 sides of the vinyl, with side 4 being the only tracks on CD 2.

It's a weird choice, but I have to think that it was done deliberately and that those final few songs (on disc 2/side 4 of the vinyl) are NOT bonus tracks (because of the obvious reprisal nature of the first track on disc 2). I haven't read it anywhere yet, but I suspect the tracks on disc 2 are a mini-suite/epic with tracks that run together, or at very least, form a cohesive musical piece that warrants their separation from the songs before it in the running order.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on October 24, 2019, 06:13:18 PM
So few people buy physical CD's anymore, so the two discs being lopsided like that won't matter to most, I suspect.  PT did the same thing with The Incident - Disc 1 was much longer than Disc 2 - and it wasn't a big deal then either.

I am curious to hear what this album, with the new lineup, will sound like.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on October 24, 2019, 07:59:05 PM
So few people buy physical CD's anymore, so the two discs being lopsided like that won't matter to most, I suspect.  PT did the same thing with The Incident - Disc 1 was much longer than Disc 2 - and it wasn't a big deal then either.

I am curious to hear what this album, with the new lineup, will sound like.

In the case of PT's The Incident, the separation was due to the song cycle concept of disc 1 needing to stand apart from the other unrelated songs on Disc 2. Otherwise, all of the material would have easily fit onto one CD. At least Steven was upfront about the separation and why the other four songs were on the second disc. With Roine and this new TFK album, there haven't been any such declarations, but as you say, with the decline of CD sales these days, the separation doesn't make a difference (which, in that case, why separate it like they did to begin with? :lol )

Either way, if anyone does buy it physically, they'll likely get the vinyl, which makes the CD track order moot. It's just an odd curiosity is all, at least to me.  :tup

As for the new line-up, the previewed tracks that have been released sound really good to my ears. Quite a departure from the last two TFK albums and Roine's MOAA (which may retroactively become a TFK album anyway). I am more excited for this album than I probably should be, so I hope it doesn't disappoint!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on October 28, 2019, 01:54:08 PM
I'm sick and tired of people telling me or implying that things don't matter, or that my concerns are irrelevant. The vast majority of albums of this sort of length are split better than this one, and people (the band included, so it seems) are acting like this is normal, or something we won't notice?! IT'S NOT! It flies right in the face of the way music has been made over the last 35 years or so.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MinistroRaven on October 30, 2019, 08:08:22 AM
Album review:

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/album-reviews/the-flower-kings-waiting-for-miracles/
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on October 30, 2019, 04:15:39 PM
Album review:

https://www.sonicperspectives.com/album-reviews/the-flower-kings-waiting-for-miracles/

Saw this posted on Facebook, and asked the question about the lopsided track order, because Scott's review referred to Disc 1 as "the main disc" and Disc 2 as "an afterthought". I had said I didn't think it was meant to be a "bonus disc" because of the obvious opening track reprise, which seems odd to include as a "bonus disc" track when it recalls an earlier theme, as well as other themes, both musically and lyrically, returning for the second disc. Either way, it's an interesting way to split it.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on October 31, 2019, 02:04:23 PM
I don't think the reprise is enough reason on its own to justify calling disc two part of the main album. They could have decided the reprise is not worthy of main-album inclusion and just tacked it onto the bonus disc alongside other afterthoughts.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on October 31, 2019, 06:49:01 PM
My rebuttal to that is that Roine has referred to the album as their "new double album", which, to me, suggests that he intends the 2nd disc to be an actual part of the album. I don't believe he ever referred to The Sum Of No Evil or Desolation Road as double albums, despite having bonus disc editions.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on November 01, 2019, 08:21:10 AM
My rebuttal to that is that Roine has referred to the album as their "new double album", which, to me, suggests that he intends the 2nd disc to be an actual part of the album.

-Marc.

Did he, or did the label? I feel like InsideOut have been interfering with bands and album structure a lot lately. If Roine's to be believed, it was the label's idea to credit Manifesto of an Alchemist to "Roine Stolt's The Flower King", and it was the label's idea to tack on what are essentially bonus EPs to both The Sea Within's self-titled, and Spock's Beard's Noise Floor. If Roine did say that disc 2 is part of the main album, I feel like it's more to toe the party line, so to speak.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Ben_Jamin on November 01, 2019, 08:27:48 AM
I'll make my judgement of the 2 disc split whenever I hear the album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on November 01, 2019, 10:54:55 AM
My rebuttal to that is that Roine has referred to the album as their "new double album", which, to me, suggests that he intends the 2nd disc to be an actual part of the album.

-Marc.

Did he, or did the label? I feel like InsideOut have been interfering with bands and album structure a lot lately. If Roine's to be believed, it was the label's idea to credit Manifesto of an Alchemist to "Roine Stolt's The Flower King", and it was the label's idea to tack on what are essentially bonus EPs to both The Sea Within's self-titled, and Spock's Beard's Noise Floor. If Roine did say that disc 2 is part of the main album, I feel like it's more to toe the party line, so to speak.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3008341105849996&id=100000224097006

But who knows, if the label sorted the tracks, they're also responsible for calling it a double album. Either way, Roine's website and the press releases say it's a double album, which says to me it's all part of the main album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: BRGM on November 08, 2019, 07:58:12 AM
I'm liking this so far  :coolio
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on November 08, 2019, 10:17:20 AM
It's release day, and I can say that I have been listening to the album off and on over the last week or so, and I really REALLY enjoy it. It's a pretty good album, overall, and there are a lot of musical and lyrical themes and motifs throughout that take repeated listens to really catch. The "epics" are easily highlights, but the closing (full) song, "We Were Always Here", is one of my favorites. It's got a very classic-TFK sound and really works as a closing number, and a statement by the band that, while they hadn't put an album out since 2013, the bandmembers were still making music (well, most of them), and that the band hadn't really truly disappeared (yet).

The Flower Kings had a pretty solid streak of releases from 95 to 07, but following a five year break, they took a turn for some deeper, heavier and darker material in 2012 and 2013, which definitely took some getting used to, but now the band is back with a bit more of a flowery sound. The only thing missing from this album that would really give it the Pre-Rainmaker feel would be some saxophone, which I don't recall hearing any of on the album. I kind of miss hearing Ulf Wallander's sax on TFK albums, but ever since Paradox Hotel, the band seem content to being a five-piece band, both live and in the studio, so who am I to stop them?

I think this one will hold up to the rest of the band's catalog fairly well, and I'm sure I'll be spinning it for the rest of the year and into 2020. At about 85 minutes, it's not overly long as they have given us just enough new material to feel satisfied until their next release, which I hope will be 2020 or 2021! After all, their previous 4 albums were all released in pairs of back-to-back years (06-07, and 12-13), so maybe after hitting the road, they may get inspired to hit the studio again early next year, especially since after the last tour, the band felt inspired to hop into the studio to record with the new lineup as soon as they could.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 09, 2019, 04:18:22 AM
First listen through is actually positive. I'm going to withhold judgment until I listen through 5+ times but everything seems to be working pretty well on this one.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 09, 2019, 07:57:30 AM
After one listen, I like it, but time will tell how much.  I do like how there is a lot of instrumental stuff, and when there is singing, it seems like Roine is taking the lead the vast majority of the time, and that is always good, IMO.  None of the vocal melodies, however, really grabbed me and stayed stuck in my head, but it could just be a grower.  More listens to come...
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 09, 2019, 08:16:01 AM

The Flower Kings had a pretty solid streak of releases from 95 to 07, but following a five year break, they took a turn for some deeper, heavier and darker material in 2012 and 2013, which definitely took some getting used to, but now the band is back with a bit more of a flowery sound. The only thing missing from this album that would really give it the Pre-Rainmaker feel would be some saxophone, which I don't recall hearing any of on the album. I kind of miss hearing Ulf Wallander's sax on TFK albums, but ever since Paradox Hotel, the band seem content to being a five-piece band, both live and in the studio, so who am I to stop them?



This is a huge thing that's missing. I used to love the vibe that those sax parts gave the music, and combined with an abundance of keyboards, it really was a unique sound they carved out. Without the sax and layers of keys, they kind of just feel like a normal prog-rock band now. Not necessarily a bad thing, but their identity was in a lot of those types of details.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: bluefox4000 on November 09, 2019, 10:41:24 AM
I liked it a whole lot.

can't single much out.  but my first listen says this MAY BE my fav since paradox Hotel way back when.  i wasn't really into the previous 2.  and that one off Roine side project recently was pretty awful.

The 2nd disc i may never play again. just like throwaway pieces but the main first disc i REALLY enjoyed.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on November 09, 2019, 11:49:24 AM
I liked it a whole lot.

can't single much out.  but my first listen says this MAY BE my fav since paradox Hotel way back when.  i wasn't really into the previous 2.  and that one off Roine side project recently was pretty awful.

The 2nd disc i may never play again. just like throwaway pieces but the main first disc i REALLY enjoyed.

Throwaways? Maybe it's just me, but I *really* enjoy "We Were Always Here", and to me, sounds like the proper album closer. It's got that upbeat, hopeful sound that the band is fairly good at, and works as a way to tie-up the album, musically and lyrically. Despite the lopsided track order, the 2nd disc is definitely part of the album, and to my eyes and ears, is definitely essential, unlike the bonus discs for albums like The Rainmaker, The Sum Of No Evil, Banks Of Eden, and Desolation Rose. Even as someone who has re-ordered the tracklists for all of the TFK albums (to fit in the bonus tracks into the running order), I feel like the way WFM is presented is the proper way to listen to the album. Both the CD and the vinyl LP have the same running order, so all the songs have been placed meaningfully, at least to me.


The Flower Kings had a pretty solid streak of releases from 95 to 07, but following a five year break, they took a turn for some deeper, heavier and darker material in 2012 and 2013, which definitely took some getting used to, but now the band is back with a bit more of a flowery sound. The only thing missing from this album that would really give it the Pre-Rainmaker feel would be some saxophone, which I don't recall hearing any of on the album. I kind of miss hearing Ulf Wallander's sax on TFK albums, but ever since Paradox Hotel, the band seem content to being a five-piece band, both live and in the studio, so who am I to stop them?



This is a huge thing that's missing. I used to love the vibe that those sax parts gave the music, and combined with an abundance of keyboards, it really was a unique sound they carved out. Without the sax and layers of keys, they kind of just feel like a normal prog-rock band now. Not necessarily a bad thing, but their identity was in a lot of those types of details.

The keys have been a mixed bag for me on this record, but I don't dislike what I've been hearing, I just wish I heard more of them. As for sax, it seems like there wasn't any on the band's previous two albums, so Ulf hasn't been featured on a TFK album since 2007's The Sum Of No Evil. I guess I've listened to BOE and DR so little over the last 5 years that I haven't picked up on the fact that there was a lack of saxophone! :facepalm: :lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Fritzinger on November 09, 2019, 11:51:35 AM
I gotta say, I have had this album for weeks now and not once have I managed to listen through the whole thing...
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: bluefox4000 on November 09, 2019, 02:09:02 PM
I liked it a whole lot.

can't single much out.  but my first listen says this MAY BE my fav since paradox Hotel way back when.  i wasn't really into the previous 2.  and that one off Roine side project recently was pretty awful.

The 2nd disc i may never play again. just like throwaway pieces but the main first disc i REALLY enjoyed.

Throwaways? Maybe it's just me, but I *really* enjoy "We Were Always Here", and to me, sounds like the proper album closer. It's got that upbeat, hopeful sound that the band is fairly good at, and works as a way to tie-up the album, musically and lyrically. Despite the lopsided track order, the 2nd disc is definitely part of the album, and to my eyes and ears, is definitely essential, unlike the bonus discs for albums like The Rainmaker, The Sum Of No Evil, Banks Of Eden, and Desolation Rose. Even as someone who has re-ordered the tracklists for all of the TFK albums (to fit in the bonus tracks into the running order), I feel like the way WFM is presented is the proper way to listen to the album. Both the CD and the vinyl LP have the same running order, so all the songs have been placed meaningfully, at least to me.


The Flower Kings had a pretty solid streak of releases from 95 to 07, but following a five year break, they took a turn for some deeper, heavier and darker material in 2012 and 2013, which definitely took some getting used to, but now the band is back with a bit more of a flowery sound. The only thing missing from this album that would really give it the Pre-Rainmaker feel would be some saxophone, which I don't recall hearing any of on the album. I kind of miss hearing Ulf Wallander's sax on TFK albums, but ever since Paradox Hotel, the band seem content to being a five-piece band, both live and in the studio, so who am I to stop them?



This is a huge thing that's missing. I used to love the vibe that those sax parts gave the music, and combined with an abundance of keyboards, it really was a unique sound they carved out. Without the sax and layers of keys, they kind of just feel like a normal prog-rock band now. Not necessarily a bad thing, but their identity was in a lot of those types of details.

The keys have been a mixed bag for me on this record, but I don't dislike what I've been hearing, I just wish I heard more of them. As for sax, it seems like there wasn't any on the band's previous two albums, so Ulf hasn't been featured on a TFK album since 2007's The Sum Of No Evil. I guess I've listened to BOE and DR so little over the last 5 years that I haven't picked up on the fact that there was a lack of saxophone! :facepalm: :lol

-Marc.

i'll for sure play disc 2 again.  but first listen left no impression on me.

disc 1 is only getting better i'm happy to report though.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on November 09, 2019, 04:14:11 PM
I liked it a whole lot.

can't single much out.  but my first listen says this MAY BE my fav since paradox Hotel way back when.  i wasn't really into the previous 2.  and that one off Roine side project recently was pretty awful.

The 2nd disc i may never play again. just like throwaway pieces but the main first disc i REALLY enjoyed.

Throwaways? Maybe it's just me, but I *really* enjoy "We Were Always Here", and to me, sounds like the proper album closer. It's got that upbeat, hopeful sound that the band is fairly good at, and works as a way to tie-up the album, musically and lyrically. Despite the lopsided track order, the 2nd disc is definitely part of the album, and to my eyes and ears, is definitely essential, unlike the bonus discs for albums like The Rainmaker, The Sum Of No Evil, Banks Of Eden, and Desolation Rose. Even as someone who has re-ordered the tracklists for all of the TFK albums (to fit in the bonus tracks into the running order), I feel like the way WFM is presented is the proper way to listen to the album. Both the CD and the vinyl LP have the same running order, so all the songs have been placed meaningfully, at least to me.


i'll for sure play disc 2 again.  but first listen left no impression on me.

disc 1 is only getting better i'm happy to report though.

Understandable. I guess, especially since I've been listening to the album digitally and not on a physical CD yet, that I haven't really picked up on the disc-division of this double album yet. It doesn't feel as cut-and-dry as other doubles for me, even among the TFK catalog. The album's 15 tracks just run together, IMO, and if I burn the album to CD-rs for use in my car, I'll probably split the discs more evenly (as the vinyl has it). Honestly, I listen to music more often on laptops/desktops/my phone/iPod than I do with CDs (in my car), so if an album is longer than 80 minutes, I don't particularly judge it by weighing how I feel about "one disc" over "the other disc"...but that's just me. It's all one album to me, and one that is growing better and better every time I get through it, song by song! I'm definitely feeling this one more than Roine's Manifesto, or the previous two TFK albums.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 09, 2019, 09:01:36 PM
I liked it a whole lot.

can't single much out.  but my first listen says this MAY BE my fav since paradox Hotel way back when.  i wasn't really into the previous 2. and that one off Roine side project recently was pretty awful.

The 2nd disc i may never play again. just like throwaway pieces but the main first disc i REALLY enjoyed.

I will be pleased as punch if I can one day soon say this is my favorite since Paradox Hotel, considering how much I love Banks of Eden.  :)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 10, 2019, 06:21:45 AM
Am I the only one who loves Desolation Rose? Yeah it's no Stardust We Are, but the whole thing is pretty solid and the bonus tracks are possibly more interesting than the main album. Why does this thing get shit on so much? Even Roine said it was bad.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 10, 2019, 07:36:43 AM
Am I the only one who loves Desolation Rose? Yeah it's no Stardust We Are, but the whole thing is pretty solid and the bonus tracks are possibly more interesting than the main album. Why does this thing get shit on so much? Even Roine said it was bad.

The bolded sums it up.  It's a solid record, and the bonus disc is better. 

If I am in the mood for the Flower Kings, it is by far the album I reach for the least often. 

I feel like I pick on Froberg a lot, but his vocals are a detriment on this album.  I like Tower One a lot for the most part, but every time he sings, it is cringe-worthy.  Meanwhile, the sections that Roine sings are all great.  His voice sounded more strained than normal on that record, and not in a good way.  And he sings a lot on it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: bluefox4000 on November 10, 2019, 09:47:27 AM
Am I the only one who loves Desolation Rose? Yeah it's no Stardust We Are, but the whole thing is pretty solid and the bonus tracks are possibly more interesting than the main album. Why does this thing get shit on so much? Even Roine said it was bad.

The bolded sums it up.  It's a solid record, and the bonus disc is better. 

If I am in the mood for the Flower Kings, it is by far the album I reach for the least often. 

I feel like I pick on Froberg a lot, but his vocals are a detriment on this album.  I like Tower One a lot for the most part, but every time he sings, it is cringe-worthy.  Meanwhile, the sections that Roine sings are all great.  His voice sounded more strained than normal on that record, and not in a good way.  And he sings a lot on it.



Yea After Paradox hotel.  I've been finding less Froberg goes a long way.  i've haven't really enjoyed him as much since.

I suppose that may be another plus on Miracles.  Less Froberg.  and i notice when he does sing.  he's more hoarse here.  Age of course.

and i love how they've added more instrumental work.  this album gives me a BIG old school FK's vibe.

i'm loving it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 10, 2019, 07:09:28 PM


Yea After Paradox hotel.  I've been finding less Froberg goes a long way.  i've haven't really enjoyed him as much since.

I suppose that may be another plus on Miracles.  Less Froberg.  and i notice when he does sing.  he's more hoarse here.  Age of course.

and i love how they've added more instrumental work.  this album gives me a BIG old school FK's vibe.

i'm loving it.

Regarding Froberg's hoarse vocals, I noticed them right away on the chorus of Sleep with the Enemy from the new album.  Still seemed like a good song, regardless, but I couldn't help but notice.

I still need to get to a second listen, but it definitely had a bit of an old school TFK vibe. Roine's solo album last year sounded like, well, a Roine solo album, but this new one definitely sounded like a Flower Kings record.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: BRGM on November 17, 2019, 03:11:39 PM
Really liking this album, alot better than Manifesto IMO. The Bridge stands out the most so far. Not sure what to think of Spirals and Steampunk though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 17, 2019, 03:20:38 PM
Really liking this album, alot better than Manifesto IMO. The Bridge stands out the most so far. Not sure what to think of Spirals and Steampunk though.

I still can't quite remember how The Bridge goes but I remember liking it when I last listened to it. Ascending To The Stars is my favorite so far and I'm pretty sure the new keyboardist wrote that one. We Were Always Here is also great. The other ones aren't sticking yet but I like everything I've heard. Seems much more interesting and musical than Manifesto.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 23, 2019, 09:14:42 AM
So far, I like the album, but it's not drawing me in to where I finish listening and immediately want to listen again, which is the feeling often I get from a new record that I really like or love.  Maybe it will be a grower in that regard. Time will tell, but so far seems a bit underwhelming considering it's been 6 years since their last proper album.  And not to beat a dead horse, but while the new keyboard player seems to do a good job, Tomas Bodin is definitely missed.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 23, 2019, 09:37:24 AM
So far, I like the album, but it's not drawing me in to where I finish listening and immediately want to listen again, which is the feeling often I get from a new record that I really like or love.  Maybe it will be a grower in that regard. Time will tell, but so far seems a bit underwhelming considering it's been 6 years since their last proper album.  And not to beat a dead horse, but while the new keyboard player seems to do a good job, Tomas Bodin is definitely missed.

Tomas is missed but this album hasn't dropped off my radar yet which usually means I like it. I think the sequencing does detract a bit. There's something about 3 longer tracks in the very beginning that feel a bit daunting/off-putting (even though past albums have had had much longer tracks in the intro spot). The same thing occurs on Manifesto and really makes it harder to get into that album. Plus there's no MOMENTS that really make me take notice. I just want one of those melodies that completely overwhelm me like FK music of the past. Everything still has this subdued, mellow vibe and I miss the hippie-bombast of previous works.

Anyone care to list their top 10 FK songs? I'm in a list mood:

1. I Am The Sun
2. Stardust We Are
3. Garden Of Dreams
4. Monster Within
5. Church Of Your Heart
6. Silent Sorrow
7. Magic Pie
8. Calling Home
9. The Road Back Home
10. Theme For A Hero

4-10 are not really in order, but the first 3 are pretty much the definitive top 3.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 23, 2019, 09:48:26 AM
Even though I did a list once here and put Garden of Dreams at number 1, I do feel like it's cheating since it really isn't a single song, but more of a complete work of art with many songs contained within. 

That said, the first three songs from it is my favorite piece of TFK music, so I will go that way...

1. Dawn/Simple Song/Business Vamp
2. Big Puzzle
3. I Am the Sun, part 2
4. End on a High Note
5. Stardust We Are
6. The Road Back Home
7. I Am the Sun, part 1
8. Silent Sorrow
9. What If God Is Alone?
10. Ghost of the Red Cloud
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on November 23, 2019, 10:52:36 AM
My current top 10:

1. I Am the Sun
2. Stardust We Are
3. Garden of Dreams
4. A King's Prayer
5. Numbers
6. Painter
7. Love Supreme
8. The Truth Will Set You Free
9. Love Is the Only Answer
10. Atomic Prince/Kaleidoscope
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 23, 2019, 01:26:36 PM
Numbers didn't crack my top 10, but it might crack my top 20.  Great song, with three killer guitar solos. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on November 23, 2019, 01:31:27 PM
I haven't bought Miracles, but I'm so glad some people here are justifying my POV that disc 2 is glorified bonus tracks, because that's what they surely are. There is absolutely NO other explanation for it. It infuriates me that IO and/or the band feel they can short-change us this way with no explanation given. That this is a bad decision (one of many IO has made since selling out to Sony) is incredibly plain and obvious for all to see, and anyone who refuses to see it is blind.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 23, 2019, 01:36:46 PM
No one was short-changed.  I bought it from iTunes for $11.99.  Not bad for an 85-minute album.

You say you haven't bought it yet, but have you listened to it? It doesn't sound like a single disc with leftovers thrown on a bonus disc; it sounds like an album from start to finish.  Honestly, you have pitched a fit about this from the beginning, and it sounds to me like you are just looking for anyone to agree so you can say, "See, I was right!"  Maybe just enjoy the music and stop worrying about such trivial details?  Good grief.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on November 23, 2019, 02:06:43 PM
No one was short-changed.  I bought it from iTunes for $11.99.  Not bad for an 85-minute album.

You say you haven't bought it yet, but have you listened to it? It doesn't sound like a single disc with leftovers thrown on a bonus disc; it sounds like an album from start to finish.  Honestly, you have pitched a fit about this from the beginning, and it sounds to me like you are just looking for anyone to agree so you can say, "See, I was right!"  Maybe just enjoy the music and stop worrying about such trivial details?  Good grief.

Gotta agree with Kev here - the second disc, or the fourth side of the vinyl, sounds like a part of the album proper, and if you've heard it, you'd feel this way too. "We Were Always Here" sounds like the album closer, with "Busking At Brobank" being a cute little coda for the album. Other than being a bit lopsided on the physical CD version, the album stands as a single 85 minute piece of work to me. It's not an album with leftovers/bonus tracks in the vein of TSONE, BOE, or DR.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on November 23, 2019, 02:08:31 PM
Nope. This is the hill I will die on. The way albums are structured on compact disc still matters immensely. I will be the last person on this goddamn planet to be using CDs. I expect the rest of you to return to the right way before too long, like you all have done with vinyl. Right idea, wrong medium.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Qrusher14242 on November 23, 2019, 04:25:15 PM
My current top 10. Like the new album but nothing to put in top 10 yet.
1. The Truth Will Set You Free
2. Love is the Only Answer
3. Paradox Hotel
4. I Am the Sun
5. In the Eyes of the World
6. The Man who walked with Kings
7. Last Minute on Earth
8. Monkey Business
9. Stardust We Are
10.Monsters and Men
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Fritzinger on November 24, 2019, 06:40:59 AM
Nope. This is the hill I will die on. The way albums are structured on compact disc still matters immensely. I will be the last person on this goddamn planet to be using CDs. I expect the rest of you to return to the right way before too long, like you all have done with vinyl. Right idea, wrong medium.

Who are you to tell everyone which is the right medium for music? Maybe some people like to hold a nice 30x30cm cover in their hands, instead of a 12x12cm plastic case? To each their own!

And while I agree that this album was structured in a weird way (as were the last Spock's Beard album and The Sea Within's debut), the way albums are structured in compact discs may still matter a great deal TO YOU - but it seems, it doesn't matter that much to many other people, including me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 24, 2019, 07:44:55 AM
Exactly.  Heck, I agree that it is kind of strange to have the two CD's that uneven in regards to how many minutes are on each, but does it ultimately matter when it comes to the quality of the album?  Of course not.  Seems like a weird hill to die on, but I guess some like finding ways to rob themselves of music enjoyment.  :lol :lol

My current top 10. Like the new album but nothing to put in top 10 yet.
1. The Truth Will Set You Free
2. Love is the Only Answer
3. Paradox Hotel
4. I Am the Sun
5. In the Eyes of the World
6. The Man who walked with Kings
7. Last Minute on Earth
8. Monkey Business
9. Stardust We Are
10.Monsters and Men

Interesting to see Love Is the Only Answer on another top 10 list.  I like that song quite a bit, from an album that is easily one of my 2-3 least favorites, but I don't see being quite that good.  But hey, it is always cool to see these kind of lists with so many different songs making it.  Love seeing The Man Who Walked with Kings in there!  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on November 24, 2019, 08:04:47 AM
Spinning Retropolis. Along with The Rainmaker, probably the album I've listened to the least since I bought the boxset. It's a good album, but nothing on it has grabbed me as much as tracks on other albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Ben_Jamin on November 24, 2019, 09:44:44 AM
Exactly.  Heck, I agree that it is kind of strange to have the two CD's that uneven in regards to how many minutes are on each, but does it ultimately matter when it comes to the quality of the album?  Of course not.  Seems like a weird hill to die on, but I guess some like finding ways to rob themselves of music enjoyment.  :lol :lol

They could've pulled a Tool and left those 2nd Disc songs as Download Only.

The Strangeness though is due to flow. Those 1st Disc songs really do flow well together. The entire album does when listened to uninterrupted.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 24, 2019, 10:23:48 AM
Even though I did a list once here and put Garden of Dreams at number 1, I do feel like it's cheating since it really isn't a single song, but more of a complete work of art with many songs contained within. 

That said, the first three songs from it is my favorite piece of TFK music, so I will go that way...

1. Dawn/Simple Song/Business Vamp
2. Big Puzzle
3. I Am the Sun, part 2
4. End on a High Note
5. Stardust We Are
6. The Road Back Home
7. I Am the Sun, part 1
8. Silent Sorrow
9. What If God Is Alone?
10. Ghost of the Red Cloud

No All You Can Save??? I know there's a lot of ambient/synth heavy sections but it sucks Garden never got a 100% full live performance. Same with I Am The Sun. We have a decent amount of overlap...Silent Sorrow is such an awesome song (though I was tempted to put Judas Kiss). Ghost of The Red Cloud is an oddball, but it's also a great song with a catchy chorus. Those early albums had incredible epic songs but also really catchy unique shorter songs.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 24, 2019, 10:24:48 AM
My current top 10:

1. I Am the Sun
2. Stardust We Are
3. Garden of Dreams
4. A King's Prayer
5. Numbers
6. Painter
7. Love Supreme
8. The Truth Will Set You Free
9. Love Is the Only Answer
10. Atomic Prince/Kaleidoscope

Cool seeing Painter. FP Disc 2 has a lot of great tracks that really get overlooked.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: BRGM on November 24, 2019, 12:52:43 PM

1. Garden of Dreams
2. I Am The Sun
3. Devils Playground
4. Stardust We Are
5. Blue Planet
6. Eyes of the world
7. Big Puzzle
8. Monsters and Men
9. Monster within
10. Silent Sorrow

Honorable mentions to Circus Brimstone, Self-Consuming Fire, Ghost of the Red Cloud and The Judas Kiss which are all favorites as well  :coolio
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 24, 2019, 08:09:12 PM


The Strangeness though is due to flow. Those 1st Disc songs really do flow well together. The entire album does when listened to uninterrupted.

Agreed.  The entire album seems to flow well (for those of us who suck and are listening to the album the wrong way :lol).



No All You Can Save??? I know there's a lot of ambient/synth heavy sections but it sucks Garden never got a 100% full live performance. Same with I Am The Sun. We have a decent amount of overlap...Silent Sorrow is such an awesome song (though I was tempted to put Judas Kiss). Ghost of The Red Cloud is an oddball, but it's also a great song with a catchy chorus. Those early albums had incredible epic songs but also really catchy unique shorter songs.

All You Can Save would probably make it if I had made the list on another day.  That is a major favorite of mine and now I want to kick myself for leaving it off. ;) :lol

Ghost of the Red Cloud and Silent Sorrow have always been favorites for me, so they will always rate very high.  :hat

  FP Disc 2 has a lot of great tracks that really get overlooked.

Stupid Girl and Psycedelic Postcard are my favorites, and Deaf, Numb and Blind is outstanding as well. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on November 25, 2019, 10:10:28 AM
Yeah, there are some great tracks on Flower Power Disc 2. I even enjoy the two ambient instrumentals, especially Hudson River Sirens Call 1998. The "trilogy" of Psychedelic Postcard > HRSC98 > Magic Pie is really really good!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 25, 2019, 10:44:54 AM
Yeah, there are some great tracks on Flower Power Disc 2. I even enjoy the two ambient instrumentals, especially Hudson River Sirens Call 1998. The "trilogy" of Psychedelic Postcard > HRSC98 > Magic Pie is really really good!

That's a great stretch. I always forget that Psychedelic Postcard exists but it's really quite a fantastic "trip" of a song. Also, I've never timed it, but I wonder why they decided to throw Astral Dog on disc 1 instead of disc 2 (or just left it off entirely). You have this gigantic hour long epic and then an 8 minute jam session.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on November 25, 2019, 11:47:46 AM
Yeah, there are some great tracks on Flower Power Disc 2. I even enjoy the two ambient instrumentals, especially Hudson River Sirens Call 1998. The "trilogy" of Psychedelic Postcard > HRSC98 > Magic Pie is really really good!

That's a great stretch. I always forget that Psychedelic Postcard exists but it's really quite a fantastic "trip" of a song. Also, I've never timed it, but I wonder why they decided to throw Astral Dog on disc 1 instead of disc 2 (or just left it off entirely). You have this gigantic hour long epic and then an 8 minute jam session.

Just eyeballing the track times in the Wiki article, it looks like disc 2 runs about 72-73 minutes, so that is probably why.
EDIT - Checked my files at my work computer - Disc 2's ten tracks add up to 72:50, so they would not have been able to fit the final 3 tracks of Disc 1 on there (totaling 8:47).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 25, 2019, 03:27:29 PM
I wonder why they decided to throw Astral Dog on disc 1 instead of disc 2 (or just left it off entirely). You have this gigantic hour long epic and then an 8 minute jam session.

That can seem odd, but after the hour-long epic suite, Astral Dog is like this little jam tune to help you cool off and bring it down to a lighter and mellower level.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on November 26, 2019, 08:38:33 AM
Personally I take a break after Garden of Dreams. It's an extraordinary journey that one needs to step back from the player for a short period of time before tackling the rest of the album. The first time I listened all the way through, I broke it into three parts:

Part 1: Garden of Dreams (59')
Part 2: Captain Capstan thru Power of Kindness (36')
Part 3: Psychedelic Postcard thru Afterlife (43')
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on November 27, 2019, 05:17:06 AM
Personally I take a break after Garden of Dreams. It's an extraordinary journey that one needs to step back from the player for a short period of time before tackling the rest of the album. The first time I listened all the way through, I broke it into three parts:

Part 1: Garden of Dreams (59')
Part 2: Captain Capstan thru Power of Kindness (36')
Part 3: Psychedelic Postcard thru Afterlife (43')

I don't even think I listened to disc 2 until I had the album for about a month. I was so mesmerized by GoD that I just didn't have any inclination to listen to anything else.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on November 27, 2019, 07:20:42 AM


I don't even think I listened to disc 2 until I had the album for about a month. I was so mesmerized by GoD that I just didn't have any inclination to listen to anything else.

Haha, that was me as well, although I think it was way more than a month.  I was eventually like, "hey, the second disc is pretty good, too!"  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on December 20, 2019, 10:42:13 AM
Been on a big Flower Kings kick this week. Listened thru Back in the World of Adventures, Adam and Eve, Flower Power and this afternoon The Sum of No Evil. I'm debating between Space Revolver and The Rainmaker for this evening, and I'm veering towards the latter as it hasn't received as much attention from me as Space Revolver.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on December 20, 2019, 12:38:57 PM
The Rainmaker is an odd one for me in that I think it is better than many do, yet it is still clearly a bottom 3 TFK release for me (although it could be promoted to 4th least best soon if the new one doesn't grab me a lot more).  Serious Dreamers is a killer tune, and I really like the acoustic section of Road to Sanctuary (it just screams Yes).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on December 21, 2019, 01:24:09 PM
I enjoyed The Rainmaker this time around far more than I have done before.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on February 06, 2020, 07:24:49 AM
Let's get this out of the way. I know some of you probably think I shouldn't be allowed anywhere near this album, but I picked up Waiting for Miracles today. While I still find the disc split utterly daft, it's still an immensely solid album, even after just one listen. The "Save your miracles" riff is an instant earworm. Vertigo is an incredible track. It absolutely fits in alongside the rest of TFK's discography, even with the lineup changes in the band.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on February 06, 2020, 03:38:52 PM
I gave it a few spins and liked it, but it didn't really click with me.  TFK is very much a spring and summer band for me, so I will give it a bunch of fresh spins once spring rolls around.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on February 07, 2020, 02:34:57 PM
I do have one question though. For some reason, the track metadata said "Miracles for America [Edit]". Seems like a pretty full song to me. If the edit is 10:03, goodness knows how long the "full" version is.

Another result of hearing Waiting for Miracles is that it's given me the urge to give Manifesto of an Alchemist another chance. I haven't listened to that for months.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on March 21, 2020, 05:10:20 PM
I have been completely obsessed with The Merrygoround lately. I'm literally waking up out of sleep with Roine's vocal melody at the end of the song swimming in my head - "And the angels sang, sweetly the blues away, and I will bend this starless night into day". Possibly the most dreamy segment of all TFK music. The first half of the song is cool too even though it's all over the place - it goes from crazy quick 5/8 prog-rock, to a random almost-calypso sounding part, to a weird 60's sounding Monkees-type segment, then into the dreamy outro with a badass Roine solo. During their heydey, they could pack more interesting things into an 8 minute song than most bands could do with an entire 20 minute epic.
 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on March 21, 2020, 05:15:07 PM
Stardust We Are recently clicked with me as an album in a way it hadn’t before after having it for about 15-16 years. I used to only listen to select tracks, but for some reason I’ve really started to love playing it as a whole.

I love the drums on The Merrygoround.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2020, 08:46:55 PM
There are certain sections of Flower Kings that I cannot NOT sing along to, and the below from The Merrygoround is one of them:

Number one, still undone
Number two, feeling blue
Number three, late for tea
Number four, here for more
Number five, still alive
Number six, need a fix
Number seven, gone to heaven
Number eight, always late
Number nine, feeling fine
Number ten, lost again

As for others on Stardust We Are, I may have mentioned this before, but it recent years The End of Innocence has become one of my most-listened-to songs from any TFK record.  That song is so good.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on March 21, 2020, 10:53:29 PM
By the way, if anyone has any leads on a place to find a reasonably priced copy of Back in the World of Adventures let me know. Everything on Amazon is like $35+. Hate how hard it is getting to track down older CDs these days.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Fritzinger on March 22, 2020, 01:35:07 AM
By the way, if anyone has any leads on a place to find a reasonably priced copy of Back in the World of Adventures let me know. Everything on Amazon is like $35+. Hate how hard it is getting to track down older CDs these days.

Welcome to the world of a vinyl collector  :biggrin:


Stardust We Are recently clicked with me as an album in a way it hadn’t before after having it for about 15-16 years. I used to only listen to select tracks, but for some reason I’ve really started to love playing it as a whole.

I love the drums on The Merrygoround.

I never really got into Stardust We Are as an album, but I do love the opener and Circus Brimstone. Maybe I should listen to the album a bit more. It is still regarded as one of the band's greatest.

For me, the deciding element of the band is often the drummer. I think, Zoltan Czörsz (hope that's correct) remains their best drummer, although Felix Lehrmann is also a beast (he's the same drummer that plays in Martin Miller's session band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_HeVyc5-GY). But he was never given the freedom on the studio records that Zoltan was.
Knowing what great drummers have played on TFK music, the other drummers fall short a little bit.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on March 22, 2020, 07:31:06 AM
Stardust We Are recently clicked with me as an album in a way it hadn’t before after having it for about 15-16 years. I used to only listen to select tracks, but for some reason I’ve really started to love playing it as a whole.

I love the drums on The Merrygoround.

I love the jazzier drumming they had on the later albums, but Jaime's more "rock-oriented" drumming was better imo. The drumming is really cool on The Merrygoround. The whole SWA album is great...there's so many awesome moments throughout and I love the balance between instrumental and vocal songs they had on those earlier albums. I know the disc 1 songs get a bit more attention, but disc 2 is one awesome song after another.

There are certain sections of Flower Kings that I cannot NOT sing along to, and the below from The Merrygoround is one of them:

Number one, still undone
Number two, feeling blue
Number three, late for tea
Number four, here for more
Number five, still alive
Number six, need a fix
Number seven, gone to heaven
Number eight, always late
Number nine, feeling fine
Number ten, lost again

As for others on Stardust We Are, I may have mentioned this before, but it recent years The End of Innocence has become one of my most-listened-to songs from any TFK record.  That song is so good.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

I've heard this song a million times and I cannot recite a single lyric besides the ones at the end of the song. The End of Innocence is a real sleeper track...great vibe and mood. The keyboard intro is the same one on the old Kaipa track Skenet Bedrar too.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2020, 08:45:16 AM
It just goes to show you that songs always matter more than anything else, even when it comes to a band this overtly proggy.  Zoltan Csörsz, IMO, is undoubtedly the best drummer they have had, but he doesn't play on any of what I consider their best albums, while their best album, Paradox Hotel, has probably the least best drummer they have had, Marcus Liliequist.  The real pisser is all three albums with Csörsz sound amazing sonically and dynamically, but the songwriting is a little inconsistent on each (although each has some great stuff).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on March 22, 2020, 08:58:30 AM
Yeah, Unfold the Future has been really difficult for me to get into. I really like Silent Inferno, and the drumming is killer, but boy there sure is a whole lot of filler.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2020, 12:22:13 PM
The funny thing for me and Unfold the Future is, there is nothing on it I dislike.  If I have 2 1/2 hours to kill :lol, I can listen to all of it and enjoy it all, but it only has a few songs I consider absolutely essential.  And no, The Truth Will Set You Free, which is enjoyable but waaaaay too long, is not one of them.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Fritzinger on March 22, 2020, 04:00:24 PM
The funny thing for me and Unfold the Future is, there is nothing on it I dislike.  If I have 2 1/2 hours to kill :lol, I can listen to all of it and enjoy it all, but it only has a few songs I consider absolutely essential.  And no, The Truth Will Set You Free, which is enjoyable but waaaaay too long, is not one of them.

The musicianship on that album is just outstanding. There are only a few examples in prog where I have heard a better rhythm section than Jonas and Zoltan.

Also, I know I have said that already, but: I am still absolutely furious with Roine, because he deleted like 6 minutes of The Devil's Playground for the remastered vinyl LP. He totally ruined the song with that. I cannot understand why he would do that. Just had to say that again.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2020, 05:11:34 PM
I am not furious with him, but it was most disappointing.  I still have the original release with the full song and that is my go-to version.  Heck, I never even bought the remaster last year, although a friend did and played me the bastardized version.  Sure, it's a little more concise, but I missed the deleted sections.  Oh well, like I said, the original is still there for all of us who don't want the revisionist history version. :tup :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on March 23, 2020, 07:00:05 AM
I was disappointed too. There's always a feeling I'm missing out on something with that song now, and it tarnishes the experience of listening to the whole album. What made it all the more disappointing was that the back cover of both the Kingdom of Colours box, and the UTF wallet, had the 25-minute time listed, as if there was no change.

And it's not necessarily an issue with revisionism that I have. Sometimes it works great, like Gavin Harrison's drums on the Porcupine Tree Up the Downstair reissue. Something like that doesn't alter the basic structure of the song. Cutting out anything, let alone six entire minutes of it, is wrong. The song should stand as is, for better or worse.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on April 24, 2020, 06:14:18 PM
Roine Stolt has written a ton of great music in his life, but I almost think his greatest achievement is writing a song as infectious and joyful as Chicken Farmer Song. It’s so great.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on April 24, 2020, 08:28:22 PM
Roine Stolt has written a ton of great music in his life, but I almost think his greatest achievement is writing a song as infectious and joyful as Chicken Farmer Song. It’s so great.

Hell yeah, I love that song!  Roine does the happy, summery songs really well, and that is one of his better crafted short songs. 

I have listened to a ton of TFK in the last two weeks, as is the norm every year once spring hits and we start getting 60-70 degree weather regularly, and gave Space Revolver a whirl last week and it sounded as good as ever.

I also think the new album is good, with a few really good songs.  I don't think it is one of their better albums, and in fact I suspect it will likely rate near the bottom for me, but it is still a nice little album. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on April 24, 2020, 09:13:45 PM
Different People is another one I’ve always really liked.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on April 25, 2020, 07:09:52 AM
The happy/positive songs (or sections) are part of the reason why I think their output from ‘95-‘00 is their best stuff. Once The Rainmaker hit, everything got darker overall with some exceptions (End On A High Note stands out). Chicken Farmer Song is excellent and has always been a favorite, along with Different People, The Merrygoround, My Cosmic Lover, and Stupid Girl.

Haven’t touched the new album since December but I’ve been playing the shit out of Stardust We Are. Maybe I’ll listen to Miracles on my bike today and see how it’s held up. Ascending To The Stars and We Were Always Here were the standouts at that time.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on April 25, 2020, 11:14:49 AM
Different People has always been a favorite of mine as well from Stardust We Are.

From the new album, I would agree that Ascending to the Stars and We Were Always Here are two of the standouts, along with The Bridge, The Crowning of Greed, Spirals and Steampunk.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on April 25, 2020, 01:24:30 PM
It's short, but Busking at Brobank has been an earworm in recent days. Although as I recently realized, it's a reprise of a section in Steampunk.

It's a really good album, all in all.

Meanwhile I'm currently listening to Space Revolver. Probably my favourite single-disc TFK album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on April 25, 2020, 05:53:22 PM
Space Revolver and Retropolis are neck and neck for my favorite TFK single album. Both are awesome from start to finish.

Adam & Eve is aging very well for me as well, and I love how it sounds.  The bass on that one is so warm and deep when you crank it up. :coolio
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on April 26, 2020, 05:59:44 AM
It's short, but Busking at Brobank has been an earworm in recent days. Although as I recently realized, it's a reprise of a section in Steampunk.

It's a really good album, all in all.

Meanwhile I'm currently listening to Space Revolver. Probably my favourite single-disc TFK album.

Yeah I like Busking a lot too. I wish it was exactly expanded a bit more rather than being a short outro.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on May 05, 2020, 03:13:28 PM
So I'm spinning The Sum Of No Evil today and I'm at "Life In Motion" and realized that the latest TFK album is a reference to the lyrics! "We wait for miracles" is sung in LIM, and of course, Waiting For Miracles was the title of their latest album.

Coincidence? Then again, TSONE was loaded with references to older TFK material, so it's funny that it would lyrically "predict" the title of a future album! Am I the only one who has noticed this here?  :lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on May 05, 2020, 08:50:04 PM
I have to imagine that is a coincidence.  Roine has certain uncommon words or phrases he likes to use more than once.  How many times has he used the word brimstone in a song? (not even counting the instrumental Circus Brimstone :lol)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Kyo on May 06, 2020, 04:37:16 AM
I have to imagine that is a coincidence.  Roine has certain uncommon words or phrases he likes to use more than once.  How many times has he used the word brimstone in a song? (not even counting the instrumental Circus Brimstone :lol)

Or something about cocoons.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on May 06, 2020, 07:01:12 AM
Or child - pronounced "shiled"

BTW - The Sum Of No Evil is easily TFK album I've listened to the least. I disliked it upon first listen, and have never taken a liking to it. One More Time is their weakest opener by far, the songs are too long, the epic unremarkable, and aside from the badass riff in The Sum Of No Reason, nothing has ever stood out. I'm going to put it on rotation and see how it stands up.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Fritzinger on May 06, 2020, 08:10:25 AM
I'm one of the few people who really likes The Sum Of No Evil, apparently. I've spun it more often than any of their first 4 albums. I think, while One More Time is not the greatest TFK song, the opening motif is pretty awesome. And I love Love Is The Only Answer. Perfectly constructed, flowing longtrack.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on May 06, 2020, 01:28:36 PM
Roine also likes to write songs about Judas and the devil.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on May 06, 2020, 05:51:06 PM
It's still one of my least favorite TFK studio albums, but I do like The Sum of No Evil more than I used to.  Nothing on it stands out as one of their best songs, but it's a nice listen from start to finish, and it sure does help that it sonically sounds awesome.  Such a warm, organic and lush-sounding record.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on May 15, 2020, 12:24:16 PM
Umm...so I'm listening to Life in Motion, the last track off The Sum of No Evil, and during a quiet passage around 7:56-ish, I just spotted the looped sample from Mommy Leave the Light On. ("...leav e the light on...the light on...the light on...")

I listened to Desolation Rose earlier, for the first time in ages. Now I've decided to run through the bonus tracks from this album on the Kingdom of Colours 3rd bonus disc. I...can see why these are relegated this way. Hardly any vocals, most of them are just instrumental jams.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on May 15, 2020, 01:00:28 PM
I am much more likely to listen to the bonus songs from Desolation Rose than I am the songs from the proper album.  Interstellar Visitations is by far the best song from those sessions.

I forgot about that Mommy, Leave the Light On reference in Life in Motion, but good catch.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on May 15, 2020, 01:21:07 PM
Desolation Rose as a whole is pretty great, especially disc 2 as you said. Lots of short songs with memorable melodies which is something I always appreciate. Agreed on Interstellar Visitations...great song.

Sum Of No Evil has risen a bit in my eyes. I played through it 5 times last week and found it pretty enjoyable. It's still near the lower end of their discography for me, but I'm more likely to listen to it again now that I know I like it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on May 15, 2020, 03:03:53 PM
Re: Desolation Rose. When it initially came out, I liked it a lot more than Banks Of Eden, and the bonus disc stuff felt just as good, if not better, than the main disc stuff. Like I typically did with TFK albums, I re-ordered the songs from both discs to create a proper double album that has a good flow between songs and instrumentals, at least IMO. For the curious, here's the track list, but I also edited some tracks in Audacity so that they segue together, particularly the last two in my order:

Disc 1 - 45:21
Tower ONE
Burning Spears
Lazy Monkey
The Wailing Wall
Dark Fascist Skies
Psalm 2013
Sleeping Bones
Desolation Road
White Tuxedos

Disc 2 - 46:26
The Resurrected Judas
Silent Masses
Last Carnivore
Badbeats
Runaway Train
Interstellar Visitations
Blood Of Eden
Silent Graveyards
The Final ERA

I remember carefully placing certain songs in this order, probably because of how they flowed into each other, or perhaps to reflect musical or lyrical references, such as "Burning Spears" being mentioned near the beginning of "Tower ONE". I also made it so that each disc would be able to split into a single vinyl across two sides, so I made sure the songs fit with that in mind as well.

It's been a little while since I've listened to it, though, but I really enjoyed this order, and it made the whole album better for me over-all.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on May 16, 2020, 06:48:00 PM

Sum Of No Evil has risen a bit in my eyes. I played through it 5 times last week and found it pretty enjoyable. It's still near the lower end of their discography for me, but I'm more likely to listen to it again now that I know I like it.

Same here.  It's still a bottom 3 TFK record* for me along with The Rainmaker and Desolation Rose, but I definitely like it more than I did before. 

*Waiting for Miracles is still too new for me to accurately rank.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on June 02, 2020, 07:12:03 PM
Anyone see or hear anything about a new album later this year? A friends swears that their FB page said early yesterday that a new studio album was coming later this year, but there is nothing there now, and I am seeing no news or talk of it anywhere.  I told my buddy he is crazy until I see news proving otherwise. ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on June 02, 2020, 07:42:20 PM
Anyone see or hear anything about a new album later this year? A friends swears that their FB page said early yesterday that a new studio album was coming later this year, but there is nothing there now, and I am seeing no news or talk of it anywhere.  I told my buddy he is crazy until I see news proving otherwise. ;)

I think I vaguely recall Roine seemingly hinting that a new album was in the works, but it wasn't specified if it was TFK, something solo, or something else entirely. I wouldn't be surprised if they had another album in the works. After the band has been together in this configuration for a couple of tours now, I think they're raring to go in the studio. When they made their first "comeback" in 2012, after a five year hiatus, they pumped out a second album the very next year, so maybe Roine has the same idea again (unless you count Manifest Of An Alchemist being a TFK album, then it comes back-to-back with Waiting For Miracles).

Either way, if TFK have a new album coming out this year, that would be tremendous. I enjoyed WFM a good amount, and wouldn't mind hearing what else this line up can do!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on June 02, 2020, 08:05:43 PM
Manifest was not a true TFK album, so I don't count that.

Having new members in the band could definitely spark some new creativity, so I'd love to see another new album soon.  :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on June 02, 2020, 08:31:41 PM
Manifest was not a true TFK album, so I don't count that.
Yeah, it's no more a TFK album than Roine's The Flower King, but I still file both under my TFK folder anyway.


Having new members in the band could definitely spark some new creativity, so I'd love to see another new album soon.  :hat

You and me both! Having a year with new Neal Morse, Flower Kings, AND Transatlantic would be an amazing year for music (for me).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on June 08, 2020, 11:54:19 PM
From Roine, earlier today on Facebook:
Quote
About a year ago  we spent  some 10 days @  RMV  studio in Stockholm  tracking the basics for 'Waiting For Miracles'  -  Today (this year)  we are forced (not a bad thing really)  to create new miracles  at our homestudios -  Today  Hasse  did some progress on our sonic  enterprise - yet unnamed new TFK album - to be out  this autumn.  ✌️☮️

Seems like we are definitely getting a new TFK album this fall, barring any unforeseen delays!

In an alternate universe, there probably would've been a Neal Morse/TFK/Transatlantic tour this fall...

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on June 09, 2020, 07:06:25 AM
From Roine, earlier today on Facebook:
Quote
About a year ago  we spent  some 10 days @  RMV  studio in Stockholm  tracking the basics for 'Waiting For Miracles'  -  Today (this year)  we are forced (not a bad thing really)  to create new miracles  at our homestudios -  Today  Hasse  did some progress on our sonic  enterprise - yet unnamed new TFK album - to be out  this autumn.  ✌️☮️

Seems like we are definitely getting a new TFK album this fall, barring any unforeseen delays!

In an alternate universe, there probably would've been a Neal Morse/TFK/Transatlantic tour this fall...

-Marc.

Even though WfM wasn't exactly the greatest thing I've heard, I'm still interested in hearing what they do next. Honestly, I kind of wish their newer stuff sounded like what Kaipa has turned into but with Roine/Hasse on vocals.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on June 09, 2020, 08:20:22 AM
Good news!  :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on June 10, 2020, 02:04:14 AM
Given how prolific they were in the 90s/00s, and the lengthy breaks they had from 07-12 and 13-19, along with the significant refresh in the lineup, maybe that's brought a flood of new ideas.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Ben_Jamin on June 10, 2020, 02:49:57 PM
 I haven't been into Banks of Eden or Desolation Rose. The Flower Kings also have become a "in the mood" band for me now. Which I have been in now as of late. I dusted off my Instant Delivery set and found I have lost Disc 2 of the cd, I can't find the limited box set with the cds anywhere to get it again (Good thing for certain tricks, I ripped the dvd audio) I believe that cd was in a case I lost a while back.

Hoping this new one will be somthing I can look foward too.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on June 10, 2020, 06:08:27 PM
Most bands have kind of become an "in the mood" one for me now, as there is just far too much music for me to dedicate tons of time to a single band, although I will still go in phases with bands, and some always last longer than others (my Rush phase following Neil Peart's death lasted like a month or so, but I have barely listened to them since).  For me, the Flower Kings are very much a spring/summer band for me, and I did binge on them a little when spring first kicked in, but I haven't gotten back to them again yet this season.  I am sure I will eventually.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on June 12, 2020, 12:52:20 PM
Given how prolific they were in the 90s/00s, and the lengthy breaks they had from 07-12 and 13-19, along with the significant refresh in the lineup, maybe that's brought a flood of new ideas.

Hopefully this line-up sticks it out for a good while, and not just a one-two-punch that Banks Of Edge/Desolation Rose was with the previous line-up. Like Yes, I don't think the they've had more than 3 consecutive albums with the same line-up (those three being Retropolis, Stardust We Are, and Flower Power, all with the same seven members), so here's hoping that this current line-up can produce more than a couple more consistently good albums! I really enjoyed Waiting For Miracles, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else they can do now!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on June 12, 2020, 02:44:05 PM
Re. Banks/Desolation...Apart from Numbers which is probably in my top 10 FK songs, both of these albums are in that strange category I have where I don't often get the urge to listen in full, but every time I do listen, I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy them (see also DT12 and Spock's Beard's The Oblivion Particle).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on June 12, 2020, 03:11:47 PM


Hopefully this line-up sticks it out for a good while, and not just a one-two-punch that Banks Of Edge/Desolation Rose was with the previous line-up. Like Yes, I don't think the they've had more than 3 consecutive albums with the same line-up (those three being Retropolis, Stardust We Are, and Flower Power, all with the same seven members), so here's hoping that this current line-up can produce more than a couple more consistently good albums! I really enjoyed Waiting For Miracles, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else they can do now!

-Marc.

True, but that was either because the drummer changed, or they added an additional member like Gildenlow or another percussionist.  The 4-man tandem of Stolt/Bodin/Froberg/Reingold was constant from 1999-2015.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on June 24, 2020, 09:19:56 AM
A new Facebook post from Hassr Fröberg a couple of hours ago:

Quote
Guess that’s it then. I believe I’m ready tracking vocals for the upcoming yet untitled The Flower Kings record. This time we’ve really walked that extra mile when it comes to creativity and deliverance. This is NOT a predictable album. Of course you’ll hear it’s TFK but to me it’s like I’m listening to a “new band”. I’ve never heard my fellow singer Roine as soulful and “hearty” as he does here, the songs as colourful and the band in such a good spirit as we do on this recording. To my ears it’s been a very long time since we released music as beautiful and brave as this, if ever?

(Note the following: I’m not giving you the universal truth. This is my impressions of the music just before Roine will start mixing the album...and yes this is the way you look when you’re happy with the achievement and you feel there’s a possibility you have something special on your hands). 24/6-2020/Hasse

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on June 24, 2020, 11:49:03 AM
That sounds really promising, though it wouldn't be the first time a musician uses hyperbole to psyche a fanbase up only to deliver an album that sounds the same as the others. Maybe the new members gave Roine a kick in the ass to step up his game. I would give anything to hear a melody as beautiful as the chorus of Church Of Your Heart or some parts of Theme For A Hero.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on June 24, 2020, 03:27:58 PM
Should be interesting to see what this one is like.  :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Fritzinger on June 25, 2020, 12:30:20 AM
I got to know a woman on a Transatlantic concert ten years ago in Berlin... She was a superfan of every band I am a fan of... by now she is Jonas Reingold's girlfriend.

I moved to a small town called Krems in Austria three years ago. When I wrote a review for the new Sea Within album two years ago, I was randomly surfing around Facebook and found out that the couple lives 15 miles away from me, in a town to which I drive like every week because I have dissection courses in the pathology department there. I totally freaked out when I realised that, I mean what are the odds  :rollin

Anyway, yesterday she posted that the two are listening through the new Flower Kings album, which is the whole reason I just told you all this story  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Orbert on June 25, 2020, 11:05:27 AM
That's all great, but is she hot?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Fritzinger on June 25, 2020, 11:20:38 PM
Jonas Reinhold ist like 2 meters tall, so I wouldn't want to mess with him  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Orbert on June 26, 2020, 07:53:18 AM
Yeah, good point.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on July 10, 2020, 02:26:27 AM
Random question that popped into my head while listening to TFK yesterday:

What for you are among the more underrated Flower Kings songs?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on July 10, 2020, 07:11:54 AM
Random question that popped into my head while listening to TFK yesterday:

What for you are among the more underrated Flower Kings songs?

I could name a few dozen, but I'll limit it to the most notable ones. These are songs the band never plays live and I never see talked about even though I think they're better than the songs that usually get mentioned/played:

Theme For A Hero
The Road Back Home
The End Of Innocence
The Merrygoround
Calling Home
Slave To Money
Monster Within
Thru The Walls
For The Love Of Gold
The entirety of Hydrophonia...if you haven't heard this and are a FK fan, you're really missing out.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on July 11, 2020, 02:31:10 AM
I could name a few dozen, but I'll limit it to the most notable ones. These are songs the band never plays live and I never see talked about even though I think they're better than the songs that usually get mentioned/played:

Theme For A Hero
The Road Back Home
The End Of Innocence
The Merrygoround
Calling Home
Slave To Money
Monster Within
Thru The Walls
For The Love Of Gold
The entirety of Hydrophonia...if you haven't heard this and are a FK fan, you're really missing out.

Good selection. I was listening to The End of Innocence when the question came to my mind. Slave to Money is another song that really clicked with me lately. I used to spend that song looking forward to A King's Prayer, which is one of the songs that instantly hit me as a favourite when I first got Space Revolver.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 11, 2020, 06:39:05 AM
Considering the album itself is rarely ranked near the top by fans, which is odd for me since I think it is their best album ;), I would say that most of the songs from Paradox Hotel are underrated.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 11, 2020, 09:12:33 AM
The Rainmaker seems to get a lot of hate on other prog forums I’ve been on. I actually think the whole album is pretty strong, though I’ve never cared for Sword of God. So as far as underrated TFK tracks, I’d go with City of Angels or Serious Dreamers, but maybe most fans already like those two. The instrumental tracks seem to be a problem for people, but I enjoy those as well.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 11, 2020, 09:27:56 AM
Sword of God is a rare TFK song that I would say flat-out sucks. 

A buddy of mine who is a longtime TFK fan like me is always mystified that anyone likes Last Minute on Earth.  Any mention of the song gets him to mock the "last minute on earth" line in the most hideous singing voice possible. I don't think it's as bad as he does, but it is a little shaky. I like the rest of the song quite a bit, but that line is a little rough, and probably could have been great in the vocal chords of a far better singer, one that doesn't exist in TFK, since Roine could never belt that one out. Roine is a good singer, but he doesn't have the pipes to belt stuff out like that.  And Froberg is notoriously (IMO) very hit or miss as a singer.

Serious Dreamers is a song I have always loved a lot. Easily my favorite from The Rainmaker.  Elaine is another favorite; such a charming little tune.  City of Angels and Road to Sanctuary are both nice progressive tunes that don't have the vocal melody highs of many of their other longer songs, but both have some bad ass instrumental sections.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 11, 2020, 09:30:15 AM
Yeah, I almost mentioned Last Minute on Earth as a weak spot, but the instrumental sections are great. That vocal line is awkward though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 11, 2020, 09:40:03 AM
I thought that the mentions earlier of The End of Innocence being underrated were spot-on. That song was a bit of an afterthought for me when I first got into Stardust We Are, possibly because it is not always easy to get into every song off a double album right away, but over time that has become one of my favorites.  The piano work in the latter half of the song is some one my favorite stuff from the band ever, from the run at the end of the instrumental section to those carefully chosen notes he throws in slowly during the chorus that follows.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on July 12, 2020, 07:21:07 AM
Agreed that Last Minute on Earth is a bit "eh" and Serious Dreamers is excellent. Very cool laid-back vibe throughout the song, similar to Marillion's House which I also like quite a bit. I like Sword of God but it feels out of place on The Rainmaker. City of Angels never did too much for me (the chorus ruins it) but Road To Sanctuary is a hell of an epic, the recurring acoustic melody is really nice and the song as a whole has lots of twists and turns.


Good selection. I was listening to The End of Innocence when the question came to my mind. Slave to Money is another song that really clicked with me lately. I used to spend that song looking forward to A King's Prayer, which is one of the songs that instantly hit me as a favourite when I first got Space Revolver.

Slave to Money is a song that somehow manages to contain every possible thing the band does well in a relatively short package. They had a few songs like that in the earlier days like The Judas Kiss, Just This Once, and The Merryogoround but never quite created songs like those after Space Revolver.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 12, 2020, 08:17:27 AM
Man, I just love the harmony on that chorus “looking for love in the City of Angels, looking for loooove.” High point of the album for me!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on July 12, 2020, 11:42:05 AM
Oddly enough, I really enjoyed Sword of God. From the haunting use of Bridges In the Sky's "Agnus Dei" sample at the beginning which took me completely by surprise.

*yaddayadda this album predates BITS by 10 years but I heard BITS first so this sentence stays as is.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 14, 2020, 10:36:23 PM
Random discovery: alt rock band The Folk Implosion had songs titled Kingdom of Lies and Merry-Go-Round on their 1999 album One Part Lullaby.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 16, 2020, 04:13:57 PM
Agreed that Last Minute on Earth is a bit "eh" and Serious Dreamers is excellent. Very cool laid-back vibe throughout the song, similar to Marillion's House which I also like quite a bit. I like Sword of God but it feels out of place on The Rainmaker. City of Angels never did too much for me (the chorus ruins it) but Road To Sanctuary is a hell of an epic, the recurring acoustic melody is really nice and the song as a whole has lots of twists and turns.

That acoustic melody just screams Steve Howe to me.  One of the best things about the song, for sure. 

I think one problem with The Rainmaker as well is the production.  It's a little muddy and flat, and not as bright as their albums normally are.  Nothing wrong with going for a different sound and vibe, but it's almost like the mixer wasn't quite sure how to capture the vibe for which they were going. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 16, 2020, 04:34:28 PM
I think one problem with The Rainmaker as well is the production.  It's a little muddy and flat, and not as bright as their albums normally are.  Nothing wrong with going for a different sound and vibe, but it's almost like the mixer wasn't quite sure how to capture the vibe for which they were going. 

See, I kind of think it’s got a nice warm, balanced sound, in contrast to the earlier albums and especially Space Revolver that had a tendency to be a little too shrill. But it was a departure from the sound of those albums for sure.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 17, 2020, 09:44:39 AM
I think one problem with The Rainmaker as well is the production.  It's a little muddy and flat, and not as bright as their albums normally are.  Nothing wrong with going for a different sound and vibe, but it's almost like the mixer wasn't quite sure how to capture the vibe for which they were going. 

See, I kind of think it’s got a nice warm, balanced sound, in contrast to the earlier albums and especially Space Revolver that had a tendency to be a little too shrill. But it was a departure from the sound of those albums for sure.

You could argue it has more low end than the early albums, which could be attributed to Jonas Reinghold's fat, meaty sound, which is very reminiscent of Chris Squire at times.  The original bass player did a good job on the first four albums, but he was never high in the mix or playing anything that really grabbed you.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 17, 2020, 09:50:48 AM
Wasn’t that Roinne’s brother playing bass on the previous albums?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 17, 2020, 10:07:58 AM
Wasn’t that Roinne’s brother playing bass on the previous albums?

Yes. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 17, 2020, 10:43:18 AM
Listening to The Rainmaker again. Even I’ve had a somewhat dim view of it at times in the past, but every time I play it I end up finding it’s just great prog rock with outstanding instrumental performances all around and a very strong production/mix. Just not sure why people are down on it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 17, 2020, 07:57:35 PM
Listening to The Rainmaker again. Even I’ve had a somewhat dim view of it at times in the past, but every time I play it I end up finding it’s just great prog rock with outstanding instrumental performances all around and a very strong production/mix. Just not sure why people are down on it.

My guess is, it was considered my most to be a massive step down when it was released, given how great the first five albums are.  I got into the band in the summer of 2000-ish (IIRC), so The Rainmaker was the first new album released after I became a big fan, and I was definitely majorly underwhelmed.  I liked it, but it definitely had that "this isn't nearly as good as everything else" stench to it.  The fact that they then followed up with an album (Unfold the Future) that was widely loved by the fanbase didn't help its cause either.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on July 18, 2020, 12:45:10 AM
The Rainmaker was definitely one of the albums it took me the longest to get into. I really enjoy it now, but it did take a while to get there.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on July 18, 2020, 06:36:39 AM
The Rainmaker was definitely less bright sounding, plus it was the first time that there was somewhat of a darker sound. Even the cover is bleak. But it's a great album that I always had a high opinion of, even though it will never be my favorite. I also think all of the shorter songs are pretty strong, and I love the ambient title track.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Kyo on July 18, 2020, 06:57:56 AM
As another part of my restoration projects I've been listening to a complete version of I Am the Sun (with both parts merged seemlessly) quite a lot this week. Clearly one of their best!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 18, 2020, 07:06:13 AM
I also have a merged I Am the Sun (I got lucky when I merged them as I managed to get it exactly right; no way I could get that lucky again :lol), but I usually listen to them separately since I do think they work better as two songs the way they are on the album.  As a whole, it's definitely one of their best pieces of music ever, for sure.

It's funny that Roine feels that The Truth... is a song they usually need to play live (which he basically said in an interview last year) because when looking at all of their songs over 15 minutes (arbitrary number, I know), I will take every single one of them over The Truth Will Set You Free.

Stardust We Are...much better
Garden of Dreams (if we can cheat and call it one song, even though it's really 18 songs that comprise a suite)...much, much better
I Am the Sun...much, much better
Devil's Playground...better
Love Supreme...much better
Driver's Seat...better
Monsters and Men...probably better
Love Is the Only Answer...probably better
Numbers...better
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Kyo on July 18, 2020, 07:09:02 AM
They should definitely do another "Meet the Flower Kings"-type live album that is nothing but epics. They now have plenty to choose from that haven't been on an official live release (at least not in their entirety).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on July 18, 2020, 07:40:15 AM
It's funny that Roine feels that The Truth... is a song they usually need to play live (which he basically said in an interview last year) because when looking at all of their songs over 15 minutes (arbitrary number, I know), I will take every single one of them over The Truth Will Set You Free.

Stardust We Are...much better
Garden of Dreams (if we can cheat and call it one song, even though it's really 18 songs that comprise a suite)...much, much better
I Am the Sun...much, much better
Devil's Playground...better
Love Supreme...much better
Driver's Seat...better
Monsters and Men...probably better
Love Is the Only Answer...probably better
Numbers...better

I wouldn't say they're all better but I certainly never need to hear Truth live again. There's no reason why a 30 minute song should be a mainstay of any setlist. He's made a lot of bonehead decisions when it comes to setlists over the years.

I still can't figure out why I Am The Sun is never played in full, or why Garden is edited the way it is.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 18, 2020, 07:46:21 AM
Not like the band ever comes anywhere close to me anyway (I've seen them once, in '06 in Chicago, which is 300 miles-ish from where I live), but I often find their set list choices to be a bit frustrating.  They have such a massive catalogue from which to choose, and so many great songs that have never gotten played, yet The Truth always takes up a big chunk in the live sets.  Ugh. 

However, I am still lucky since the one time I did see them, they played Ghost of the Red Cloud and Silent Sorrow (two of my favorites), as well as other favorites of mine like Psycedelic Postcard and World of Adventures.  Not to mention a lot of tunes from Paradox Hotel and the Roine solo tune The Flower King.  Was a great show. :hat :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on July 18, 2020, 07:51:45 AM
Ghost and Silent Sorrow are favorites of mine too, so I'm extremely jealous. I wouldn't mind a setlist consisting entirely of songs under 10 minutes and no edits or medleys. I feel like they tour so infrequently that Roine feels a need to go back to the same "big" songs over and over again.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 18, 2020, 08:16:10 AM
Listening to The Rainmaker again. Even I’ve had a somewhat dim view of it at times in the past, but every time I play it I end up finding it’s just great prog rock with outstanding instrumental performances all around and a very strong production/mix. Just not sure why people are down on it.

My guess is, it was considered my most to be a massive step down when it was released, given how great the first five albums are.  I got into the band in the summer of 2000-ish (IIRC), so The Rainmaker was the first new album released after I became a big fan, and I was definitely majorly underwhelmed.  I liked it, but it definitely had that "this isn't nearly as good as everything else" stench to it.  The fact that they then followed up with an album (Unfold the Future) that was widely loved by the fanbase didn't help its cause either.

Rainmaker was my first TFK album actually. I picked it up when it was their current release soon after I got into the first two Transatlantic albums. I always enjoyed it but I distinctly remember not liking it as much as TA or Spock’s Beard and TFK kind of went on the back burner for me after that. I did get Stardust a little while later and I had Silent Inferno from an Inside Out sampler that was included with another CD (I believe it was Spock’s Beard’s Feel Euphoria actually). I liked Silent Inferno, but I think I’ve mentioned before how it took me until the last year or so to really appreciate Stardust beyond a few standout tracks.

That said, I’ve only in the last two years or so gone back and picked up the rest of the pre-Rainmaker TFK albums (sans the ridiculously hard to find Back in the World of Adventures). So my view of it isn’t really colored by what came before it. I’ve also had Unfold The Future for about a year now and I’ve never been able to get into it outside of Silent Inferno. Hard to imagine that one overshadows The Rainmaker! But I really need to revisit it it I think.

The Rainmaker was definitely less bright sounding, plus it was the first time that there was somewhat of a darker sound. Even the cover is bleak. But it's a great album that I always had a high opinion of, even though it will never be my favorite. I also think all of the shorter songs are pretty strong, and I love the ambient title track.

I really like the darker, rainy day atmosphere about it. That’s a memory from when I first got it actually. I had this awful cold and was in bed for several days and there was this kind of tropical storm monsoon thing going on that week. So I spent a lot of time drifting in and out of sleep with The Rainmaker playing in there background, especially the title track and other shorter instrumental pieces. Also, it sounds a bit too much like We All Need Some Light, but World Without a Heart is a really nice little tune.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 18, 2020, 08:48:58 AM
As another part of my restoration projects I've been listening to a complete version of I Am the Sun (with both parts merged seemlessly) quite a lot this week. Clearly one of their best!

I also have a merged I Am the Sun (I got lucky when I merged them as I managed to get it exactly right; no way I could get that lucky again :lol), but I usually listen to them separately since I do think they work better as two songs the way they are on the album.  As a whole, it's definitely one of their best pieces of music ever, for sure.

You guys might try it with Slave to Money and A King’s Prayer in between. A King’s Prayer repeats a theme from Pt. 1 and Slave to Money flows really well from Pt 1 to A King’s Prayer. Total time is just under 40 minutes. If that’s too long it also works with just A King’s Prayer as a bridge.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Ben_Jamin on July 18, 2020, 12:21:23 PM
Agreed that Last Minute on Earth is a bit "eh" and Serious Dreamers is excellent. Very cool laid-back vibe throughout the song, similar to Marillion's House which I also like quite a bit. I like Sword of God but it feels out of place on The Rainmaker. City of Angels never did too much for me (the chorus ruins it) but Road To Sanctuary is a hell of an epic, the recurring acoustic melody is really nice and the song as a whole has lots of twists and turns.

That acoustic melody just screams Steve Howe to me.  One of the best things about the song, for sure. 

I think one problem with The Rainmaker as well is the production.  It's a little muddy and flat, and not as bright as their albums normally are.  Nothing wrong with going for a different sound and vibe, but it's almost like the mixer wasn't quite sure how to capture the vibe for which they were going.

Oddly enough, the cover art depicts that exactly.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 18, 2020, 01:00:26 PM
Oddly enough, the cover art depicts that exactly.

Haha, perhaps.

Ghost and Silent Sorrow are favorites of mine too, so I'm extremely jealous. I wouldn't mind a setlist consisting entirely of songs under 10 minutes and no edits or medleys. I feel like they tour so infrequently that Roine feels a need to go back to the same "big" songs over and over again.

That is probably true, but as to your point about a tour with only shorter songs, that would be so great.  As good as they do the epic stuff, they do the short songs really well, too, and I have to imagine that the list of good short TFK songs that have never gotten played live is pretty long.


That said, I’ve only in the last two years or so gone back and picked up the rest of the pre-Rainmaker TFK albums (sans the ridiculously hard to find Back in the World of Adventures). So my view of it isn’t really colored by what came before it. I’ve also had Unfold The Future for about a year now and I’ve never been able to get into it outside of Silent Inferno. Hard to imagine that one overshadows The Rainmaker! But I really need to revisit it it I think.

I'm not quite as nutty about Unfold the Future as I was at first, but I still like it a lot.  It's just so darn long.  :lol :lol


You guys might try it with Slave to Money and A King’s Prayer in between. A King’s Prayer repeats a theme from Pt. 1 and Slave to Money flows really well from Pt 1 to A King’s Prayer. Total time is just under 40 minutes. If that’s too long it also works with just A King’s Prayer as a bridge.

Any abridged version of Space Revolver, just for fun, that has A King's Prayer has to have Monster Within as well since the main riff in MW is reprised at the end of A King's Prayer.  I think that is why I prefer I Am the Sun as two tracks, because the lead-in to it from A King's Prayer is just so good.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Kyo on July 18, 2020, 02:22:29 PM
I haven't looked into an alternative album order in this case, I just listen to the song on its own. I can see why they felt it would be best to start with the opening section of I Am the Sun and end on its ending section. I just think that the song works a lot better the way it was originally written (duh!) because the way tension builds makes a lot more sense this way and Part 2 really works well as an extended reprise / coda for the song than it does on its own.

I did the same with DT's In the Presence of Enemies and it's cool to have it in one piece. The big difference is that there you have The Ministry of Lost Souls which works perfectly well as an alternative album closer if the album were to start with the complete ITPoE.

Speaking of edited versions of epic songs, does anyone have the reworked Devil's Playground from the Unfold the Future reissue? I hear it was shortened, so what exactly did Roine do?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on July 18, 2020, 04:51:17 PM
I recently just finished a chronological run of listening to all of the TFK albums (plus Roine's The Flower Kings and Manifesto Of An Alchemist), and I've got to say, they're still one of my favorite bands of the last 25 years. Even just the sheer amount of material they've released is quite impressive, but a lot of it is so high quality, IMO, that it's just astonishing how they were able to pump out so much music, especially between 1995-2007 (with all of those double albums, too!).

With regards to The Rainmaker, while I don't rate it as highly as some of their other albums, it's still an enjoyable listen (bonus tracks and all), and I've never really had a problem with it, production wise. It just has the unfortunate placement of coming between two highly regarded TFK albums in retrospect. I think, for me, after Space Revolver, they really did a Star Trek Film sequence for themselves, where a lot of fans enjoyed SR/UTF/PH but not so much TR/A&E/TSONE.

And speaking of Space Revolver, I'm happy to see others have also done their edits of merging the two parts of I Am The Sun (which I've also done to other split-epics like Shine On You Crazy Diamond and In The Presence Of Enemies). It really is nice to hear it as one long piece, but I really like the way it bookends the album, especially the way "A King's Prayer" precedes the 2nd half. Even on my expanded 2CD tracklist of Space Revolver, I still kept the epic split, as I really liked how it ended the album, but I just couldn't find a better opening song than the first part (unlike my re-ordering of Systematic Chaos, where I used ITPOE as the closer and opened with Constant Motion).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 18, 2020, 06:07:32 PM
The combined I Am the Sun as one track would seem weird as the opener, but I could see ending the album with A King's Prayer and then Monster Within, as the main riff in MW would first be introduced as a tease at the end of AKP and then we get hit with it full blast during the MW intro.  Some tweaking would be needed regarding the ending of A King's Prayer to fade it out sooner to avoid hearing the acoustic again that brings us into Part 2 of I Am the Sun on the proper album.

I don't mind Dream On Dreamer or You Don't Know What You've Got... but you could lose those and go with this as the running order:

1 I Am the Sun
2 Chicken Farmer Song
3 Underdog
4 Rumble Fish Twist
5 Slave to Money
6 A King's Prayer
7 Monster Within

I think that would work well.  You'd get the two short catchy rockers as breathers after the long epic that kicks off the album, then wonder into instrumental territory with Rumble Fish Twist, and then wrap up the last 25 minutes as listed.  Seems like that would work well.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on July 19, 2020, 02:17:28 PM
To be honest, I don’t really like Monster Within much at all. It’s the Sword of God of this album, although the intro is pretty cool. I don’t hate Dream on Dreamer, Rumble Fish Twist, or Underdog, but you could knock those four tracks out and have an excellent 47 minute album with no filler.

That said, I just noticed Monster Within does contain the same riff as I am the Sun pt 1, so you probably would want to include that if you were going to do a mashup of pt. 1 and 2 with additional tracks as I suggested above.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: KevShmev on July 19, 2020, 08:34:56 PM
To be honest, I don’t really like Monster Within much at all. It’s the Sword of God of this album, although the intro is pretty cool. I don’t hate Dream on Dreamer, Rumble Fish Twist, or Underdog, but you could knock those four tracks out and have an excellent 47 minute album with no filler.

That said, I just noticed Monster Within does contain the same riff as I am the Sun pt 1, so you probably would want to include that if you were going to do a mashup of pt. 1 and 2 with additional tracks as I suggested above.

Not liking Monster Within is not allowed in this thread. :P

Kidding, haha. We all like what we like. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on July 20, 2020, 06:13:41 AM
To be honest, I don’t really like Monster Within much at all. It’s the Sword of God of this album, although the intro is pretty cool. I don’t hate Dream on Dreamer, Rumble Fish Twist, or Underdog, but you could knock those four tracks out and have an excellent 47 minute album with no filler.

That said, I just noticed Monster Within does contain the same riff as I am the Sun pt 1, so you probably would want to include that if you were going to do a mashup of pt. 1 and 2 with additional tracks as I suggested above.

Monster is a bizarre track but the intro melody and its variations near the end make it too good to pass up. I notice a lot of people aren't into it, but it's classic FK to me. It's the Epping Forest of this album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: MrBoom_shack-a-lack on August 11, 2020, 04:03:52 AM
For me, the deciding element of the band is often the drummer. I think, Zoltan Czörsz (hope that's correct) remains their best drummer, although Felix Lehrmann is also a beast (he's the same drummer that plays in Martin Miller's session band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_HeVyc5-GY). But he was never given the freedom on the studio records that Zoltan was.
Knowing what great drummers have played on TFK music, the other drummers fall short a little bit.
Here's a funny thing, I didn't know Felix played with TFK and every I see a Martin Miller Session I always think about Zoltan when I see Felix because he kind of looks like him. Both great drummers!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: kirksnosehair on August 11, 2020, 01:39:19 PM
The Rainmaker was definitely less bright sounding, plus it was the first time that there was somewhat of a darker sound. Even the cover is bleak. But it's a great album that I always had a high opinion of, even though it will never be my favorite. I also think all of the shorter songs are pretty strong, and I love the ambient title track.


To this day that's still my favorite album from The Flower Kings.  I think it has more to do with it being one of my first purchases from them.  I became a fan just after its release.  The last few albums haven't really done a whole lot for me.  I may have to revisit them.  I remember them being pleasant and a good listen, but not very memorable.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on August 11, 2020, 03:46:45 PM
The Rainmaker was definitely less bright sounding, plus it was the first time that there was somewhat of a darker sound. Even the cover is bleak. But it's a great album that I always had a high opinion of, even though it will never be my favorite. I also think all of the shorter songs are pretty strong, and I love the ambient title track.


To this day that's still my favorite album from The Flower Kings.  I think it has more to do with it being one of my first purchases from them.  I became a fan just after its release.  The last few albums haven't really done a whole lot for me.  I may have to revisit them.  I remember them being pleasant and a good listen, but not very memorable.

The Rainmaker just feels different than what came before, but it's one I always enjoy listening to. Waiting For Miracles is a pretty tough one to get through. I've listened to it a bunch but nothing seems to stick whereas I was humming stuff from their earlier albums after a few listens. Banks of Eden and Desolation Rose were really memorable imo...lots of good moments throughout.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on August 14, 2020, 11:31:47 PM
In case no one here saw it on Facebook, TFK drummer MirkKo De Maio posted on July 29th that their new album is "now in the oven, almost ready to be packed up". He goes on to talk about how Roine took advantage of the pandemic lockdown to propose starting a new album. While MirkKo was initially worried that it might be too soon for a new release (since WFM was released only last fall), his concerns were quelled once Roine sent out his first demo a week after the decision was made to being a new album.

MirkKo goes on to say that, during that demo, he was so moved by the song that he rushed to the drums to play to it, and that "IT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE MOMENTS OF MY LIFE, I've started crying while I was playing that song."

He says that there were songs proposed by everyone (I assume, primarily, by Jonas and Hasse), and that "some where just 'different' from what I would expect and it's incredible how those songs (that didn't impress me in the beginning) are now some of my favourites ever and I couldn't stop singing them around."

He ends by saying he wish he could share more, but that'll be the job for magazine interviewers. He closes with "IT WILL BE SPECIAL!"

Seems like the album could be ready for release by November or December, given that WFM was recorded in the summer of 2019 and only released a few months later, though with the pandemic, the process could take long this year, but I think Roine will try to get this one out before the end of 2020 (which means he might be pushing to get it out before Transatlantic's fifth album, even though the new TFK was recorded over half-a-year AFTER the new Transatlantic).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on September 02, 2020, 06:54:52 AM
THE FLOWER KINGS – announce October 30th as release date for new double album “Islands”!

On October 30th, 2020 progressive rockers THE FLOWER KINGS will release their new double album “Islands” on InsideOutMusic, just a year after the group’s much celebrated “Waiting For Miracles”.

Due to the Covid-19-pandemic, the album comes out quite a bit sooner than originally planned as the band’s creative mastermind Roine Stolt explains:
“All shows and festivals were cancelled and the future didn’t really ‘unfold’ itself like we had hoped. To sit out the pandemic with no activities was not an option for us! We can’t be stopped by an evil virus! So, with members living in the USA, Italy, Austria and Sweden, the only way to realize this album, was to use the magic of the ‘net’, sending files around the globe and start building what now has become a mammoth-sized double album of 21 songs.”

The 92 minutes long “Islands” features artwork by legend Roger Dean (Yes, Asia, Gentle Giant, Greenslade, Uriah Heep) and all trademark sounds and melodies, the band is renowned for. From vintage keys to epic guitar solos, from odd drum patterns to symphonic elements, THE FLOWER KINGS present a dynamic and complex record that is bold, bombastic and beautiful.

Stolt reveals the following about the concept of the record:
“The theme of the album is isolation - so the title ‘Islands’ felt like a most relevant title - as much of it circulates around isolation, loss, and the fear of being disconnected. Having to face this unexpected pandemic will leave marks on each one of us for a very long time and to lose loved ones forces us to soldier on, learning and growing a stronger version of ourselves in this fragile cycle of life.
Musically; the aim has been to  create a bigger grand epic piece out of 21 songs - so they are all connected with themes that weave in and out - like the way ‘Sgt Peppers’ or ‘The Lamb’ were built on shorter songs,  but yet linked. So view it as one mega song or as 21 separate pieces, it is all tailored to be listened to as one piece - like a cinematic 90min long ride.”

Disc One (49:40)
1 - Racing With Blinders On 4:24
2 - From The Ground 4.02
3 - Black Swan 5:53
4 - Morning News 4:01
5 – Broken 6:38
6 - Goodbye Outrage 2:19
7 – Journeyman 1:43
8 – Tangerine 3:51
9 – Solaris 9:10
10 - Heart Of The Valley 4:18
11- Man In A Two Peace Suit 3:21

Disc Two (43:01)
1 - All I Need Is Love 5:48
2 - A New Species 5:45
3 - Northern Lights 5:43
4 - Hidden Angles 0:50
5 – Serpentine 3:52
6 - Looking For Answers 4:30
7 –Telescope 4:41
8 - Fool’s Gold 3:11
9 - Between Hope & Fear 4:29
10 – Islands 4:12

“Islands” will be available as massive Limited 3LP & 2CD box set with slipcase and 180 gram vinyl housed in two gatefolds, one single sleeve; as Limited Edition 2CD Digipak and Digital Album. Presales will start September 11th, 2020.

Line-Up:
Roine Stolt - Vocal, Ukulele, Guitars, Additional Keyboards
Hasse Fröberg - Vocal & Acoustic Guitar
Jonas Reingold - Bass, Acoustic Guitar
Zach Kamins - Pianos, Organ, Synthesizers, Mellotron, Orchestrations
Mirko DeMaio - Drums, Percussion
Guest: Rob Townsend - Soprano Saxophone

https://www.roinestolt.com/
http://www.facebook.com/TheFlowerKings
https://www.instagram.com/roinestolt8112/
https://www.facebook.com/pale.rider.127

(https://www.rockhard.de/imgs/7949165_366130143a.jpeg)

------------

Just pre-ordered from Roine's website, despite it saying preorders don't start til the 11th, I was able to place an order - https://www.roinestolt.com/product/the-flower-kings-islands-double-cd-preorder-start-soon-1st-200-signed-/33?cs=true

I hope I got one of the first 200 to get signed!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: HOF on September 02, 2020, 07:23:54 AM
That’s a really cool cover. Wonder if the music is especially Yes-ish or it just worked out to get a Roger Dean involved and they told him “make it look like Yes” or what.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Nel on September 02, 2020, 07:24:27 AM
Well that's just a pleasant surprise (and I'm always happy to see Roger Dean cover art.)!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: RoeDent on September 02, 2020, 07:29:33 AM
Wow that's cheered me up! Bring it on! Given how much I enjoyed Waiting for Miracles, I'm really pumped for this one.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: DTA on September 02, 2020, 07:36:45 AM
Hesitant excitement on my part. WfM was much better than Invention and Sea Within, but it still didn't really grab hold of me. And I feel like they already tried this "short songs with repeated themes" idea on Desolation Rose. Still, the cover art is great and the band sounds inspired so I'm hoping this one is the long-awaited Roine comeback album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Zydar on September 02, 2020, 07:37:48 AM
Wow, they're really productive. I still haven't digested the latest one.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Mladen on September 02, 2020, 11:03:02 AM
I was quite underwhelmed by Waiting for miracles, but maybe this one will hit differently. These guys sure are productive.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: The Letter M on September 02, 2020, 02:26:26 PM
That’s a really cool cover. Wonder if the music is especially Yes-ish or it just worked out to get a Roger Dean involved and they told him “make it look like Yes” or what.

Good question! And it's made even more curious that Yes announced a new live album today as well, also with new artwork by Roger Dean, so it's a big day for Roger Dean fans!

After reading the announcement this morning, I promptly listened to Waiting For Miracles, and enjoyed every minute of its 84-minute glory.

On the topic of length, I believe this is the first TFK album not to feature a single track longer than 10 minutes, with the closest being Solaris, at 9:10 long. Given the idea that this album could be viewed as a 92-minute piece, I wonder if any of the tracks segue seamlessly into each other to create mini-suites on the album sides. Guess we have about 2 months to wait and find out!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. new studio album in '19 (first since '13)!!
Post by: Nel on September 02, 2020, 05:23:48 PM
I can imagine an extremely bored Roger Dean in quarantine creating like 500 pieces and going "uuuh, do any bands want these? I've got a lot fresh and ready to go."  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on September 11, 2020, 07:21:33 AM
New lyric video for the new song "Broken" - https://youtu.be/z3vktAkbeRE

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on September 11, 2020, 08:45:40 AM
I really enjoyed that. Has more of an classic/early TFK vibe, and it also is quite Yes-ish. Might just be checking this one out after all.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on September 11, 2020, 09:26:10 AM
Seems like an odd first single choice but I heard a lot of things I liked. I'm going to avoid listening to any more of it so I'm completely fresh when the album comes out
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 11, 2020, 10:57:28 AM
Wow, I really dig that song and the full on analog sounds  :hat   


Just ordered my signed copy



Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on September 11, 2020, 11:41:11 AM
Wow, I really dig that song and the full on analog sounds  :hat   


Just ordered my signed copy

Signed where? From roinestolt.com ? I hope you got one of the first 200 because I was able to place an order there nine days ago, back when the album was revealed.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 11, 2020, 11:46:24 AM
Oh, I don't care if it actually signed or not.  I just assumed I'd be among the first 200 on Roine's site, but I've already got tons of shit signed - some of it by people who aren't even in the band anymore like Zoltan
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on September 11, 2020, 09:15:46 PM
Oh, I don't care if it actually signed or not.  I just assumed I'd be among the first 200 on Roine's site, but I've already got tons of shit signed - some of it by people who aren't even in the band anymore like Zoltan

Oh wow, that's awesome! I don't have many things signed by TFK. I think I got the signed postcard from one of their last few albums. I also own a Paradox Hotel poster signed by that line-up from an auction on eBay (got it for fairly cheap too). I might have a couple more Roine signatures on other non-TFK albums, too.

As for the new single - it definitely bodes well for the sound of the album. Roine wasn't kidding around with the VINTAGE KEYBOARDS thing he keeps promoting on these newest albums by the band. Maybe he wants us to forget that they just casually replaced Tomas Bodin just as easily as they replaced their drummers in the past? Either way, Bodin or no Bodin, this song sounded pretty Classic-TFK to me, and I'm excited to hear the rest of the album!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on September 12, 2020, 09:02:08 AM
I guess I haven’t been paying close enough attention, but I didn’t realize Bodin was out of TFK. Wasn’t he having some health issues (he was supposed to join Moon Safari a few years back but couldn’t due to some sort of health issue if I recall)?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: bluefox4000 on September 12, 2020, 02:30:25 PM
Flower kings and the double albums jeez......i get so fatigued with them as i  get older (double albums that is not TFK) BUT i actually loved the last album so i'm game.

new single is ok.



Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on September 15, 2020, 02:13:51 AM
I mean, they're double albums but they're not the 130-140-minute double albums we had with the likes of Flower Power and Unfold the Future. 90 minutes is a bit more manageable.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: MinistroRaven on September 17, 2020, 11:37:58 AM
ANYONE HERE ABLE TO INTERVIEW ROINE STOLT FOR THE UPCOMING RELEASE?

Wed, Sept. 23rd
12pm EST - 3pm EST

Thurs, Sept, 24th
1pm EST - 4pm EST

Wed, Sept. 30th
12pm EST - 3pm EST

Thurs, Oct. 1st
1pm EST - 4pm EST

PM me TODAY!!!!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on September 17, 2020, 12:57:25 PM
Oh, I don't care if it actually signed or not.  I just assumed I'd be among the first 200 on Roine's site, but I've already got tons of shit signed - some of it by people who aren't even in the band anymore like Zoltan

Oh wow, that's awesome! I don't have many things signed by TFK. I think I got the signed postcard from one of their last few albums. I also own a Paradox Hotel poster signed by that line-up from an auction on eBay (got it for fairly cheap too). I might have a couple more Roine signatures on other non-TFK albums, too.

As for the new single - it definitely bodes well for the sound of the album. Roine wasn't kidding around with the VINTAGE KEYBOARDS thing he keeps promoting on these newest albums by the band. Maybe he wants us to forget that they just casually replaced Tomas Bodin just as easily as they replaced their drummers in the past? Either way, Bodin or no Bodin, this song sounded pretty Classic-TFK to me, and I'm excited to hear the rest of the album!

-Marc.


I know one of the promoters who brought them to the east coast in the Adam & Eve / Paradox Hotel time frame.  I got to hang out with the group at sound check, eat dinner with them and then we sat in the front row for show two years in a row.  Hasse was dripping sweat on my head during the concert  :lol    We hung out with TFK and a local group called Fluttr Effect after the show and I got them to sign the concert poster for me that year, then the following year I got them to sign a couple of my CDs and I got Hasse to sign one of his Musical Companion CDs and I got Jonas to sign a Karmakanic CD too  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on September 18, 2020, 03:03:00 PM
Just finding out about the new TFK album, great news. I haven't even gotten around to checking out the last one. Will have to remedy that.

Flower kings and the double albums jeez......i get so fatigued with them as i  get older (double albums that is not TFK) BUT i actually loved the last album so i'm game.

It's only a little bit longer than one full CD, though. Each disc is only a little over 40 minutes. It's a 1970s-length double album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on September 25, 2020, 03:02:55 AM
Second single off Islands! With the most low-budget music video since Haken's Darkest Light  :biggrin:

Quote
The Flower Kings are pleased to launch the second single from their forthcoming new album 'Islands'. Listen to 'From The Ground' here: https://youtu.be/AANDQG4R3d4   
“'Here’s ‘From The Ground’ - a song from our “Islands” album! The song is a shorter, upbeat tune;
A celebration of all the small things - the importance of family, friends, a home, simple things in our everyday life. This video is a very simple photo gallery of recent touring - something most of us cannot experience right now - something that we all - band and fans - wanna get back to as soon as possible. Meanwhile; stay healthy - keep the distance when needed  - stay friendly - and let our minds stay positive and full of compassion! PEACE & LOVE ! - RS.”
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on September 25, 2020, 06:36:11 AM
Second single off Islands! With the most low-budget music video since Haken's Darkest Light  :biggrin:

Quote
The Flower Kings are pleased to launch the second single from their forthcoming new album 'Islands'. Listen to 'From The Ground' here: https://youtu.be/AANDQG4R3d4   
“'Here’s ‘From The Ground’ - a song from our “Islands” album! The song is a shorter, upbeat tune;
A celebration of all the small things - the importance of family, friends, a home, simple things in our everyday life. This video is a very simple photo gallery of recent touring - something most of us cannot experience right now - something that we all - band and fans - wanna get back to as soon as possible. Meanwhile; stay healthy - keep the distance when needed  - stay friendly - and let our minds stay positive and full of compassion! PEACE & LOVE ! - RS.”

LOL it is a very low-budget "video" but at very least the song was enjoyable, but not as impactful as the first single. I'm sure itll hit different within the context of the album though.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 01, 2020, 07:45:57 AM
https://www.velvetthunder.co.uk/the-flower-kings-islands-insideout/

One of the first reviews for Islands! Sounds promising so far!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on October 01, 2020, 08:13:20 AM
https://www.velvetthunder.co.uk/the-flower-kings-islands-insideout/

One of the first reviews for Islands! Sounds promising so far!

-Marc.

What is this dude's problem with Abacab, Tormato and especially The Final Cut  :angry: I do think that The Flower Kings have some albums that are not essential. Adam & Eve is commonly considered one of their worst albums. But this reviewer sounds like a total fanboy to me anyway  :lol

Anyway, I was already able to listen to the album and I think it's a step up from Waiting For Miracles. It's a lot to digest though and I have only heard it twice, so I don't dare to express a real opinion yet. However, I think that while the album's sound is not bad, Stolt could hand over production/mixing/sound duties to someone else for once. Drums could be higher in the mix, the whole sound could use just a little more dirt, loudness (yeah I said it) and edge.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Orbert on October 01, 2020, 09:36:35 AM
Abacab and Tormato were the works of seminal 70's prog bands trying to negotiate the late 70's/early 80's transition, with mixed results but not without merit.  The Final Cut was around the same time but had very different circumstances.

The Flower Kings weren't even formed until over a decade later, so such a comparison isn't just unfair, it's stupid.  The Flower Kings never had to navigate such a radical change in the both popular musical trends and the music industry overall.  They got to come in after the dust had settled and do their thing the way they like.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 10, 2020, 09:43:25 AM
After digging through the first 2 Transatlantic albums, I gave Kaipa's first album a listen yesterday. Hadn't listened to it in years, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I remember liking it the first few times I listened to it. First off, I noticed Roine's guitar work a lot more. I recall my earlier listens always thinking "where's Roine?", now, not only can I hear him better, I can already hear the "Stoltisms" in his playing style. It's already there. Plus, it's a pretty good 70s prog rock album, especially good for a debut album. Very cool experience. I'm going to go through the rest of those 70s Kaipa albums.

Roine already had ideas of his own, it's nice to hear him in such an earlier era, kind of throws off the "retro prog" label his music gets. If anything Roine Stolt belongs to that 2nd wave of 1st generation prog rock acts not unlike bands like Camel, Rush, Utopia, etc...
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 10, 2020, 09:45:57 AM
After digging through the first 2 Transatlantic albums, I gave Kaipa's first album a listen yesterday. Hadn't listened to it in years, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I remember liking it the first few times I listened to it. First off, I noticed Roine's guitar work a lot more. I recall my earlier listens always thinking "where's Roine?", now, not only can I hear him better, I can already hear the "Stoltisms" in his playing style. It's already there. Plus, it's a pretty good 70s prog rock album, especially good for a debut album. Very cool experience. I'm going to go through the rest of those 70s Kaipa albums. Roine already had ideas of his own, it's nice to hear him in such an earlier era, kind of throws off the "3rd wave/retro prog" label his music gets. If anything Roine Stolt belongs to that 2nd wave of the 1st generation prog rock not unlike bands like Camel, Rush, Utopia, etc...

The third Kaipa album (Solo) is really strong. Lots of Roine on that one. It is very Camel-ish. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 10, 2020, 09:55:30 AM
After digging through the first 2 Transatlantic albums, I gave Kaipa's first album a listen yesterday. Hadn't listened to it in years, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I remember liking it the first few times I listened to it. First off, I noticed Roine's guitar work a lot more. I recall my earlier listens always thinking "where's Roine?", now, not only can I hear him better, I can already hear the "Stoltisms" in his playing style. It's already there. Plus, it's a pretty good 70s prog rock album, especially good for a debut album. Very cool experience. I'm going to go through the rest of those 70s Kaipa albums. Roine already had ideas of his own, it's nice to hear him in such an earlier era, kind of throws off the "3rd wave/retro prog" label his music gets. If anything Roine Stolt belongs to that 2nd wave of the 1st generation prog rock not unlike bands like Camel, Rush, Utopia, etc...

The third Kaipa album (Solo) is really strong. Lots of Roine on that one. It is very Camel-ish.

Solo was my favorite from the 70s albums. Looking forward to a re-listen.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on October 10, 2020, 10:04:19 AM
Solo is outstanding and the best of the first 3 Kaipa albums, though Inget Nytt is an interesting listen because there's some familiar parts he borrowed that appear on later albums. His modern-day Kaipa albums are great too, with Keyholder being exceptionally good. I've been trying to find his Fantasia solo album but it's just nowhere to be found.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 10, 2020, 10:10:59 AM
Solo is outstanding and the best of the first 3 Kaipa albums, though Inget Nytt is an interesting listen because there's some familiar parts he borrowed that appear on later albums. His modern-day Kaipa albums are great too, with Keyholder being exceptionally good. I've been trying to find his Fantasia solo album but it's just nowhere to be found.

If I'm not mistaken, lots of stuff that wound up on earlier Flower Kings albums was stuff written back in the 70s, maybe 80s? I'm not sure if I ever listened to 21st Century Kaipa albums outside of Keyholder. I haven't kept up with their recent output but I've heard good things, here and on progarchives, so they've been on my "to-do" list for a long time. I found Keyholder more dense than even TFK's denser albums.

I've had no luck finding anything with Roine's name on it from the 80s, or anything he apparently was a session musician for in the 70s/80s.
There is a single on Spotify called "Utopia" which is apparently from 1990, perhaps a couple of songs from Roine's album "The Lonely Heartbeat" from 1989? I haven't checked it out.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 10, 2020, 10:20:57 AM
Solo is outstanding and the best of the first 3 Kaipa albums, though Inget Nytt is an interesting listen because there's some familiar parts he borrowed that appear on later albums. His modern-day Kaipa albums are great too, with Keyholder being exceptionally good. I've been trying to find his Fantasia solo album but it's just nowhere to be found.

There’s a whole decade of music from Stolt that is unavailable as far as I know between Kaipa in the late 70s and The Flower King (basically the 80s).

There are a few things floating around YouTube from that era, like this album (and song) titled Behind the Walls.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2WyhJsTYNIM
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 10, 2020, 11:13:04 AM
Solo is outstanding and the best of the first 3 Kaipa albums, though Inget Nytt is an interesting listen because there's some familiar parts he borrowed that appear on later albums. His modern-day Kaipa albums are great too, with Keyholder being exceptionally good. I've been trying to find his Fantasia solo album but it's just nowhere to be found.

Is it that hard to find now? I recall buying a copy on eBay about 10 years ago, only paid about $31 after shipping. I haven't listened to it much, but it was very good from what I remember. I may have to give it a fresh spin sometime soon!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 16, 2020, 07:11:12 AM
New song/video, Morning News.

https://progreport.com/the-flower-kings-release-video-for-morning-news-from-upcoming-new-album-islands/

I really enjoyed that. I think this might be the first TFK album I buy on release.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 16, 2020, 10:40:47 AM
New song/video, Morning News.

https://progreport.com/the-flower-kings-release-video-for-morning-news-from-upcoming-new-album-islands/

I really enjoyed that. I think this might be the first TFK album I buy on release.

Ahh, what a pleasant song! I've read a few reviews of the album this week and so far they're fairly positive! Cannot wait to hear it in a couple weeks!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 17, 2020, 12:51:10 PM
I'm going to wait until the album comes out before I listen to anything. Just listened to The Flower King, the unofficial debut of the band, on this sunny fall day. One of my favorite albums of the early 90s releases, though they're all good. This album along with the first 2 TFK albums is like a trifecta of prog rock glory. It's amazing they followed those up with 2 massive double albums and then even after that with Space Revolver, any of those 6 albums could be considered the best Flower Kings album depending on when you ask me. Right now it's Roine's original The Flower King.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 17, 2020, 12:58:44 PM
I'm going to wait until the album comes out before I listen to anything. Just listened to The Flower King, the unofficial debut of the band, on this sunny fall day. One of my favorite albums of the early 90s releases, though they're all good. This album along with the first 2 TFK albums is like a trifecta of prog rock glory. It's amazing they followed those up with 2 massive double albums and then even after that with Space Revolver, any of those 6 albums could be considered the best Flower Kings album depending on when you ask me. Right now it's Roine's original The Flower King.

That run of five TFK albums is pretty godly, IMO, and throwing in Stolt's TFK as well, it's shocking how much good music Roine and co. produced in those 6-7 years. I'll even say that the last five TFK albums (PH, TSONE, DOE, DR, and WFM) are all really great as well in their own ways.

I really hope TFK can keep up their steam and not succumb to yet another 5-year hiatus between pairs of albums (PH/TSONE came out in 06/07, but then BOE/DR came out in 12/13, with WFM and Islands now coming out in 19/20). I think if the pandemic continues through 2021 (which it seems like it might), maybe Roine might pump out another album by the end of 2021!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 17, 2020, 01:08:06 PM
I'm going to wait until the album comes out before I listen to anything. Just listened to The Flower King, the unofficial debut of the band, on this sunny fall day. One of my favorite albums of the early 90s releases, though they're all good. This album along with the first 2 TFK albums is like a trifecta of prog rock glory. It's amazing they followed those up with 2 massive double albums and then even after that with Space Revolver, any of those 6 albums could be considered the best Flower Kings album depending on when you ask me. Right now it's Roine's original The Flower King.

That run of five TFK albums is pretty godly, IMO, and throwing in Stolt's TFK as well, it's shocking how much good music Roine and co. produced in those 6-7 years. I'll even say that the last five TFK albums (PH, TSONE, DOE, DR, and WFM) are all really great as well in their own ways.

I really hope TFK can keep up their steam and not succumb to yet another 5-year hiatus between pairs of albums (PH/TSONE came out in 06/07, but then BOE/DR came out in 12/13, with WFM and Islands now coming out in 19/20). I think if the pandemic continues through 2021 (which it seems like it might), maybe Roine might pump out another album by the end of 2021!

-Marc.

We'll see soon enough for sure.
You can also add in Roine's Hydrophonia album with that mix of TFK albums. Instrumental TFK. Some great tunes on there.
I think The Rainmaker is the first speed bump, but there's there's still quality material there. From UTF on is another great run of albums, but it's a lot different IMO, however I sometimes think UTF is their best album. DR never did anything for me, and I haven't listened to the last album yet, so I got two new TFK albums to get into soon.

What are your opinions on the Manifesto of an Alchemist album from 2018? That one seemed like a quasi-TFK album to me as well, though I only listened to that one only 2-3 times maybe.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 17, 2020, 06:58:29 PM
I'm going to wait until the album comes out before I listen to anything. Just listened to The Flower King, the unofficial debut of the band, on this sunny fall day. One of my favorite albums of the early 90s releases, though they're all good. This album along with the first 2 TFK albums is like a trifecta of prog rock glory. It's amazing they followed those up with 2 massive double albums and then even after that with Space Revolver, any of those 6 albums could be considered the best Flower Kings album depending on when you ask me. Right now it's Roine's original The Flower King.

That run of five TFK albums is pretty godly, IMO, and throwing in Stolt's TFK as well, it's shocking how much good music Roine and co. produced in those 6-7 years. I'll even say that the last five TFK albums (PH, TSONE, DOE, DR, and WFM) are all really great as well in their own ways.

I really hope TFK can keep up their steam and not succumb to yet another 5-year hiatus between pairs of albums (PH/TSONE came out in 06/07, but then BOE/DR came out in 12/13, with WFM and Islands now coming out in 19/20). I think if the pandemic continues through 2021 (which it seems like it might), maybe Roine might pump out another album by the end of 2021!

-Marc.

We'll see soon enough for sure.
You can also add in Roine's Hydrophonia album with that mix of TFK albums. Instrumental TFK. Some great tunes on there.
I think The Rainmaker is the first speed bump, but there's there's still quality material there. From UTF on is another great run of albums, but it's a lot different IMO, however I sometimes think UTF is their best album. DR never did anything for me, and I haven't listened to the last album yet, so I got two new TFK albums to get into soon.

What are your opinions on the Manifesto of an Alchemist album from 2018? That one seemed like a quasi-TFK album to me as well, though I only listened to that one only 2-3 times maybe.

It definitely sounds like Roine just wanted to make a solo album but was probably encouraged to relate it to the Flower Kings given that it had been over five years since Desolation Rose, so he made it "Roine Stolt's The Flower King", both as a callback to his solo album The Flower King, and to bring in listeners of The Flower Kings. It kind of sits in the same sphere as that early solo album by being a Stolt solo album but also carrying those TFK-vibes. It's alright, I haven't spun it in awhile, and I enjoy WFM far more, but it wasn't awful. I definitely liked it more than The Sea Within, and maybe just as much as the Anderson/Stolt album. I think Roine definitely needed Manifesto before reforming TFK properly, as his prior projects were kind of middle-of-the-road, for me at least.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 18, 2020, 09:51:01 AM
Back In The World Of Adventures, the official debut of the band, has always been one my favorite TFK albums, and my favorite of the 'first' 3 TFK albums if including Roine's TFK album. It does really pick up where The Flower King left off, but the inclusion of an actual keyboardist and bassist alongside Roine adds a lot more atmosphere to the proceedings. Roine's electric guitar tone has such a big metallic sound on these earlier releases. This is also the most rockin' album in the TFK discography IMO. Some great riffs there. The only thing missing on this album, is Hasse Froberg's vocals. I like Roine's vocals just fine, but he's the only one singing lead vocals, and this is the only TFK album like that, which is cool. I like that this band features 2 (sometimes 3) lead vocalists, though. The rest of the band is quite inspired here. Roine's solos are heartfelt, Tomas provides a great atmosphere that was lacking on "The Flower King", and the rhythm section of Michael Stolt on bass and Jamie Salazar on drums is solid. I prefer Jonas Reingold on later albums, but Michael Stolt is no slouche, he plays some of the best bass lines Ive heard from the early era of the band.
I thought I read somewhere that Michael Stolt is back on a bass on a new release by someone by I suddenly can't recall who.

It definitely sounds like Roine just wanted to make a solo album but was probably encouraged to relate it to the Flower Kings given that it had been over five years since Desolation Rose, so he made it "Roine Stolt's The Flower King", both as a callback to his solo album The Flower King, and to bring in listeners of The Flower Kings. It kind of sits in the same sphere as that early solo album by being a Stolt solo album but also carrying those TFK-vibes. It's alright, I haven't spun it in awhile, and I enjoy WFM far more, but it wasn't awful. I definitely liked it more than The Sea Within, and maybe just as much as the Anderson/Stolt album. I think Roine definitely needed Manifesto before reforming TFK properly, as his prior projects were kind of middle-of-the-road, for me at least.

-Marc.

I forgot about The Sea Within, never checked it out, wasn't impressed with the lead single. The Anderson/Stolt album is another, and is something I should check out soon, as I've been revisiting Yes' music for the first time in a long while.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on October 18, 2020, 10:18:48 AM
Back In The World Of Adventures, the official debut of the band, has always been one my favorite TFK albums, and my favorite of the 'first' 3 TFK albums if including Roine's TFK album. It does really pick up where The Flower King left off, but the inclusion of an actual keyboardist and bassist alongside Roine adds a lot more atmosphere to the proceedings. Roine's electric guitar tone has such a big metallic sound on these earlier releases. This is also the most rockin' album in the TFK discography IMO. Some great riffs there. The only thing missing on this album, is Hasse Froberg's vocals. I like Roine's vocals just fine, but he's the only one singing lead vocals, and this is the only TFK album like that, which is cool. I like that this band features 2 (sometimes 3) lead vocalists, though. The rest of the band is quite inspired here. Roine's solos are heartfelt, Tomas provides a great atmosphere that was lacking on "The Flower King", and the rhythm section of Michael Stolt on bass and Jamie Salazar on drums is solid. I prefer Jonas Reingold on later albums, but Michael Stolt is no slouche, he plays some of the best bass lines Ive heard from the early era of the band.
I thought I read somewhere that Michael Stolt is back on a bass on a new release by someone by I suddenly can't recall who.

It definitely sounds like Roine just wanted to make a solo album but was probably encouraged to relate it to the Flower Kings given that it had been over five years since Desolation Rose, so he made it "Roine Stolt's The Flower King", both as a callback to his solo album The Flower King, and to bring in listeners of The Flower Kings. It kind of sits in the same sphere as that early solo album by being a Stolt solo album but also carrying those TFK-vibes. It's alright, I haven't spun it in awhile, and I enjoy WFM far more, but it wasn't awful. I definitely liked it more than The Sea Within, and maybe just as much as the Anderson/Stolt album. I think Roine definitely needed Manifesto before reforming TFK properly, as his prior projects were kind of middle-of-the-road, for me at least.

-Marc.

I forgot about The Sea Within, never checked it out, wasn't impressed with the lead single. The Anderson/Stolt album is another, and is something I should check out soon, as I've been revisiting Yes' music for the first time in a long while.

I didn't even think Michael played bass on the early FK albums...I always figured it was Roine in the studio but Michael live. I love the brighter production on the 90's albums. Everything felt more bombastic and happy before the tighter, boxed-in production took over from UTF onward.

I'm going to wait until the album comes out before I listen to anything. Just listened to The Flower King, the unofficial debut of the band, on this sunny fall day. One of my favorite albums of the early 90s releases, though they're all good. This album along with the first 2 TFK albums is like a trifecta of prog rock glory. It's amazing they followed those up with 2 massive double albums and then even after that with Space Revolver, any of those 6 albums could be considered the best Flower Kings album depending on when you ask me. Right now it's Roine's original The Flower King.

That run of five TFK albums is pretty godly, IMO, and throwing in Stolt's TFK as well, it's shocking how much good music Roine and co. produced in those 6-7 years. I'll even say that the last five TFK albums (PH, TSONE, DOE, DR, and WFM) are all really great as well in their own ways.

I really hope TFK can keep up their steam and not succumb to yet another 5-year hiatus between pairs of albums (PH/TSONE came out in 06/07, but then BOE/DR came out in 12/13, with WFM and Islands now coming out in 19/20). I think if the pandemic continues through 2021 (which it seems like it might), maybe Roine might pump out another album by the end of 2021!

-Marc.

We'll see soon enough for sure.
You can also add in Roine's Hydrophonia album with that mix of TFK albums. Instrumental TFK. Some great tunes on there.

I will never stop praising and recommending this album to new FK fans or prog fans in general. Some of the most exciting, beautiful instrumental prog I've ever heard.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 18, 2020, 10:25:49 AM
I really like that one tune on Hydophonia that gives me that swashbuckling vibe.  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 18, 2020, 11:48:43 AM
Just got done spinning BITWOA this morning (after listening to Stolt's TFK last night), and yeah, I still *really* dig this era for Roine and The Flower Kings. The bright, positive vibes of these albums definitely lift me up in ways that few bands can. I almost forget just how much of BITWOA is instrumental, though I do miss the presence of Hasse Froberg (who only appeared on two songs in The Flower King anyway, being the songs that bookend the album).

I'll be spinning an album a day from here til the 30th, so today is the band's proper debut, tomorrow will be Retropolis, etc. I'll try to make it a point to post every day after listening to each album, but depending on my schedules, we'll see how well I keep that up.  :lol

I am looking forward to revisiting each of the Flower Kings albums in the lead up to Islands!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 18, 2020, 11:52:09 AM
One thing I like about the chronological progression of TFK albums is the gradual increased inclusion of Hasse's vocals while Roine sings lead vocals less often after the first four or five albums and gives Hasse more of the frontman lead vocalist role in later albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 18, 2020, 11:53:33 AM
I'll be spinning an album a day from here til the 30th, so today is the band's proper debut, tomorrow will be Retropolis, etc. I'll try to make it a point to post every day after listening to each album, but depending on my schedules, we'll see how well I keep that up.  :lol

I am looking forward to revisiting each of the Flower Kings albums in the lead up to Islands!

-Marc.

I'll be doing the same.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 19, 2020, 12:12:07 PM
Listening to Retropolis right now, and between BITWOA and this one, I always flip-flop on which one I like more. They're both great in their own ways, and both feature some extensive instrumental sections as well, but Retropolis features Hasse Froberg, who adds so much more to the music, so part of me tends to lean towards Retropolis.

On my own personal version of Retropolis, I inserted two songs from that era that were left off the album: "Buffalo Man" sits in the middle between "The Melting Pot" (I created a crossfade between the two) and closes the first CD-r, while "Silent Sorrow" opens the second CD-r, though on my phone/iPod, it's a single 81:39 album. I can understand why they left off "Buffalo Man", but "Kite" (which I place just before the album closer "The Road Back Home") has some reprisals from "There Is More To This World", and fits perfectly on the album.

I always found "Rhythm Of Life" as an odd intro track with its ping pong sounds and scream/glass breaking at the end. I'm sure there are some deep meanings behind it, but to me, it's just Roine being quirky (which he does again for the intro on Paradox Hotel). The title track, "Retropolis" is a quintessential TFK instrumental track, and I think if I wanted to show off the band to someone new, this might be a song I'd share with them. That, and "There Is More To This World". Speaking of, I think it's funny that the first three TFK albums all have lengthy songs with the word "World" in them ("World Of Adventures" and "In The Eyes Of The World" being the other two).

I remember when I was first getting into TFK, and they had already had 8 albums under their belts by then (in 2005/2006, just before Paradox Hotel came out), I remember *really* digging Retropolis, and to this day, it's still definitely in the top half of TFK albums for me.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 19, 2020, 12:16:26 PM
Retropolos is my favorite from TFK (I think). I love that ping pong intro! There is More to this World might be my favorite TFK song, although The Road Back Home is way up there too. I also love Flora Majora and it’s call back to Scanning the Greenhouse.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on October 19, 2020, 01:26:48 PM
Retropolis is probably their strongest single disc album and it has a great balance of instrumental and vocal parts. Silent Sorrow and Judas Kiss are the hidden gems of this album imo with the former being a big favorite of mine and the latter being one of those unique FK tracks that just have everything that makes them incredible in a relatively shorter package.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 19, 2020, 01:45:48 PM
Of all the 90s TFK albums, Retropolis is my least favorite. Maybe bottom 3 TFK album for me overall. I don't dislike it, but I never latched onto it like the other albums before and after. I like the opening title instrumental after the intro track, good stuff. I also dig the last two songs. There are bits and pieces in between I like, but overall I'm not into any individual song on this album outside of those three cuts. Rhythm of the Sea is OK I guess, but I'm not feeling it just after an instrumental. Judas Kiss is alright, but maybe should have been the lead off song with vocals. I tend to think it's the structure of the album, the track listing could have been different. Still, I feel they put out stronger work before and after this one, it's just never grown on me, even today listening to it I still wasn't feeling it like I do for the debut or the next album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 20, 2020, 12:03:21 PM
I'm wrapping up my listen of Stardust We Are, and this will always remain a Top 5, heck, Top 3 Flower Kings album for me. Everything just sits perfectly in its running order, a great blend of heavy and light moments, every member gets to shine through their voice or instrument, the songs have powerful vocals, and the instrumentals provide the best atmosphere for the album. Even the short, intermediate tracks have their own charm.

And of course, there's the title track epic, which is one of my favorite modern prog epics of all time. It encapsulates everything I think of when I think of The Flower Kings, and if I ever suggest the band to anyone who wants to hear an epic from them, this is the one I'd go to. In fact, I think this was the first epic of theirs I ever heard, and it prompted me to buy the album. Hearing the epic first before the rest of the album was interesting for me because I heard all the melodies and themes used in the song earlier in the album and thought "Whoa, that's from the title track!" and thought it was really cool that they weaved those motifs throughout the album to give it a very cohesive, almost concept like feel.

The one thing I always wonder about the epic song, though, is why the band never plays the studio version of the ending? I quite like how the song finishes on the album, reprising the 9/8 section from earlier in the song. I guess Roine wanted a more bombastic way to end the song for the live stage, and also give Hasse a chance to do some vocal wailing in the outro.

The album cover for SWA is still one of the weirder ones in their catalog, at least to me, but it works for the feel of the album. It's a weird mish-mash of the band members' faces upon flowers and space and planets, and all of that just feels like what the album feels like.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: hefdaddy42 on October 20, 2020, 12:21:37 PM
SWA is my favorite TFK album, and the title track is my favorite TFK song.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 21, 2020, 12:01:29 PM
SWA is my favorite TFK album, and the title track is my favorite TFK song.

 :tup Can't ever disagree with anyone who has that opinion. It's a fine album, and possibly their best, and the title track is easily one of the finest prog epics to come out of the prog world in the last 30 years.

I spun Flower Power last night and this morning, and I remember when I was first getting into TFK, this was one album I had a bit of trouble getting into. The idea of an 18-track, hour-long epic seemed a bit TOO much to me, especially with how it meanders and doesn't seem to have much cohesiveness to it, but many fans praised "Garden Of Dreams", so I kept digging into it more and more to see if I could hear what they all heard, and eventually, I grew to appreciate it, though I think I enjoy some of the other songs a bit more, like Deaf Numb & Blind, Hudson River Sirens Call, Psychedelic Postcard, and Calling Home.

I think I enjoyed SWA and UTF so much that the other TFK double album at the time (pre-Paradox Hotel) just felt like it was deserving of being their third best double behind the other two, despite having some great material throughout. By now, though, I think I like it a bit more, and it's definitely in the upper half of their discography for me, but I definitely have to be in the mood for it, otherwise, given the choice between SWA and FP, I will always pick SWA as my go-to early TFK double album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 21, 2020, 01:07:48 PM
Got my Islands CD in the mail yesterday and it was signed. 


I made it through the first disc so far I really like it.  They went full-on analog this time, you can hear it.  I wouldn't be surprised if they recorded this onto tape.  It sounds like it was recorded in 1978 and I don't really mean that in a bad way.  It's actually kind of charming.  And quite nostalgic. 


The songs all flow into each other so it doesn't really sound like a bunch of short tracks when you listen to the album. 


To early to say what I am going to think of it overall but my first impression is definitely positive.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 21, 2020, 01:14:00 PM
Got my Islands CD in the mail yesterday and it was signed. 


I made it through the first disc so far I really like it.  They went full-on analog this time, you can hear it.  I wouldn't be surprised if they recorded this onto tape.  It sounds like it was recorded in 1978 and I don't really mean that in a bad way.  It's actually kind of charming.  And quite nostalgic. 


The songs all flow into each other so it doesn't really sound like a bunch of short tracks when you listen to the album. 


To early to say what I am going to think of it overall but my first impression is definitely positive.

Oh wow. You got yours already? Did you order from Roine's site? I hope mine comes in this week!

Also, interesting to read that the tracks "flow into each other" when I just read a review on Sonic Perspectives (https://www.sonicperspectives.com/album-reviews/the-flower-kings-islands/) that says "the songs do not segue into each other" so now I'm curious as to how it really sounds.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: emtee on October 21, 2020, 01:17:35 PM
Starburst We Are and Space Revolver are my 2 favorites. Not a weak moment on either one. Terrific drumming too!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 21, 2020, 01:21:49 PM
Got my Islands CD in the mail yesterday and it was signed. 


I made it through the first disc so far I really like it.  They went full-on analog this time, you can hear it.  I wouldn't be surprised if they recorded this onto tape.  It sounds like it was recorded in 1978 and I don't really mean that in a bad way.  It's actually kind of charming.  And quite nostalgic. 


The songs all flow into each other so it doesn't really sound like a bunch of short tracks when you listen to the album. 


To early to say what I am going to think of it overall but my first impression is definitely positive.

Oh wow. You got yours already? Did you order from Roine's site? I hope mine comes in this week!

Also, interesting to read that the tracks "flow into each other" when I just read a review on Sonic Perspectives (https://www.sonicperspectives.com/album-reviews/the-flower-kings-islands/) that says "the songs do not segue into each other" so now I'm curious as to how it really sounds.

-Marc.


Yeah, I got it on Roine's site.   



Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 21, 2020, 03:46:33 PM
Stardust We Are is one of my favorites. The opener Eyes of the World was the first TFK song I heard, as it was a free song on ProgArchives back in 2005. I acquired the album at some point and listened to it once and didn't go back, this was during a period of time where my musical world was opening up, and I was just absorbing so much new music. Years later, this was one of the first albums I revisited when I was starting to get into the band more. I've always enjoyed the first disc, everything is great, it has awesome flow. 2nd disc is hit or miss, mostly hit though. However, I dislike 'Different People' so much, I skip it every time, I've given it plenty of chances. The title suite is fantastic, top 5 TFK track. I agree about the live version, the Meet The Flower Kings version is not as enjoyable as I'd hoped it would be when I first listened. Never seen them live. But as far as the album concerned, I can listen to this straight through (minus DP) as I did yesterday, and not feel like I want it to end soon, partially because the epic finale, but the music leading up is pleasant enough on the 2nd disc. This is contrary to the next album.

Flower Power. The mammoth Garden of Dreams is the definition of epic. If the album was just that first disc, is would be hands-down the best Flower Kings album, no album since has had a better single disc of music than this one. I heard this album after digging into other TFK albums and from the moment I first put on that first disc I knew this was going to be pretty good. I think GoD might be a tiny little bit too long, but the ending is just great, the payoff makes it all worth it. Then having that transition into the coda which is Astral Dog wraps everything up nicely into a little bow.

But then they had to make a second disc.

I don't hate the 2nd disc. I think there are fine tunes on there. The opener, Psychedelic Postcard which is a little weird. I really like Magic Pie's refrain. Calling Home is good. But it's too long. I basically treat them as two separate albums, even though there are quotes from the massive epic Garden of Dreams throughout the 2nd disc. But the second disc is just too long, even for the Flower Kings. As one disc, it's approaching the CD limit, and I think the first disc works really well as it's just over an hour or so. Some of the stuff like Stupid Girl, Corruption, and Power of Kindness is a very bland run of songs to me, early on in the disc, and could have been removed to make a tighter disc.

Looking forward to the next few albums, my personal favorite era of the band.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 22, 2020, 08:16:49 AM
I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but I'm currently listening to an expanded version of Desolation Rose. There was a TFK Discography thread on here about 6 years ago, and The Letter M posted their expanded albums, inserting the bonus tracks and re-ordering some of the album tracks to create more double albums. I'm following that one for Desolation Rose. There are a few others I'd like to try, although I only have the bonus tracks included on the Kingdom of Colours box. Some of the names of, say, the Space Revolver tracks, I don't have. But I have quite a few of them.

Also one or two of the tracks of the AKOC bonus discs I have no clue where to insert them, what album eras they belong to, etc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: SwedishGoose on October 22, 2020, 08:32:10 AM
My CDs arrived today....  one listen an I really like it
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 22, 2020, 11:07:42 AM
I got through my first full listen and I really like it.  There are a lot of great melodies and it's kind of dense so it's going to take more than one listen (obviously) to really grade it but I have to say my initial impression is definitely positive.


I don't know that I heard any of the "holy shit!"  :eek  moments that many of their early and mid-era albums have, but I am going to reserve judgement until I've given it my undivided attention at least 3 or 4 times. 


The one thing that really stands out to me initially is the production choices they made here.  I don't really have the time to scour the internet for clues about how they recorded this but analog equipment played a heavy role here for sure.  Everything about the sound is analog, from the synth patches to the vocal microphones to the acoustic guitars and the drums, it's all very warm and airy sounding.  It's all very 1978(ish)  :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 22, 2020, 12:30:21 PM
Just got mine from Sweden in the mail today!!! Time to rip it and give it a listen before work (if I have time), but if not, then later tonight!

Also, I spun Space Revolver last night/this morning, and wow, STILL an amazing album. The introduction of Jonas Reingold to the band really took them to a new level, and the bookending epic is one of the band's best. Of course, the other two long songs on the album, RFT and MW, are highlights as well, and of course, I cannot talk about SR without mentioning the powerful beauty that is "A King's Prayer".

I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but I'm currently listening to an expanded version of Desolation Rose. There was a TFK Discography thread on here about 6 years ago, and The Letter M posted their expanded albums, inserting the bonus tracks and re-ordering some of the album tracks to create more double albums. I'm following that one for Desolation Rose. There are a few others I'd like to try, although I only have the bonus tracks included on the Kingdom of Colours box. Some of the names of, say, the Space Revolver tracks, I don't have. But I have quite a few of them.

Also one or two of the tracks of the AKOC bonus discs I have no clue where to insert them, what album eras they belong to, etc.

Hey, thanks for the shout out. Yeah, I feel like Desolation Rose kind of suffered by not including those instrumental pieces throughout the album, so I fixed that by inserting those bonus tracks back into the album to give it a classic TFK feel. I find it a better listen, to be honest, and find myself liking it a bit more than Banks Of Eden.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 22, 2020, 12:54:39 PM
I enjoyed listening to Desolation Rose that way this afternoon. Dispersing the instrumental bonus tracks into the album itself helped. Whenever I've tried to listen to them on their own disc, I've struggled, and when I've listened to DR on its own, I've struggled more than other TFK albums. This is a good compromise. The only thing I might try when I listen again, is putting The Final Era earlier, to keep Blood of Eden/Silent Graveyards as the finale of the album. SG in particular feels very much like a closer, not just of that album, but of that entire era (no pun intended) of The Flower Kings before the 6-year break.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 22, 2020, 01:13:52 PM
I enjoyed listening to Desolation Rose that way this afternoon. Dispersing the instrumental bonus tracks into the album itself helped. Whenever I've tried to listen to them on their own disc, I've struggled, and when I've listened to DR on its own, I've struggled more than other TFK albums. This is a good compromise. The only thing I might try when I listen again, is putting The Final Era earlier, to keep Blood of Eden/Silent Graveyards as the finale of the album. SG in particular feels very much like a closer, not just of that album, but of that entire era (no pun intended) of The Flower Kings before the 6-year break.

I made a crossfade between some tracks using Audacity, most notably, between Tower ONE and Burning Spears, and the final two tracks in my version, with Silent Graveyards segueing into The Final ERA (Which I distinctly recall seeing typed that way in some promotional materials, so it felt fitting to book end the album with Tower ONE, which had an all-caps word, and The Final ERA, which also had an all-caps word. Also the title felt fitting to close the album as well). And while Silent Graveyards is a powerful song, I liked the more uplifting feeling of The Final ERA to close out the album.

Thanks for checking out my remixed running order for Desolation Rose! I really put a lot of time and thought when I do these sorts of things, thinking about how the band might have sequenced them in and give them a side-length set for each chunk of music to create a classic 70's prog feel. Thankfully Roine and company have already done that with Islands, so no need to meddle with the track listing this time!

Also, I opened my envelope from Foxtrot Records, and my copy is number 4 of 200! Didn't realize I ordered mine that quickly!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 22, 2020, 05:49:17 PM
I didn't pre-order Islands so I won't be listening to this until release day unless my "local" record shop puts it on the shelf early. As for Desolation Rose, I've never been able to get into that album. I'd like to try listening with the bonus tracks inserted. I felt like that might work for Banks of Eden, I really enjoyed that one when it came out, I think that one works well as a single disc. I may listen to Waiting for Miracles soon as I haven't listened to that one yet and I'd like to at least know it a little going into it during this marathon before I listen to Islands.

Space Revolver was the first album I bought by the band. This was 5 years after first hearing of TFK. First that one song off SWA, I remember checking out the first track or so on UtF a year or two later, then I listened to the band's most recent album at the time The Sum of No Evil once. I just wasn't getting into the band, it seemed so easy to get into all the classic prog bands and all the classic albums. I have up. Then after Transatlantic's The Whirlwind came out something clicked. I listened to that album many times, I had been going through sort of a Dream Theater renaissance at the time, and TW became an important album for me. I soon realized I had never gotten into The Flower Kings, but recall not getting into anything I had checked out over the years. After revisiting the first two TA albums, I realized that TFK's music is a lot more dense than DT or TA and much of the 70s prog in some ways. I decided I would go with Space Revolver first, single album, this was the one I remember enjoying the most when I first heard, mainly because of the bass.

I chose right, I loved it and this was the only album I had for a while before I ventured into more greater TFK pastures. I see this album as a good entry point into their discography. It seems like the most accessible of their albums, even though it leads with a 15 minute track. Jonas on bass really adds a new dimension to their sound, as to me, he is the best musician in the band, technically speaking. I don't think it's their absolute best album, but I put it in my top 3 TFK albums. It's solid all the way through and has a really bright sound to it and has the least flaws to my ears.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 22, 2020, 11:58:38 PM
I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on October 23, 2020, 04:50:44 AM
I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

Did they send out the album a week early? Awesome!  :tup

I'm still sitting in a lecture, will check out the part you mentioned later.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 23, 2020, 08:31:00 AM
Gave Waiting For Miracles a spin. Very good overall imo, I enjoyed it more on first listen than all the times I've listened to Desolation Rose. Off to The Rainmaker next.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 23, 2020, 11:58:28 AM
I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

Did they send out the album a week early? Awesome!  :tup

I'm still sitting in a lecture, will check out the part you mentioned later.

Yeah, a lot of fans have been getting their discs this week, so I was happily surprised when mine came in the mail yesterday.

But yeah, I checked the waveform in Audacity of "Hidden Angles" and at about 0:41.055 in the track, there's a weird drop in sound for about 0.014 seconds, and it sounds like skip in the track. My CD plays this way too, so it isn't just a faulty .wav rip from the disc.

Other than picking up on that, the album so far has been great, after a couple of listens. I'll definitely post more thoughts by next week after several more listens! Thankfully I have a 3-day weekend starting today so I'll have plenty of time to listen to Islands!

As for continuing my TFK journey through the discography, The Rainmaker still remains merely a GOOD TFK album. Not their best, but it has some good pieces on it, but over-all, it can be a bit underwhelming, especially compared to Space Revolver, and what would come after it (Unfold The Future).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 23, 2020, 03:58:53 PM
Agreed, The Rainmaker is merely good. Some strong cuts on there, the band is slowly getting jazzier, but it sits between two of their best albums and this one is up and down as far as quality of songs here.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 24, 2020, 12:23:13 PM
Unfold The Future remains a classic and a favorite of mine. Some might find it a bit long and bloated, but I enjoy the jazzy improvisations, and the epics on this album are, of course, stand-out tracks, but the shorter songs aren't slouches either. The introduction of Zoltan Csorsz to the band really added a new feel, and given his strength in jazzy playing coupled with Jonas Reingold's jazz fusion influences, they form a powerhouse rhythm section. I can't forget to mention the vocal addition of Daniel Gildenlow, who I assume was asked to guest on the record after Roine toured with him in Europe for Transatlantic.

This line-up definitely feels very FULL, though, with six members in the main band, plus Gildenlow guesting on vocals and Ulf Wallander on sax, it's a behemoth line-up and a behemoth album.

I've never heard the 2017 mix of the album, though I dare not give it a try because, for the life of me, I cannot fathom why Roine would cut nearly a quarter of "Devil's Playground" out of the new mix. I quite enjoy that song as it is on the original album, but I guess Roine doesn't mind revising history if its his music.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 24, 2020, 12:24:52 PM
I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

Did they send out the album a week early? Awesome!  :tup

I'm still sitting in a lecture, will check out the part you mentioned later.

Did you ever get around to checking "Hidden Angles"? I posted the question in the Flower Kings Facebook fan group and both Jonas and Mirkko both replied saying their copies were fine, so I guess I got a bum copy. It's really weird because, as far as I could tell, that was the only bad spot on the whole album for me, but I'll have to listen to it again to be sure. Now it's going to bug me....

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 24, 2020, 12:51:58 PM
Unfold The Future remains a classic and a favorite of mine. Some might find it a bit long and bloated, but I enjoy the jazzy improvisations, and the epics on this album are, of course, stand-out tracks, but the shorter songs aren't slouches either. The introduction of Zoltan Csorsz to the band really added a new feel, and given his strength in jazzy playing coupled with Jonas Reingold's jazz fusion influences, they form a powerhouse rhythm section. I can't forget to mention the vocal addition of Daniel Gildenlow, who I assume was asked to guest on the record after Roine toured with him in Europe for Transatlantic.

This line-up definitely feels very FULL, though, with six members in the main band, plus Gildenlow guesting on vocals and Ulf Wallander on sax, it's a behemoth line-up and a behemoth album.

I've never heard the 2017 mix of the album, though I dare not give it a try because, for the life of me, I cannot fathom why Roine would cut nearly a quarter of "Devil's Playground" out of the new mix. I quite enjoy that song as it is on the original album, but I guess Roine doesn't mind revising history if its his music.

-Marc.

I bought this last year and tried to get through it a couple times but it’s sat unplayed since then. I need to try again I suppose.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 24, 2020, 02:28:26 PM
I think I'm beginning work on a complete playthrough of the Flower Kings discography, although mine is not in order. I just finished Flower Power after running through Desolation Rose and The Rainmaker in recent days.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 25, 2020, 11:40:03 AM
Adam & Eve is an interesting album. To me, it sounds like they tried to pull back on the jazzy improv stuff of UTF and go back to some more solid prog rock, but there's also a lot of oddly heavy moments on this album as well. I wonder if that was because of any influence of or inspiration from Daniel Gildenlow, who was then featured as a full-time member after his tour with them. Speaking of Daniel, his vocals are ALL OVER this album, so if you enjoy his voice, this is probably an album to check out. I think his vocals really give these songs some more p unch in a way that's different that Hasse's powerful voice - Daniel does some crazy operatic background vocals, but also some strong lead vocals as well.

Over all, Adam & Eve isn't one album I'll normally go back to, but I do enjoy it when I spin it. It holds my attention and entertains me a bit more than The Rainmaker, but both are still relatively low in my TFK rankings (and funnily enough, bot A&E and TR are the two lowest rated albums on Progarchives). Of course, the two epics are the highlights of the album, and I quite enjoy "A Vampire's View" and "Starlight Man". The title track is a bit quirky, musically and lyrically. Counting bonus tracks from their respective sessions, I think Adam & Eve is their shortest album since their debut BITWOA: Retropolis (plus Kite and Buffalo Man) clocked in 81:39, Space Revolver had about 8 bonus tracks essentially making it a double like SWA, FP and UTF, and The Rainmaker's bonus tracks push it to being a 95:33 long album, so Adam & Eve, being only 10 tracks at about 78:06 was their shortest studio output in awhile, and I think they definitely tried to narrow down their ideas after the 2.5 hour monster that was Unfold The Future.

I think I'm beginning work on a complete playthrough of the Flower Kings discography, although mine is not in order. I just finished Flower Power after running through Desolation Rose and The Rainmaker in recent days.

Very nice! Hope you're enjoying (re)visiting these albums as much as I have been lately!

Unfold The Future remains a classic and a favorite of mine. Some might find it a bit long and bloated, but I enjoy the jazzy improvisations, and the epics on this album are, of course, stand-out tracks, but the shorter songs aren't slouches either. The introduction of Zoltan Csorsz to the band really added a new feel, and given his strength in jazzy playing coupled with Jonas Reingold's jazz fusion influences, they form a powerhouse rhythm section. I can't forget to mention the vocal addition of Daniel Gildenlow, who I assume was asked to guest on the record after Roine toured with him in Europe for Transatlantic.

This line-up definitely feels very FULL, though, with six members in the main band, plus Gildenlow guesting on vocals and Ulf Wallander on sax, it's a behemoth line-up and a behemoth album.

I've never heard the 2017 mix of the album, though I dare not give it a try because, for the life of me, I cannot fathom why Roine would cut nearly a quarter of "Devil's Playground" out of the new mix. I quite enjoy that song as it is on the original album, but I guess Roine doesn't mind revising history if its his music.

-Marc.

I bought this last year and tried to get through it a couple times but it’s sat unplayed since then. I need to try again I suppose.

I hope you got the original mix and not the 2017 one. Definitely give it a spin sometime soon, it's totally worth it, but I can understand how it might be difficult for some to get into, and not just because of its length. There is just a lot to digest over-all, even with just the opening epic.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on October 25, 2020, 11:47:43 AM
Adam & Eve is an interesting album. To me, it sounds like they tried to pull back on the jazzy improv stuff of UTF and go back to some more solid prog rock, but there's also a lot of oddly heavy moments on this album as well. I wonder if that was because of any influence of or inspiration from Daniel Gildenlow, who was then featured as a full-time member after his tour with them. Speaking of Daniel, his vocals are ALL OVER this album, so if you enjoy his voice, this is probably an album to check out. I think his vocals really give these songs some more p unch in a way that's different that Hasse's powerful voice - Daniel does some crazy operatic background vocals, but also some strong lead vocals as well.

Over all, Adam & Eve isn't one album I'll normally go back to, but I do enjoy it when I spin it. It holds my attention and entertains me a bit more than The Rainmaker, but both are still relatively low in my TFK rankings (and funnily enough, bot A&E and TR are the two lowest rated albums on Progarchives). Of course, the two epics are the highlights of the album, and I quite enjoy "A Vampire's View" and "Starlight Man". The title track is a bit quirky, musically and lyrically. Counting bonus tracks from their respective sessions, I think Adam & Eve is their shortest album since their debut BITWOA: Retropolis (plus Kite and Buffalo Man) clocked in 81:39, Space Revolver had about 8 bonus tracks essentially making it a double like SWA, FP and UTF, and The Rainmaker's bonus tracks push it to being a 95:33 long album, so Adam & Eve, being only 10 tracks at about 78:06 was their shortest studio output in awhile, and I think they definitely tried to narrow down their ideas after the 2.5 hour monster that was Unfold The Future.



Adam & Eve was my least favorite for awhile but I revisited it a year or two ago and was surprised by how much better it sounded to me. Timelines is a long-forgotten track from them that is really strong and both epics are really cool. It sounds like they wanted to push their boundaries a bit more in some places but also pull back the overt jazz influence like you said and get back to their core prog-rock sound so the album has sort of a bipolar vibe to my ears.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 25, 2020, 12:56:00 PM
Unfold is IMO the band's best album, as well as my favorite. It's got a bit of everything good about the band, with the best rhythm section the band has ever had (Zoltan, Jonas). Monster epics bookend the album, both are fantastic and some of the band's best work. The other epic Silent Inferno is another great one, if more overlooked. The jazzy improvs are fun and provide nice breaks between the other songs. I find these are some of the band's strongest "short" songs. Man, Jonas is everywhere on this one, ridiculous player. I like that there are a few recurring themes throughout the album, but it's not everywhere.

Adam & Eve is a little less jazzy and while they bring more of the classic prog sound back in, it's done with an overall darker tone. A lot more singing from Froberg now. The album isn't anywhere near the band's best, some think it's their worst. I think it's one of their weaker albums as well, but I like it for what it is and it isn't a bad album. I think it just lacks a lot of things I like in TFK's music like their more upbeat moments, which are here and there on this one. My favorite is the last epic, Driver's Seat, that's a great underrated Flower Kings epic. Pairs well with the closing track Blade of Cain.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 25, 2020, 01:32:47 PM

Unfold The Future remains a classic and a favorite of mine. Some might find it a bit long and bloated, but I enjoy the jazzy improvisations, and the epics on this album are, of course, stand-out tracks, but the shorter songs aren't slouches either. The introduction of Zoltan Csorsz to the band really added a new feel, and given his strength in jazzy playing coupled with Jonas Reingold's jazz fusion influences, they form a powerhouse rhythm section. I can't forget to mention the vocal addition of Daniel Gildenlow, who I assume was asked to guest on the record after Roine toured with him in Europe for Transatlantic.

This line-up definitely feels very FULL, though, with six members in the main band, plus Gildenlow guesting on vocals and Ulf Wallander on sax, it's a behemoth line-up and a behemoth album.

I've never heard the 2017 mix of the album, though I dare not give it a try because, for the life of me, I cannot fathom why Roine would cut nearly a quarter of "Devil's Playground" out of the new mix. I quite enjoy that song as it is on the original album, but I guess Roine doesn't mind revising history if its his music.

-Marc.

I bought this last year and tried to get through it a couple times but it’s sat unplayed since then. I need to try again I suppose.

I hope you got the original mix and not the 2017 one. Definitely give it a spin sometime soon, it's totally worth it, but I can understand how it might be difficult for some to get into, and not just because of its length. There is just a lot to digest over-all, even with just the opening epic.

-Marc.

It’s the original 2002 release. I ripped it to my computer yesterday (hadn’t even gotten that far with it before!) and gave the first disc a good listen. Now I remember that it was more the second disc I had a hard time getting through, but the first disc is pretty strong just on the strength of The Truth Will Set You Free and Silent Inferno. I think I mostly just didn’t set enough time aside to dig into a 31 minute epic when I got it. Silent Inferno is one I’ve had for a long time (I have an Inside Out sampler that came with (I think) Spock’s Beard’s Feel Euphoria that has it on it), and I’ve always really liked it.

It’s definitely very jazzy and the rhythm section of Zoltan and Jonas is pretty amazing. Will try to give the full thing a listen, hopefully before Island shows up in my mailbox next week.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 25, 2020, 01:44:29 PM
The whole section from around 12m in on Love Supreme is one of my favourite TFK sections ever, and when Gildenlow's backing vocals come in on the second chorus, that is spectacular! I've finally gotten into Drivers Seat (no pun intended) in recent months too.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 25, 2020, 06:16:39 PM
Just heard “The Bridge” off Waiting for Miracles for the first time. That’s a really great song.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on October 26, 2020, 04:12:43 AM
I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

Did they send out the album a week early? Awesome!  :tup

I'm still sitting in a lecture, will check out the part you mentioned later.

Did you ever get around to checking "Hidden Angles"? I posted the question in the Flower Kings Facebook fan group and both Jonas and Mirkko both replied saying their copies were fine, so I guess I got a bum copy. It's really weird because, as far as I could tell, that was the only bad spot on the whole album for me, but I'll have to listen to it again to be sure. Now it's going to bug me....

-Marc.

Yeah, I hear that in my promo files, too. But I have to admit, I think I would have never noticed it if you hadn't mentioned it  :lol
Let's hear if it's included on the vinyl LP's I ordered. They won't arrive for another few days though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 26, 2020, 08:44:35 AM
Going through all these albums makes me wonder what TFK albums would be like if they were only single vinyl length, like in the 70s, with only the occasional "double" album roughly in the 80-90 minute range (as opposed to the almost 3 hours Unfold The Future.) I really do appreciate the less-is-more approach, and finishing an album wanting more. I wonder if they would be more highly regarded or more popular in the prog community.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 26, 2020, 12:09:36 PM
I'm on my 2nd spin thru this 92 minute monster of an album, and my only concern so far is an odd skip in "Hidden Angles" around 0:41. Anyone else with the album hear this, or did I get a bum disc?

-Marc.

Did they send out the album a week early? Awesome!  :tup

I'm still sitting in a lecture, will check out the part you mentioned later.

Did you ever get around to checking "Hidden Angles"? I posted the question in the Flower Kings Facebook fan group and both Jonas and Mirkko both replied saying their copies were fine, so I guess I got a bum copy. It's really weird because, as far as I could tell, that was the only bad spot on the whole album for me, but I'll have to listen to it again to be sure. Now it's going to bug me....

-Marc.

Yeah, I hear that in my promo files, too. But I have to admit, I think I would have never noticed it if you hadn't mentioned it  :lol
Let's hear if it's included on the vinyl LP's I ordered. They won't arrive for another few days though.

Oh man, that's disheartening. Now I'm wondering if the folks in the TFK Facebook group who said they couldn't hear the skip just can't heart things like that in the music. I even posted a picture of the wave form with the odd clip in it, quite visible as well.

Sorry for making it more noticable, Fritz, and now you'll probably never be able to un-hear it. I do wonder if it was a matter of the original master audio having the defect in the track? Like, who could I even ask about that? Roine? Inside Out?

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 26, 2020, 02:02:10 PM
Going through all these albums makes me wonder what TFK albums would be like if they were only single vinyl length, like in the 70s, with only the occasional "double" album roughly in the 80-90 minute range (as opposed to the almost 3 hours Unfold The Future.) I really do appreciate the less-is-more approach, and finishing an album wanting more. I wonder if they would be more highly regarded or more popular in the prog community.

I thought they were one of the most highly regarded modern prog bands. Maybe not in terms of commercial sales, but they absolutely have a place in the pantheon as pioneers of the modern-day progressive rock revival.

Meanwhile, today I've done a double-whammy. Adam and Eve earlier, and I'm just finishing Paradox Hotel as I write this.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 26, 2020, 02:07:04 PM
Going through all these albums makes me wonder what TFK albums would be like if they were only single vinyl length, like in the 70s, with only the occasional "double" album roughly in the 80-90 minute range (as opposed to the almost 3 hours Unfold The Future.) I really do appreciate the less-is-more approach, and finishing an album wanting more. I wonder if they would be more highly regarded or more popular in the prog community.

I thought they were one of the most highly regarded modern prog bands. Maybe not in terms of commercial sales, but they absolutely have a place in the pantheon as pioneers of the modern-day progressive rock revival.

Meanwhile, today I've done a double-whammy. Adam and Eve earlier, and I'm just finishing Paradox Hotel as I write this.

They get a lot of criticism from older prog heads that think of them as Yes rip-offs, or wearing their 70s prog influences on their sleeve, check out old reviews of their albums on progarchives. Brutal...

They're definitely one of the more popular post-70s prog rock bands, them along with Spock's Beard and Dream Theater led the way for prog in the 90s.

I got a little burnt out going through all the albums, it's so much music, and I don't want to be burnt out when I get up to Islands, so I'm taking the day off.  :P
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 26, 2020, 08:26:26 PM
Going through all these albums makes me wonder what TFK albums would be like if they were only single vinyl length, like in the 70s, with only the occasional "double" album roughly in the 80-90 minute range (as opposed to the almost 3 hours Unfold The Future.) I really do appreciate the less-is-more approach, and finishing an album wanting more. I wonder if they would be more highly regarded or more popular in the prog community.

I thought they were one of the most highly regarded modern prog bands. Maybe not in terms of commercial sales, but they absolutely have a place in the pantheon as pioneers of the modern-day progressive rock revival.

Meanwhile, today I've done a double-whammy. Adam and Eve earlier, and I'm just finishing Paradox Hotel as I write this.

They get a lot of criticism from older prog heads that think of them as Yes rip-offs, or wearing their 70s prog influences on their sleeve, check out old reviews of their albums on progarchives. Brutal...

They're definitely one of the more popular post-70s prog rock bands, them along with Spock's Beard and Dream Theater led the way for prog in the 90s.

I got a little burnt out going through all the albums, it's so much music, and I don't want to be burnt out when I get up to Islands, so I'm taking the day off.  :P

Band Burnout is real, but for some reason, when a band I love is releasing a new album, I get REALLY into them again, so burnout is kind of difficult for me, and for The Flower Kings, their albums are so different from each other in some ways that I don't really get too burned out by them, especially if I listen to them in chronological order. It's a musical journey that I always enjoy going on when a band is releasing a new album, hearing their musical development through the years, and it has been quite a while since I've heard most of the TFK albums in full, so this has been a fun adventure for me.

Speaking of, I forgot to post about Paradox Hotel this morning, so I'm going through it again and, I'll admit, at first, I did NOT like this album at all. I had gotten into the band after Adam & Eve came out, and while that was OK at the time, I was looking forward to what they were doing next, so when they announced it was a double, I was pretty excited because I loved SWA and UTF, but when I got Paradox Hotel (which I think I ordered on Amazon, and funnily enough, the 3rd party seller I had gotten it from had sent me a promotional copy in a jewel case - I eventually got the digipak).... I just didn't like it. It didn't click with me. Even after The Sum Of No Evil came out I still struggled to really understand the album, but eventually, I came to love it, and rank it just as highly as SWA and UTF as some of their best work.

Some of my favorites are the often maligned opening epic "Monsters & Men" (which I enjoy, though I know many don't), "Pioneers Of Aviation", "End On A High Note", "Minor Giant Steps", and the final four song run of "The Way The Waters Are Moving"/"What If God Is Alone"/"Paradox Hotel"/"Blue Planet". If Paradox Hotel were on vinyl, those last four songs would be one of the best sides of TFK vinyl, IMO.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 27, 2020, 12:55:53 AM
I (inadvertently) took the day off from TFK listening on Sunday, and I appreciated it. I won't actually be getting the album on the day; I have to wait a few days to order it, so I'm not going for a Friday deadline. I do definitely want to do WFM last though. My tradition, where I can, is to listen to a band's previous album the evening before I get the new one.

As for Paradox Hotel, I followed along with a blog post of someone doing a track-by-track analysis of the album, which certainly helped me get a grip on the album's concept. I really like Monsters and Men. I find Bavarian Skies a bit weird. Why would anyone sing from the pov of Hitler? And are we supposed to interpret the return of that same lowered voice in Paradox Hotel as Hitler getting a staff job at said hotel?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 27, 2020, 01:24:40 AM
I (inadvertently) took the day off from TFK listening on Sunday, and I appreciated it. I won't actually be getting the album on the day; I have to wait a few days to order it, so I'm not going for a Friday deadline. I do definitely want to do WFM last though. My tradition, where I can, is to listen to a band's previous album the evening before I get the new one.

As for Paradox Hotel, I followed along with a blog post of someone doing a track-by-track analysis of the album, which certainly helped me get a grip on the album's concept. I really like Monsters and Men. I find Bavarian Skies a bit weird. Why would anyone sing from the pov of Hitler? And are we supposed to interpret the return of that same lowered voice in Paradox Hotel as Hitler getting a staff job at said hotel?

If you ever find out what that blog post was going over PH track-by-track, I'd love to read it some time!

I forgot to mention that this was the only proper TFK studio album to feature Marcus Lillequist, and while he isn't as jazzy and flashy as Zoltan, he suited the music very properly. He also worked on a few of of the band members' solo albums and side projects, like a couple of Tomas Bodin albums (I AM, and Eggs & Dogs' YOU ARE), Karmakanic (In A Perfect World), and Roine Stolt (Wall Street Voodoo, a personal favorite of mine). So while he didn't record any more studio albums with TFK proper, his band mates definitely put him to good use on other albums (which was also the case for both Jamie and Zoltan at other points in time as well).

But speaking of Zoltan, I'll be going over TSONE tomorrow at some point, which features the return of Zoltan behind the drums, but just for one more album (and not even on the subsequent tour), but it was definitely a great performance from what I recall - but more on that tomorrow!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 27, 2020, 09:27:35 AM
https://theprogmind.com/2018/02/23/album-spotlight-the-flower-kings-paradox-hotel/ (https://theprogmind.com/2018/02/23/album-spotlight-the-flower-kings-paradox-hotel/)

I should have done that. There we go.

Carried on with BITWOA earlier this morning.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 27, 2020, 12:09:39 PM
https://theprogmind.com/2018/02/23/album-spotlight-the-flower-kings-paradox-hotel/ (https://theprogmind.com/2018/02/23/album-spotlight-the-flower-kings-paradox-hotel/)

I should have done that. There we go.

Carried on with BITWOA earlier this morning.

Thanks for sharing that, it was very informative! I remember when PH finally clicked with me, the concept behind the album made sense and it became all the more enjoyable for me, and it still is to this day.

And now on The Sum Of No Evil, which I have listened to in my own personal expanded track list for over a decade now, which begins with the epic "Love Is The Only Answer", set as the opener in the prog tradition of opening albums with a side-length epic. It also creates a book-end effect with my LP1/CD1, which closes with "The River", where the epic's title lyrics are repeated at the end. I'd say LITOA is one of the band's better epics, definitely a step above "Monsters & Men", and it features some great drumming by Zoltan.  I love the little nods to "The Flower King" in there as well.

Following the epic, I had the four short tracks, "Trading My Soul"/"Regal Divers"/"Turn The Stone"/"The River", which creates a nice run of songs that are all quite different from the epic, but have a nice flow to them. Of those four, I'd say the stand-out track is "Turn The Stone", featuring some great vocals by Hasse.

My second LP/CD cut of TSONE starts with the original tracklisting's opener, "One More Time", which is one of the band's better songs in the 10-15 minute range, and features one fun middle section that has a very classic TFK feel to it. Following that is "The Sum Of No Reason", the sort-of title track to the album, and is probably the heaviest and darkest track on the album with its driving guitar riffs. It also features the return of some motifs from LITOA, and I always do enjoy when they do that on their albums.

Next is a quirky instrumental, which every TFK always seems to have at least one of, and then the final track, "Life In Motion", which goes through quite a few moods in its 12:34 run time, but it is a suitable closer. Is it just me or is there a faint vocal quote from "Mommy Leave A Light On" around 7:58-8:00?

Also, somewhere on the album, and I can't immediately recall where, there is a keyboard quote of "There Is More To This World". Given how much closer they were to bringing back their classic TFK sound, it didn't surprise me that they'd sneak in nods to those older songs in there, but I didn't think it would be their last album for five years before going on hiatus, especially with lyrics closing the album like "It's like coming home again". It seemed like the band were on a run, releasing two albums in two consecutive years. Imagine my heartbreak when it would happen again in 2012/2013, which is why I am hoping the current line-up can stick it out past 2020.

Over-all, TSONE is one of my upper-middle-tier albums. Not full of greatness, but definitely worth listening to. I remember instantly liking it when it came out, but back then, I was also kind of let down by Paradox Hotel, so for me, it was a return to form for the band, but even after coming around on PH, TSONE still holds up for me. I know some folks don't like it as much, but for me, it's a top-half TFK album - where I place it exactly? We'll find out once I get through this discography listen, and maybe a few weeks after I let Islands sink in.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 28, 2020, 11:21:01 AM
After a five year hiatus (in which Roine rejoined with Transatlantic and formed Agents Of Mercy, and the other TFK members doing other projects), the band re-united and released Banks Of Eden. When it was announced, I was definitely excited for their return, but as the years have gone on, I've never found myself particularly enamored by BOE as a whole. The opening epic is alright, though probably one of my least favorite side-length epics by the band. I actually find myself enjoying some of the bonus disc songs more than the ones on the album proper, like "Fireghosts" and "Going Up".

I'm not sure if I ever posted it here, but I also did a re-working of the BOE tracklist that re-inserts the bonus disc songs into the album, which made it a bit better IMO.
Numbers
Illuminati
For The Love Of Gold
LoLines
Pandemonium
Fireghosts
For Those About To Drown
Going Up
Rising The Imperial

I do enjoy the reprise at the end of the album of similar musical and lyrical themes from Numbers, so that's kinda neat. But between BOE and Desolation Rose, I think I prefer the latter, though more on that tomorrow.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 28, 2020, 12:44:26 PM
Honestly, The Flower Kings haven't released an album that blew my mind since Unfold The Future, which I think was their creative zenith. 


I kind of feel the same way about Banks of Eden and even more so about Desolation Rose - they're both good albums but I wouldn't call them essential. 


It's still way too early to know where this latest album will fall on the spectrum, but after two listens I think it's relatively on par with BOE and DR. 


It's a good album, but nothing mind-blowing. 



Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: 425 on October 28, 2020, 12:49:54 PM
For The Love Of Old

A song about Roine's dalliances in Swedish retirement homes? ;D
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 28, 2020, 12:54:00 PM
For The Love Of Old

A song about Roine's dalliances in Swedish retirement homes? ;D

LOL  :facepalm: oops...fixed it now!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: 425 on October 28, 2020, 01:09:09 PM
Well, either way, you inspired me to listen to the Banks of Eden bonus tracks for the first time (I only got this album a few months ago), and I'm quite enjoying them. I especially liked Fireghosts.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on October 28, 2020, 01:42:51 PM
Well, either way, you inspired me to listen to the Banks of Eden bonus tracks for the first time (I only got this album a few months ago), and I'm quite enjoying them. I especially liked Fireghosts.

The bonus songs on that album were all really cool. I like Going Up especially but Fireghosts is great too
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 29, 2020, 01:43:58 AM
I fell in love with Numbers almost immediately; it is definitely one of my favourite TFK epics. The rest of the album is not quite as memorable imo. My favourite of the other tracks is probably For Those About to Drown.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 29, 2020, 10:51:43 AM
Like I said in my post yesterday, I enjoy Desolation Rose quite a bit more than Banks Of Eden. All bonus tracks included, it's only 16 minutes longer than BOE, but I feel like it's a more cohesive album, with a lot of lyrical and musical themes spread throughout that make it feel like a complete package and less like a just a collection of songs. "Tower ONE" is a fantastic opener, and songs like "Dark Fascist Skies", the title track, "The Resurrected Judas", and "Silent Masses" are easily the highlights of the album, but as a whole, it's thoroughly enjoyable to my ears, especially in my remixed track list that re-inserts all the bonus disc tracks, to give it a more classic-TFK feel with all the instrumentals and smaller pieces mixed in-between the other songs.

I think another reason I really like it is because I spun it quite a lot since it was their last new album for over six years, so it's gotten a lot of playtime for me, and is probably the reason I've grown to like it more than BOE (which had a year to sit with me before DR came out). After this album, Roine would go back to Transatlantic for a couple of years, then do the Anderson/Stolt album, as well as The Sea Within, and it seemed like each venture had diminishing returns as far as the sound I was craving from Roine. His return to TFK-style music with Manifesto Of An Alchemist was a welcome return, but it wasn't quite TFK as I knew it, but then a year after that, Waiting For Miracles would come, but more on that tomorrow.

By next week, I'll probably get into Islands enough to decide where it might initially rank in my TFK album rankings. I've been digging it so far, but I definitely need more listens.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on October 29, 2020, 12:10:23 PM
Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose have been getting a lot of shit since they've been released and I think that's not quite fair. Still, while I'm usually an album listener, I have always been a "I like this song especially, while this one doesn't do too much for me"-guy when it came to The Flower Kings. And I think, Tower ONE is one of their very best songs!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on October 29, 2020, 12:14:02 PM
Also, I'd like to add that I think that Felix Lehrmann is an absolutely amazing drummer. Zoltan is still my personal favourite in The Flower Kings, but Felix is just as good.

He plays in a session band with my former teacher Martin Miller:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhJEcRx6CXc&t=1452s

By the way, this is how drums should sound in my opinion.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: romdrums on October 29, 2020, 03:07:38 PM
Also, I'd like to add that I think that Felix Lehrmann is an absolutely amazing drummer. Zoltan is still my personal favourite in The Flower Kings, but Felix is just as good.

He plays in a session band with my former teacher Martin Miller:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhJEcRx6CXc&t=1452s

By the way, this is how drums should sound in my opinion.

Yes.  That's why I bought a DW Purpleheart kit when I had the chance.  Amazing sounding drums!!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 30, 2020, 09:38:13 AM
After another long hiatus, The Flower Kings returned in 2019 with a new double album, the 84-minute Waiting For Miracles. For me, this felt like a solid return to form for the band, and for Roine, who had done plenty of side-projects in the years between.

This was definitely the start of a new era for the band as they had replaced long-time keyboardist Tomas Bodin with Zach Kamins, who's track "House Of Cards" opens the album. The cynical part of me thinks they opened the album with this short piece to kind of say "hey, here's our new keyboard player, isn't he good?" Zach also wrote the film-score-ish "Ascending To The Stars", which doesn't sound too out of place on a TFK album, given Roine's love for symphonic elements. Two of the highlights here are definitely the two longest tracks, "Miracles For America" and "Vertigo", but I also enjoy "The Rebel Circus", co-penned by Roine and new drummer Mirko DeMaio, who is as adequate of a drummer as any in TFK history. "We Were Always Here" sounds like the band reaffirming its place in prog to their fans, and reminding us that, while they hadn't put out any new albums for 6 years, they were still around (doing other things). It's a very classic-sounding TFK track with the typical uplifting and positive vibes, but then it's followed by the oddly unique "Busking At Brobank", which closes the album in a short-track manner the same as it opened.

Over-all, WFM has been an enjoyable album to revisit over the last year since its release, and it's hard to believe Islands has come out less than a year after WFM. I think, if you enjoyed WFM, Islands will be right up your alley, though my preliminary thoughts on Islands leads me to believe it might have some better material. I'll try to give further thoughts on Islands throughout the weekend, possibly write up a track-by-track review if I'm feeling up for it. It's definitely contender for AOTY for me already!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 30, 2020, 09:41:32 AM
Just realized it’s release day. We’ll see if the mail comes through today. Not very hopeful the way mail is going in the US, even though it did ship already.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 30, 2020, 09:52:13 AM
Just realized it’s release day. We’ll see if the mail comes through today. Not very hopeful the way mail is going in the US, even though it did ship already.

Where did you order from? I was surprised how fast mine came from Roine's web store, even without shipment notifications, as I got mine only a day or two after others in the US had started getting theirs in the TFK Facebook group I'm in.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 30, 2020, 09:59:23 AM
Just realized it’s release day. We’ll see if the mail comes through today. Not very hopeful the way mail is going in the US, even though it did ship already.

Where did you order from? I was surprised how fast mine came from Roine's web store, even without shipment notifications, as I got mine only a day or two after others in the US had started getting theirs in the TFK Facebook group I'm in.

-Marc.

Like a not very good fan, from Amazon. They usually come through pretty quick with shipment, and it appears to have gone out on time.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 30, 2020, 10:16:49 AM
Just realized it’s release day. We’ll see if the mail comes through today. Not very hopeful the way mail is going in the US, even though it did ship already.

Where did you order from? I was surprised how fast mine came from Roine's web store, even without shipment notifications, as I got mine only a day or two after others in the US had started getting theirs in the TFK Facebook group I'm in.

-Marc.

Like a not very good fan, from Amazon. They usually come through pretty quick with shipment, and it appears to have gone out on time.

Ahh okay, well hopefully you get your album quickly and safely! Did your order include an Auto-Rip from Amazon as well? If you're dying to listen to the album today, I think it's up on YouTube already anyway. I went there earlier this morning to check "Hidden Angles" and sure enough, the track has the same skip/glitch at 0:41 that my CD has, so it's definitely an issue with the original audio file they used for producing the discs, which is unfortunate. I wonder if the vinyl has the same issue...

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 30, 2020, 11:23:15 AM
I fell a little behind, I'm finishing up Paradox Hotel now. Like many, I wasn't into this album at first. It definitely grew on me over time, to the point where I do enjoy it all the way through. The best tunes have been my favorites since I first heard it, like End on a High Note, Minor Giant Steps, even Monsters and Men I liked right away, but it definitely is a grower. I do like the vibe on the album, has a bit of a dark, melancholic feel on most tunes. This is my rainy day Flower Kings album, whereas I usually enjoy their music on nice sunny days. I like the reversed track list feel as well, like the last song should have been first, M&M last. Out side of those songs, I don't usually put on any other individual songs, I think they all work best in the context of the album.


Band Burnout is real, but for some reason, when a band I love is releasing a new album, I get REALLY into them again, so burnout is kind of difficult for me, and for The Flower Kings, their albums are so different from each other in some ways that I don't really get too burned out by them, especially if I listen to them in chronological order. It's a musical journey that I always enjoy going on when a band is releasing a new album, hearing their musical development through the years, and it has been quite a while since I've heard most of the TFK albums in full, so this has been a fun adventure for me.

-Marc.

It was also being a little busy and caught up in RL stuff last weekend, combined with wanting a day off as well. TFK is very intense music and listening to full albums requires my full attention with no distractions.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 30, 2020, 11:44:08 AM
That glitch is on Spotify as well, but it's not enough for it to annoy me, especially if I stop reading about how annoying it is on here.

Something annoying is how Amazon (don't tell me how to live my life) doesn't have the disc like it normally would now it's released. I'm put off getting it now cos it might not be normal prime thing, so it won't come next day like stuff should
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 30, 2020, 12:14:43 PM
That glitch is on Spotify as well, but it's not enough for it to annoy me, especially if I stop reading about how annoying it is on here.

Something annoying is how Amazon (don't tell me how to live my life) doesn't have the disc like it normally would now it's released. I'm put off getting it now cos it might not be normal prime thing, so it won't come next day like stuff should

Huh, I’m seeing it still in stock with Prime and free delivery.

Also, I do have the download, but Amazon has somehow made it really hard to download it now. There used to be a “download now” option on your order, and it’s gone. Only way I see to download it is to go through Amazon Music and download the individual tracks. Mine is out for delivery today, so I think I’ll just wait (I could stream it anyway if I wanted).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 30, 2020, 12:27:04 PM
When I checked earlier, the main version they highlighted was a second-hand or marketplace one with pnp. Their own version was under "used and new".
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 30, 2020, 12:57:44 PM
So anyway, the album Islands officially drops today and I've had a chance to listen to it about half a dozen times since I got it last week.  I have to be honest, I don't dislike it, but I don't find it to be particularly interesting or engaging.  It's kind of boring in several places.  And is it just me or is this the mellowest album they've ever released?  Where are the riffs?  I'm thinking back over their catalog and there's just nothing on this album that compares to albums like, say, Retropolis or Space Revolver.  There are some good songs here, but overall I find the album a bit disappointing.  Very little energy here and the guitars have taken a back seat for the most part. 



Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 30, 2020, 01:02:44 PM
For me, the band lost something after TSoNE with that first hiatus. I did like the last album based on one album though. Excited to listen to Islands soon.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 30, 2020, 01:06:39 PM
So anyway, the album Islands officially drops today and I've had a chance to listen to it about half a dozen times since I got it last week.  I have to be honest, I don't dislike it, but I don't find it to be particularly interesting or engaging.  It's kind of boring in several places.  And is it just me or is this the mellowest album they've ever released?  Where are the riffs?  I'm thinking back over their catalog and there's just nothing on this album that compares to albums like, say, Retropolis or Space Revolver.  There are some good songs here, but overall I find the album a bit disappointing.  Very little energy here and the guitars have taken a back seat for the most part.

I will agree that it is a fairly mellow album, less heavy and guitar driven than previous ones, not a lot of guitar riffs. I do enjoy a lot of the melodic parts from Kamins and Stolt, and there are some great grooves from Reingold/DeMaio throughout the album, but yeah, it's pretty mellow over-all, but I don't hate it for that.

I've writte my first draft of a song-by-song review, and there are definitely pieces that I have more to say than others, simply because some of the songs are just kind of there, while others stand out a bit more, but I think everything kind of works better listened to as a whole, as Roine says. No, it's not "Garden Of Dreams" levels of listen-as-a-whole-epic, but there are definitely smatterings of repeated melodies and musical/lyrical themes throughout, and it seems every time I listen through the whole album, I pick up on something new, but it'll take a long while for me to really dig into every piece and get a feel for the whole album.

I definitely want to listen to it more over the weekend when I can, and then I'll probably post my review here on Monday. I wlll say, though, as I have been listening to it this afternoon with the booklet in hand, I've noticed that there are a LOT of Kamins pieces on the album, either written by himself or with Stolt. I almost feel like Roine is still trying to push Zach as being an integral part of the band since Tomas was let go. That isn't to say Zach doesn't deserve his time in the spot light, and he really does add a lot to the band's sound, especially on this new album. I think he and Roine have a good chemistry going, and his arrangements really give some of the songs some good oomph. Between Kamins and DeMaio, I think the former has been the better newcomer to the band, but DeMaio definitely serves the songs very well, he just isn't as flashy as Zoltan was with the band.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 30, 2020, 01:10:13 PM
Mellow sounds good to me, actually. I’ve liked all 3 promo songs, so we’ll just see about the rest.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 30, 2020, 01:14:33 PM
Yeah, I don't want it to come across like I hate it or anything.  it's decent, but I find it just kind of meanders along from song to song and then it's over.  A pleasant listen, but sitting here right now typing out this post and even after 5 listens I honestly don't have a single melody or lyric from the album stuck in my head. 


Pretty sure this album is going to disappoint more fans than it pleases.  I really hope they come back next time with a more guitar-oriented album. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 30, 2020, 01:17:34 PM
Yeah, I don't want it to come across like I hate it or anything.  it's decent, but I find it just kind of meanders along from song to song and then it's over.  A pleasant listen, but sitting here right now typing out this post and even after 5 listens I honestly don't have a single melody or lyric from the album stuck in my head. 


Pretty sure this album is going to disappoint more fans than it pleases.  I really hope they come back next time with a more guitar-oriented album.

Meandering is kind of a TFK trademark!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 30, 2020, 01:23:44 PM
I've learned not to judge a TFK album until at least 10 listens.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on October 30, 2020, 01:28:01 PM
Yeah, I don't want it to come across like I hate it or anything.  it's decent, but I find it just kind of meanders along from song to song and then it's over.  A pleasant listen, but sitting here right now typing out this post and even after 5 listens I honestly don't have a single melody or lyric from the album stuck in my head. 


Pretty sure this album is going to disappoint more fans than it pleases.  I really hope they come back next time with a more guitar-oriented album.

Meandering is kind of a TFK trademark!


Sure, I've been a fan since the first album, "The Flower King" but I don't think this group recovered after the last long hiatus.  Something is missing.  The albums are going in the wrong direction.  I like each successive release a little bit less than the previous one. 


I thought Banks of Eden was great, Desolation Rose was good and this one is....kind of bland.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 30, 2020, 05:47:35 PM
Yeah, I don't want it to come across like I hate it or anything.  it's decent, but I find it just kind of meanders along from song to song and then it's over.  A pleasant listen, but sitting here right now typing out this post and even after 5 listens I honestly don't have a single melody or lyric from the album stuck in my head. 


Pretty sure this album is going to disappoint more fans than it pleases.  I really hope they come back next time with a more guitar-oriented album.

Meandering is kind of a TFK trademark!


Sure, I've been a fan since the first album, "The Flower King" but I don't think this group recovered after the last long hiatus.  Something is missing.  The albums are going in the wrong direction.  I like each successive release a little bit less than the previous one. 


I thought Banks of Eden was great, Desolation Rose was good and this one is....kind of bland.

I just think Roine has been incorporating a lot of new and different ideas over the last 12-13 years since The Sum Of No Evil, especially given with how many different bands/projects/artists he's become involved with. These last four albums have definitely been different, but they're still pretty great prog over-all. Of course, as is with any band that has lasted this long (25 years), it's always going to be hard for them to create any sort of new material that rivals their classic works, especially 14 (15 counting Stolt's The Flower King, 16 if you count Manifesto Of An Alchemist) albums in. I challenge anyone to find any prog artist that has had that much material in 25 years and say that their newest work is as good as any of their classic stuff. For me, WFM and Islands sound great, and I think they'll age pretty well. They're also at least better than The Sea Within and Manifesto, so I'm glad that Roine is continuing to make music with Hasse and Jonas (who both could carry on with their own bands and be OK).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 30, 2020, 06:12:29 PM
Mine showed up late this afternoon. Only had time to give the first track a cursory listen, will dig into it tomorrow. Love the artwork/packaging though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on October 31, 2020, 04:03:39 AM

I just think Roine has been incorporating a lot of new and different ideas over the last 12-13 years since The Sum Of No Evil, especially given with how many different bands/projects/artists he's become involved with. These last four albums have definitely been different, but they're still pretty great prog over-all. Of course, as is with any band that has lasted this long (25 years), it's always going to be hard for them to create any sort of new material that rivals their classic works, especially 14 (15 counting Stolt's The Flower King, 16 if you count Manifesto Of An Alchemist) albums in. I challenge anyone to find any prog artist that has had that much material in 25 years and say that their newest work is as good as any of their classic stuff. For me, WFM and Islands sound great, and I think they'll age pretty well. They're also at least better than The Sea Within and Manifesto, so I'm glad that Roine is continuing to make music with Hasse and Jonas (who both could carry on with their own bands and be OK).

-Marc.

Definitely this. The Sea Within/Invention/Manifesto sound completely amateurish compared to the two newest FK albums so that's a good sign. Still, I can tell Islands will probably come and go with me like WfM. I'm sure I'm going to enjoy a lot of it, but there's a certain magic that is missing that is what I absolutely adored about early FK albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 31, 2020, 08:00:17 AM
I decided to check out Islands on Spotify. Can't get the physical album til November 20 I think?

I like it so far. Sounds a lot different than Waiting For Miracles. This one has a lighter feel, but that's not a negative thing.
Morning News is what is on right now. I like the playfulness of what I've heard so far, the general vibe reminds me a bit of the older pre-Jones TFK stuff but it's definitely the more modern mold of their sound. I like that so far, there have been a lot of odd time signatures and playing around with the beat. This will surely take time to digest. I definitely like Islands more than the previous album on first listen, though.

**Just finished the first disc. I get the "pleasant listen" description, but I definitely enjoyed it pretty much all the way through.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 31, 2020, 09:15:20 AM
Yeah, I’ve gotten through most of the first disc and it all sounds really good to me. The production is interesting, but I like the overall sound balance. Lots of keys, which sound pretty lush. Songs seem to be a bit streamlined with less unnecessary instrumentation compared to some of their other albums. Haven’t gotten to the 9 minute track yet though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on October 31, 2020, 01:47:42 PM
Quote
Sure, I've been a fan since the first album, "The Flower King" but I don't think this group recovered after the last long hiatus.  Bodin is missing.

FTFY
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 31, 2020, 07:20:37 PM
I am really loving the first disc so far. I’ve only made it through the whole thing once, in part because I’ve wanted to start at the beginning whenever I’ve been interrupted. Everything through Broken is just really good. I love the laid back feel to it. For lack of a better word, they feel like they are acting their ages (I realize the new guys are young). Especially given where Roine and Hasse’s voices are these days. Don’t feel like they are having to go beyond what they are capable of to execute these songs. So far I think my favorite song is actually Morning News. The ending is really beautiful. I love the line “so death is opening like a rose.” It’s the perfect song for 2020.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: ariich on November 01, 2020, 01:26:28 AM
So, the new Flower Kings album sure is a Flower Kings album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 01, 2020, 11:00:40 AM
I'm on The Sum of No Evil now. One of my favorites, and this was the album that finally made me go, "oh, I need to check out more Flower Kings" and it has always remained one of my favorites of theirs since. I don't think it's their best album, but it definitely is a return to form unlike any other album since. Maybe Islands is that album, too, but I'll have to give it more time. Back to TSoNE, the song that hit me first on first listen was the faux title track "The Sum of No Reason", I latched onto this song right away, and I always loved the jazzy section with the solos at the end. This is an underrated TFK piece, seems all the attention is on the epic "Love Is The Only Answer", which makes sense, as it is one of the band's best. It weaves in and out of some lovely sections, some of my favorite melodies. Yet, TSoNR does this as well, though it goes into some harder, heavy sections that the aforementioned epic avoids. Those hard, heavy sections might be the closest TFK has come to playing heavy metal.
Flight 999 is a cool instrumental similar to Circus Brimstone from Stardust We Are. Crazy drums. Life In Motion closes out the affair in classic TFK style. Just great prog rock through and through.

It should be noted that while it is great to have Zoltan back on drums, as he is my favorite TFK drummer, there is some intense keyboard work on this album, perhaps Tomas' flashiest performance on a TFK album??
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on November 02, 2020, 07:30:25 AM
I've been spinning Waiting For Miracles this last week in preparation for Islands. My favourite track here is Wicked Old Symphony, I listened to it on my way to work this morning and it's been stuck in my head all day. TFK knows how to be both progressive and catchy at the same time.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 02, 2020, 08:00:15 AM
Finally ordered Islands, should be here Wednesday. I found a different (correct) listing for the album after searching for just "flower kings" instead of "flower kings islands".
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 02, 2020, 08:49:30 AM
I've been spinning Waiting For Miracles this last week in preparation for Islands. My favourite track here is Wicked Old Symphony, I listened to it on my way to work this morning and it's been stuck in my head all day. TFK knows how to be both progressive and catchy at the same time.

This is probably the first time I've read this opinion  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 02, 2020, 10:26:58 AM
I can't say I'm going to finish all the albums I've yet to listen to during my planned (but interrupted by life) buildup to Islands, but I'm spinning Unfold the Future now.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 02, 2020, 11:21:53 AM
Here's my track-by-track thoughts on Islands, so if you don't want any "spoilers", definitely move on from here!!!









(Spoilers ahead!!!)











01. Racing With Blinders On - The album opens with over 2 minutes of blistering instrumental playing before the lyrics come in, almost like an epic overture, but it's really just half of the first song. Also, how many times have TFK used "blinders" in their songs? Pretty sure the phrase "blinders on" appeared in a song on Waiting For Miracles as well, and in other past TFK songs too.

02. From The Ground - The second pre-release single, it's a solid song in 7/4, very typical TFK sound. I feel like this one ends a bit too soon for my tastes.

03. Black Swan - This opens with some Yes/TFTO-sounding keys, then it goes into the song with some drum hits and fills. Roine has some nice Brian May-style guitar just before Froberg's vocals kick in, and with Kamins' piano, the verse has a Queen feel to it, which is even more apparent in the 2nd and 3rd verses.

04. Morning News - The third pre-release single, and I find this one quite relaxing and soothing, at least musically. It's very uplifting in only a way that The Flower Kings can do. The final lyric repeats in a haunting manner as the song comes to a close, so it definitely sticks out in my mind.

05. Broken - The first pre-release single, and I can definitely see why it was picked to be the first single. Its upbeat 5/8 time is very much in the vein of TFK music past and present, and it is also the second longest song on the album (at 6:38). The bridge is the most fascinating part with some solos here and there. One of the better songs on the whole album, probably helped by the fact that it was written by Reingold/Stolt.

06. Goodbye Outrage - The first Kamins/Stolt piece on the album, this is a short piece with interesting orchestral programming by Kamins, a very score-like piece that works well to contrast the song that came before.

07. Journeyman - A very UK-esque track, showcasing Kamins' writing and keyboard skills, it is the first of five instrumental pieces on the album, most of which are fairly short. It's not a bad track, but it definitely feels like an idea that wasn't entirely fleshed out, or perhaps they couldn't find a place for it anywhere else, so here it sits. Not bad, but it's definitely one of the typical instrumental-bridging pieces that TFK are often known for placing between other songs on their older albums.

08. Tangerine - I heard in a Progcast interview with Roine that the lyric of "Tangerine" was just some scratch lyrics that he came up with while demo'ing the song by Kamins, and it just sort of stuck. This is a very chill track with some "sunny" lyrics, as Roine mentioned in the interview that the imagery of a tangerine felt very sun-like to him. There is a lot of sun imagery in this album, so it's definitely a recurring theme this time around. Speaking of the sun...

09. Solaris - the longest track on the album, at 9:10 long. It starts off with some symphonic strings that sound kind of score-ish, then into the main song with some neat synth sounds. It gets a bit dark and heavy during the main song part, but near the end is a very beautiful choir-infused symphonic prog section that is a highlight for sure.

10. Heart Of The Valley - Not a bad track, though I feel like this could have used a slightly longer bridge with a longer guitar solo, but as it is, it sort of ends before it could really take off.

11. Man In A Two Piece Suit - The second instrumental of the album, this closes out the first disc of the album, fades in from the previous track. It's a slow-build guitar-led piece that is prime Roine Stolt material.

12. All I Need Is Love - This is the only song penned by Froberg on the album, and it begins with his vocals and acoustic guitar. It definitely has the Froberg sound, especially if you're familiar with his Musical Companion albums.

13. A New Species - The third instrumental, written again by Kamins, and starts with some slow and creeping acoustic and atmopsheric keys before launching into a fast early-Karmakanic-esque rhythms with the drums and keys together. The middle kind of slows to a steady groove before going back into those fast melodic runs again near the end, closing out with a short Roine solo and a melody that kind of reminds me a bit of DT's The Astonishing.

14. Northern Lights - Another slow-tempo song that fine moments, but nothing particuarly stands out to me about this song so far, though at the very end, Jonas does a little bass melody that reminds me of an early TFK song (but I can't think of it at the moment).

15. Hidden Angles - The fourth instrumental, and the shortest track on the album, clocking in at a scant 0:50. It's another Kamins instrumental (Kaminstrumental?) that showcases his skills once again, with some more UK-inspired keyboard melodies. It's a pretty quirky piece, but it just sort of ends, almost abruptly, before going into the next track.

16. Serpentine - This is a very groove heavy song, with some great driving bass and drums holding it down in the beginning. This is the one track to feature saxophone (by Rob Townsend), and it makes me wish the album had more sax on it (to give it that early TFK sound). Definitely one of the highlights of the back half of the album for me.

17. Looking For Answers - This song is almost entirely instrumental, outisde of the utterance of the title a few times near the end. It features choir arrangements by Kamins, with an interesting middle section that grooves before going into some Eastern-sounding tabla (?) drum sounds with the keys.

18. Telescope - The opening lyric reprises the "opening like a rose" idea from earlier in the album (from "Morning News"), as well as mentioning a telescope again ("Heart Of The Valley"). This is another slow and chill song, very relaxing at times. Not much more to say about it really.

19. Fool's Gold - The third Kamins/Stolt song, the tempo picks up quite a bit from the last sound, definitely needed for the pacing. Some good bass playing here from Jonas, and Mirkko keeps up suitably well on drums.

20. Between Hope & Fear - There's a return of the Astonishing-esque melody last heard at the end of "A New Species" as the song opens in a very TFK manner. Paired with the following track, it's a very good way close the album, a powerful 1-2 punch.

21. Islands - The final instrumental, and the title track as well, and closes the album in a grandioise manner with a soaring guitar lead by Roine.

Over-All thoughts: This album is about on par with Waiting For Miracles, though there are parts I like more, and parts I like less, but it all balances out in the end. Of course, I've had WFM for a year and so it's had more time to sit in my mind, so maybe in a year's time, I'll feel differently about Islands. As it is, it's a pretty solid TFK album, and any fan of WFM should definitely check this one out. Don't go in expecting Stardust We Are or Flower Power, or even Unfold The Future or Paradox Hotel. This is short by TFK double-album standards, but even then, the music still delivers as a whole. I didn't even pick up on some of the recurring motifs and themes until writing this, so I'm sure with more listens, I'll pick up one more of those ideas that Roine and company spread across the album, which will help make it feel more cohesive of a listen. It's a middle-of-the-road kind of TFK album for me, so with that in mind, here are my rankings of TFK albums:

Materpiece (Will Always Listen To For A TFK Fix):
Stardust We Are
Unfold The Future
Paradox Hotel

Great (Will Sometimes Listen To When Craving TFK):
The Sum Of No Evil
Retropolis
Space Revolver
Back In The World Of Adventures

Good (Occasionally Listened To):
Flower Power
Desolation Rose
Islands
Waiting For Miracles
(The Flower King)

Just OK (Rarely Spun):
Banks Of Eden
Adam & Eve
The Rainmaker
(Manifesto Of An Alchemist)

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 02, 2020, 01:30:24 PM
Also, how many times have TFK used "blinders" in their songs? Pretty sure the phrase "blinders on" appeared in a song on Waiting For Miracles as well, and in other past TFK songs too.

Certainly in Wicked Old Symphony. I can't think of any other occurrences off the top of my head, but there's one recent one for sure. Maybe the new "Judas" or "king" or whatever?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 02, 2020, 01:33:45 PM
Also, how many times have TFK used "blinders" in their songs? Pretty sure the phrase "blinders on" appeared in a song on Waiting For Miracles as well, and in other past TFK songs too.

Certainly in Wicked Old Symphony. I can't think of any other occurrences off the top of my head, but there's one recent one for sure. Maybe the new "Judas" or "king" or whatever?

We also got another funeral pyre mention (I know that one appears on Stardust We Are somewhere).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on November 02, 2020, 01:51:32 PM
Good (Occasionally Listened To):

Islands




I'd rate it about the same.  It's OK, but I've already removed it from my phone and tossed the CD up on the shelf.  The new Armored Saint album is getting all my attention right now, that and the new DGM
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 02, 2020, 01:56:08 PM
Going through all the albums, the word "horse" seems to come up a lot.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 02, 2020, 01:58:03 PM
Going through all the albums, the word "horse" seems to come up a lot.

Off the top of my head, its in There is More to This World, Elaine, and (I think) Stardust We Are (the song).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 02, 2020, 01:59:23 PM
Going through all the albums, the word "horse" seems to come up a lot.

Off the top of my head, its in There is More to This World, Elaine, and (I think) Stardust We Are (the song).

I think it's on every album from SWA through Paradox Hotel. I didn't notice it on TSONE.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on November 03, 2020, 12:04:49 AM
The word "brimstone" seems to pop up here and there too.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Qrusher14242 on November 03, 2020, 09:04:54 PM
After one listen, really enjoying Islands. No big epics but enjoy it so far. More TFK is always welcome. It's another long album, so not sure how many listens i can give it. But real good so far.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 04, 2020, 02:18:01 AM
Going through all the albums, the word "horse" seems to come up a lot.

Off the top of my head, its in There is More to This World, Elaine, and (I think) Stardust We Are (the song).

I think it's on every album from SWA through Paradox Hotel. I didn't notice it on TSONE.

No horses on BITWOA or Space Revolver, as far as I can tell. Definitely on Retropolis (There Is More To This World), Stardust We Are (title track), Flower Power (Deaf, Numb and Blind) and The Rainmaker (Elaine). I haven't checked the others yet.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 04, 2020, 07:23:18 AM
The album's arrived. I'm only five songs in and I'm loving it already! This is the Flower Kings I know and love! And nice that the songs do segue into each other, or at the very least crossfade. On the CD version anyway.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on November 05, 2020, 11:02:34 AM
"Treasure Trove" appears in several places throughout the catalog.

And don't forget "shild" (i.e. child  :lol  )



Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 06, 2020, 08:29:01 AM
And peas! (peace)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 06, 2020, 09:46:40 AM
Banks of Eden was an album I loved when it first came out. I think it's pretty strong but I don't think it's even a top 5 TFK album. I like that it's a little shorter this time, but even then, I'm not that much into the songs aside from Numbers. Numbers is a great tune, though some of the parts makes me feel like Roine and co were listening to fellow Swedes Opeth when writing this one, I've always had that feeling, but the best moments of this epic are classic TFK moments. This epic is very strong and worth the price of admission alone. I've never had any issues with the other 4 songs, but Numbers just overshadows them. I think I would have changed the track listing a little and that would have made it a stronger album. Pandemonium is solid TFK. Rising The Imperial is a great closer. I like the reprises at the end of the album. Great album. I didn't listen to the bonus disc, but I'm going to return to the Flower Kings "B-sides" later.

As for Desolation Rose, I have nothing positive to say about it. It's my least favorite Flower Kings album. I'm inclined to say it's not even a good album as well. If I'm checking multiple times throughout an album to see how much music is left before it's over, it's not good. I don't even check my watch when listening to Retropolis or The Rainmaker, my other two least favorites, and I still enjoy those albums. The music on DR sounds lifeless and to me an obvious example of a band going through the motions. I almost like the opener Tower One, but after that the music is just kind of there for me. There's some moments on the album that make me literally cringe. Overall, it's just a very boring album to me.

Next, I put on Roine Stolt's The Flower King: Manifesto of an Alchemist. I'm not as familiar with this album, along with the latest Flower Kings albums since, I've probably only listened to MOAA 3 times, but I will say I enjoy this one a lot more Desolation Rose. This is a TFK album, I don't care what anyone says. Sounds more like TFK than DR did, too. Needs more listens, but good stuff to me.

Letter M, I would like to try these modded TFK albums, do you have a list somewhere I can reference? I would like to see if I like BoE and DR more that way.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 06, 2020, 09:47:43 PM
Letter M, I would like to try these modded TFK albums, do you have a list somewhere I can reference? I would like to see if I like BoE and DR more that way.

I may have posted them here in this thread but to save you the trouble of searching the thread, here are my "modded TFK albums" for BOE, DR, and as a bonus the track list for TSONE:

Banks Of Eden:
Numbers
Illuminati
For The Love Of Gold
LoLines
Pandemonium
Fireghosts
For Those About To Drown
Going Up
Rising The Imperial

Desolation Rose: (Songs marked with a -> are crossfaded/segued into the following track, edited in Audacity)
Disc 1
Tower ONE ->
Burning Spears
Lazy Monkey
The Wailing Wall

Dark Fascist Skies ->
Psalm 2013 ->
Sleeping Bones
Desolation Road
White Tuxedos

Disc 2
The Resurrected Judas
Silent Masses
Last Carnivore
Badbeats

Runaway Train
Interstellar Visitation
Blood Of Eden
Silent Graveyards ->
The Final ERA

(I may have missed a couple of segues, as I don't have a chance to listen to my mix of the album right not to check, but those are the few that I think are correct. Either way, most of the DR tracks from the main album that had segues remain in place, but I crossfaded the bonus tracks in some cases, particularly at the beginning and the end).

BONUS TRACKLIST!
The Sum Of No Evil
Disc 1
Love Is The Only Answer
Trading My Soul
Regal Divers
Turn The Stone
The River

Disc 2
One More Time
The Sum Of No Reason
Flight 999 Brimstone Air
Life In Motion

Hope you enjoy checking this alternate tracklists out! When I do these sorts of things, I tend to spend WAY too much time sorting the tracks out based on flow, relative pitch between songs, and how they might fit on a side of vinyl.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 07, 2020, 06:54:12 AM
Thanks man. My copy of TSoNE doesn't have the bonus tracks, unfortunately. Actually, none of my TFK albums have bonus track discs except the ones released since 2012. I do have the bonus tracks from SR, TR and A&E on my hard drive though, from downloading them somewhere because I couldn't find copies with the bonus tracks.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 07, 2020, 09:01:34 AM
Giving Waiting For Miracles another listen. Yea, this is much better than DR to me, on par with BoE.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 07, 2020, 09:10:04 AM
So I’ve had a chance to get through both discs of Islands several times. While I think just about every moment on the two discs is enjoyable, I do think a lot of it is not very memorable. Which is really fine, but at some point I expect I’ll pare this down to a single disc’s worth of material. The first disc feels a little stronger to me, but there are a few standouts in the second one as well (Telescope comes to mind, and I really like All I Need Is Love).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 07, 2020, 09:21:39 AM
I have to revisit Islands more, so take this for what it's worth, but so far it seems like an album where the sum is greater than the whole. There is no moment so far where I feel like I want to skip, and everything seems to blend into one another, but in a good way. Like I can put it on let it all wash over me. It's like taking a drive, and just going wherever, and not worrying about which roads you take, some empty ones, some busy ones, and the destination is not important. This is unlike other TFK albums where the journey is taking you to a climatic payoff, which of course I love, but I don't need it every time if the music is enjoyable enough. Compared to the albums from BoE through WFM, Islands is like a breath of fresh air, and I'm enjoying the breeze. I think it's because of the attempts at writing 'darker' material but I think Roine strives when the music is more upbeat.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 07, 2020, 09:32:32 AM
I have to revisit Islands more, so take this for what it's worth, but so far it seems like an album where the sum is greater than the whole. There is no moment so far where I feel like I want to skip, and everything seems to blend into one another, but in a good way. Like I can put it on let it all wash over me. It's like taking a drive, and just going wherever, and not worrying about which roads you take, some empty ones, some busy ones, and the destination is not important. This is unlike other TFK albums where the journey is taking you to a climatic payoff, which of course I love, but I don't need it every time if the music is enjoyable enough. Compared to the albums from BoE through WFM, Islands is like a breath of fresh air, and I'm enjoying the breeze. I think it's because of the attempts at writing 'darker' material but I think Roine strives when the music is more upbeat.

I agree with this. Especially the part about the music washing over you. There aren’t really any huge, climactic moments, but that’s ok. I dunno how it will age for me, but for now I’ve enjoyed just having a pleasant listen.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on November 08, 2020, 04:39:30 AM
I hope you don't mind a semi-fan chiming in, since I would like to share my unconventional history with The Flower Kings with someone. About ten years ago, as I was becoming a fan of Dream Theater, Spock's Beard and Transatlantic, I bumped into The Flower Kings and picked The Sum of no evil at random. I think I dug the album cover. I found it very solid, but wasn't blown away by it. It was only afterwards that I realized it isn't one of the band's more popular releases.

I wasn't too interested in checking the rest of their stuff, but I gave a spin to Banks of eden and Desolation rose when they came out. The latter one appealed to me quite a bit and I still think there are some great songs on it. Still, it wasn't enough to motivate me to check out the earlier stuff.

Years went by, The Flower Kings remained kind of quiet, and then Waiting for miracles was announced. I saw it as a good opportunity to check out another album of theirs or two before I dig into the new one. As I was only familiar with the newer stuff, I decided to move backwards. Paradox hotel featured two of my The Flower Kings songs up to that point: Lucy had a dream and Blue planet. Adam and Eve was fine, but not a single song blew me away as a whole. Unfortunately, I ended up being quite underwhelmed by Waiting for miracles.

So, Islands was announced a while ago and I got excited. It struck me as odd that I am looking forward to a new album by a band that never truly struck a chord with me. A part of me still thinks that, over the years, I will get to the older albums that are being held in a high regard, which will help me appreciate the latter stuff even more. After I'm done with Islands, I will dump the concept of going backwards and check out the first two albums. Lets see how that works out.

Oh, and Islands is pretty enjoyable, actually. Morning news, All I need is love, Broken, Looking for answers and Goodbye outrage are magical. There is something about this band that keeps me going back every now and then. It's like a potential waiting to be unleashed.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on November 08, 2020, 06:12:20 AM
All I Need Is Love is the standout for me at the moment...really strong melody on that one. I'm still have trouble differentiating between each track as I always listen to it straight through, but I'm pretty happy with it. It's not top-tier FK music, but has enough going on to make it a worthwhile listen.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 08, 2020, 08:26:44 AM
So, Islands was announced a while ago and I got excited. It struck me as odd that I am looking forward to a new album by a band that never truly struck a chord with me. A part of me still thinks that, over the years, I will get to the older albums that are being held in a high regard, which will help me appreciate the latter stuff even more. After I'm done with Islands, I will dump the concept of going backwards and check out the first two albums. Lets see how that works out.


I recommend starting with Roine Stolt's "The Flower King" album, then TFK's "Back In The World Of Adventures" and forward from there.
All the 90s albums are consistently great and more "true" prog rock. Once Jonas joined in 2000, it's been a mixed bag of all kinds of goodies.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 08, 2020, 03:00:40 PM
A little over two weeks with Islands and I have to say that I am really enjoying it more and more with each listen. I think I like it a bit more than Desolation Rose at this point, perhaps on par with Flower Power (per my previously posted ranking). I don't think it'll break the barrier between Good and Great for me, since it still feels like the album has a lot of missed potential in some places, especially where musical ideas could have been fleshed out a bit more, perhaps extended or integrated into other pieces to create longer songs, but as it stands, it's a great showcase for what this current line-up can do together, and a better showcase for Kamins and DeMaio than their debut album with TFK on Waiting For Miracles. I'll have to listen to both albums back-to-back and see how I feel about WFM now, given that Islands has come out. I might like WFM a bit more, who knows! When Pattern-Seeking Animals' second album came out earlier this year, I loved it a lot more than their debut, but when I went back and listened to their 2019 debut, I realized how good it was, so perhaps going back to a lesser-liked album with new appreciation for the line-up might improve my opinions on WFM.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 09, 2020, 11:51:40 AM
I need to listen again to hear if there are recurring musical ideas. Definitely recurring lyrics, but I haven't yet figured out if there are recurring musical motifs. Also, I'm trying to figure out if a passage in A New Species is in 5/16 or 6/16.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 09, 2020, 12:34:44 PM
I need to listen again to hear if there are recurring musical ideas. Definitely recurring lyrics, but I haven't yet figured out if there are recurring musical motifs. Also, I'm trying to figure out if a passage in A New Species is in 5/16 or 6/16.

Are you referring to the part that begins around 1:17, and later on at 3:43? Listening to the song on YouTube (https://youtu.be/lB7ijXPgX7w) at half speed, I can confirm they are playing in 5/16.

Also, the theme at the end of "A New Species" returns in "Between Hope And Fear", which I believe I noted in my song-by-song review earlier in the thread. I call it the "Astonishing" theme because it sounds so much love a motif from DT's Astonishing.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on November 09, 2020, 01:26:29 PM
I don't think I'm going to be just automatically buying their albums from now on.  Last two or three albums have done very little for me.  This newest one is easily the most boring record in their catalog.  Where is all the grandiosity and epic soundscapes?   Where are the big bombastic epics?  This was the disappointment of 2020.  Between this and the new very mediocre record from Fates Warning I guess it's on brand for 2020 a year that resembles a shit show inside a dumpster fire on the titanic.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 10, 2020, 06:06:46 AM
I don't think I'm going to be just automatically buying their albums from now on.  Last two or three albums have done very little for me.  This newest one is easily the most boring record in their catalog.  Where is all the grandiosity and epic soundscapes?   Where are the big bombastic epics?  This was the disappointment of 2020.  Between this and the new very mediocre record from Fates Warning I guess it's on brand for 2020 a year that resembles a shit show inside a dumpster fire on the titanic.

I'm sensing a lot of negativity coming from you these last few days, are you okay dude?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 10, 2020, 08:33:26 AM
Islands is growing on me. I like the first disc more than the second, but it's a lot of music to digest. Off the top of my head, Morning News, Tangerine, and Islands are highlights, but I recall the first handful of tracks on the first disc were all very strong.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 10, 2020, 08:35:35 AM
I don't think I'm going to be just automatically buying their albums from now on.  Last two or three albums have done very little for me.  This newest one is easily the most boring record in their catalog.  Where is all the grandiosity and epic soundscapes?   Where are the big bombastic epics?  This was the disappointment of 2020.  Between this and the new very mediocre record from Fates Warning I guess it's on brand for 2020 a year that resembles a shit show inside a dumpster fire on the titanic.

I'm sensing a lot of negativity coming from you these last few days, are you okay dude?

TFK have lost that positivity in their music since the first hiatus, but I think they recaptured some of it on Islands, however, I would never mistake Islands for any of the 90s or early 00s albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on November 10, 2020, 02:10:28 PM
I don't think I'm going to be just automatically buying their albums from now on.  Last two or three albums have done very little for me.  This newest one is easily the most boring record in their catalog.  Where is all the grandiosity and epic soundscapes?   Where are the big bombastic epics?  This was the disappointment of 2020.  Between this and the new very mediocre record from Fates Warning I guess it's on brand for 2020 a year that resembles a shit show inside a dumpster fire on the titanic.

I'm sensing a lot of negativity coming from you these last few days, are you okay dude?


yeah, thanks for asking. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 10, 2020, 02:29:01 PM
Islands is growing on me. I like the first disc more than the second, but it's a lot of music to digest. Off the top of my head, Morning News, Tangerine, and Islands are highlights, but I recall the first handful of tracks on the first disc were all very strong.

It's growing on me as well as I continue to listen to it every other day or so. The run of the first six songs is pretty great, nearly flawless IMO. Lots of great material in those pieces, as well as Tangerine and Solaris, and that's most of the first disc already! The second one has "A New Species", "Serpentine", "Looking For Answers", and the last 3, which are all pretty solid too. The more I listen to it, the more familiar I become with the individual tracks, but it also becomes more of a unified piece for me as I hear the songs in order as presented on the album. I'd say they did a fairly good job with the track order and flow of the album, spreading out the lyrical songs and strategically placing instrumentals between them, while taking into account each piece's mood and feel.

Over-all, I think I am liking it more than Waiting For Miracles as a whole, though I think WFM has a couple of better stand-alone songs.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 11, 2020, 08:15:30 AM
Going through all the albums, I feel I have a better grasp on the TFK discography.
From The Flower King to Space Revolver, including Hydrophonia, is consistently great prog rock, great melodies, epic compositions.
Space Revolver to TSoNE is a mix of the classic TFK sound with some experimentation and added jazziness.
The last 4-5 albums if you include MoaA are a mix of strong ideas, but not a whole lot sticks to my ears. There doesn't seem be any real direction, and some of the stuff is darker (for TFK) and I don't think that is their strong suit. Islands is a step in the right direction, so we'll see what happens next.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 11, 2020, 08:33:45 AM
Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 11, 2020, 08:37:23 AM
Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 11, 2020, 08:43:28 AM
Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 11, 2020, 08:56:22 AM
Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

Most of it, yes. Some of the songs are written by other band members, either alone, like Black Dahlia (Barbieri) or together with Wilson, like Wedding Nails and My Ashes (Barbieri & Wilson). Some songs are credited to all band members or simply "Porcupine Tree".
While the bulk of PT's music was composed by Wilson, I think the band had a very big impact on the finished product though. I remember reading an interview somewhere, where Gavin Harrison said something like he didn't want to play on Wilson's solo albums because before he was playing WITH Wilson and now he'd be playing FOR Wilson. So I guess among the 4 guys, there definitely was the feeling of a BAND with everyone being an integral part, instead of just being Wilson's backing musicians.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 11, 2020, 09:05:21 AM
Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

Most of it, yes. Some of the songs are written by other band members, either alone, like Black Dahlia (Barbieri) or together with Wilson, like Wedding Nails and My Ashes (Barbieri & Wilson). Some songs are credited to all band members or simply "Porcupine Tree".
While the bulk of PT's music was composed by Wilson, I think the band had a very big impact on the finished product though. I remember reading an interview somewhere, where Gavin Harrison said something like he didn't want to play on Wilson's solo albums because before he was playing WITH Wilson and now he'd be playing FOR Wilson. So I guess among the 4 guys, there definitely was the feeling of a BAND with everyone being an integral part, instead of just being Wilson's backing musicians.

Well, aside from contributions from others like Bodin or Jonas, Roine has primarily been the main song writer/composer throughout all the Roine solo/TFK albums. The exception is Wall Steet Voodoo and his pre-TFK albums since those are different concepts and have starkly different lineups.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 12, 2020, 09:31:29 PM
Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

Most of it, yes. Some of the songs are written by other band members, either alone, like Black Dahlia (Barbieri) or together with Wilson, like Wedding Nails and My Ashes (Barbieri & Wilson). Some songs are credited to all band members or simply "Porcupine Tree".
While the bulk of PT's music was composed by Wilson, I think the band had a very big impact on the finished product though. I remember reading an interview somewhere, where Gavin Harrison said something like he didn't want to play on Wilson's solo albums because before he was playing WITH Wilson and now he'd be playing FOR Wilson. So I guess among the 4 guys, there definitely was the feeling of a BAND with everyone being an integral part, instead of just being Wilson's backing musicians.

Well, aside from contributions from others like Bodin or Jonas, Roine has primarily been the main song writer/composer throughout all the Roine solo/TFK albums. The exception is Wall Steet Voodoo and his pre-TFK albums since those are different concepts and have starkly different lineups.

I agree - albums like The Flower King, Hydrophonia, and Manifesto Of An Alchemist, all feel like TFK-adjacent albums, more so the first two than MOAA. Also gotta mention Circus Brimstone, an instrumental-only version of The Flower Kings, who released a single live album Brimstoned In Europe.

As for Wall Street Voodoo, it *does* feature some TFK members, like Jonas Reingold (under a pseudonym), and Marcus Lillequist (as well as Neal Morse!), but because it's more of a blues album, it's probably the least-TFK-like album.

Then again, a lot of TFK-members' solo and side-projects feature tons of TFK members past and present, so sometimes it feels like the TFK family tree is a lot tighter than most other bands' trees. Tomas Bodin's solo albums feature tons of TFK members, for example.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 13, 2020, 04:52:59 PM
Interesting that you're including the Roine Stolt solo albums in the mix here. Maybe there's not much difference between a RS solo album and a Flower Kings album, cos otherwise it'd be like treating Steven Wilson's solo albums as if they were Porcupine Tree albums.

Well, they both include “The Flower King” in the title as well. The first one is pretty clearly the prototype /blueprint for TFK. I haven’t heard the more recent one, but it seems like maybe it was a placeholder while he kind of rebooted the band?

I include TFK, Hydrophonia, and MoaA since they are Flower Kings albums in everything but the name, including the lineups. An album like Wall Street Voodoo, though, or his 80s albums (which I've never been able to find) are not included for obvious reasons.

I'm no expert on Wilson's work, but to me the difference in PT and SW solo is the lineups, but they all sound like they're coming from the same mastermind, at least when you compare the last 4 albums of PT to SW solo. Earlier PT is a bit more trippy and Floydian. Didn't Wilson write all the music?

Most of it, yes. Some of the songs are written by other band members, either alone, like Black Dahlia (Barbieri) or together with Wilson, like Wedding Nails and My Ashes (Barbieri & Wilson). Some songs are credited to all band members or simply "Porcupine Tree".
While the bulk of PT's music was composed by Wilson, I think the band had a very big impact on the finished product though. I remember reading an interview somewhere, where Gavin Harrison said something like he didn't want to play on Wilson's solo albums because before he was playing WITH Wilson and now he'd be playing FOR Wilson. So I guess among the 4 guys, there definitely was the feeling of a BAND with everyone being an integral part, instead of just being Wilson's backing musicians.

Well, aside from contributions from others like Bodin or Jonas, Roine has primarily been the main song writer/composer throughout all the Roine solo/TFK albums. The exception is Wall Steet Voodoo and his pre-TFK albums since those are different concepts and have starkly different lineups.

I agree - albums like The Flower King, Hydrophonia, and Manifesto Of An Alchemist, all feel like TFK-adjacent albums, more so the first two than MOAA. Also gotta mention Circus Brimstone, an instrumental-only version of The Flower Kings, who released a single live album Brimstoned In Europe.

As for Wall Street Voodoo, it *does* feature some TFK members, like Jonas Reingold (under a pseudonym), and Marcus Lillequist (as well as Neal Morse!), but because it's more of a blues album, it's probably the least-TFK-like album.

Then again, a lot of TFK-members' solo and side-projects feature tons of TFK members past and present, so sometimes it feels like the TFK family tree is a lot tighter than most other bands' trees. Tomas Bodin's solo albums feature tons of TFK members, for example.

-Marc.

Correct, Karmakanic's Who's The Boss In The Factory is the best Flower Kings album that isn't a TFK album. Same with their first 2 albums, and The Tangent's first two albums (and of course Jonas is on most of their albums, and Roine is on half of the albums mentioned in this post)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 14, 2020, 08:06:38 AM
Islands is growing on me. I like the first disc more than the second, but it's a lot of music to digest. Off the top of my head, Morning News, Tangerine, and Islands are highlights, but I recall the first handful of tracks on the first disc were all very strong.

This is my take as well so far.  First disc is really good, and I still trying to wrap my head around much of the second one. Very good album overall so far.  Love the sound of it.


Over-all, I think I am liking it more than Waiting For Miracles as a whole, though I think WFM has a couple of better stand-alone songs.


As is normal when one of my favorites releases something new, it gets me to go back and listen to the old stuff, and having revisited Waiting for Miracles a few times recently, I definitely underestimated the heck out of that album.  Vertigo, The Bridge, The Crowning of the Greed, Spirals, Steampunk and We Were Always Here are all major keepers.  I can do without one or two of the songs from disc one (not shockingly, the ones where Froberg sings :lol), but it's a much better record than I originally thought.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on November 14, 2020, 11:03:57 AM
I've listened to Islands quite a lot this past week. I almost can't stop listening to Black Swan and Goodbye Outrage. Especially Black Swan.

And I agree that the first disc is the strongest one.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 14, 2020, 11:05:58 AM
The first 6 tracks or so on the first disc are great. There are some really good moments on the second one too. I listened to this a ton the week I got it but have left it on the back burner this past week. Will try to revisit it in a little while to see how it’s settled in for me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 14, 2020, 03:26:44 PM
I've listened to Islands quite a lot this past week. I almost can't stop listening to Black Swan and Goodbye Outrage. Especially Black Swan.

And I agree that the first disc is the strongest one.

Black Swan threw me for a loop the first time I heard it.  Not sure I had heard Roine channel the Brian May guitar tone and style before, or at least not to that extent.  He freaking nails it.

The first 6 tracks or so on the first disc are great. There are some really good moments on the second one too. I listened to this a ton the week I got it but have left it on the back burner this past week. Will try to revisit it in a little while to see how it’s settled in for me.

Northern Lights is the one from the second disc that I am really liking so far.  Love the vibe and that melody is glorious.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 14, 2020, 03:33:21 PM
So listening to Islands again now. There’s no question this is an odd sounding album from a recording/mix standpoint. I’ve tried in two cars, on two different stereos in my house, and on headphones. Basically the only way you can hear the drums is on headphones. On my stereo it just sounds muffled. I’m chalking it up to limitations of COVID mostly. I saw an interview before it came out (that I can’t find now), where Roine mentioned everyone recorded their parts at home and Roine had to give directions over the phone for things like microphone placement.

I can sort of accept the funny sound as an artifact of recording during a pandemic, but time will tell if that ends up feeling more like an annoyance or charm.

Edit: here is the review (not an interview) that mentioned the logistical issues around the recording. It generally tried to pass off the final product as intentional but I’m not totally convinced about that.

https://progreport.com/the-flower-kings-islands-album-review/
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 14, 2020, 03:39:08 PM
Hmmm, I hadn't noticed that per se, although I did notice that the bass and drums weren't as in your face thumpy as they sometimes are (think the albums with Zoltan). I do like how airy and clear the album as a whole sounds. 

I think some props needs to be given to Zach Kamins as well.  He had a tough spot, replacing Tomas Bodin, since a lot of fans were bummed that he was no longer a part of the band when they officially reformed last year, but he has done a really good job so far.  His choice of notes and sounds is very good. Very much in the spirit of the band's past, while bringing his own flavor at times as well.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 14, 2020, 03:41:16 PM
Hmmm, I hadn't noticed that per se, although I did notice that the bass and drums weren't as in your face thumpy as they sometimes are (think the albums with Zoltan). I do like how airy and clear the album as a whole sounds. 

I think some props needs to be given to Zach Kamins as well.  He had a tough spot, replacing Tomas Bodin, since a lot of fans were bummed that he was no longer a part of the band when they officially reformed last year, but he has done a really good job so far.  His choice of notes and sounds is very good. Very much in the spirit of the band's past, while bringing his own flavor at times as well.

I really like the keyboard work too. The performances themselves by and large are great.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Dedalus on November 14, 2020, 05:52:41 PM
I've been immersed in the work of Roine Stolt for weeks. I listened several times to all Flower Kings' albums and related works. I've never heard Wall Street Voodoo before. What a wonderful album! I loved it. Great drumming by Marcus Liliequist on this record!

Speaking of drummers, what is your preference in relation to the drummers who were part of TFK?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 15, 2020, 03:12:23 AM
I agreed (agreeD) on the "strange" sound of ISLANDS. But now that my box set finally has arrived, I gotta say that the mix sounds much more balanced on the vinyls than on the digital files I had before. Also, the sound is warmer and more transparent.

Also, the LP looks absolutely beautiful! Usually, Insideout "clear" vinyls are not really transparent, but murky (not sure if that's the right word). But this one:  :omg:

(https://i.ibb.co/xSy8kC7/IMG-3116.jpg)

I am now at peace with what I thought was kind of a weird sound  :lol And I am VERY pleased with the purchase of this (overpriced) box set, since it's gorgeous and sounds great.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on November 15, 2020, 04:21:15 AM
Quote from: Dedalus link=topic=1202.msg2721ey released with him on it better.538#msg2721538 date=1605401561
I've been immersed in the work of Roine Stolt for weeks. I listened several times to all Flower Kings' albums and related works. I've never heard Wall Street Voodoo before. What a wonderful album! I loved it. Great drumming by Marcus Liliequist on this record!

Speaking of drummers, what is your preference in relation to the drummers who were part of TFK?

I love Zoltan (super nice guy too), but Jaime is my favorite. I feel like Zoltan joining was the catalyst that sent them on a jazz trajectory because he was so skilled at that style, but I just enjoyed the big dumb rock/metal drumming of Jaime and the music that the band was releasing when he was the drummer.

If anyone is looking for TFK-related projects that are very reminiscent of the 90's albums, check out Roine's Hydrophonia and Tomas Bodin's An Ordinary Night... They are the lost FK-instrumental albums and the music is fantastic.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 15, 2020, 06:39:18 AM
I've been immersed in the work of Roine Stolt for weeks. I listened several times to all Flower Kings' albums and related works. I've never heard Wall Street Voodoo before. What a wonderful album! I loved it. Great drumming by Marcus Liliequist on this record!

Speaking of drummers, what is your preference in relation to the drummers who were part of TFK?

I have as well, along with Neal Morse/Portnoy/Dream Theater projects.
I still need to get around to Wall Street Voodoo, I haven't listened to that one in a long time.

I've got my sights on Karmakanic, Tomas Bodin, modern Kaipa (and Kaipa da Capo), The Tangent, The Sea Within, and Agents of Mercy albums, for more TFK fix, once I get to know Islands more, and Waiting For Miracles, as I only got that album recently. Plus there's live TFK albums which I'm not as familiar with, other than Meet The Flower Kings, that album is... epic. ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 15, 2020, 06:46:52 AM
Oh no. Upon a quick search on the internet, TFK live albums are extremely expensive, are they out of print? I never really got around to their live stuff other than the aforementioned MTFK, and I know I listened to Alive On Planet Earth once or twice on Spotify, which appears to not be there anymore. Tour Kaputt is there, and is the only one that seems to be a reasonable price anywhere. That is disappointing. Roine should get his own streaming service going like Neal Morse has with Waterfall if these albums are not going to be available anywhere at a reasonable price.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Orbert on November 15, 2020, 07:27:55 AM
Also, the LP looks absolutely beautiful! Usually, Insideout "clear" vinyls are not really transparent, but murky (not sure if that's the right word). But this one:  :omg:

(https://i.ibb.co/xSy8kC7/IMG-3116.jpg)

That is glorious!  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 15, 2020, 07:42:52 AM
I agreed (agreeD) on the "strange" sound of ISLANDS. But now that my box set finally has arrived, I gotta say that the mix sounds much more balanced on the vinyls than on the digital files I had before. Also, the sound is warmer and more transparent.

Also, the LP looks absolutely beautiful! Usually, Insideout "clear" vinyls are not really transparent, but murky (not sure if that's the right word). But this one:  :omg:

(https://i.ibb.co/xSy8kC7/IMG-3116.jpg)

I am now at peace with what I thought was kind of a weird sound  :lol And I am VERY pleased with the purchase of this (overpriced) box set, since it's gorgeous and sounds great.

Now, does "Hidden Angles" have a weird skip around 0:40 on the vinyl? I have to know lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 15, 2020, 07:57:15 AM
I agreed (agreeD) on the "strange" sound of ISLANDS. But now that my box set finally has arrived, I gotta say that the mix sounds much more balanced on the vinyls than on the digital files I had before. Also, the sound is warmer and more transparent.

Also, the LP looks absolutely beautiful! Usually, Insideout "clear" vinyls are not really transparent, but murky (not sure if that's the right word). But this one:  :omg:

(https://i.ibb.co/xSy8kC7/IMG-3116.jpg)

I am now at peace with what I thought was kind of a weird sound  :lol And I am VERY pleased with the purchase of this (overpriced) box set, since it's gorgeous and sounds great.

Now, does "Hidden Angles" have a weird skip around 0:40 on the vinyl? I have to know lol

-Marc.

Sorry Marc I forgot all about that haha
Yes, it's there. But still not enough to bother me ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 15, 2020, 08:51:24 AM
I agreed (agreeD) on the "strange" sound of ISLANDS. But now that my box set finally has arrived, I gotta say that the mix sounds much more balanced on the vinyls than on the digital files I had before. Also, the sound is warmer and more transparent.

Also, the LP looks absolutely beautiful! Usually, Insideout "clear" vinyls are not really transparent, but murky (not sure if that's the right word). But this one:  :omg:

(https://i.ibb.co/xSy8kC7/IMG-3116.jpg)

I am now at peace with what I thought was kind of a weird sound  :lol And I am VERY pleased with the purchase of this (overpriced) box set, since it's gorgeous and sounds great.

Now, does "Hidden Angles" have a weird skip around 0:40 on the vinyl? I have to know lol

-Marc.

Sorry Marc I forgot all about that haha
Yes, it's there. But still not enough to bother me ;)

I guess the error was in the mixing stage then if it made to both the CD and vinyl masters. A shame, really, and quite the oversight on Roine's part. The only blemish on an otherwise pretty good album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 15, 2020, 09:13:06 AM
I haven’t noticed the skip yet, but I haven’t tried to look for it. I figure if I never do I may never hear it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 15, 2020, 09:26:33 AM
I forgot about the skip. I haven't noticed it yet, so maybe that's a good thing. I'll be on the look out next time.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on November 15, 2020, 11:01:18 AM
What a gorgeous piece of vinyl.  :hefdaddy

Also, I have just now noticed that the vinyl edition has the album split into six sides. I find it very odd. When there are two CDs of 45 minutes each, that can fit on four sides of vinyl perfectly.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 15, 2020, 12:32:27 PM
It's really not that big a deal. I don't even hear it anymore. But then, DTF went absolutely nuts and spent pages and pages arguing over "People just don't have the time for music anymore" from DT, so it's not a massive surprise.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 15, 2020, 02:13:19 PM


Speaking of drummers, what is your preference in relation to the drummers who were part of TFK?

Zoltan, without a doubt.  None of the albums he plays on is my favorite, but his playing is impressive as hell on each, and all three albums sound awesome in large part due to how great his drum sounds. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 15, 2020, 10:26:57 PM
What a gorgeous piece of vinyl.  :hefdaddy

Also, I have just now noticed that the vinyl edition has the album split into six sides. I find it very odd. When there are two CDs of 45 minutes each, that can fit on four sides of vinyl perfectly.

Well, the 48 and 43 minutes of the two CDs would have fit, but because of the song lengths they would have had to split some songs in half.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Nel on November 15, 2020, 10:59:21 PM
That vinyl is pretty. Like it was birthed from the ocean.  :heart
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 21, 2020, 09:27:46 AM
Spent a little time last night playing with an abridged, single disc length version of Islands. One thing I realized while doing it is that I didn’t dislike any of the songs/tracks, which is good. I was ultimately pretty harsh, cutting some tracks that I know people here have mentioned liking. But I felt pretty good dropping the ones that I did in the end. I moved a few things around, but mostly kept to the order things were originally in. The finished product is 68 minute and flows pretty well IMO:

1. Racing With Blinders On
2. From the Ground
3. Morning News
4. Broken
5. Tangerine
6. Solaris
7. All I Need is Love
8. Serpentine
9. Telescope
10. Looking for Answers
11. Northern Lights
12. Between Hope and Fear
13. Islands

Just got done with a full listen this morning, and I really liked it.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 21, 2020, 02:29:41 PM
I gave Islands another listen. I've had no issue letting it ride after the first disc. I rarely actually listen to the actual CD but generally still treat individual discs as their own, queuing up 2nd discs separately, but Islands is just a little longer than one full 80 minute CD so for me it's not that long. I'm slowly starting to get into more of the individual tracks, but it's still a lot to digest. Going through the last few TFK/Roine releases has made me realize how much I love the first half dozen TFK/Roine albums from the 90s so much more than anything that's come out since after Jonas joined, though I love his playing. I like almost everything the band has been putting out but that sweet spot for me is anything released from 93-00, but of course, I think Unfold The Future is their best album overall, so there's that, so maybe everything since UtF has been really good, or just kind of so-so for the band generally. With Islands, I feel more like we have one foot in the Modernized Classic Prog "rawk" TFK sound, with the other foot in the modern 'mature' and jazzier, slightly experimental, slightly darker TFK sound. I think it's a great combo, they kind of drop the dark overtones on this one so that really gives it a brighter sound. I still don't put it in their top 5, but it's very good for this late in the game.

I think I can give TFK a ranking now, I will include relevant Roine Stolt albums in bold. I took some liberties with Flower Power, because the first disc, to me, is the best single disc of Flower Kings music out there, and to me both discs are different enough on their own, unlike other double albums by TFK where each feel like one half of a whole. Otherwise, UtF is the best album IMO. I like all these albums except the last one.

Flower Power (disc 1)
Unfold The Future
Stardust We Are
Back In The World of Adventures
The Flower King
Space Revolver
The Sum Of No Evil
Hydrophonia
Retropolis
The Rainmaker
Islands
Flower Power (disc 2)
Paradox Hotel
Banks of Eden
Adam & Eve
Waiting For Miracles
Manifesto of an Alchemist
Desolation Rose
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 21, 2020, 03:35:13 PM
Yeah, Desolation Rose really does stand out as the least best of the bunch by a significant margin.  It's not bad; it just feels a bit uninspired and the hooks aren't quite there.  I did a binge of most of their albums again recently, as I often do when a favorite releases a new album, and it was the only album I didn't enjoy (at the very least) a lot.  Even the much-maligned Rainmaker, despite some major hiccups on there, has some great stuff on there, and The Sum of No Evil is aging pretty well for me.  I was pretty iffy on that one for a long time, but I am liking it more and more as time goes on.  Still wouldn't put high on my list, but I definitely enjoy it much more now than I ever did before.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 21, 2020, 04:05:49 PM
I do want to note that Roine’s solos on Islands seem to be really well done. Listening to Telescope right now for example. That’s just an awesome, soulful solo with some really cool licks. In the past as well his solos have been a bit shrill, but I really like his tone on Islands.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on November 22, 2020, 01:15:22 AM
Looking at darkshade's rankings, I realise I haven't checked out Flower Power yet. I need to get on that.

I've only heard Stardust We Are, Space Revolver, Paradox Hotel, Waiting For Miracles, Islands - and The Road Back Home, which was my introduction to them.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 22, 2020, 08:28:43 AM
Spent a little time last night playing with an abridged, single disc length version of Islands. One thing I realized while doing it is that I didn’t dislike any of the songs/tracks, which is good. I was ultimately pretty harsh, cutting some tracks that I know people here have mentioned liking. But I felt pretty good dropping the ones that I did in the end. I moved a few things around, but mostly kept to the order things were originally in. The finished product is 68 minute and flows pretty well IMO:

1. Racing With Blinders On
2. From the Ground
3. Morning News
4. Broken
5. Tangerine
6. Solaris
7. All I Need is Love
8. Serpentine
9. Telescope
10. Looking for Answers
11. Northern Lights
12. Between Hope and Fear
13. Islands

Just got done with a full listen this morning, and I really liked it.

I suspect I will do this at some point, but have not yet. I can't imagine getting rid of anything from Disc 1 except maybe Tangerine (love the verses, chorus is somewhat of a letdown, but I still like the song) and Journeyman.   I know Roine has said the whole album is like one long piece that all kind of goes together, but I am not hearing it that way.  Feels like a double album of mostly individual songs that work just fine on their own.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 22, 2020, 09:29:15 AM
Looking at darkshade's rankings, I realise I haven't checked out Flower Power yet. I need to get on that.

I've only heard Stardust We Are, Space Revolver, Paradox Hotel, Waiting For Miracles, Islands - and The Road Back Home, which was my introduction to them.

You owe it to yourself. Flower Power has a very BIG sound. First disc is nearly as epic as The Whirlwind.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 22, 2020, 10:10:20 AM
Looking at darkshade's rankings, I realise I haven't checked out Flower Power yet. I need to get on that.

I've only heard Stardust We Are, Space Revolver, Paradox Hotel, Waiting For Miracles, Islands - and The Road Back Home, which was my introduction to them.

You owe it to yourself. Flower Power has a very BIG sound. First disc is nearly as epic as The Whirlwind.

I haven't completely gotten into The Garden Of Dream yet. But I love some of the second disc's songs. Especially Deaf, Numb & Blind, Corruption, Calling Home.

I realised, I think the band is very strong in writing 10-15 min songs. In The Eyes Of The World, Circus Brimstone, Silent Inferno (my favourite song of the band EVER), Solaris (off Islands), The Sum Of No Reason, One More Time, as well as the mentioned two from Flower Power are amazing. I'd also like to mention Tower ONE from the often (and just before) slayed Desolation Rose. Themes are intertwining and being reprised very well here. And Felix Lehrmann is one awesome drummer!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 22, 2020, 11:20:10 AM
Tower One is the only song on DR I'll go back to.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 22, 2020, 11:33:23 AM
Spent a little time last night playing with an abridged, single disc length version of Islands. One thing I realized while doing it is that I didn’t dislike any of the songs/tracks, which is good. I was ultimately pretty harsh, cutting some tracks that I know people here have mentioned liking. But I felt pretty good dropping the ones that I did in the end. I moved a few things around, but mostly kept to the order things were originally in. The finished product is 68 minute and flows pretty well IMO:

1. Racing With Blinders On
2. From the Ground
3. Morning News
4. Broken
5. Tangerine
6. Solaris
7. All I Need is Love
8. Serpentine
9. Telescope
10. Looking for Answers
11. Northern Lights
12. Between Hope and Fear
13. Islands

Just got done with a full listen this morning, and I really liked it.

I suspect I will do this at some point, but have not yet. I can't imagine getting rid of anything from Disc 1 except maybe Tangerine (love the verses, chorus is somewhat of a letdown, but I still like the song) and Journeyman.   I know Roine has said the whole album is like one long piece that all kind of goes together, but I am not hearing it that way.  Feels like a double album of mostly individual songs that work just fine on their own.

I started to pick up on some of the themes while putting this together actually. You can hear the theme from Islands on Racing With Blinders On for instance. There are also some repeating lyrics (“opening like a rose” and “watching through my telescope” are two I’ve picked up on). But I also don’t feel that the songs flow together in any sort of necessary way. Most of them can be rearranged without losing any sense of story or flow from one track to the next.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 22, 2020, 11:52:00 AM
Looking at darkshade's rankings, I realise I haven't checked out Flower Power yet. I need to get on that.

I've only heard Stardust We Are, Space Revolver, Paradox Hotel, Waiting For Miracles, Islands - and The Road Back Home, which was my introduction to them.

You owe it to yourself. Flower Power has a very BIG sound. First disc is nearly as epic as The Whirlwind.

Hmmm, now that leads to a good question: which is the better suite, Garden of Dreams or The Whirlwind?  Both are amazing, so I'd have to think about that one.


I started to pick up on some of the themes while putting this together actually. You can hear the theme from Islands on Racing With Blinders On for instance. There are also some repeating lyrics (“opening like a rose” and “watching through my telescope” are two I’ve picked up on). But I also don’t feel that the songs flow together in any sort of necessary way. Most of them can be rearranged without losing any sense of story or flow from one track to the next.

Musically, I agree.  Honestly, after giving much of another listen earlier, I could probably lose all of the instrumentals on this and not miss them a lot. They are fine within the flow of the record, but if I do an abridged version at some point, I doubt I will keep any.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 22, 2020, 12:48:43 PM
Looking at darkshade's rankings, I realise I haven't checked out Flower Power yet. I need to get on that.

I've only heard Stardust We Are, Space Revolver, Paradox Hotel, Waiting For Miracles, Islands - and The Road Back Home, which was my introduction to them.

You owe it to yourself. Flower Power has a very BIG sound. First disc is nearly as epic as The Whirlwind.

Hmmm, now that leads to a good question: which is the better suite, Garden of Dreams or The Whirlwind?  Both are amazing, so I'd have to think about that one.


I started to pick up on some of the themes while putting this together actually. You can hear the theme from Islands on Racing With Blinders On for instance. There are also some repeating lyrics (“opening like a rose” and “watching through my telescope” are two I’ve picked up on). But I also don’t feel that the songs flow together in any sort of necessary way. Most of them can be rearranged without losing any sense of story or flow from one track to the next.

Musically, I agree.  Honestly, after giving much of another listen earlier, I could probably lose all of the instrumentals on this and not miss them a lot. They are fine within the flow of the record, but if I do an abridged version at some point, I doubt I will keep any.

Yeah, the instrumental tracks were the first to go for me, though I kept Looking for Answers (great guitar solo) and the closing track Islands which I think is a nice ending to the album (and reminds me of Yes).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 22, 2020, 01:14:40 PM


Yeah, the instrumental tracks were the first to go for me, though I kept Looking for Answers (great guitar solo) and the closing track Islands which I think is a nice ending to the album (and reminds me of Yes).

I have to admit that the last few songs are falling kind of flat for me so far.  I don't dislike them, but it feels like the album just kind of meanders to its end after a really strong start (Disc 1).  Hoping that will change as I listen more.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 23, 2020, 09:36:52 AM
Yea the 2nd disc is still not holding up for me like the first disc is, I cannot recall much of the 2nd disc other than the title track. TFK albums are tougher nuts to crack than other band's albums, so I won't give up yet.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 23, 2020, 09:46:08 AM
I generally felt the same way with the second disc, but the three that really stand out are All I Need is Love, Telescope, and Looking for Answers. Northern Lights and Serpentine are cool too. It’s one of the reasons I think pairing down to one disc would help though. I just don’t think all of the material is strong enough to hold interest for two discs.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 23, 2020, 01:30:36 PM
I'm curious how people would edit other FK double albums down to one disc, while we're here.

Stardust We Are (72:21)
1. In the Eyes of the World - 10:38
2. Just This Once - 7:54
3. Circus Brimstone - 12:03
4. Different People - 6:17
5. Kingdom of Lies - 5:47
6. Ghost of the Red Cloud - 4:37
7. Stardust We Are - 25:03

Flower Power (74:20)
1. Garden of Dreams - 59:16
2. Magic Pie - 8:19
3. Painter - 6:45
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 23, 2020, 01:57:12 PM
I'm curious how people would edit other FK double albums down to one disc, while we're here.

Stardust We Are (72:21)
1. In the Eyes of the World - 10:38
2. Just This Once - 7:54
3. Circus Brimstone - 12:03
4. Different People - 6:17
5. Kingdom of Lies - 5:47
6. Ghost of the Red Cloud - 4:37
7. Stardust We Are - 25:03

Flower Power (74:20)
1. Garden of Dreams - 59:16
2. Magic Pie - 8:19
3. Painter - 6:45

Flower Power without Deaf, Numb & Blind???
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 23, 2020, 02:25:40 PM
Kind of quick and dirty abridged Stardust We Are:

1. In The Eyes of the World
2. Just This Once
3. Church of Your Heart
4. The Man Who Walked With Kings
5. The Merrygoround
6. Different People
7. Kingdom of Lies
8. Stardust We Are

Just under one disc length at 78 minutes. I wish I could have for If 28 on there though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 23, 2020, 06:09:45 PM
I like the middle three tracks on Disc 2 of Unfold the Future, but I remember making an abridged version of that album that displaced those three songs with Silent Inferno to where my go-to version for a while was:

Genie in a Bottle
Fast Lane
Grand Old World
Silent Inferno
Man Overboard
Solitary Shell
Devil's Playground
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 23, 2020, 07:37:36 PM
Kind of quick and dirty abridged Stardust We Are:

1. In The Eyes of the World
2. Just This Once
3. Church of Your Heart
4. The Man Who Walked With Kings
5. The Merrygoround
6. Different People
7. Kingdom of Lies
8. Stardust We Are

Just under one disc length at 78 minutes. I wish I could have for If 28 on there though.

Man, this is a really fun ride with no let up.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 23, 2020, 09:40:33 PM
So I finally found a reasonably priced copy of Back In The World of Adventures over at Discogs. Came in the mail today but haven’t had a chance to listen yet (I’ve heard it before though). Looking at it now and it looks like an original pressing. CD says made in Sweden, has the Foxtrot Records label. Wasn’t really paying any attention to the version when I ordered it, but that’s kind of cool.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 24, 2020, 09:59:40 AM
Flower Power without Deaf, Numb & Blind???

Yes. Sacrifices have to be made.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 24, 2020, 10:04:06 AM
Flower Power without Deaf, Numb & Blind???

Yes. Sacrifices have to be made.

Yes and this sacrifice should be called Magic Pie  :biggrin:
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 24, 2020, 11:58:03 AM
Nope. I've made my stand. You can make your own version of the album with DN&B on it if you want.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on November 25, 2020, 12:05:33 AM
Flower Power without Deaf, Numb & Blind???

Yes. Sacrifices have to be made.

Yes and this sacrifice should be called Magic Pie  :biggrin:

Noo, Magic Pie is probably my favourite on the whole album. I know, I've only been listening to it a couple of days but damn that song is great. DAT CHORUS.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Orbert on November 25, 2020, 09:15:04 AM
I love Magic Pie!

It takes me through the skyyyyyyy! ♫♫
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 25, 2020, 09:31:28 AM
Okay okay okay  :lol

I listened to Magic Pie again and you guys are right, it's a very good song. I still like Deaf Numb & Blind better, but Magic Pie's chorus is indeed... magic ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 25, 2020, 09:37:11 AM
To be clear, that's not to say I don't like any of the tracks I omitted. But that's the whole point of the challenge to edit the albums down to single-disc length.

To carry on with said challenge:

Unfold the Future (69:12)
1. The Truth Will Set You Free - 30:50
2. Monkey Business - 4:23
3. Black and White - 7:39
4. Fast Lane - 6:33
5. Grand Old World - 5:26
6. Silent Inferno - 14:21

I've done a little bit of tracklist adjusting here to balance it out a bit more. Again, my experience with Devil's Playground has tarnished that song a bit for me.

Paradox Hotel (63:49)
1. Monsters & Men - 21:21
2. Pioneers of Aviation - 7:49
3. Lucy Had a Dream - 5:28
4. Man of the World - 5:55
5. Life Will Kill You - 7:05
6. Paradox Hotel - 6:29
7. Blue Planet - 9:42
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on November 25, 2020, 09:54:31 AM
Damn, no Hit Me With A Hit or End On A High Note?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 25, 2020, 12:42:39 PM
Going through Unfold the Future to see about a single-disc edit, and to be honest I’m not sure that wouldn’t just be the same as the first disc. I think there are some strong parts on Devil’s Playground, but also a lot of not strong parts.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 25, 2020, 04:12:53 PM
Damn, no Hit Me With A Hit or End On A High Note?

Busting Paradox Hotel, which is possibly my favorite TFK album, down to one disc would be pretty difficult.  I know that End on a High Note (top 3 song from the record) would survive it, but not sure Hit Me... would. 

Honestly, even though Bavarian Skies and Mommy, Leave the Light On are not among my favorites, I like them a lot within the flow of the first disc, and can't imagine messing with that immaculate run and flow of Lucy Had a Dream through End of a High Note, so I would have to keep all five.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on November 28, 2020, 09:05:48 AM
Listening to Retropolis today and Flora Majora's middle section jumped out at me. It's never been a favorite song of mine, but I always appreciated how composed, melodic and interesting their earlier instrumentals were until the jazz influence took over and everything became more "improv-y". The middle section of Flora is especially beautiful...these grand, triumphant melodies with subdued drums and an expressive guitar solo were such a trademark of their earlier material. I hate to live in the past and I really enjoy Islands, but Roine's songwriting was on a whole other level back then. Theme For A Hero is another one that really hits hard.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 28, 2020, 09:27:30 AM
Listening to Retropolis today and Flora Majora's middle section jumped out at me. It's never been a favorite song of mine, but I always appreciated how composed, melodic and interesting their earlier instrumentals were until the jazz influence took over and everything became more "improv-y". The middle section of Flora is especially beautiful...these grand, triumphant melodies with subdued drums and an expressive guitar solo were such a trademark of their earlier material. I hate to live in the past and I really enjoy Islands, but Roine's songwriting was on a whole other level back then. Theme For A Hero is another one that really hits hard.

I love Flora Majora. Especially where it repeats the “open up your eyes” melody from Scanning the Greenhouse (off Roine’s The Flower Kings).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on November 28, 2020, 11:31:35 AM
I've been spinning Retropolis a lot this week, actually. I especially like The Judas kiss and Silent sorrow. There are plenty of great instrumental bits on it, I agree.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 28, 2020, 11:47:09 AM
Silent Sorrow will always be one of my favorites.  It was integral in making me a big fan.  I still can't believe my luck, too, as they actually played the only time I've seen the band back in late '06.  :coolio :coolio
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on November 29, 2020, 12:56:56 AM
Listening to Paradox Hotel now. Is Bavarian Skies sort of a Nazi lullaby? :lol
Title: Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on November 29, 2020, 06:17:04 PM
I think these previous posts by Marc and me sum it up well. :)


Ahhh good old "Bavarian Skies"... AFAIK, it doesn't reflect anything by Roine or the band. It's just another part of the story/concept that they decided to throw in there.

BTW, what's the deal with "Bavarian Skies"?

IIRC, it is supposed to be in the first person of a character staying at the hotel. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on November 29, 2020, 11:52:46 PM
Okay, thanks Kev :)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on November 30, 2020, 03:13:51 PM
Listening to Retropolis today and Flora Majora's middle section jumped out at me. It's never been a favorite song of mine, but I always appreciated how composed, melodic and interesting their earlier instrumentals were until the jazz influence took over and everything became more "improv-y". The middle section of Flora is especially beautiful...these grand, triumphant melodies with subdued drums and an expressive guitar solo were such a trademark of their earlier material. I hate to live in the past and I really enjoy Islands, but Roine's songwriting was on a whole other level back then. Theme For A Hero is another one that really hits hard.

I love Flora Majora. Especially where it repeats the “open up your eyes” melody from Scanning the Greenhouse (off Roine’s The Flower Kings).

I knew that melody was from a prior Stolt song but I couldn't remember which! Roine was cool about throwing in little references to other songs in his stuff - The End of Innocence intro from Skenet Bedrar, Inget Nytt Under Solen in The Pilgrim's Inn, The Melting Pot using the melody from Retropolis, etc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on November 30, 2020, 03:43:09 PM
Listening to Retropolis today and Flora Majora's middle section jumped out at me. It's never been a favorite song of mine, but I always appreciated how composed, melodic and interesting their earlier instrumentals were until the jazz influence took over and everything became more "improv-y". The middle section of Flora is especially beautiful...these grand, triumphant melodies with subdued drums and an expressive guitar solo were such a trademark of their earlier material. I hate to live in the past and I really enjoy Islands, but Roine's songwriting was on a whole other level back then. Theme For A Hero is another one that really hits hard.

I love Flora Majora. Especially where it repeats the “open up your eyes” melody from Scanning the Greenhouse (off Roine’s The Flower Kings).

I knew that melody was from a prior Stolt song but I couldn't remember which! Roine was cool about throwing in little references to other songs in his stuff - The End of Innocence intro from Skenet Bedrar, Inget Nytt Under Solen in The Pilgrim's Inn, The Melting Pot using the melody from Retropolis, etc.

There are also a few references to other classic prog songs on those early TFK albums. Back in the World of Adventures has a brief Genesis reference. There’s a King Crimson reference somewhere on Retropolis (I think), and a Camel reference on Stardust We Are.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 30, 2020, 05:59:37 PM
Okay, thanks Kev :)

 :tup :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on December 01, 2020, 11:12:54 PM
Listening to Retropolis again. Man, Roine was on fire on this album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on December 02, 2020, 07:37:31 PM
Listening to Retropolis again. Man, Roine was on fire on this album.

Yeah, he was firing on all cylinders from a songwriting standpoint on that album, and his guitar playing was out of this world as well.  To me, it's still neck and neck with Space Revolver for best TFK single studio album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on December 02, 2020, 11:57:49 PM
I gave Desolation Rose a few spins yesterday and I really liked it. What do you guys think about that album, and how would you rank it to their other albums?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on December 03, 2020, 12:07:39 AM
I gave Desolation Rose a few spins yesterday and I really liked it. What do you guys think about that album, and how would you rank it to their other albums?

I like it, a bit more than the preceeding album Banks Of Eden, and the following album Waiting For Miracles. I only listen to DR in my personal expanded/edited version that mixes in the bonus tracks to make it a more traditional TFK double album.

I think the general consensus here has been that DR is a lower-tier album for many and I feel like I'm one of the few here that likes it overall. It's got some great melodies and moments throughout! I think I put it around the middle of the pack, but even then, mid-tier TFK is still great music!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on December 03, 2020, 01:29:01 AM
Of the ones I've heard, it's clearly my favorite. It's consistent, catchy and powerful song after song after song. Tower one, Dark fascist skies, Silent masses, White tuxedos, Last carnivore... And who can forget that epic scream at the end of the closing track?  :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on December 03, 2020, 02:00:59 AM
Despite having its moments, it's probably my least favourite TFK album. That said, White Tuxedos is a real earworm.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on December 03, 2020, 02:02:08 AM
Of the ones I've heard, it's clearly my favorite. It's consistent, catchy and powerful song after song after song. Tower one, Dark fascist skies, Silent masses, White tuxedos, Last carnivore... And who can forget that epic scream at the end of the closing track?  :tup

That's my impression of it too, very catchy stuff. Great riffs and choruses.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on December 03, 2020, 02:02:57 AM
Desolation Rose has really jumped up in my ranking of FK albums lately. I’ve been playing it a lot at work and there’s a ton of really strong melodies that run through and reappear in different configurations. It’s basically a pre-Islands though I think the high points of DR are much higher. Tower One is an absolute beast and might be my new favorite of their songs in the 10-13 minute category. Interstellar Visitations is another high point.

I really can’t see how this one rates so low. So many great guitar parts and melodies
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on December 03, 2020, 06:04:14 PM
I gave Desolation Rose a few spins yesterday and I really liked it. What do you guys think about that album, and how would you rank it to their other albums?

It is easily my least favorite. I like it, but I don't love it.  Recent listens of all of their albums reinforced my belief that every other studio album is (at the very least) quite a bit better, IMO.

There are some glorious melodies on that album, but they are often surrounded by ones that feel like they missed the mark. The middle section of Tower One is killer, but the first and last few minutes all leave me kind of cold.  The Resurrected Jesus sounds like classic TFK in those verses, but then the chorus falls kind of flat and takes a lot of the air out of the song. 

To me, the best songs from those sessions were on the bonus disc, but I do not factor in bonus stuff when determining how good a record is.  I judge only the proper album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on December 03, 2020, 08:12:51 PM
DR is not even my least favorite TFK album, I just don't listen to it. Never been into this album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on December 04, 2020, 12:23:24 AM
Wow, really diverse opinions on this one then :lol

After a couple of weeks of listening to nothing but TFK I can present my 10 favourite songs at the moment (in chronological order).

The Flower King
World of Adventures (probably the best of them all)
Train To Nowhere
In The Eyes Of The World
Magic Pie
I Am The Sun (1 & 2)
Hit Me With A Hit
End On A High Note
Wicked Old Symphony
Black Swan
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on December 04, 2020, 02:05:34 AM
Wow, really diverse opinions on this one then :lol

After a couple of weeks of listening to nothing but TFK I can present my 10 favourite songs at the moment (in chronological order).

The Flower King
World of Adventures (probably the best of them all)
Train To Nowhere
In The Eyes Of The World
Magic Pie
I Am The Sun (1 & 2)
Hit Me With A Hit
End On A High Note
Wicked Old Symphony
Black Swan

That’s a solid top 10. Glad to see Magic Pie on there! I always thought that was Hasse’s strongest song by far. I’m also surprised to see Train to Nowhere, Hit Me, and the two newer songs beating out stuff like Stardust We Are or Big Puzzle.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on December 04, 2020, 02:08:25 AM
I guess I'm more drawn to the shorter, catchier stuff than the long epics right now. I'm sure they will click with me after a while :)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on December 04, 2020, 09:47:19 PM
Wow, really diverse opinions on this one then :lol

After a couple of weeks of listening to nothing but TFK I can present my 10 favourite songs at the moment (in chronological order).

The Flower King
World of Adventures (probably the best of them all)
Train To Nowhere
In The Eyes Of The World
Magic Pie
I Am The Sun (1 & 2)
Hit Me With A Hit
End On A High Note
Wicked Old Symphony
Black Swan

Interesting top 10.  :tup :tup

I suspect, as you keep listening, that will change a lot over time.  I have a few favorites that are always up there (the first 7 listed below), but the others tends to fluctuate.  If I had to spitball a top 10 right now, I would go with:

Business Vamp (add Dawn and Simple Song to it if I can combine those three from the suite into a single track)
I Am the Sun
Big Puzzle
Silent Sorrow
Ghost of the Red Cloud
End of a High Note
What If God Is Alone?
All You Can Save
The Road Back Home
The End of Innocence
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: 425 on December 06, 2020, 09:04:40 PM
Train To Nowhere

I'm really only beginning to explore the Flower Kings' discography (kind of been working at it for a couple of years, just going a bit a time). But I think this is a really special song that I don't see people talking about very much.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on December 07, 2020, 01:23:15 AM
They seem to have a few live albums too. Which should I check out first?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on December 07, 2020, 08:35:10 AM
They seem to have a few live albums too. Which should I check out first?

If you like epics, go for Meet The Flower Kings. If you want a large variety of songs, go for either Alive On Planet Earth for earlier material, or Instant Delivery for middle-era stuff (a show from their Paradox Hotel tour).

Speaking of live TFK, I almost wish they had released a live album after WFM just to showcase what this latest lineup can do on stage, but now that touring is nearly impossible, I doubt we will see another live album anytime soon. I believe the last live album they put out was Tour Kaputt, released several years after the Sum Of No Evil tour it was recorded on, so well over a decade ago. I almost expected a live album from their BOE/DR era, but nope...ah well.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on December 07, 2020, 09:09:01 AM
Did they even do any shows in the aftermath of WFM?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on December 07, 2020, 10:50:18 AM
Did they even do any shows in the aftermath of WFM?

https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/the-flower-kings-5bd6b324.html

Looks like they had 12 shows last December, and then 2 in January earlier this year.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on December 07, 2020, 05:10:00 PM
Train To Nowhere

I'm really only beginning to explore the Flower Kings' discography (kind of been working at it for a couple of years, just going a bit a time). But I think this is a really special song that I don't see people talking about very much.

I love Train to Nowhere.  It is hard to beat the epics that bookend the debut (World of Adventures and Big Puzzle), but Train to Nowhere has always been my favorite of the rest. The melodies are really strong.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on December 08, 2020, 09:34:24 AM
The only TFK live albums you can casually pick up are Meet The Flower Kings and Tour Kaputt, the only two live albums on streaming services, as well. ALive On Planet Earth used to be streamable. Their live albums go for some insane prices online.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: MinistroRaven on January 12, 2021, 11:12:16 AM
Today the band have launched a brand new video for the track ‘Black Swan’, and you can watch it now here: https://youtu.be/kv3-7HDz4Mw
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on January 12, 2021, 09:26:00 PM
Like the song a lot, did not like the video.  I get what they were going for with those effects, but they came off as cheap and very poorly done, and I didn't need to see what the inside of Froberg's mouth looked like that many times.  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on January 12, 2021, 10:27:48 PM
Like the song a lot, did not like the video.  I get what they were going for with those effects, but they came off as cheap and very poorly done, and I didn't need to see what the inside of Froberg's mouth looked like that many times.  :lol

I skip pretty much any prog music video these days. I’m kind of amazed bands/record companies still put money into them. I suppose it’s much cheaper to pull them off these days so maybe that’s why they still try, but boy does it show. Unless it’s a reasonably well-shot video of the band banging the song out in a room together. I’m a sucker for those.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on January 13, 2021, 02:20:29 AM
Like the song a lot, did not like the video.  I get what they were going for with those effects, but they came off as cheap and very poorly done, and I didn't need to see what the inside of Froberg's mouth looked like that many times.  :lol

I skip pretty much any prog music video these days. I’m kind of amazed bands/record companies still put money into them. I suppose it’s much cheaper to pull them off these days so maybe that’s why they still try, but boy does it show. Unless it’s a reasonably well-shot video of the band banging the song out in a room together. I’m a sucker for those.

I agree, most videos by prog bands by now are terrible. Think about Pattern-Seeking Animals (Why Don't We Run), Spock's Beard (To Breathe Another Day), Transatlantic (Shine).
Interestingly, younger bands manage to produce better videos (Leprous, Haken).
But generally, I don't care for any of them. I want live videos  :metal
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on January 13, 2021, 05:44:39 AM
I'm in the middle of a massive Roine Stolt discography run. Not quite everything he's been involved in, but certainly a lot of it, and probably everything he's been a major credited member in. The Flower Kings, his solo albums, the albums from his spells in Kaipa, Transatlantic, The Sea Within, Anderson/Stolt, The Tangent. In total we're doing 43 albums, and the next one on the schedule is Flower Power.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on January 13, 2021, 07:31:36 AM
I'm in the middle of a massive Roine Stolt discography run. Not quite everything he's been involved in, but certainly a lot of it, and probably everything he's been a major credited member in. The Flower Kings, his solo albums, the albums from his spells in Kaipa, Transatlantic, The Sea Within, Anderson/Stolt, The Tangent. In total we're doing 43 albums, and the next one on the schedule is Flower Power.

I'll forgive you for skipping Agents Of Mercy, as Nad's voice can be a bit difficult to listen to sometimes.

But I would suggest not skipping his appearances on some of his fellow TFK members' solo albums!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on January 13, 2021, 08:09:59 PM
Like the song a lot, did not like the video.  I get what they were going for with those effects, but they came off as cheap and very poorly done, and I didn't need to see what the inside of Froberg's mouth looked like that many times.  :lol

I skip pretty much any prog music video these days. I’m kind of amazed bands/record companies still put money into them. I suppose it’s much cheaper to pull them off these days so maybe that’s why they still try, but boy does it show. Unless it’s a reasonably well-shot video of the band banging the song out in a room together. I’m a sucker for those.

It's funny how such creative artists can be so uncreative when it comes to music videos.  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on January 14, 2021, 01:22:13 AM
I'm in the middle of a massive Roine Stolt discography run. Not quite everything he's been involved in, but certainly a lot of it, and probably everything he's been a major credited member in. The Flower Kings, his solo albums, the albums from his spells in Kaipa, Transatlantic, The Sea Within, Anderson/Stolt, The Tangent. In total we're doing 43 albums, and the next one on the schedule is Flower Power.

I'll forgive you for skipping Agents Of Mercy, as Nad's voice can be a bit difficult to listen to sometimes.

But I would suggest not skipping his appearances on some of his fellow TFK members' solo albums!

-Marc.

It's not me in control. I'm doing it with a couple of guys on a Discord server I'm on. And Agents of Mercy is on the schedule. Last one we did was Fantasia from 1982 (ntbcw Fantasia from 1979). Dude sounded like the bloke from Counting Crows at times, then the middle tracks were very easy to tell who he was ripping off. Bruce, The Police and so on. A lot of the non-FK/TA stuff I might not touch often again, but it's an experience.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on January 15, 2021, 08:41:08 AM
I'm in the middle of a massive Roine Stolt discography run. Not quite everything he's been involved in, but certainly a lot of it, and probably everything he's been a major credited member in. The Flower Kings, his solo albums, the albums from his spells in Kaipa, Transatlantic, The Sea Within, Anderson/Stolt, The Tangent. In total we're doing 43 albums, and the next one on the schedule is Flower Power.

I'll forgive you for skipping Agents Of Mercy, as Nad's voice can be a bit difficult to listen to sometimes.

But I would suggest not skipping his appearances on some of his fellow TFK members' solo albums!

-Marc.

It's not me in control. I'm doing it with a couple of guys on a Discord server I'm on. And Agents of Mercy is on the schedule. Last one we did was Fantasia from 1982 (ntbcw Fantasia from 1979). Dude sounded like the bloke from Counting Crows at times, then the middle tracks were very easy to tell who he was ripping off. Bruce, The Police and so on. A lot of the non-FK/TA stuff I might not touch often again, but it's an experience.

Ahh okay, gotcha. Glad to see AOM wasn't getting neglected, though I do wish they would've re-recorded the opening/title track from their first album (due to the grammatical issue in the chorus). Musically speaking, though, they're fairly good. I listened to them a few months ago, and I still enjoyed them.

As for his older solo albums, I haven't listened to those in quite awhile, but I actually own Fantastia (1992 reprint of the 79 album) on CD! I bought it on eBay over 10 years ago for about $28 (the cheapest currently on eBay is about $40).  I still don't have Behind The Walls or The Lonely Heartbeat on CD yet, but I think I have heard one or both of them in the past.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on January 15, 2021, 03:20:10 PM
Agents of Mercy deserves nothing but neglect for using that dreadful singer.  I would rather shove an ice pick in my ears than listen to Nad Sylvan sing ever again.  :censored :censored

On a more positive note, Zach Kamins deserves major props for how well he has fit in on the last two TFK records.  I was obviously concerned about the departure of Tomas Bodin, but Kamins has done a tremendous job so far. He manages to bring his own style while still playing stuff that is very TFK-ish (there are times it feels like he is channeling Bodin, and I mean that in a good way).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Kyo on January 15, 2021, 03:53:56 PM
Ahh okay, gotcha. Glad to see AOM wasn't getting neglected, though I do wish they would've re-recorded the opening/title track from their first album (due to the grammatical issue in the chorus).

That also bothered me at the time. Funny thing is, they did actually fix this for the digital release (also the reprise at the end of the album) and referred to the new versions as a "remix":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e62BtFmDvA0

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on January 16, 2021, 03:03:42 PM
Ahh okay, gotcha. Glad to see AOM wasn't getting neglected, though I do wish they would've re-recorded the opening/title track from their first album (due to the grammatical issue in the chorus).

That also bothered me at the time. Funny thing is, they did actually fix this for the digital release (also the reprise at the end of the album) and referred to the new versions as a "remix":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e62BtFmDvA0

Oh, I did remember reading about that! I guess things like that happen when English isn't your first or primary language.

Back on the topic of TFK proper, has it been brought up here that, I believe in recent interviews, Roine and co. are already planning on the next TFK album? I think it was Kamins that brought up the idea to do a new long-form epic piece, and the rest all agreed it was a good idea. Their last big epic was "Numbers", which was almost a decade ago, so I would love to see what this new line-up can do in a long-form piece. As Kev said, Kamins has been a great addition to the band, and while he isn't Bodin, he's got his own flavor and style that works very well with TFK's music.

In TFK-related news, I think I also saw that Hasse Froberg is working on the next HFMC album, which is exciting, their last one was really good, so I look forward to hearing more from Hasse and his band. Now I just need to hear news that Jonas is working on a new Karmakanic album! It has been 4-5 years since Dot, so it's about time now to release one!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on January 16, 2021, 05:21:16 PM
A new long epic would be cool, but if the overall quality is similar to the last two, I will be pleased.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 08, 2021, 05:31:16 PM
Listening to Karmakanic's debut album. The title track Entering the Spectra is like a lost song from Space Revolver, with Roine Stolt singing and playing guitar, Jonas on bass, Zoltan on drums. In fact much of the album is like a lost TFK album from 2002. Not every song sounds like something from a TFK album, as there is a different feel to some tunes, but a lot does, no surprise since Jonas' presence on bass and in writing is felt on TFK albums since he joined. There is a different singer and I always liked his voice, it fits the music well.  They also bring a subtle prog-metal sound here and there, which TFK do not really do (more hard rock when they get heavy)

Like The Tangent, this band branched out from TFK and eventually became it's own band with its own sound, but I like the early albums by both bands.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 09, 2021, 01:21:19 PM
I think The Tangent is actually a better band without Roine Stolt in it.  The problem with Roine Stolt being in The Tangent is it makes them sound too much like The Flower Kings.   Over the course of the last few albums I've actually gotten to a point where I kind of like Andy Tillson's weird vocals, and I like the jazzy almost improv sound some of the longer tunes have.  And Andy's lyrics are awesome too.  If I were to compare the last 3 albums from The Tangent verses the last 3 albums from The Flower Kings I would have to give the edge to The Tangent.  I almost never listen to the last three Flower Kings albums but the last 3 The Tangent albums are still in semi-regular rotation.  Especially "A Spark In The Aether"
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on February 09, 2021, 03:20:00 PM
I don't revisit The Tangent much anymore, and didn't keep up with their newer stuff, but that first album was pretty money.  The Canterbury Sequence is one helluva an awesome song.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on February 10, 2021, 04:51:24 AM
Still on the discog run. We've done 37/44 albums so far. Yesterday was the Kaipa Da Capo album Darskapens Monotoni. Michael Stolt is a pretty decent lead singer. Sometimes he reminded me of Chris Rea, other times of Bruce. The rest of the time a deeper Roine. Next on our list is Invention of Knowledge, Roine's collaboration with Jon Anderson.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on February 10, 2021, 05:01:54 AM
Still on the discog run. We've done 37/44 albums so far. Yesterday was the Kaipa Da Capo album Darskapens Monotoni. Michael Stolt is a pretty decent lead singer. Sometimes he reminded me of Chris Rea, other times of Bruce. The rest of the time a deeper Roine. Next on our list is Invention of Knowledge, Roine's collaboration with Jon Anderson.

Prepare for a lot of we are love, spirit is everything, hep yadda and soul is spirit and love is everything and everyone yay.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 10, 2021, 10:45:00 AM
I don't revisit The Tangent much anymore, and didn't keep up with their newer stuff, but that first album was pretty money.  The Canterbury Sequence is one helluva an awesome song.


I agree - you should check out A Spark In The Aether it's just as solid if not even more so, I think.  Nice airy production too
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on February 10, 2021, 02:54:58 PM
Still on the discog run. We've done 37/44 albums so far. Yesterday was the Kaipa Da Capo album Darskapens Monotoni. Michael Stolt is a pretty decent lead singer. Sometimes he reminded me of Chris Rea, other times of Bruce. The rest of the time a deeper Roine. Next on our list is Invention of Knowledge, Roine's collaboration with Jon Anderson.

Ooof...Invention is a rough one. Really let down by the weak production and the overwhelming presence of Anderson's vocals invading every available instrumental section.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on February 10, 2021, 05:51:35 PM
I don't revisit The Tangent much anymore, and didn't keep up with their newer stuff, but that first album was pretty money.  The Canterbury Sequence is one helluva an awesome song.


I agree - you should check out A Spark In The Aether it's just as solid if not even more so, I think.  Nice airy production too

Noted.  :tup :tup

Ooof...Invention is a rough one. Really let down by the weak production and the overwhelming presence of Anderson's vocals invading every available instrumental section.

That album sounded to me like Roine was so star struck in getting to work with one of his idols that he was content with writing a bunch of background music for Anderson to sing over.  Total missed opportunity, IMO.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on February 11, 2021, 02:00:45 AM
That album bores me to tears. It doesn't even manage to put me to sleep as much as most boring albums do, it just annoys me how bland it is.  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on February 11, 2021, 02:08:52 AM
I think you guys are being too harsh on that album. Yes, one has to be very fond of Anderson's style of singing and writing lyrics to appreciate Invention. But I think it's the best we've gotten from Jon in quite a while (along with 1000Hands) and Roine and him harmonize very well.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on February 11, 2021, 09:17:38 AM
I’ve never really sat down and listened to Invention of Knowledge, but a couple songs have popped up on Amazon Music auto-play before and I thought they were pleasant. May have to really check it out to see what I think though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on February 11, 2021, 10:08:16 AM
I’ve never really sat down and listened to Invention of Knowledge, but a couple songs have popped up on Amazon Music auto-play before and I thought they were pleasant. May have to really check it out to see what I think though.

It's actually just 4 big suite-like songs that apart from a few exceptions don't really make sense on their own. So if you ask me, if anything, this is a listen-through album  ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 11, 2021, 11:13:14 AM
I've never listened to the Anderson/Stolt album. Need to, soon, just to know why it's not so good myself.

Gave the 2nd Karmakanic album, Wheel of Life, a listen. Been a while. I forgot how much good stuff there is on there, and Roine Stolt pops up for solos on the last 2 tracks. The keyboardist is quite technically proficient, not unlike Jordan Rudess. Really, everyone in the band are very excellent players. The Jonas and Zoltan rhythm section is possibly my favorite prog rhythm section of the last 25 years. It's too bad they don't play anything together since the late 2000s.

This is the first album that we truly see full band with it's own sound, though still with guests. I think they solidified their sound on the next album. But here we have Masterplan which is a great classic prog sounding piece, but mixed with nice prog-metal touches. Do U Tango is instrumental prog fusion insanity, and it's nice to hear Roine play on the title track and Masterplan Pt 2. I used to dislike parts of this album, mostly the vocals, some weird choices made here at times, but other times really great singing. Kinda odd. When he's good, he's good.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 11, 2021, 12:13:58 PM
To me that 2nd album is still the best Karmakanic album.   The others are very good too, but there's just something about that second album..."would you like to dance?"  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 11, 2021, 12:16:58 PM
I tried to listen to this new TFK album again and it's just so...boring.  I'm kind of surprised at how well it's selling on Amazon.com - this will easily be my least favorite album by them and it's really not even slightly close.  I hope this is just a temporary diversion.  Please bring back the riffs and some crunchy guitars and longer songs.  This is like two CDs of ballads
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 11, 2021, 12:18:20 PM
To me that 2nd album is still the best Karmakanic album.   The others are very good too, but there's just something about that second album..."would you like to dance?"  :lol

It's my number 2 album of theirs, I do really like it, their strongest at that point, but I think the follow up is their best. The epic on there is a beast. That's coming soon. The only album I haven't checked out yet is their most recent, DOT.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 11, 2021, 12:29:34 PM
DOT is pretty great too.  I like all their albums, although I admit I rarely listen to the debut.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 11, 2021, 12:39:06 PM
DOT is pretty great too.  I like all their albums, although I admit I rarely listen to the debut.

It's definitely their weakest and sounds the most like a TFK side project, but it has some strong material in there.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on February 11, 2021, 03:40:49 PM
Like The Tangent, I jumped off the Karmakanic ship a while back, but that second album is pretty dynamite for sure.  The debut is definitely pretty choppy, but the title track, Entering the Spectra, is freaking awesome.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 11, 2021, 04:07:10 PM
Like The Tangent, I jumped off the Karmakanic ship a while back, but that second album is pretty dynamite for sure.  The debut is definitely pretty choppy, but the title track, Entering the Spectra, is freaking awesome.

I was unimpressed with In A Perfect World when it came out, which is partly why I never checked out DOT.
Interestingly, the drummer who replaced Zoltan in TFK is the same drummer who replaced him in Karmakanic, on IAPW.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on February 11, 2021, 11:47:16 PM
As someone who has followed Karmakanic since before 2008's Who's The Boss In The Factory, I've gotta say that that album is probably my favorite of theirs. The opening epic is the quintessential Karmakanic sound, and the closing duo of "Eternally" tracks is really touching as well. Their first two albums are solid works, too, but I think WTBITF is where they really set themselves apart from being "just another TFK offshoot" and more of a Jonas Reingold-led outfit with some amazing players in their own right.

I think most Karmakanic fans would agree that IAPW is their weakest work out of the five studio albums, which is why I was excited when DOT came out in 2016 and being wowed by most of the material. I think I find myself going back to DOT and Boss more often than anything else in their catalog.

Of the other TFK off-shoots, I'd put The Tangent up top, especially since Roine left and the band became more of Andy's vehicle for his proggy output. I'm probably the biggest Tangent fan here on this board, or at least one of the biggest ones (as I've been directly supporting Andy and his ventures since 2009, where you may see my name among the fans who financially fund the making of his Tangent and solo albums), and every time Andy releases a new Tangent album, it's always a treat to hear how the band has evolved, especially lately now that there has been a consistent line-up for the last couple of albums! They've had their highs and lows, but overall, the Tangent is a fairly consistently good catalog for me, and a top 20 band in my book.

Then there's also Hasse Froberg & Musical Companion, with four albums in the last decade or so, and they've had some fairly great music so far! If you love Hasse's vocals and sound, this is definitely for you. I feel like he spun off into his own solo band because the Flower Kings kept going on hiatus, and Hasse had so much music to put out there, and so he did! I haven't listened to them in awhile, but I remember enjoying each album as they came out, and last I heard, he was working on a fifth album with his band, so I hope we see that come out sometime this year!

And of course, there was the solo career of Tomas Bodin, which is kind of hit-or-miss for me now, and while there are some epic moments (I AM being one of them), I have to be in a certain mood and mindset for his music, but I do enjoy his work for the most part. It's kind of sad that he hasn't really done anything in six years or so, and he's even had projects that have fallen to the wayside (like Crime Of The Century), but looking at his Soundcloud just now, it seems like he uploads every couple of months, so he's still writing and recording SOME music.

And on the subject of solo stuff, anyone else here love Wall Street Voodoo by Roine Stolt? Easily one of my favorite Roine Stolt-related albums, the vibe is completely different and I love his guitar work across the whole thing. Neal's contributions are also very fresh and vibrant. I kind of wish that Roine and Neal took a band out to tour on this album (with an encore of some Transatlantic material).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 12, 2021, 06:53:23 AM
I think I checked out Hasse and Musical Companion's 2nd album once when it came out, but I don't remember anything about it.

Wallstreet Voodoo has been queued up for me for a while, never listened to it, but have had a digital copy of it for years. I don't know why I've never gotten around to it. Maybe this weekend.

I'm thinking I'm going to dive into The Tangent soon, as I haven't heard any of their newer albums, the last one I got was Le Sacre du Travail in 2013, and I see Karmakanic and The Tangent combined forces into Tangekanic on their most recent live album, so I'm curious about that. Of course, Jonas Reingold is on ALL of this music, as he's the bassist on most of The Tangent's albums.

I'm also thinking about diving back into 2000s and 2010s Kaipa, as I was going through their 70s and 80s albums recently, but took a break after that.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on February 12, 2021, 08:58:40 AM
Well, talking about TFK in the TA thread got me to revisit Space Revolver this morning. What a wonderful album. Chicken Farmer Song for the win.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on February 12, 2021, 09:05:35 AM
Well, talking about TFK in the TA thread got me to revisit Space Revolver this morning. What a wonderful album. Chicken Farmer Song for the win.

“A full 18 inches of delicious pizza!”

“How could you possibly fit all that in your mouth?”
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on February 12, 2021, 09:13:59 AM
I mean, the entire discography of Agents of Mercy comes from within the 2007-2012 hiatus, so even Roine was making music during that time.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 12, 2021, 09:26:37 AM
Who's The Boss In The Factory is an interesting title for an prog rock album. This really where the band came into it's own, in my opinion. The opening epic Send a Message From The Heart is up there with the best symphonic epics by TFK, Transatlantic, or Neal Morse. Just fantastic composition. I can't say enough good things about it. Love when the main theme comes back towards at the end in a different key with that guitar solo. I sometimes feel like the opening theme is a little cheesy but then when it returns at the end I'm always like, yea that's the stuff. Weird how that happens. Then the final coda just brings it home.

I always liked Let In Hollywood a lot, a really fun heavy rocker. Doesn't get talked about enough. The 7/8 time throughout is cool, (this album is littered with odd time signatures) the chorus even brings it up. Love that riff about 2 1/2 minutes in, especially when the synths come in. The title track is another cool number, this time a slow build, but the song contains some really interesting material and some soaring melodies, and some heavy riffage here and there. Very strong tune. I can't applaud the great synth, keyboard, and piano work there is on this one enough. I forgot how epic this song is, and done in half the time as the opener. Love the sax on Two Blocks From The Edge. Eternally is nice and ballady, but as my least favorite I would liked it if the album didn't end with this. Probably the only big flaw I can point out with this album.

There is fantastic playing all around. Lalle Larsson is an incredible keyboardist. I feel like he's basically unknown though. Krister Jonsson is a fine guitarist as well. Jonas is on fire as usual, and this is one my favorite performances with Zoltan on drums. This is Goran's best performance on vocals (I haven't heard DOT) as well. I don't know what it is, but his voice fits very well in this music.

I forgot that Roine Stolt, Tomas Bodin, Andy Tillison, and Theo Travis all make appearances on Who's The Boss In The Factory. Also of note is the album does not have a question mark at the end of the title on the actual album, even though Wikipedia lists it as so, as it's the end of the statement made in the chorus of the title track.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 12, 2021, 09:28:25 AM
I mean, the entire discography of Agents of Mercy comes from within the 2007-2012 hiatus, so even Roine was making music during that time.

Roine is always creating music. Since 2007, if it's not TFK, it's AoM, Kaipa DeCapo, Transatlantic, The Sea Within, the occasional solo album, or working with Jon Anderson.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 12, 2021, 10:31:24 AM
In A Perfect World is the first Karmakanic with no outside guests or Roine Stolt, but unfortunately Zoltan has left! However, he was replaced by Marcus Lilliquist, who also replaced him in The Flower Kings on Paradox Hotel (though Zoltan would go on to replace ML in TFK on the next album) The album starts out promising with "1969" but the rest of the album is just all over the place. There's highlights for sure. 1969 as mentioned, while great, doesn't quite reach the highs that previous 10+ minute Karmakanic songs have, but solid piece nonetheless. Kind of like a lost song from the Who's The Boss sessions...

The rest of the songs on the album, as I said earlier, are all over the place, and the writing is simpler than previous albums. There's a lot of repetitiveness, or attempts at writing catchy singles for radio consumption, but with glimpses of greatness sprinkled in.

The exception besides 1969, is Can't Take It With You which is the most interesting track on here. A cool, Latin inflected heavy song with some Zappa sounding influence. I wish more of this album was like this song.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on February 12, 2021, 11:21:04 AM
Well, talking about TFK in the TA thread got me to revisit Space Revolver this morning. What a wonderful album. Chicken Farmer Song for the win.

Oh, that was one of the first songs I really loved when I got into the band. It's still a favourite.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on February 12, 2021, 12:29:18 PM
Tomas Bodin's first solo album "An Ordinary Night..." is really worth hearing for the full band tracks. Total old-school FK vibe and lots of really beautiful melodies. Roine's solo in Three Stories is one of his best and there's also a song that might be familiar to FK fans
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on February 12, 2021, 06:51:24 PM
Well, talking about TFK in the TA thread got me to revisit Space Revolver this morning. What a wonderful album. Chicken Farmer Song for the win.

“A full 18 inches of delicious pizza!”

“How could you possibly fit all that in your mouth?”

Well, that's in Underdog, not Chicken Farmer Song, but great moment.  Love both of those songs.

Space Revolver has always been a favorite of mine.  I Am the Sun is in the conversation for best thing Roine Stolt ever wrote. :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 15, 2021, 07:58:02 AM
I didn't care much for DOT on first listen, I don't think I'm into these later Karmakanic albums.

Tomas Bodin's first solo album "An Ordinary Night..." is really worth hearing for the full band tracks. Total old-school FK vibe and lots of really beautiful melodies. Roine's solo in Three Stories is one of his best and there's also a song that might be familiar to FK fans

I have 2 Tomas Bodin albums, Sonic Boulevard, and I AM, and while I don't dislike them, I'm never inclined to go back to them, and have not sought out any more of his albums. Although I've wanted a copy of Pinup Guru, just because Zoltan and Jonas are on it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on February 16, 2021, 05:42:55 PM
I gave both A Spark in the Aether and The Slow Rust of Forgotten Machinery, both by The Tangent, a few whirls this week, and hot damn that is some good stuff.  I will get some mileage out both of those.  Yay for being stuck at home cause of the snow and having too much free time.  :hat :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on February 17, 2021, 02:44:01 AM
I didn't care much for DOT on first listen, I don't think I'm into these later Karmakanic albums.

Tomas Bodin's first solo album "An Ordinary Night..." is really worth hearing for the full band tracks. Total old-school FK vibe and lots of really beautiful melodies. Roine's solo in Three Stories is one of his best and there's also a song that might be familiar to FK fans

I have 2 Tomas Bodin albums, Sonic Boulevard, and I AM, and while I don't dislike them, I'm never inclined to go back to them, and have not sought out any more of his albums. Although I've wanted a copy of Pinup Guru, just because Zoltan and Jonas are on it.

I’m not too big a fan of those other Bodin albums though Sonic Boulevard has some decent tracks. An Ordinary Night sounds quite different in that the full band tracks it sound a lot like early FK material. Definitely worth hearing for those songs if you love that era of TFK.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on February 17, 2021, 01:24:30 PM
I gave both A Spark in the Aether and The Slow Rust of Forgotten Machinery, both by The Tangent, a few whirls this week, and hot damn that is some good stuff.  I will get some mileage out both of those.  Yay for being stuck at home cause of the snow and having too much free time.  :hat :hat


Nice  :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 17, 2021, 03:41:13 PM
The Tangent's first album is very good, I used to regard it higher when I first got it, but it's still good. Sounds like TFK with Andy Tillison on keys sharing vocals with Roine. Andy brings the Canturbury angle to the music, which I always liked about The Tangent.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on February 17, 2021, 06:04:29 PM
I gave that first album a fresh listen this week and still love it.  In Darkest Dreams is a really tasty "sidelong" epic, and Up-Hill from Here still has one of Roine's most rocking and bad ass solos.  And the awesomeness of The Canterbury Sequence goes without saying.  Title track is also very nice.  Great stuff.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on February 18, 2021, 03:44:37 AM
A new music video has been released, this is for All I Need Is Love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA01Sqj8pbI
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on February 18, 2021, 06:48:37 AM
That's one of my favorite tunes on Islands.  :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 18, 2021, 08:23:05 AM
I think it's time to revisit the recent TFK albums; Islands, Waiting For Miracles, and Manifesto of an Alchemist (it's a TFK album to me)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on February 18, 2021, 01:03:58 PM
I'm liking DOT a little more on 2nd listen, but I'm still not ga-ga over it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on February 18, 2021, 02:08:24 PM
A new music video has been released, this is for All I Need Is Love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA01Sqj8pbI

What a nice video for one of the better songs on Islands! Happy to see the band still promoting this album - it definitely deserves more attention! I'm also excited to continue hearing news about the next TFK album and that the band, prompted by Kamins, are working towards writing an epic piece!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on February 21, 2021, 09:14:48 AM
A new music video has been released, this is for All I Need Is Love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA01Sqj8pbI

I think the band needs to stick to the music and not worry about videos.  :lol :lol

Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good either.  Amazing how some bands can be so good and creative with the music and so bad with videos.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Ben_Jamin on February 21, 2021, 09:22:38 AM
A new music video has been released, this is for All I Need Is Love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA01Sqj8pbI

I think the band needs to stick to the music and not worry about videos.  :lol :lol

Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good either.  Amazing how some bands can be so good and creative with the music and so bad with videos.

I blame Inside Out. Has the Transatlantic video style as well.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on February 21, 2021, 09:33:55 AM
A new music video has been released, this is for All I Need Is Love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA01Sqj8pbI

I think the band needs to stick to the music and not worry about videos.  :lol :lol

Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good either.  Amazing how some bands can be so good and creative with the music and so bad with videos.

I blame Inside Out. Has the Transatlantic video style as well.

Yeah, I doubt the band has much input into creating the videos. I’m guessing Inside Out hires someone to produce these and the band just plays along.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Ben_Jamin on February 21, 2021, 09:36:33 AM
A new music video has been released, this is for All I Need Is Love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA01Sqj8pbI

I think the band needs to stick to the music and not worry about videos.  :lol :lol

Okay, it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good either.  Amazing how some bands can be so good and creative with the music and so bad with videos.

I blame Inside Out. Has the Transatlantic video style as well.

Yeah, I doubt the band has much input into creating the videos. I’m guessing Inside Out hires someone to produce these and the band just plays along.

Probably just tell the band to show up for a video shoot. And then they do the rest and show them the final product. Unless they let their manager give the final say. That is if Roine really cares about the video as well..
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 10, 2021, 06:18:01 AM
Islands is moving up in my TFK ranking. I now consider it their best album since the hiatus. The first disc is great, I do feel like the 2nd disc is not as strong, and they maybe could have cut the material down to all fit on one killer CD, but TFK music is also dense and requires more listens to appreciate, so who knows. I will say, some of the individual songs are becoming my favorites, Morning News, Tangerine, Solaris, All I Need Is Love, Serpentine, Between Hope and Fear, the title track, those all stick out off the top of my head. The rest still need more time to sink in. Also listening to Manifesto of an Alchemist right now, and I like this one a lot as well, I don't see many ranking this one high, but I like it, it sounds like a band refreshed (even if it's not technically TFK, but it basically is if we're calling the last 2 albums TFK)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on March 10, 2021, 06:47:44 AM
I'm trying to think what I would cut to make Islands a single disc. Tracklist:

1. Black Swan
2. Morning News
3. Broken
4. Tangerine
5. Solaris
6. Heart of the Valley
7. All I Need Is Love
8. A New Species
9. Northern Lights
10. Hidden Angles
11. Islands
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 10, 2021, 07:18:36 AM
I wouldn't have minded a single disc, with a bonus disc featuring all the songs cut from the main album.
1st disc is so strong.

MoAA is really strong. I liked it when it came out, even if I wasn't in a TFK mood at the time. It really has some of that old school TFK feel, and has some great melodies. Roine's guitar is very solid, playing some gorgeous lines. Roine should sing for an entire album (or 95% of it) more often, I always preferred his vocals, and preferred Hasse as an occasional singer to add some color. Daniel as full time lead singer would have been awesome, too bad that didn't work out. Between his vocals on UtF, A&E, and on Kaleidoscope, he presents the strongest vocal performance between all the albums between TFK, Roine, TA, and Neal Morse.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 10, 2021, 07:47:24 AM
Waiting For Miracles is a really strong album as well. In total, these 3 albums are a return to glory for TFK. The music is fun, up beat, diverse, and there's many strong melodies and arrangements. This is something I felt was lacking on Desolation Rose, my least favorite TFK album. I only wish they'd release another epic on the next album. Numbers was great, possibly the best song between the last 4-5 albums, definitely since the reunion in 2012, and I enjoy all their epics.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 10, 2021, 08:05:06 AM
I think Waiting for Miracles is a little better than Islands, which could have lost a few songs from Disc 2, but I still like both a lot.  Both are major upgrades over the last album that came before it (Desolation Rose).  I am still a big fan of Banks of Eden.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 10, 2021, 08:26:38 AM
I think Waiting for Miracles is a little better than Islands, which could have lost a few songs from Disc 2, but I still like both a lot.  Both are major upgrades over the last album that came before it (Desolation Rose).  I am still a big fan of Banks of Eden.

Same, BoE is a good album, though something about BoE and DR feels off, not sure what it is.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: bluefox4000 on March 10, 2021, 08:31:34 AM
It's been a bit.  have to say Islands does little for me.  i haven't really liked the past few albums.

as noted i think the last Flower kings album to hit any sweet spot for me and stick was BoE.  what a great listen that is.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on March 10, 2021, 08:37:02 AM
I must be in the minority of those who actually likes Desolation Rose. Lots of great tracks there - Tower One, White Tuxedos, Silent Masses, Last Carnivore, and Runaway Train (from the bonus CD).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on March 10, 2021, 09:00:12 AM

Wallstreet Voodoo has been queued up for me for a while, never listened to it, but have had a digital copy of it for years. I don't know why I've never gotten around to it. Maybe this weekend.



I never even made it through album.  It just didn't do anything for me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 10, 2021, 09:26:26 AM
I must be in the minority of those who actually likes Desolation Rose. Lots of great tracks there - Tower One, White Tuxedos, Silent Masses, Last Carnivore, and Runaway Train (from the bonus CD).

I don't dislike it at all.  It's a solid record, with some great moments. It just feels like some of the melodies and songs didn't quite stick to landing.  The Resurrected Judas is classic TFK structure and writing, but the melodies don't quite connect, IMO.  I love the middle 5-6 minutes of Tower One, but the beginning and ending both leave me hollow.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on March 10, 2021, 10:01:57 AM
I must be in the minority of those who actually likes Desolation Rose. Lots of great tracks there - Tower One, White Tuxedos, Silent Masses, Last Carnivore, and Runaway Train (from the bonus CD).

I don't dislike it at all.  It's a solid record, with some great moments. It just feels like some of the melodies and songs didn't quite stick to landing.  The Resurrected Judas is classic TFK structure and writing, but the melodies don't quite connect, IMO.  I love the middle 5-6 minutes of Tower One, but the beginning and ending both leave me hollow.

I can only repeat myself, I think Tower ONE is one of the band's best songs ever.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on March 10, 2021, 10:35:44 AM
I must be in the minority of those who actually likes Desolation Rose. Lots of great tracks there - Tower One, White Tuxedos, Silent Masses, Last Carnivore, and Runaway Train (from the bonus CD).

You're not alone - I quite enjoy DR a lot myself, maybe even more than BOE. After DR was released, I was excited to hear a third album from that line-up after having been on a five year hiatus (after the release of The Sum Of No Evil in 2007), but they went on hiatus again for another five+ years. Of the two newest outings, I think I definitely like Islands more (and the Roger Dean cover kind of helps too, especially since blue is my favorite color - it adds to the overall feel of the album), though I haven't listened to either Islands or Waiting For Miracles for a couple of months now (as i've been in Transatlantic mode for awhile). I'll definitely have to revisit those albums sometime soon, especially since TFK is my Spring/Summer band to go to when those warmer months roll around (and today's high is 70 degrees!!).

I'm just excited to know that Roine and the band are already working on a third album with the current line-up, so now we won't see them fall into another five year hiatus and wait til 2025 to release their 15th studio album. Weird to think that TFK will be 30 years old by 2025 though. I wonder if they'll last that long...

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 10, 2021, 03:28:11 PM


I can only repeat myself, I think Tower ONE is one of the band's best songs ever.

To each their own. :)

When it comes to Desolation Rose, I am much more likely to revisit the bonus disc, as it has some really good instrumentals that I dig.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 10, 2021, 05:28:23 PM
I must be in the minority of those who actually likes Desolation Rose. Lots of great tracks there - Tower One, White Tuxedos, Silent Masses, Last Carnivore, and Runaway Train (from the bonus CD).

You're not alone - I quite enjoy DR a lot myself, maybe even more than BOE. After DR was released, I was excited to hear a third album from that line-up after having been on a five year hiatus (after the release of The Sum Of No Evil in 2007), but they went on hiatus again for another five+ years. Of the two newest outings, I think I definitely like Islands more (and the Roger Dean cover kind of helps too, especially since blue is my favorite color - it adds to the overall feel of the album), though I haven't listened to either Islands or Waiting For Miracles for a couple of months now (as i've been in Transatlantic mode for awhile). I'll definitely have to revisit those albums sometime soon, especially since TFK is my Spring/Summer band to go to when those warmer months roll around (and today's high is 70 degrees!!).

I'm just excited to know that Roine and the band are already working on a third album with the current line-up, so now we won't see them fall into another five year hiatus and wait til 2025 to release their 15th studio album. Weird to think that TFK will be 30 years old by 2025 though. I wonder if they'll last that long...

-Marc.

Considering the lineup changes, I have to wonder if both hiatuses were due to Bodin and perhaps him not getting along with Roine and/or the rest of the band.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 10, 2021, 06:35:51 PM
I cannot remember where I read it, but Roine did an interview somewhat recently where he basically said that it felt like all of the members weren't "all in" when they reunited early last decade, and you know he isn't talking about Froberg or Reingold, so it was pretty easy to read between the lines there.  As noted before, I was kinda bummed when the band reunited for Waiting for Miracles and Bodin was not brought back, but I get why now, and his replacement Zach Kamins has done a tremendous job thus far, so it is what it is at this point.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 10, 2021, 06:42:31 PM
I think that was his recent interview with Pete Pardo's Sea of Tranquility show on youtube.

That guy has interviewed Roine, Neal and Portnoy recently.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 10, 2021, 06:47:08 PM
That sounds about right. My memory about such things isn't as great as it used to be.  :eek :lol :facepalm:

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 12, 2021, 09:34:37 AM


I can only repeat myself, I think Tower ONE is one of the band's best songs ever.

To each their own. :)

When it comes to Desolation Rose, I am much more likely to revisit the bonus disc, as it has some really good instrumentals that I dig.

I need to revisit that bonus disc, I don't know the tunes very much at all. I need to find that track list The Letter M made of of DR (and BoE) combining the main discs with the 2nd disc bonus tracks.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on March 12, 2021, 10:52:46 AM


I can only repeat myself, I think Tower ONE is one of the band's best songs ever.

To each their own. :)

When it comes to Desolation Rose, I am much more likely to revisit the bonus disc, as it has some really good instrumentals that I dig.

I need to revisit that bonus disc, I don't know the tunes very much at all. I need to find that track list The Letter M made of of DR (and BoE) combining the main discs with the 2nd disc bonus tracks.

Letter M, I would like to try these modded TFK albums, do you have a list somewhere I can reference? I would like to see if I like BoE and DR more that way.

I may have posted them here in this thread but to save you the trouble of searching the thread, here are my "modded TFK albums" for BOE, DR, and as a bonus the track list for TSONE:

Banks Of Eden:
Numbers
Illuminati
For The Love Of Gold
LoLines
Pandemonium
Fireghosts
For Those About To Drown
Going Up
Rising The Imperial

Desolation Rose: (Songs marked with a -> are crossfaded/segued into the following track, edited in Audacity)
Disc 1
Tower ONE ->
Burning Spears
Lazy Monkey
The Wailing Wall

Dark Fascist Skies ->
Psalm 2013 ->
Sleeping Bones
Desolation Road
White Tuxedos

Disc 2
The Resurrected Judas
Silent Masses
Last Carnivore
Badbeats

Runaway Train
Interstellar Visitation
Blood Of Eden
Silent Graveyards ->
The Final ERA

(I may have missed a couple of segues, as I don't have a chance to listen to my mix of the album right not to check, but those are the few that I think are correct. Either way, most of the DR tracks from the main album that had segues remain in place, but I crossfaded the bonus tracks in some cases, particularly at the beginning and the end).

BONUS TRACKLIST!
The Sum Of No Evil
Disc 1
Love Is The Only Answer
Trading My Soul
Regal Divers
Turn The Stone
The River

Disc 2
One More Time
The Sum Of No Reason
Flight 999 Brimstone Air
Life In Motion

Hope you enjoy checking this alternate tracklists out! When I do these sorts of things, I tend to spend WAY too much time sorting the tracks out based on flow, relative pitch between songs, and how they might fit on a side of vinyl.

-Marc.

There ya go!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 12, 2021, 01:43:52 PM
Many thanks!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on March 27, 2021, 07:06:22 PM
Kind of quick and dirty abridged Stardust We Are:

1. In The Eyes of the World
2. Just This Once
3. Church of Your Heart
4. The Man Who Walked With Kings
5. The Merrygoround
6. Different People
7. Kingdom of Lies
8. Stardust We Are

Just under one disc length at 78 minutes. I wish I could have for If 28 on there though.

Just listened to this abridged Stardust We Are tonight, and wow, is that an amazing string of 8 songs. Just This Once through Kingdom of Lies in particular are such fun listens. I don't have anything against the full two-disc version of SWA (which I've really come to love), but I think this track list would be up there for their strongest overall album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2021, 07:15:08 PM
I can't get on board with any abridged version of SWA at this point that doesn't have both The End of Innocence and Ghost of the Red Cloud.  And not keeping Poor Mr.Rain's Ordinary Guitar as the lead-in to The Man Who Walked with Kings is downright criminal. ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on March 27, 2021, 08:33:41 PM
I can't get on board with any abridged version of SWA at this point that doesn't have both The End of Innocence and Ghost of the Red Cloud.  And not keeping Poor Mr.Rain's Ordinary Guitar as the lead-in to The Man Who Walked with Kings is downright criminal. ;)

I’ve only got two minutes to spare here!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 27, 2021, 10:12:57 PM
I can't get on board with any abridged version of SWA at this point that doesn't have both The End of Innocence and Ghost of the Red Cloud.  And not keeping Poor Mr.Rain's Ordinary Guitar as the lead-in to The Man Who Walked with Kings is downright criminal. ;)

I’ve only got two minutes to spare here!

Church of Your Heart and Kingdom of Lies are probably my two least favorite full length songs from SWA (leaving off the short interlude tracks), so neither of those would have a prayer of making a single disc abridged version for me.  I would have to have Compassion as well (the normal part of the song, meaning lop off the latter half with all of those weird effects).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on March 27, 2021, 10:18:54 PM
I can't get on board with any abridged version of SWA at this point that doesn't have both The End of Innocence and Ghost of the Red Cloud.  And not keeping Poor Mr.Rain's Ordinary Guitar as the lead-in to The Man Who Walked with Kings is downright criminal. ;)

I’ve only got two minutes to spare here!

I could probably let Church of Your Heart go, but Kingdom of Lies is definitely a favorite of mine.
Church of Your Heart and Kingdom of Lies are probably my two least favorite full length songs from SWA (leaving off the short interlude tracks), so neither of those would have a prayer of making a single disc abridged version for me.  I would have to have Compassion as well (the normal part of the song, meaning lop off the latter half with all of those weird effects).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 28, 2021, 09:42:35 AM


I could probably let Church of Your Heart go, but Kingdom of Lies is definitely a favorite of mine.
 

Kingdom of Lies is a fun little rocker and I could understand keeping it for the sake of variety (it's the one true rocker on the album), but my knee jerk reaction most of the time to any thoughts of doing an abridged TFK album is, "Ditch the songs that Hasse sings first."  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on March 28, 2021, 10:26:28 AM


I could probably let Church of Your Heart go, but Kingdom of Lies is definitely a favorite of mine.
 

Kingdom of Lies is a fun little rocker and I could understand keeping it for the sake of variety (it's the one true rocker on the album), but my knee jerk reaction most of the time to any thoughts of doing an abridged TFK album is, "Ditch the songs that Hasse sings first."  :lol :lol

I like Haas, but I can see not liking him. Maybe a bit too “rock ‘n’ roll” compared to Stolt? His voice isn’t what it was anymore these days. I do like him better than Gildenlow at least.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on March 28, 2021, 10:46:27 AM
I feel like Gildenlow's vocals would fit so well in The Neal Morse Band, if only he were American. With TFK, he has great moments for sure, but he was underutilized there IMO.

As for Hasse, I'm not sure but I think I would not appreciate an entire TFK album with only doing all lead vocals. I do think he helps add color to the band's already colorful music. One reason I love the UtF-A&E era is that there are 3 lead vocalists on those albums, that adds variety.

That reminds me, I need to revisit Pain of Salvation, I never really gave them a chance way back when.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on March 28, 2021, 03:58:05 PM

I like Haas, but I can see not liking him. Maybe a bit too “rock ‘n’ roll” compared to Stolt? His voice isn’t what it was anymore these days. I do like him better than Gildenlow at least.

I don't dislike Froberg; I just prefer him in small doses, especially since his vocal are kind of hit and miss for me.  And, to be fair, he does sing quite a bit of lead on Paradox Hotel, which is one of my two favorite TFK records (and probably my favorite more days than not), so there is that.

I feel like Gildenlow's vocals would fit so well in The Neal Morse Band, if only he were American. With TFK, he has great moments for sure, but he was underutilized there IMO.

As for Hasse, I'm not sure but I think I would not appreciate an entire TFK album with only doing all lead vocals. I do think he helps add color to the band's already colorful music. One reason I love the UtF-A&E era is that there are 3 lead vocalists on those albums, that adds variety.


I thought Gildenlow's usage in TFK was just about right.  He is not a guy I want to hear sing all the time (his style is a bit too melodramatic to deal with on every song), but I enjoyed all of his vocal contributions on Unfold the Future and Adam & Eve.  I definitely liked the variety of three different lead singers on those two albums, and really liked how all three were featured on Driver's Seat.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on April 04, 2021, 08:23:20 AM
New album in the works

Boys are at work -  some randomly but others more frequently - relentlessly mining the  new TFK goldalbum ....to be.   'Mindset' for moi is - How did 'Stardust' come about ... ?  what was my mindset - the formula - how many risks did I take - True.. Equipment was very very simple - before the days of fancy mic pre's etc. -  SWA is indeed somewhat of an  innocent album - in that it  came from a pure stream of creating 'good music' for ME - prog or not  - but of course carrying a legacy -  Not only that of  King Crimson, Yes  and Genesis - but others  perhaps less  mentioned - such as Vanilla Fudge, Cream, The Mothers, Vangelis, Marvin Gaye, The Hollies, CSN&Y, Hansson & Karlsson, Collosseum,The Allman Bros. Band, Rolling Stones,  Weather Report -  So here I am now  trying to remember - after  a good 25 years of TFKing 'round this globe - and possible close to 100 albums and amazing collaborations with people from  Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Van Der Graf Generator, Dream Theater, Marillion etc -  So now - what is the gateway to a playful and fun 'Prog' album - within or without the boundaries ...?  - Who's advice should I take - and who to ignore ? -  What to revisit and where to move on -   I will find out. ( I already do  - and I enjoy in quite a bit  )  - A salute to  our great drummer Mirko  who jump heads and tails into helping me  making the demos  sound decent and  for me to understand the music better....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/908494075873543/permalink/3963718113684442/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/908494075873543/permalink/3963718113684442/)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on April 04, 2021, 08:28:51 AM
Awesome! It's nice that he's referencing Stardust We Are.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on April 04, 2021, 08:59:39 AM
Nice!  It's great to see the band not only active, but working at a pace similar to their early days when an album almost every year was the norm.  I am sure the pandemic is a big reason why, but I will take it however we can get it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on April 04, 2021, 09:28:34 AM
Not to mention the AMOUNT of music on those albums, especially the doubles.

Islands, TFK's most recent album, a double album, fits on 2 CDs, and would fit on 2 LPs.

Unfold the Future, TFK's longest album, fits on 2 CDs, but needs 4, maybe 5 LPs, to fit it all.

An annoying trend over recent years is the tendency for bands and artists to put out a "double" album that is only mere minutes above the 80 minute threshold of CD capacity.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on April 04, 2021, 05:13:07 PM
I'd like to see at least one big epic on the new album. Their epics are generally some of their best music.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on April 04, 2021, 06:32:17 PM
I am always down for a well done epic, so if is stacks up, bring it on. 

I don't have a problem with the length of their double albums.  I know they can be daunting for a possible new fan, but once you get into them, they are so rewarding. And I feel that they usually do a great job of having a lot of variety on them.  Take Unfold the Future.  The two discs are very different from one another (it feels like they are even mixed a bit differently, when talking about the original release), and each has a long epic, which are very different from one another. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on April 29, 2021, 09:35:27 AM
Someone asked Roine on FB about TFK vinyls and here's his response from a few hours ago:
Quote
There is a complete line of albums to be released next year starting with   'Back In The World' & 'Retropolis'. SWA   - Then  the other early albums - Flower Power - Space Revolver, Rainmaker  etc. - I'm remixing and remastering material right now this week .  - So others as vinyl are already up at   www.roinestolt.com

Looks like the TFK Vinyl series will begin in 2022, so you vinyl fans out there should start saving up! Those double CD albums won't be cheap I'm sure.


Also, I hope he doesn't remix them TOO much, like cutting out large portions of epics... :facepalm:

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on April 29, 2021, 09:45:29 AM
Someone asked Roine on FB about TFK vinyls and here's his response from a few hours ago:
Quote
There is a complete line of albums to be released next year starting with   'Back In The World' & 'Retropolis'. SWA   - Then  the other early albums - Flower Power - Space Revolver, Rainmaker  etc. - I'm remixing and remastering material right now this week .  - So others as vinyl are already up at   www.roinestolt.com

Looks like the TFK Vinyl series will begin in 2022, so you vinyl fans out there should start saving up! Those double CD albums won't be cheap I'm sure.


Also, I hope he doesn't remix them TOO much, like cutting out large portions of epics... :facepalm:

-Marc.

I would hope these are getting reissued on CD as well if he’s remixing them.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on April 29, 2021, 12:55:22 PM

I'm fine with a double album, but I hope they avoid doing stuff like, for example, these tracks on Stardust We Are:


A Room With a View
Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar
Crying Clown
Pipes of Peace
A Day at the Mall
Hotel Nirvana


I mean, it's not that big of a deal in the age of digital music because it's easy enough to just hit the delete button to get rid of this bloat.  But I'd really rather see that 7 minutes put into another actual good song instead of some guitar or keyboard noodling a mini drum solo or some ambient background noise from a shopping mall. 







Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on April 29, 2021, 07:14:39 PM
Someone asked Roine on FB about TFK vinyls and here's his response from a few hours ago:
Quote
There is a complete line of albums to be released next year starting with   'Back In The World' & 'Retropolis'. SWA   - Then  the other early albums - Flower Power - Space Revolver, Rainmaker  etc. - I'm remixing and remastering material right now this week .  - So others as vinyl are already up at   www.roinestolt.com

Looks like the TFK Vinyl series will begin in 2022, so you vinyl fans out there should start saving up! Those double CD albums won't be cheap I'm sure.


Also, I hope he doesn't remix them TOO much, like cutting out large portions of epics... :facepalm:

-Marc.

I'd love to get Flower Power on vinyl, as it is one of my two favorite TFK albums and one of my all-time favorite covers, but if he starts chopping parts out of songs again, that might make me hesitate. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on April 30, 2021, 12:57:54 AM
Someone asked Roine on FB about TFK vinyls and here's his response from a few hours ago:
Quote
There is a complete line of albums to be released next year starting with   'Back In The World' & 'Retropolis'. SWA   - Then  the other early albums - Flower Power - Space Revolver, Rainmaker  etc. - I'm remixing and remastering material right now this week .  - So others as vinyl are already up at   www.roinestolt.com

Looks like the TFK Vinyl series will begin in 2022, so you vinyl fans out there should start saving up! Those double CD albums won't be cheap I'm sure.


Also, I hope he doesn't remix them TOO much, like cutting out large portions of epics... :facepalm:

-Marc.

I'd love to get Flower Power on vinyl, as it is one of my two favorite TFK albums and one of my all-time favorite covers, but if he starts chopping parts out of songs again, that might make me hesitate.

I agree. Someone should warn him and tell him that there's a good bunch of fans that are pissed off at the Unfold The Future reissue (I'm still so pissed, I count as a small bunch already).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on April 30, 2021, 01:02:45 AM
I looked it up, and the 2017 reissue of UTF has reduced the running time of Devil's Playground from 25:26 to 19:20. I didn't know that.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on April 30, 2021, 05:40:18 AM
I would say I was disappointed, not pissed, especially since he took out the evil guitar part from the original Devil's Playground, which is one of my favorite sections of the entire Unfold the Future record. But hey, I get it, it's Roine's music, his art, he can do what he wants with it, but as the consumer, that doesn't mean I have to plunk down my hard-earned cash for his revisionist history. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on April 30, 2021, 06:13:38 AM
I would say I was disappointed, not pissed, especially since he took out the evil guitar part from the original Devil's Playground, which is one of my favorite sections of the entire Unfold the Future record. But hey, I get it, it's Roine's music, his art, he can do what he wants with it, but as the consumer, that doesn't mean I have to plunk down my hard-earned cash for his revisionist history.

Did he explain why he did this in liner notes or anything?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on April 30, 2021, 06:13:49 AM
I didn't know that either. That sucks! I will hold onto my CD copy of UtF

My copy of the album I bought 10+ years ago, however, is different than a digital download I had of UtF years and years ago before I bought the CD. The digital copy had a different mix, TTWSYF opened as a fade in, the song also had different instruments playing during a couple of sections, and it didn't have Too Late For Tomatos at the end, with TDP track ending with no cut into the next track, meaning it wasn't missing from my copy, as TLFT is a bonus track added to later versions. I'd love to hear the old version I used to have since I deleted it once I ripped the CD without cross examining the two versions, not realizing they were different at the time. Is my CD copy a re-issue/remaster? Anyone know the details surrounding this album in regards to remixes and remasters?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on April 30, 2021, 07:08:44 AM
I would say I was disappointed, not pissed, especially since he took out the evil guitar part from the original Devil's Playground, which is one of my favorite sections of the entire Unfold the Future record. But hey, I get it, it's Roine's music, his art, he can do what he wants with it, but as the consumer, that doesn't mean I have to plunk down my hard-earned cash for his revisionist history.

Oh I am pissed alright and no, I don't get it. It's not explained in the liner notes either. There, he just wrote the remixed few songs and remastered the rest.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on April 30, 2021, 01:35:43 PM
Whoa, I did not know that! 


That's my favorite riff from that entire album!  ??? 


It's his music so that's his prerogative but I'm glad I still have the original. 


I have noticed that Roine's music in the last decade or so has been somewhat softer, less riff oriented and more oriented to the vocal melodies.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it's sort of changed the texture of TFK music and taken some of the edginess out and there are now fewer and fewer heavy-sounding riffs or sections.  One of the things that originally attracted me to The Flower Kings was the sharp contrasts in moods.  When the entire album is happy-sounding, major-key, vocal-melody-oriented it feels like it lost some of it's power.


I have to be honest, Islands is by far my least favorite album from TFK.  I have no interest in ever hearing it again and that's the first time that's ever happened with one of their albums.  I became a fan around the time of "The Rainmaker" (still one of my all-time favorites, probably because it was my first).  They were all over the map in terms of style back then and that was one of the best things about them.  Some songs were almost metal-ish at times but then the next song would be a beautiful piano ballad, followed by some weird mini-moog and hammond-soaked rock song, followed by a symphonic epic followed by a bluesy track and so on.  I'd love to see TFK bring back that kind of diversity on a single album.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on April 30, 2021, 11:39:21 PM
TFK were unstoppable until the first hiatus. They lost something after that, for sure. Not just riffs, but the complex arrangements, long epics, lots of twists and turns that are lacking in the newer material. I'd put any of the first 10 albums above the last 4. However, I think Islands has some good stuff, but it's a little bloated.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on April 30, 2021, 11:51:41 PM
TFK were unstoppable until the first hiatus. They lost something after that, for sure. Not just riffs, but the complex arrangements, long epics, lots of twists and turns that are lacking in the newer material. I'd put any of the first 10 albums above the last 4. However, I think Islands has some good stuff, but it's a little bloated.

Aside from a few bits and pieces, I haven’t actually listened to any of the TFK albums between Unfold the Future and Islands, so I can’t really speak to the change in direction. I do really like a lot of the laid back atmosphere of Islands, but I agree it is a little too long and not their best sounding album production-wise. But there are several individual songs on it that I really enjoy.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on April 30, 2021, 11:59:11 PM
TFK were unstoppable until the first hiatus. They lost something after that, for sure. Not just riffs, but the complex arrangements, long epics, lots of twists and turns that are lacking in the newer material. I'd put any of the first 10 albums above the last 4. However, I think Islands has some good stuff, but it's a little bloated.

Aside from a few bits and pieces, I haven’t actually listened to any of the TFK albums between Unfold the Future and Islands, so I can’t really speak to the change in direction. I do really like a lot of the laid back atmosphere of Islands, but I agree it is a little too long and not their best sounding album production-wise. But there are several individual songs on it that I really enjoy.

If you really break it down, UtF was the last "great" TFK album, though TSONE is pretty great too. After UtF is when they started making less consistently great music IMO.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 01, 2021, 06:26:20 AM
Considering I feel that Paradox Hotel is their best album, I cannot agree with that last post.

I am surprised of you aren't digging Waiting for Miracles more.  There is some killer stuff on there, that is similar in quality and feel to a lot of their older, classic material. 

Islands doesn't really have the major highs that most other TFK records do, but I think there are still a lot of really good songs there.  I would concede that it does get a bit bloated in the back half, and losing a few of those average tunes there could have made the album a bit better overall as a whole, but I still think it is quite good overall. Not up to the level of most of their other albums (with the exceptions of The Rainmaker and Desolation Rose, which are easily the two least best, IMO), no, but still a worthy addition.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: ariich on May 01, 2021, 06:37:41 AM
Considering I feel that Paradox Hotel is their best album, I cannot agree with that last post.

Indeed.

Also, personally I find Sum of No Evil easily one of their weakest, whereas Banks of Eden is excellent.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 01, 2021, 06:41:18 AM
Considering I feel that Paradox Hotel is their best album, I cannot agree with that last post.

Indeed.

Also, personally I find Sum of No Evil easily one of their weakest, whereas Banks of Eden is excellent.

I like The Sum of No Evil a lot more than I did before, although it would still be in my bottom 5.  Banks of Eden is definitely excellent, and a great bounce back record after the first hiatus.  All five songs are great (and the four bonus songs are great as well!).  :coolio
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on May 01, 2021, 06:46:56 AM
As a new TFK listener I've barely given The Sum Of No Evil a spin yet. Maybe it's because it's full of these long epics, and I find myself much more drawn to their shorter stuff instead.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on May 01, 2021, 05:38:07 PM
For the fans here who haven't really gotten into Waiting For Miracles and Islands, do you think the absence of Tomas Bodin contributes to your disinterest in the band's newest albums? I wonder if his writing and sounds helped contribute to some of the band's darker, heavier moments in their music, and without it, maybe Roine and company have focused on some of the lighter stuff that they're known for.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 01, 2021, 08:30:00 PM
As a new TFK listener I've barely given The Sum Of No Evil a spin yet. Maybe it's because it's full of these long epics, and I find myself much more drawn to their shorter stuff instead.

It took me forever to really get into it, like well over 10 years. :lol  It's one of those albums where nothing on it is close to being among their best songs, and it has their least best 20-minute plus song (good song, just the others are all better), but it's a nice listen from start to finish.  It helps that the mix is just fantastic.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on May 02, 2021, 04:47:39 AM
heh, The Sum of No Evil is a top 3 TFK album for me.  It's one of those very, very rare albums from this band where I like every track on the album.  Banks of Eden and The Rainmaker are the only others where I listen to every track, the rest are a very, very mixed bag for me.  I skip about half of most of their albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on May 02, 2021, 01:31:14 PM
I stand by my statement that UTF was the last time they were consistent.

Since then, they've put out their worst stuff, some of their best stuff, and a lot of mediocre tunes that would never have existed on earlier albums. Moving towards more vocal driven music may have played a part in this.

Adam & Eve and Paradox Hotel are seen as some of their weakest of the era, especially A&E, but I think that one is good, it's just it's an album surrounded by even greater albums, and might be the weakest of the first 10 albums, but still stronger than a lot of recent material.

I like Paradox Hotel, I don't think it's their best or top 3, but I consider it one of their better albums. It's a TFK album with a reversed track order, (thus PARADOX Hotel) and I like that idea. I just think there are a few strange songs on there, and Monsters & Men is a sleeper epic for most who've heard it, including myself. It's a slight departure from where they were at the time, but the music was still interesting and captivating unlike some of the more recent material (which is the last 4 albums to me) which overall sounds like the band (or Rione) going through the motions and/or stretching out ideas from a dried up well.

TSONE was the band going back to their upbeat symphonic prog style, and I think it's one of their best albums. All killer no filler, just the meat of their usual double albums. Love Is The Only Answer is one of my favorite epic of theirs.

As I alluded to, the last four albums (five, if you include Manifesto of an Alchemist) are all hit or miss for me. Each album has some good stuff, and a lot of stuff that isn't very memorable to me. Now of course, this is TFK we're talking about. It took me years to "get" the band and their music, but I find that the better material from their later albums isn't as enjoyable as their older stuff that is more middle of the road, let alone their best pre-2008.

As for the change in keyboardists, I don't know if Bodin had something to do with any riffs or heaviness in the band. I do know that the change did not have as much to do with how good the last few albums are. The last album Tomas appeared on (Desolation Rose) is my least favorite TFK album, and I find Banks of Eden to not be as good as what came before either. I actually like the more recent stuff a bit more that those last two Bodin TFK albums. The band feels a little sterile on BoE and DR, whereas the more recent stuff feels more alive, like the old TFK I just think they're still in a transitional phase with the new members. Hopefully the next album will be their return to form type album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 02, 2021, 01:41:08 PM
I stand by my statement that UTF was the last time they were consistent.

Even Unfold The Future is pretty inconsistent in my view. There’s not a whole lot on the second disc that I’ve been able to latch onto.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on May 02, 2021, 01:56:46 PM
I stand by my statement that UTF was the last time they were consistent.

Even Unfold The Future is pretty inconsistent in my view. There’s not a whole lot on the second disc that I’ve been able to latch onto.

UTF is my favorite album of theirs, so I shall defend it.
The 2nd disc starts off with 3 pretty solid tunes, GIAB, FL, GOW. Great instrumental work, keys and guitar dominating.
RTD is alright, maybe weakest song on the album.
There's a call back to The Navigator (?) in Solitary Shell (?) and it's in a different key and it gives me chills every time I hear it when I listen to the album.
I think it's those two songs.
Chills down my spine is a good indicator of top, top music.
The Devil's Playground is a top TFK epic for me, it's got some heaviness, and structurally unique as far as TFK albums are concerned.

I also enjoy the little jazz excursions sprinkled throughout the album. I like jazz and improvisation. I like that TFK went ahead and did something like this, since they always had that jazz-fusion slant especially once Jonas joined the band, and this type of album had been almost teased on the previous album, The Rainmaker.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 02, 2021, 02:03:06 PM
I actually think Disc 2 is much better than Disc 1.  Not only is Devil's Playground far better than The Truth..., which isn't great enough to support its length, but the second disc is just more consistent and the quality never wavers.  If I had to list my favorite 7-8 songs from this record, all of them would be from the second disc except for one (Silent Inferno).  I don't mind the jazzy instrumentals either, as they add a nice element on those rare occasions when I have four hours to listen to this record from start to finish. ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 02, 2021, 02:19:57 PM
I actually think Disc 2 is much better than Disc 1.  Not only is Devil's Playground far better than The Truth..., which isn't great enough to support its length, but the second disc is just more consistent and the quality never wavers.  If I had to list my favorite 7-8 songs from this record, all of them would be from the second disc except for one (Silent Inferno).  I don't mind the jazzy instrumentals either, as they add a nice element on those rare occasions when I have four hours to listen to this record from start to finish. ;)

Huh, The Truth Will Set You Free is the most memorable track for me. I need to give this another listen, because I’ve only been able to get through both discs a few times.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 02, 2021, 02:35:20 PM
I stand by my statement that UTF was the last time they were consistent.

Even Unfold The Future is pretty inconsistent in my view. There’s not a whole lot on the second disc that I’ve been able to latch onto.

UTF is my favorite album of theirs, so I shall defend it.
The 2nd disc starts off with 3 pretty solid tunes, GIAB, FL, GOW. Great instrumental work, keys and guitar dominating.
RTD is alright, maybe weakest song on the album.
There's a call back to The Navigator (?) in Solitary Shell (?) and it's in a different key and it gives me chills every time I hear it when I listen to the album.
I think it's those two songs.
Chills down my spine is a good indicator of top, top music.
The Devil's Playground is a top TFK epic for me, it's got some heaviness, and structurally unique as far as TFK albums are concerned.

I also enjoy the little jazz excursions sprinkled throughout the album. I like jazz and improvisation. I like that TFK went ahead and did something like this, since they always had that jazz-fusion slant especially once Jonas joined the band, and this type of album had been almost teased on the previous album, The Rainmaker.

I do think the production on this one is really good, and the performances from Jonas and Zoltan are really strong. Just haven’t been able to get into some of the songs to this point.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 02, 2021, 02:57:13 PM
Yeah, Jonas crushes it on UTF, even moreso than many of the other albums on which he has played, and his playing in The Truth... is the best thing about that song, IMO.  He is totally channeling Chris Squire in that one. 

Back to The Truth..., some of this is my changing listening habits.  It used to be if I told 25 minutes to spare to listen to whatever I wanted, I would go for an epic of about that length.  Nowadays, I am much more likely to go for 4-6 short songs.  I have to be in the right mood to want to crank up a long epic and listen to it from start to finish, and as such, I tend to be more choosy with which ones I go for, and The Truth... is far down on the list.  Even if I isolate it to just TFK when it comes to "sidelong" epics, there is no chance I am going with The Truth... over the two I Am the Sun tracks, Love Supreme, Driver's Seat or Devil's Playground, Numbers or Stardust We Are.

Back to Zoltan, he is killer on all three records of which he was a part, and I don't think it's a coincidence that all three of those albums sound incredible.  It's like his style is conducive to bringing out the best of the band when it comes to the mix.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on May 02, 2021, 03:27:59 PM
Agreed on Jonas and Zoltan killing it on the 3 that Zoltan is on. Jonas was awesome from the moment he joined, and same with Zoltan. They're one of the best prog rhythm sections of all time IMO. They're a big reason I love all 3 of those TFK albums, plus the first 2 Karmakanic and first two Tangent albums and the one Bodin album I have with the two of them. I think Zoltan brings out the best in Jonas when they play together. TFK would be a different band in the 2010s/20s if Zoltan stayed on board after TSONE.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 02, 2021, 03:53:22 PM
Yeah, Jonas crushes it on UTF, even moreso than many of the other albums on which he has played, and his playing in The Truth... is the best thing about that song, IMO.  He is totally channeling Chris Squire in that one. 

Back to The Truth..., some of this is my changing listening habits.  It used to be if I told 25 minutes to spare to listen to whatever I wanted, I would go for an epic of about that length.  Nowadays, I am much more likely to go for 4-6 short songs.  I have to be in the right mood to want to crank up a long epic and listen to it from start to finish, and as such, I tend to be more choosy with which ones I go for, and The Truth... is far down on the list.  Even if I isolate it to just TFK when it comes to "sidelong" epics, there is no chance I am going with The Truth... over the two I Am the Sun tracks, Love Supreme, Driver's Seat or Devil's Playground, Numbers or Stardust We Are.


Listening to this now, and it could have been cut off after about 16 minutes (after the main chorus comes in again aster the wonderful “straight to the heart” section) and been just fine. It’s mostly meandering after that though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 02, 2021, 05:19:29 PM
Gildenlow is just awful on Rollin' The Dice. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on May 02, 2021, 05:21:45 PM
Gildenlow is just awful on Rollin' The Dice.

the only weak spot on the album IMO
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 02, 2021, 05:54:10 PM
Ah, yeah, the closing solo on Devil's Playground. Had forgotten about this.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 02, 2021, 06:21:44 PM
I don't mind Rollin' the Dice.  It's not a standout, but it's fine within the context of Disc 2.  Grand Old World, to me, is the major sleeper song from that one, and of course the 3-song run of Man Overboard, Solitary Shell and Devil's Playground is godly.

The current drummer seems fine, but I'd love it if they got Zoltan back. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on May 02, 2021, 06:37:54 PM
I don't mind Rollin' the Dice.  It's not a standout, but it's fine within the context of Disc 2.  Grand Old World, to me, is the major sleeper song from that one, and of course the 3-song run of Man Overboard, Solitary Shell and Devil's Playground is godly.

The current drummer seems fine, but I'd love it if they got Zoltan back.

When you say sleeper, you mean boring, or like a sleeper hit?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 02, 2021, 06:39:08 PM
A sleeper hit, as in it is one of the best songs from the album that ought to be talked about a lot more.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 02, 2021, 06:59:54 PM
A sleeper hit, as in it is one of the best songs from the album that ought to be talked about a lot more.

I did enjoy that one listening through just now.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on May 03, 2021, 05:17:44 AM
Grand Old World is cool to me because it's built around a theme from Truth. I'm not the biggest UTF fan but I like how they made little excursion songs that use a melody from the big epic. The magic of those earlier FK albums are the little instrumental interludes and connector songs that don't add much on their own but make it feel like a really cohesive whole.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on May 03, 2021, 11:58:25 AM
heh, The Sum of No Evil is a top 3 TFK album for me.  It's one of those very, very rare albums from this band where I like every track on the album.  Banks of Eden and The Rainmaker are the only others where I listen to every track, the rest are a very, very mixed bag for me.  I skip about half of most of their albums.


Quoting myself to add that I also really love "Back In The World of Adventures" and rarely skip any tracks on that one. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on May 03, 2021, 12:03:34 PM
Yeah, Jonas crushes it on UTF, even moreso than many of the other albums on which he has played, and his playing in The Truth... is the best thing about that song, IMO.  He is totally channeling Chris Squire in that one. 

***Snipped*

Back to Zoltan, he is killer on all three records of which he was a part, and I don't think it's a coincidence that all three of those albums sound incredible.  It's like his style is conducive to bringing out the best of the band when it comes to the mix.


It's the combination of Zoltan's jazz-infused playing and Jonas's uncanny ability so sit so perfectly in the pocket with his bass lines.  He's flashy, but not in a gaudy way and he doesn't overplay really, but he's a very, very mobile kind of bassist.  His bass lines are melodic, not just thumping bottom end.  The only other guy in modern prog that plays like this -at least among the groups I listen to most often- is Dave Meros. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on May 03, 2021, 12:33:57 PM
heh, The Sum of No Evil is a top 3 TFK album for me.  It's one of those very, very rare albums from this band where I like every track on the album.  Banks of Eden and The Rainmaker are the only others where I listen to every track, the rest are a very, very mixed bag for me.  I skip about half of most of their albums.


Quoting myself to add that I also really love "Back In The World of Adventures" and rarely skip any tracks on that one.

The Sum Of No Evil might be the only Flower Kings album where I never skip a single track.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on May 03, 2021, 12:38:31 PM
Grand Old World is cool to me because it's built around a theme from Truth. I'm not the biggest UTF fan but I like how they made little excursion songs that use a melody from the big epic. The magic of those earlier FK albums are the little instrumental interludes and connector songs that don't add much on their own but make it feel like a really cohesive whole.

This. This is why the interludes on Stardust We Are are absolutely indispensible. They are vital for the flow of the album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 03, 2021, 03:31:56 PM
A sleeper hit, as in it is one of the best songs from the album that ought to be talked about a lot more.

I did enjoy that one listening through just now.

 :tup :tup

Grand Old World is cool to me because it's built around a theme from Truth. I'm not the biggest UTF fan but I like how they made little excursion songs that use a melody from the big epic. The magic of those earlier FK albums are the little instrumental interludes and connector songs that don't add much on their own but make it feel like a really cohesive whole.

Agreed.  The overall album experience is enhanced by those little interludes and connector songs that, like you said, don't really stand out on their own.  Key pieces of the greater whole, though.  :coolio
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on May 05, 2021, 02:12:10 PM
Grand Old World is cool to me because it's built around a theme from Truth. I'm not the biggest UTF fan but I like how they made little excursion songs that use a melody from the big epic. The magic of those earlier FK albums are the little instrumental interludes and connector songs that don't add much on their own but make it feel like a really cohesive whole.

This. This is why the interludes on Stardust We Are are absolutely indispensible. They are vital for the flow of the album.


Those interludes were created for me to be able to use the delete button on my iPhone  ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on May 05, 2021, 02:12:43 PM
I'm just busting balls - I get why people like them. I do.  I just have no use for stuff like that. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on May 29, 2021, 06:16:53 PM
Roine just shared, in a private TFK Facebook group, that he has started "remixing some early TFK" as a comment on an early picture of Jaime Salazar.

It seems like he is remixing the earlier albums for eventual release on vinyl, so for those who have wanted them, hopefully he doesn't tinker TOO much (i.e. "Devil's Playground"), especially with classics like "Stardust We Are".

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on May 30, 2021, 03:10:07 AM
I've been highly considering giving The Flower Kings a shot recently. Is there any specific album(s) I should start with, or should I just start from the beginning of their discography and go through it in order?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on May 30, 2021, 04:13:33 AM
I've been highly considering giving The Flower Kings a shot recently. Is there any specific album(s) I should start with, or should I just start from the beginning of their discography and go through it in order?

I usually recommend starting at the beginning and moving on chronologically, but since I'm not a fan of all Flower Kings albums, I'd recommend starting with one of these:
Unfold The Future (their masterpiece imo and the first FK album I ever heard, but very jazzy)
Sum Of No Evil (long tracks, less whacky, very melodic)
Stardust We Are (generally considered their best album along with UTF)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on May 30, 2021, 05:06:45 AM
I've been highly considering giving The Flower Kings a shot recently. Is there any specific album(s) I should start with, or should I just start from the beginning of their discography and go through it in order?

I would just start with their first album Back In The World of Adventures. Their double albums can be daunting to start with so I wouldn’t recommend them, but this one has a pretty good mix of long/short tracks and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on May 30, 2021, 05:45:37 AM
I think any of the first 5 albums are a good place to start with this group.  The double albums can be a bit much, though.  "Back In The World of Adventures" is great.  But I think of the single-disc albums "Space Revolver" is probably my favorite, followed by "The Rainmaker" which is possibly their most eclectic and varied album. 


My very first album from The Flower Kings was "Alive on Planet Earth" 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 30, 2021, 06:57:05 AM
Roine just shared, in a private TFK Facebook group, that he has started "remixing some early TFK" as a comment on an early picture of Jaime Salazar.

It seems like he is remixing the earlier albums for eventual release on vinyl, so for those who have wanted them, hopefully he doesn't tinker TOO much (i.e. "Devil's Playground"), especially with classics like "Stardust We Are".

-Marc.

Hoping for the best, but I fear he will tinker with some of the longer songs again. However, Flower Power is one of my favorite album covers, so I will likely get that on vinyl no matter what.

I've been highly considering giving The Flower Kings a shot recently. Is there any specific album(s) I should start with, or should I just start from the beginning of their discography and go through it in order?

Going in order is a good idea.  Many of their best albums are the early material (the first five especially), and their only weaker ones (The Rainmaker, Desolation Rose) came later, so going chronologically won't get you off on a bad note and discourage you from moving forward.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 30, 2021, 08:50:34 AM
You won’t go wrong with anything up through The Rainmaker in my opinion though (Unfold the Future has some strong spots but it’s a bit long in my view). I’d start with Back in the World of Adventures or Retropolis, but at some point you also need to check out Roine Stolt’s The Flower King solo album which is really kind of the first TFK album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 30, 2021, 11:19:02 AM
The Flower King is a really good album, but very much a Roine solo album as it is very guitar-driven.  Definitely worth getting, but I'd start with the actual band albums first.  :)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on May 30, 2021, 11:31:15 AM
The Flower King is a really good album, but very much a Roine solo album as it is very guitar-driven.  Definitely worth getting, but I'd start with the actual band albums first.  :)

It is very instrumental but so are the first two TFK albums. It definitely sounds like a TFK album though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on May 30, 2021, 12:05:10 PM
The Flower King is a really good album, but very much a Roine solo album as it is very guitar-driven.  Definitely worth getting, but I'd start with the actual band albums first.  :)

It is very instrumental but so are the first two TFK albums. It definitely sounds like a TFK album though.

It is the proto-TFK, and in some places, a TFK album in all but name, but yeah, it is also more guitar driven than even the immediate next TFK albums.

I've been highly considering giving The Flower Kings a shot recently. Is there any specific album(s) I should start with, or should I just start from the beginning of their discography and go through it in order?

But I'll go along with the others and say that you should check them out in chronological order starting with Back In The World Of Adventures. If you enjoy that, definitely go to Retropolis and Stardust We Are next, though the latter is their first (of many) double albums, but I think if you enjoy their first two studio albums, you'll definitely be ready for Stardust We Are. After that, their sound evolves and changes bit by bit, especially as their line-up changes (with different bassists and drummers, additional auxiliary members). If you get to Unfold The Future, don't feel the need to tackle it all at once, as it is a BEHEMOTH of an album, and a bit different than what came before it.

Then again, if you love long albums with sprawling prog epics, you may enjoy most of their double albums. Personally, my top three TFK albums are Stardust We Are, Unfold The Future, and Paradox Hotel, and they're all lengthy double albums (each over 130 minutes long).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 30, 2021, 12:14:37 PM
Paradox Hotel is still my favorite by a hair over Flower Power, but I know the fan base doesn't rate it as high overall as I do, so I take that into consideration when others ask for recs.

I also think starting chronologically is good because you start with two single albums (Back in the World of Adventures, Retropolis), both of which are excellent from start to finish.  Starting with single albums are easier hills to climb at first than trying to start with a double album that is over two hours.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Ben_Jamin on May 30, 2021, 03:42:04 PM
The way I got into The Flower Kings was through their live album Instant DeLIVEry.

All those songs on that release I ended up enjoying. It's how I've come to like Pioneers of Aviation, I love that guitar melody at the end of the song.

I actually would recommend Paradox Hotel, Stardust We Are, Space Revolver or Unfold the Future. Those 4 albums are the ones I would consider the essential Flower Kings albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 30, 2021, 07:33:54 PM
The way I got into The Flower Kings was through their live album Instant DeLIVEry.

All those songs on that release I ended up enjoying. It's how I've come to like Pioneers of Aviation, I love that guitar melody at the end of the song.

I actually would recommend Paradox Hotel, Stardust We Are, Space Revolver or Unfold the Future. Those 4 albums are the ones I would consider the essential Flower Kings albums.

I can get on board with those picks, even though the lack of inclusion of Flower Power breaks my heart a little. ;)

When it comes to their best single disc, I think Retropolis gets the slight nod over Space Revolver, but the latter has the two I Am the Sun tracks, which are two of their best songs ever (and could be their best song ever if one wants to cheat and call it one song).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Ben_Jamin on May 30, 2021, 07:46:40 PM
The way I got into The Flower Kings was through their live album Instant DeLIVEry.

All those songs on that release I ended up enjoying. It's how I've come to like Pioneers of Aviation, I love that guitar melody at the end of the song.

I actually would recommend Paradox Hotel, Stardust We Are, Space Revolver or Unfold the Future. Those 4 albums are the ones I would consider the essential Flower Kings albums.

I can get on board with those picks, even though the lack of inclusion of Flower Power breaks my heart a little. ;)

When it comes to their best single disc, I think Retropolis gets the slight nod over Space Revolver, but the latter has the two I Am the Sun tracks, which are two of their best songs ever (and could be their best song ever if one wants to cheat and call it one song).

If we go to 5 albums, Flower Power would definitely be next on that list.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on May 30, 2021, 08:03:53 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! :)   I shall start from the beginning and go through the albums in order.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on May 30, 2021, 08:26:13 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! :)   I shall start from the beginning and go through the albums in order.

Enjoy the ride! If you think to do it, it would be cool to read your thoughts on the albums and songs as you experience them! This might also give me a good reason to dive back into TFK again!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on May 30, 2021, 11:28:51 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! :)   I shall start from the beginning and go through the albums in order.

Enjoy the ride! If you think to do it, it would be cool to read your thoughts on the albums and songs as you experience them! This might also give me a good reason to dive back into TFK again!

-Marc.

That'd be cool  :metal
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on May 30, 2021, 11:52:55 PM
I discovered TFK at the end of last year, and I think my favourite album might be Paradox Hotel.

My Top 5 would look something like this:

Paradox Hotel
Stardust We Are
Flower Power
Desolation Rose (I know, pretty controversial I guess)
Back In The World Of Adventures
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on May 31, 2021, 07:06:26 AM
Well, earlier this morning I listened to Back in the World of Adventures. And I gotta say, if the debut album is this good, then I'm excited for what lies ahead! Now, it's not too marvelous for words or anything, but it left a strong impression and I really like what I'm hearing. It sounds very reminiscent of Transatlantic at times; not that that's surprising, since part of my interest in listening to The Flower Kings stemmed from knowing Roine Stolt is in both bands. I'm just saying there are moments on this album that would fit in really well on The Whirlwind, and that's a very good thing. Roine has a really nice voice, and the instrumental contributions from him and the other members are always great to listen to. I'm having a hard time choosing favorite songs here because all of them are really good, though if I had to think of the ones I like most right now, those would probably include "World of Adventures", "Train to Nowhere", and "Theme for a Hero". I like all of the songs on this album a lot so far, though. I enjoy how uplifting and full of energy the music is, and I think there's a good amount of diversity as well, with some songs having a lot of jazz elements or a moody atmosphere. Actually, as I type this, I'm listening to this album for the third time today. I'll probably give the next album, Retropolis, a listen later today as well. I could give more and more praise, but I'd just be saying "X is really good" over and over again. I'm already really glad I listened to this band (albeit slightly disappointed I didn't do so sooner), and I'm most certainly interested to hear what's in store for their next albums!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 31, 2021, 07:13:31 AM
Well, earlier this morning I listened to Back in the World of Adventures. And I gotta say, if the debut album is this good, then I'm excited for what lies ahead! Now, it's not too marvelous for words or anything, but it left a strong impression and I really like what I'm hearing. It sounds very reminiscent of Transatlantic at times; not that that's surprising, since part of my interest in listening to The Flower Kings stemmed from knowing Roine Stolt is in both bands. I'm just saying there are moments on this album that would fit in really well on The Whirlwind, and that's a very good thing. Roine has a really nice voice, and the instrumental contributions from him and the other members are always great to listen to. I'm having a hard time choosing favorite songs here because all of them are really good, though if I had to think of the ones I like most right now, those would probably include "World of Adventures", "Train to Nowhere", and "Theme for a Hero". I like all of the songs on this album a lot so far, though. I enjoy how uplifting and full of energy the music is, and I think there's a good amount of diversity as well, with some songs having a lot of jazz elements or a moody atmosphere. Actually, as I type this, I'm listening to this album for the third time today. I'll probably give the next album, Retropolis, a listen later today as well. I could give more and more praise, but I'd just be saying "X is really good" over and over again. I'm already really glad I listened to this band (albeit slightly disappointed I didn't do so sooner), and I'm most certainly interested to hear what's in store for their next albums!

Nice!  Glad you enjoyed the debut.  Big Puzzle is my favorite from it, but your picks there are great as well.  The great thing about this band is that you usually get a lot of variety on their studio albums, and the pacing and flow are both always very well done.  Very much of an album band.  Keep the reviews coming.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on May 31, 2021, 08:37:30 AM
My opinion is the first disc of Flower Power is the best single disc of TFK, but it's the first disc of a 2 disc double album. Although there are a few reprises of themes from disc 1 on the 2nd disc, it isn't anything to write home about. It's the only double of theirs I look at as two different (but related) albums.

Otherwise, the debut or Space Revolver are good albums for the uninitiated.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on May 31, 2021, 09:30:23 AM
I like Disc 2 of Flower Power quite a bit, and love a few of the songs - Stupid Girl and Psycedelic Postcard most notably, and Deaf, Numb and Blind is pretty damn good as well - but the disparity between Disc 1 and Disc 2 is clear.  It makes the album sound lopsided, and if you listen to them straight through in order, Disc 2 can feel a bit disappointing.  On the other hand, I feel that Paradox Hotel and Stardust We Are are double albums where in both cases the two discs are about equally good.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on June 01, 2021, 03:32:45 AM
I recently finished listening to Retropolis. To be honest, I was slightly worried I wouldn't like this one as much as the first album; the title track sounded good but didn't feel all that exciting or special. But after that, everything was really great. "Rhythm of the Sea" has this peaceful sound to it (well, after the first minute, at least), "There is More to This World" is probably my favorite song on the album, I really like how upbeat and optimistic it feels. "The Melting Pot" is simply a very good instrumental piece. "Silent Sorrow" sounds very unique and has a really cool instrumental section. And then there's the closing track, "The Road Back Home", which is another strong contender for my favorite song on the album. The whole song's great, but I must give special attention to the last two minutes or so. That is just amazing. Hard to say which one I like better of the two albums I've heard so far, but I am really liking both of them so far.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on June 01, 2021, 07:15:07 AM
I recently finished listening to Retropolis. To be honest, I was slightly worried I wouldn't like this one as much as the first album; the title track sounded good but didn't feel all that exciting or special. But after that, everything was really great. "Rhythm of the Sea" has this peaceful sound to it (well, after the first minute, at least), "There is More to This World" is probably my favorite song on the album, I really like how upbeat and optimistic it feels. "The Melting Pot" is simply a very good instrumental piece. "Silent Sorrow" sounds very unique and has a really cool instrumental section. And then there's the closing track, "The Road Back Home", which is another strong contender for my favorite song on the album. The whole song's great, but I must give special attention to the last two minutes or so. That is just amazing. Hard to say which one I like better of the two albums I've heard so far, but I am really liking both of them so far.

Retropolis is (probably) my favorite TFK album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on June 01, 2021, 07:42:57 AM
I recently finished listening to Retropolis. To be honest, I was slightly worried I wouldn't like this one as much as the first album; the title track sounded good but didn't feel all that exciting or special. But after that, everything was really great. "Rhythm of the Sea" has this peaceful sound to it (well, after the first minute, at least), "There is More to This World" is probably my favorite song on the album, I really like how upbeat and optimistic it feels. "The Melting Pot" is simply a very good instrumental piece. "Silent Sorrow" sounds very unique and has a really cool instrumental section. And then there's the closing track, "The Road Back Home", which is another strong contender for my favorite song on the album. The whole song's great, but I must give special attention to the last two minutes or so. That is just amazing. Hard to say which one I like better of the two albums I've heard so far, but I am really liking both of them so far.

Retropolis is (probably) my favorite TFK album.

I think I like Space Revolver a bit more, but I can't deny that Retropolis is pretty much a perfect prog-album. It's got everything and it does it all so well. I always appreciated the balance between instrumental and vocal tracks they had on their earlier albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on June 01, 2021, 07:51:41 AM
I recently finished listening to Retropolis. To be honest, I was slightly worried I wouldn't like this one as much as the first album; the title track sounded good but didn't feel all that exciting or special. But after that, everything was really great. "Rhythm of the Sea" has this peaceful sound to it (well, after the first minute, at least), "There is More to This World" is probably my favorite song on the album, I really like how upbeat and optimistic it feels. "The Melting Pot" is simply a very good instrumental piece. "Silent Sorrow" sounds very unique and has a really cool instrumental section. And then there's the closing track, "The Road Back Home", which is another strong contender for my favorite song on the album. The whole song's great, but I must give special attention to the last two minutes or so. That is just amazing. Hard to say which one I like better of the two albums I've heard so far, but I am really liking both of them so far.

Retropolis is (probably) my favorite TFK album.

I think I like Space Revolver a bit more, but I can't deny that Retropolis is pretty much a perfect prog-album. It's got everything and it does it all so well. I always appreciated the balance between instrumental and vocal tracks they had on their earlier albums.

Yep, the flow is just really nice throughout with the instrumental tracks, and it has three of my very favorite TFK tracks (There Is More To argue World, Flora Majora, and The Road Back Home). I even love the ping pong at the beginning!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on June 01, 2021, 07:59:28 AM
Yep, the flow is just really nice throughout with the instrumental tracks, and it has three of my very favorite TFK tracks (There Is More To argue World, Flora Majora, and The Road Back Home). I even love the ping pong at the beginning!

It's a very weird way to start an album, and I like it!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 01, 2021, 09:22:42 AM
I recently finished listening to Retropolis. To be honest, I was slightly worried I wouldn't like this one as much as the first album; the title track sounded good but didn't feel all that exciting or special. But after that, everything was really great. "Rhythm of the Sea" has this peaceful sound to it (well, after the first minute, at least), "There is More to This World" is probably my favorite song on the album, I really like how upbeat and optimistic it feels. "The Melting Pot" is simply a very good instrumental piece. "Silent Sorrow" sounds very unique and has a really cool instrumental section. And then there's the closing track, "The Road Back Home", which is another strong contender for my favorite song on the album. The whole song's great, but I must give special attention to the last two minutes or so. That is just amazing. Hard to say which one I like better of the two albums I've heard so far, but I am really liking both of them so far.

That's awesome. Retropolis isn't my favorite from the era, but it's one of their better albums overall. Have you listened to Roine's The Flower King album yet? I recommend checking that one out, too, before you go further in the TFK discography.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on June 01, 2021, 11:31:28 AM
Well, earlier this morning I listened to Back in the World of Adventures. And I gotta say, if the debut album is this good, then I'm excited for what lies ahead! Now, it's not too marvelous for words or anything, but it left a strong impression and I really like what I'm hearing. It sounds very reminiscent of Transatlantic at times; not that that's surprising, since part of my interest in listening to The Flower Kings stemmed from knowing Roine Stolt is in both bands. I'm just saying there are moments on this album that would fit in really well on The Whirlwind, and that's a very good thing. Roine has a really nice voice, and the instrumental contributions from him and the other members are always great to listen to. I'm having a hard time choosing favorite songs here because all of them are really good, though if I had to think of the ones I like most right now, those would probably include "World of Adventures", "Train to Nowhere", and "Theme for a Hero". I like all of the songs on this album a lot so far, though. I enjoy how uplifting and full of energy the music is, and I think there's a good amount of diversity as well, with some songs having a lot of jazz elements or a moody atmosphere. Actually, as I type this, I'm listening to this album for the third time today. I'll probably give the next album, Retropolis, a listen later today as well. I could give more and more praise, but I'd just be saying "X is really good" over and over again. I'm already really glad I listened to this band (albeit slightly disappointed I didn't do so sooner), and I'm most certainly interested to hear what's in store for their next albums!

I recently finished listening to Retropolis. To be honest, I was slightly worried I wouldn't like this one as much as the first album; the title track sounded good but didn't feel all that exciting or special. But after that, everything was really great. "Rhythm of the Sea" has this peaceful sound to it (well, after the first minute, at least), "There is More to This World" is probably my favorite song on the album, I really like how upbeat and optimistic it feels. "The Melting Pot" is simply a very good instrumental piece. "Silent Sorrow" sounds very unique and has a really cool instrumental section. And then there's the closing track, "The Road Back Home", which is another strong contender for my favorite song on the album. The whole song's great, but I must give special attention to the last two minutes or so. That is just amazing. Hard to say which one I like better of the two albums I've heard so far, but I am really liking both of them so far.

Glad you enjoyed their debut and sophomore albums! I'll echo what darkshade said and that before you go into Stardust We Are, definitely check out the proto-TFK Roine Stolt solo album, The Flower King. You'll get to hear "Humanizzimo", which is a 20-minute epic, and while not the best thing Roine/TFK have done, it's a very good epic for early TFK.

But yeah, if you loved BITWOA and Retropolis as much as you say, I'm sure you'll really like Stardust We Are. Just be sure to try and listen to it all as close to gether. I know some folks don't have the time to listen to a double album all at once, but you'll get to hear all of the recurring themes and motifs across the album if you listen to it in a tighter time span. There's a lot to digest in SWA, so it might warrant a couple of repeat listens before you make any big judgement calls on it, but once you hear how everything fits, it's very rewarding to listen to!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 01, 2021, 01:40:40 PM
I disagree. No need to go backwards and listen to a solo album in the middle of the proper band albums.  Keep going in chronological order and hear the progression of the band from album to album. Glad you enjoyed Retropolis!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 01, 2021, 02:23:36 PM
I disagree. No need to go backwards and listen to a solo album in the middle of the proper band albums.  Keep going in chronological order and hear the progression of the band from album to album. Glad you enjoyed Retropolis!

To me, the first 2 albums + Roine's TFK are a triptych of albums, and it's basically the same lineup just with Roine handling keyboard work as well as guitar. Plus, TFK played Humanizzimo on Meet The Flower Kings so at some point TFK album will need to be listened to, even if Revenge isn't doing live albums, MTFK is an essential listen (it's almost exclusively epics performed)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on June 01, 2021, 02:34:20 PM
I'll get to The Flower King at some point, but I'd rather go through the studio albums of The Flower Kings in order first just for consistency.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on June 01, 2021, 02:51:32 PM
I'll get to The Flower King at some point, but I'd rather go through the studio albums of The Flower Kings in order first just for consistency.

Fair enough, but the further you get from their debut, the further you get from the sound of early 90s Roine. The sound of TFK evolves with each album, so by the time you get to Space Revolver or Unfold The Future at the turn of the century, going back to The Flower King might be like going from Genesis' Duke back to Trespass (well, maybe not THAT drastic of a difference), but I'll agree with darkshade, Stolt's TFK is very much rooted in the sound of early TFK. I'd say definitely get around to it before Space Revolver (before Jonas Reingold joined the band, where his sound helped evolve and change the sound).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 01, 2021, 03:41:30 PM
I'll get to The Flower King at some point, but I'd rather go through the studio albums of The Flower Kings in order first just for consistency.

Good decision.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on June 01, 2021, 03:50:16 PM
I'll get to The Flower King at some point, but I'd rather go through the studio albums of The Flower Kings in order first just for consistency.

I also urge you to get Roine's solo album Hydrophonia and Tomas Bodin's An Ordinary Night... album at some point. They're both completely instrumental but fit right into that World Of Adventures/Retropolis era sound-wise.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 01, 2021, 04:06:45 PM
Agreed. Not trying to pressure anyone here, it's just that Roine's TFK IS TFK in everything but name and helps put in context those early TFK albums.

It's like going through Dream Theater's albums for the first time, and not listening to WDADU because JLB isn't there or if it had been released under Majesty as originally intended and IaW was DT's first album; except TFK is all classic TFK right off the bat, whereas WDADU had a different singer and vastly different production compared to what came later. TFK is consistent with BITWOA and Retropolis. It can also be argued that DT's writing chops hadn't matured yet whereas Roine had been in the music business for nearly 20 years by the time The Flower King came out.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on June 01, 2021, 04:21:46 PM
Agreed. Not trying to pressure anyone here, it's just that Roine's TFK IS TFK in everything but name and helps put in context those early TFK albums.

It's like going through Dream Theater's albums for the first time, and not listening to WDADU because JLB isn't there or if it had been released under Majesty as originally intended and IaW was DT's first album; except TFK is all classic TFK right off the bat, whereas WDADU had a different singer and vastly different production compared to what came later. TFK is consistent with BITWOA and Retropolis.

I feel this as well, and in fact, on my phone, I have Roine Stolt's The Flower King double-tagged as both Roine Stolt and The Flower Kings under "album artist" just so it'll appear in both TFK and RS under my artist scroll. Also, that opening title-track is just some of the best feel-good, positive TFK energy music you could ever want, and the band played it regularly through its first 20 years or so.

I'll get to The Flower King at some point, but I'd rather go through the studio albums of The Flower Kings in order first just for consistency.

I also urge you to get Roine's solo album Hydrophonia and Tomas Bodin's An Ordinary Night... album at some point. They're both completely instrumental but fit right into that World Of Adventures/Retropolis era sound-wise.

This a very slippery slope to get into. First it's The Flower Kings, then Roine's solo albums after The Flower Kings (like Hydrophonia), then it's solo albums by Tomas Bodin, then Jonas Reingold's Karmakanic, and then Hasse Froberg & Musical Companion. Not to mention early Tangent albums, the trio of Agents Of Mercy albums (though I would forgive you for not getting into them, listening to Nad Sylvan's voice is an acquired taste)... once you dive head first into the Flower Kings extended family tree, there's no going back. Heck, I even own the Hasse Bruniusson 2002 album Flying Food Circus, and the 2006 DVD Tour De Ville, the former of which features Roine Stolt on bass, guitars, keyboards, and co-producer of the album as well.

There's just SO much to explore once you start looking into the band and its various members. You may even find yourself getting into Pain Of Salvation once you get to the point of TFK where Daniel Gildenlow had joined the band, which goes back to the must-see/must-listen live album, Meet The Flower Kings, which features an impressive 7-member line-up, performing just six songs with a total length of over 150 minutes!

But I hope this doesn't overwhelm you. If anything, I hope it excites you, knowing there's a whole family tree of symphonic prog rock out there that you've yet to discover, with various branches involving its members working solo, and often times together on each other's albums. Heck, one-time TFK drummer Marcus Liliequist was only on *one* TFK studio album, but appeared on multiple TFK-related albums from Tomas Bodin, Karmakanic, and Roine Stolt, before, during, and after his time in The Flower Kings.

This thread has also prompted me to give Stolt's 1994 The Flower King a spin, and man, what a powerful opening song! That's a melody that'll sit in your ear for days!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 01, 2021, 05:38:53 PM
Look, I am a big fan of The Flower King album, and some of the songs are certainly in the classic TFK style, but it is very guitar-driven album, and it is missing 2/5 of who would comprise the main band on the first proper TFK album. Sorry, but Roine playing the keys is not the same as a world class guy like Tomas Bodin playing them.  Roine did an adequate job, but the keys do not stand out at all on most of the Flower King album.  With the Flower Kings, the keyboards are arguably as important as the guitar. 

Besides, Revenge319 has made it clear that he is going to listen to the albums in order, and is already working his way through, so I say let him enjoy the ride, while we welcome his thoughts without trying to have him change course midstream.  :)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 01, 2021, 06:35:36 PM
Look, I am a big fan of The Flower King album, and some of the songs are certainly in the classic TFK style, but it is very guitar-driven album, and it is missing 2/5 of who would comprise the main band on the first proper TFK album.

The only people left in the band from that early era are Roine and Hasse, so every album post-Flower Power or post-Rainmaker or post-Desolation Rose is missing 3/5 of that band, but we still call 'em The Flower Kings. For me, TFK is like King Crimson. Yes, it's a band, but it's really the guitarist's/leader's band when you get right down to it. Listening to many of Fripp's solo albums have that Crimson vibe.

If I'm not mistaken, those early albums (including TFK, BITWOA, and Retropolis) was all Roine and they're all guitar dominated compared to their albums after Retropolis, plus Roine played most, if not all, the bass parts, Hasse was only considered a guest musician until Stardust We Are, I think. Only Tomas Bodin's presence is the key difference between TFK and the first two albums, and in my opinion, it isn't THAT drastic of a shift. Losing Bodin after Desolation Rose impacted the sound more, to my ears. There is keyboard on TFK, it's not like there's no keyboards on that album. Roine just doesn't really do much soloing on the keys, instead we get more guitar solos.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Dedalus on June 01, 2021, 07:48:19 PM
I absolutely agree with everything darkshade and The Letter M have written.

And yes: The Flower King, BITWOA and Retropolis form a stylistic unit (The early FK sound).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Ben_Jamin on June 01, 2021, 08:57:34 PM
For me, Tomas Bodin was a part of The Flower Kings, in the same vein as Roine's Guitar and Vocals are a part of The Flower Kings sound. Jonas and his technical bass skills along with how he plays his grooves, are essential to that great jazz backing that I hear in the band, and most of the drummers shine in this band. A lot of fans do have their favorite drummer. Hasse's vocals add a bit of a rock flair to their sound, and some of their music requires that strong powerful voice at times, and he fulfills that role nicely, also it's a plus he has some composing and guitar playing skills.

The main members for me are Roine Stolt, Jonas Reingold, Hasse Froberg, and Tomas Bodin. And the band lost of a lot of it's tone and a certain quality that Tomas Bodin brought into the sound of The Flower Kings. Although, I did notice that it did start to get to Tomas Bodins head, because he started to have the part of the stage that was dead center, on a high rise, and you focused more on him.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on June 02, 2021, 04:25:49 AM
Interesting to hear people's thoughts regarding The Flower King. I still want to do all of the main studio albums first, but I'll definitely have to give The Flower King a listen after getting through the main discography. While I haven't heard the album yet, I think it would make sense to consider it separate from The Flower Kings' discography despite having a lot of similarities.

Anyway, I just finished listening to Stardust We Are. It's a bit hard to go into specifics, since it's a really big album and there's no way I could've fully absorbed it all with just one listen, but I definitely like this one. Some highlights for me were "Church of Your Heart", "Circus Brimstone", and "The Merrygoround". I'm sure given more repeated listens, I'll grow to enjoy this one a lot more than I already do. The title track especially seems like it'll really grow on me.
Well, next up is the one I've been anticipating the most: Flower Power. I try not to have high expectations, but I'm so interested in what the hour-long epic "Garden of Dreams" is gonna be like. And considering how much I love other massive epics I've heard like The Whirlwind and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, it's too easy for me to expect that this one will be about as great as those. I'll just have to find out soon enough!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on June 02, 2021, 04:40:07 AM
Garden of Dreams is just stunning. I'm still amazed at how prolific Roine was back then, releasing 6 albums between 1995-2000 with 2 of them being doubles, and containing these amazing, majestic songs with some of the most beautiful melodies in the entire genre. I know they're both great, and Neal has certainly been more consistent over his career, but Roine at his peak (aka the mid/late 90's) was the best songwriter in prog history imo.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 02, 2021, 05:34:13 AM


Anyway, I just finished listening to Stardust We Are. It's a bit hard to go into specifics, since it's a really big album and there's no way I could've fully absorbed it all with just one listen, but I definitely like this one. Some highlights for me were "Church of Your Heart", "Circus Brimstone", and "The Merrygoround". I'm sure given more repeated listens, I'll grow to enjoy this one a lot more than I already do. The title track especially seems like it'll really grow on me.
Well, next up is the one I've been anticipating the most: Flower Power. I try not to have high expectations, but I'm so interested in what the hour-long epic "Garden of Dreams" is gonna be like. And considering how much I love other massive epics I've heard like The Whirlwind and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, it's too easy for me to expect that this one will be about as great as those. I'll just have to find out soon enough!

 :tup :tup

Glad to hear you liked Stardust We Are right away.  That one took some time for me to really grasp, due to its length and sprawling nature, but it sure is rewarding once the whole thing connects.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on June 03, 2021, 12:29:45 AM
So I was just thinking that, once the current TFK lineup releases another album, it'll be the first time that any single lineup of the band has put out more than 2 consecutive albums (a trait they have shared with Yes up til now). Of course, this is on technicality since Fröberg was merely a guest on Retropolis and wasn't a full member until Stardust We Are.

That being the case, it's funny how every pair of albums almost features a single lineup (the exception being their 9th and 10th albums, Paradox Hotel and The Sum Of No Evil), with the caveat that Gildenlöw was merely a guest on UTF (which kind of contradicts my technicality regarding Fröberg and Retropolis earlier).

Anyways, getting to my point, if we pair the albums up, how would everyone feel about one versus the other?

Back In The World Of Adventures VS Retropolis
Stardust We Are VS Flower Power
Space Revolver VS The Rainmaker
Unfold The Future VS Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel VS The Sum Of No Evil
Banks Of Eden VS Desolation Rose
Waiting For Miracles VS Islands

For me, I'd go Retropolis, SWA, SR, UTF, PH, DR, and Islands, but I'm curious to see how everyone else will go!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on June 03, 2021, 12:38:10 AM
Cool idea!

Back In The World of Adventures
Stardust We Are
Space Revolver
Unfold the Future
Paradox Hotel
Desolation Rose
Islands
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on June 03, 2021, 04:56:47 AM
Oddly enough, the only really tough match-up for me is the SWA/FP one where I could go either way. The rest were pretty much no-brainers. UtF could potentially beat out A&E, but UtF can become tiresome to get through while A&E stays fresh throughout.

Retropolis
Stardust We Are
Space Revolver
Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel
Desolation Rose
Islands

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 03, 2021, 05:44:08 AM
Back In The World Of Adventures VS Retropolis
Stardust We Are VS Flower Power
Space Revolver VS The Rainmaker
Unfold The Future VS Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel VS The Sum Of No Evil
Banks Of Eden VS Desolation Rose
Waiting For Miracles VS Islands
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on June 03, 2021, 07:36:28 AM
Back In The World Of Adventures VS Retropolis
Stardust We Are VS Flower Power
Space Revolver VS The Rainmaker
Unfold The Future VS Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel VS The Sum Of No Evil
Banks Of Eden VS Desolation Rose
Waiting For Miracles VS Islands

I don't know the first two albums, SR and TR well enough to compare them. This discussion makes me want to check them out again though  :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Kyo on June 03, 2021, 08:19:38 AM
Fröberg was merely a guest on Retropolis and wasn't a full member until Stardust We Are.

And on "Back in the World of Adventures" he wasn't featured at all! Funny, for some reason I wasn't aware of that, always thinking of him as one of the founding members - probably because I a) I only got these albums after Stardust and the live album and b) never really listened to them all that much. And after all, even on a regular TFK album it's perfectly normal to have long stretches where he's not heard at all, so the difference isn't really all that obvious.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on June 03, 2021, 09:05:56 AM
I’m still missing about half of the TFK catalog (everything after UTF until Islands, and I also don’t have Flower Power), so I can’t really pick winners for most of these. I hadn’t realized the lineups had changed quite that frequently. Kind of makes me wonder if that’s a philosophical thing for Roine (kind of like how Fripp was always wanting to reconfigure KC every few albums) or what. Has he ever commented on the reasons for the frequent lineup changes?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 03, 2021, 12:56:38 PM
Back In The World Of Adventures VS Retropolis
Stardust We Are VS Flower Power
Space Revolver VS The Rainmaker
Unfold The Future VS Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel VS The Sum Of No Evil
Banks Of Eden VS Desolation Rose
Waiting For Miracles VS Islands


I have to say I like all of The Flower Kings albums except "Islands" which I have no interest in ever hearing again.  I've never made it through the first disc.  I find it very boring, like the Lite Rock version of TFK.   When I need a fix of The Flower Kings it's going to be one of the first 10 albums.


Banks of Eden was pretty good, but I haven't really cared that much for anything they've released since.  Desolation Rose and Waiting For Miracles have their moments, but I doubt I'll ever listen to them again.  I don't reach for Banks of Eden very often either.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 03, 2021, 03:57:36 PM
I’m still missing about half of the TFK catalog (everything after UTF until Islands, and I also don’t have Flower Power), so I can’t really pick winners for most of these. I hadn’t realized the lineups had changed quite that frequently. Kind of makes me wonder if that’s a philosophical thing for Roine (kind of like how Fripp was always wanting to reconfigure KC every few albums) or what. Has he ever commented on the reasons for the frequent lineup changes?

Aside from the bass player change after the 4th album, it feels like it was the drummer that was always changing, or sometimes you'd get an official 6th member for an album or something.  The core of Roine/Bodin/Reingold/Froberg was intact for eight straight albums (Space Revolver through Desolation Rose).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 03, 2021, 05:28:08 PM
Back In The World Of Adventures VS Retropolis
Stardust We Are VS Flower Power
Space Revolver VS The Rainmaker
Unfold The Future VS Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel VS The Sum Of No Evil
Banks Of Eden VS Desolation Rose
Waiting For Miracles VS Islands
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on June 04, 2021, 08:48:04 AM
I have just finished listening to Flower Power. Now, this album is pretty different from the first three albums for me, because I do not like this album... I love this album. Yeah, I've only heard it once, but I can easily see this eventually being in my Top 10 favorite albums of all time. The best song is easily "Garden of Dreams", which is 59 minutes and basically none of it is wasted (there's this dark, ambient section that went on a bit longer than I liked, but it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the song). It's fascinating to me how a lot of these massive epics manage to be as long as they are, and not only are they really good, they're consistently really good from start to finish. I didn't pay much attention to the runtime while listening to Garden of Dreams, so I don't know for sure which movements are which, but if I recall correctly, some of my favorite movements were Garden of Dreams, Don't Let the d'Evil In, and The Final Deal. The whole song was really great, though, like I said. But what really makes me love this album is that after Garden of Dreams, they decided to make 12 other songs for the album, and a majority of these songs are close to or equally as great as Garden of Dreams. Some of my other favorite songs from the album are "Stupid Girl", "Power of Kindness", and "Magic Pie". Amazing album. I don't know if I'll hear another album by The Flower Kings that I'll enjoy more than this one, that's how much I like this after just one listen. But if it turns out that this band managed to make a better album after this one (and I would not doubt their ability to do so), I'm highly intrigued to hear how they outdid this one.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 04, 2021, 08:57:24 AM
Yes, Garden of Dreams is massive.

GoD is easily one of the best progressive rock epics of all time, certainly in the modern era. It is such an explosive journey, exactly what a great epic should be. GoD is a great example of how a long epic has a great final payoff, making the journey worth it in the end. That peak section near the end, "there's no such thing..." where you can even hear Roine's vocals straining to hit some rare high notes and he almost sounds angry. Gives me chills just thinking about it, and the music itself just brings me to tears. I love the closing track, as well, which works as a sort of coda for me, or if GoD was a short movie, it would be the music played during the credits. It's very reminiscent of a Frank Zappa solo track but with that Flower Kings touch.

Second disc is solid and has a lot of classic cuts, but has a lot of filler to me as well.

The next album Space Revolver is overall a better album (though a single disc) and hard to compare to FP. Plus, Jonas Reingold joins on the next album, which revolutionized their overall sound IMO. Jonas joining made them a complete band, too, whereas I think Roine was still handling a lot (or all?) the bass parts still on those first 4 TFK albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on June 04, 2021, 09:26:24 AM
I thought Michael Stolt played bass on the albums before Jonas joined?

Nice shoutout for Magic Pie there, that's one of my favourite from the second disc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 04, 2021, 09:31:00 AM
I thought Michael Stolt played bass on the albums before Jonas joined?

Nice shoutout for Magic Pie there, that's one of my favourite from the second disc.

Someone more informed on the matter might have to chime in, but I recall reading or hearing that Roine played many of the bass parts on the first 4 albums, if not all the bass parts, but Michael Stolt was the live bassist, so he was credited. Also, Roine tended to use pseudo names or aliases on the credits for those older albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 04, 2021, 10:15:16 AM
I have just finished listening to Flower Power. Now, this album is pretty different from the first three albums for me, because I do not like this album... I love this album. Yeah, I've only heard it once, but I can easily see this eventually being in my Top 10 favorite albums of all time. The best song is easily "Garden of Dreams", which is 59 minutes and basically none of it is wasted (there's this dark, ambient section that went on a bit longer than I liked, but it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the song). It's fascinating to me how a lot of these massive epics manage to be as long as they are, and not only are they really good, they're consistently really good from start to finish. I didn't pay much attention to the runtime while listening to Garden of Dreams, so I don't know for sure which movements are which, but if I recall correctly, some of my favorite movements were Garden of Dreams, Don't Let the d'Evil In, and The Final Deal. The whole song was really great, though, like I said. But what really makes me love this album is that after Garden of Dreams, they decided to make 12 other songs for the album, and a majority of these songs are close to or equally as great as Garden of Dreams. Some of my other favorite songs from the album are "Stupid Girl", "Power of Kindness", and "Magic Pie". Amazing album. I don't know if I'll hear another album by The Flower Kings that I'll enjoy more than this one, that's how much I like this after just one listen. But if it turns out that this band managed to make a better album after this one (and I would not doubt their ability to do so), I'm highly intrigued to hear how they outdid this one.

Woohoo!

Whether it is one song, a suite or whatever we want to call it, Garden of Dreams still stands as the best collective piece of music they have ever done, IMO.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: kirksnosehair on June 04, 2021, 12:24:09 PM
I like Garden of Dreams but I had to cut that long ambient stuff out.  1 or 2 minutes would have been better, it just drones on and on for too long.  I know a lot of people don't share this opinion but I always thought The Garden of Dreams could have done with a bit more editing.  Those are pretty minor gripes, though.  The payoff at the end of this one is good, but it just never really hit me on the same emotional level as something like "Stranger In Your Soul" (Transatlantic) or "At The End Of The Day" or "The Great Nothing" (Spock's Beard)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Dedalus on June 04, 2021, 12:29:55 PM
Back In The World Of Adventures VS Retropolis
Stardust We Are VS Flower Power
Space Revolver VS The Rainmaker
Unfold The Future VS Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel VS The Sum Of No Evil
Banks Of Eden VS Desolation Rose
Waiting For Miracles VS Islands
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 04, 2021, 01:27:37 PM
Can't recall if we did this, but as far as the double albums, Disc 1 or Disc 2?  I will leave off Waiting for Miracles since it is lopsided with Disc 2 being much shorter than Disc 1.

Stardust We Are Disc 1 vs Stardust We Are Disc 2
Flower Power Disc 1 vs Flower Power Disc 2
Unfold the Future Disc 1 vs Unfold the Future Disc 2
Paradox Hotel Disc 1 vs Paradox Hotel Disc 2
Islands Disc 1 vs Islands Disc 2

I will go with:

Stardust We Are Disc 2 - this was tough, as I adore that 20-minute instrumental run from Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar to the intro of Compassion, but Disc 2 has what are now probably my three favorite songs from the album (Ghost of the Red Cloud, Stardust We Are, The End of Innoncence)
Flower Power Disc 1 - Disc 2 is very good, but Disc 1 has Garden of Dreams. 'Nuff said for me.
Unfold the Future Disc 2 - this was easy for me.  Devil's Playground is the far superior epic to The Truth..., and while Disc 1 has Silent Inferno, I listen to the other songs from Disc 2 way more than anything else from 1.
Paradox Hotel Disc 1 - another tough one, but I gave 1 the edge because a) it has more Roine singing, and b) that run from Lucy Had a Dream through End of a High Note is sublime.
Islands Disc 1 - highlights on both discs, but 2 seems to meander a bit at times, while 1 is mostly all good stuff.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on June 04, 2021, 01:37:05 PM
If I still listened to albums on CDs, I'd probably be able to decide, but almost all if my listening has been digital for the better part of the last decade, so I don't really distinguish where the 1st disc ends and the 2nd begins, unless it's super apparent. The albums just run together for me now as one long album, rather than 2 discs.

But if I had to pick....

Stardust We Are Disc 2
Flower Power Disc 1
Unfold the Future Disc 1
Paradox Hotel Disc 2
Islands Disc 2

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 05, 2021, 08:34:35 AM
^ Interesting, I find the 2nd disc of Islands to lose a lot of steam very early on, and sounds like the band ran out of original ideas until the last few songs.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 05, 2021, 08:39:03 AM
I agree with that.  There are few tunes on Disc 2 of Islands I like a lot, Northern Lights being the most obvious standout, but Disc 1 seems to have more highs and is more consistent.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 05, 2021, 02:41:25 PM
I like the overall vibe on Islands, it's more laid back "pleasant-prog" I also feel like the entire album is in 7/8 when I'm thinking about the album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 05, 2021, 08:15:11 PM
I like the laid back vibe as well. Wasn't it Roine who said the album sounds different than normal because their parts were all recorded in isolation and the drums weren't mic'd like they normally would be? The low end definitely doesn't have the punch we normally get with a TFK record, and that is probably why the album has a more laid back feel.  I wouldn't want it that way every time, but nice to get one album like that, as it makes it unique in that regard.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on June 05, 2021, 08:56:17 PM
^ Interesting, I find the 2nd disc of Islands to lose a lot of steam very early on, and sounds like the band ran out of original ideas until the last few songs.

I'll be honest, I haven't spun Islands in a little while, but it all sort of flows together for me, so it was really a coin-flip decision. I like a lot of both discs, and there are parts I like less on both, so it doesn't really make much of a difference to me. I could pick disc 2 today, and then disc 1 tomorrow, but like I said before, since nearly all of my listening is digital these days, the idea of separating the album by its physical constraints doesn't have much meaning to me unless it's baked in to the theme or concept of the album, which I don't really feel here (or on many of the TFK doubles really).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on June 07, 2021, 11:15:37 PM
I like the laid back vibe as well. Wasn't it Roine who said the album sounds different than normal because their parts were all recorded in isolation and the drums weren't mic'd like they normally would be? The low end definitely doesn't have the punch we normally get with a TFK record, and that is probably why the album has a more laid back feel.  I wouldn't want it that way every time, but nice to get one album like that, as it makes it unique in that regard.

I thought that Waiting For Miracles was missing that "punch" as well and it bothered me quite a bit when it came out. So much actually, that I almost never listen to it anymore.

On Islands however, that light, transparent production fit the music for me!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 08, 2021, 06:09:48 PM
I like the laid back vibe as well. Wasn't it Roine who said the album sounds different than normal because their parts were all recorded in isolation and the drums weren't mic'd like they normally would be? The low end definitely doesn't have the punch we normally get with a TFK record, and that is probably why the album has a more laid back feel.  I wouldn't want it that way every time, but nice to get one album like that, as it makes it unique in that regard.

I thought that Waiting For Miracles was missing that "punch" as well and it bothered me quite a bit when it came out. So much actually, that I almost never listen to it anymore.

On Islands however, that light, transparent production fit the music for me!

I never noticed a lack of punch on Waiting for Miracles; it sounded like classic TFK to me in both sound and style. I will have to listen for it next time through.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on June 09, 2021, 02:27:44 AM
I gave a spin to Islands yesterday and enjoyed it immensely. Such a fine album. I like the fact that the songs are shorter and I find that the melodies are very memorable.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on June 09, 2021, 03:47:49 AM
I gave a spin to Islands yesterday and enjoyed it immensely. Such a fine album. I like the fact that the songs are shorter and I find that the melodies are very memorable.

Yeah it's pretty enjoyable overall. I threw it back on my playlist after not listening for a few months and it's held up for me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on June 09, 2021, 08:40:11 AM
I'm not yet sure if Islands has one of those all-time-classic TFK moments on it yet. Some come close, but idk yet if they have true Classic status.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 14, 2021, 08:34:22 AM
Any word on the new album? I thought they had said it was being worked on a while back.

I'm highly intrigued to hear how they outdid this one.

Did you listen to Space Revolver yet?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on June 14, 2021, 08:58:12 AM
Any word on the new album? I thought they had said it was being worked on a while back.

I believe I had seen Roine comment on FB that it'll come out in 2022. If I had to guess, I suspect a Spring release date just before Cruise To The Edge.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on June 15, 2021, 07:51:53 AM
I was checking my Spotify stats through this site (https://www.statsforspotify.com (https://www.statsforspotify.com)) and my Top tracks of all time includes 4 TFK songs in the Top 10 :lol with the #1 spot being End On A High Note.

1. End On A High Note
2. The Flower King
4. World Of Adventures
6. Hit Me With A Hit

And all this from November last year and onward when I started listening to them. Crazy.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on June 15, 2021, 08:49:05 AM
I picked up a copy of Flower Power yesterday (got it in the mail really) and am finishing my first listen this morning. Listened to disc 1 last night and was blown away. I need more listens to digest, but Garden of Dreams worked as a single epic in a way some CD length "songs" like SDOIT or The Whirlwind don't (those feel more like a collection of discreet songs). Not that there aren't discreet songs to Garden of Dreams, but they all felt like they were part of the whole on first listen at least. The ending is incredible. Never heard Roine sing that way (probably hasn't sung that way since he laid down the track!). I don't know why they felt compelled to include Captain Capstan and Ikea at Night as separate tracks (writing credits?), but Astral Dog is fantastic and a fun way to end the disc.

I'm only half way through the second disc. It really does feel like it's own separate album, and will take some time to digest. But I'm liking what I'm hearing so far. 

Edit: Calling Home, which I think I have heard before, is wonderful.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 15, 2021, 02:38:55 PM
I was checking my Spotify stats through this site (https://www.statsforspotify.com (https://www.statsforspotify.com)) and my Top tracks of all time includes 4 TFK songs in the Top 10 :lol with the #1 spot being End On A High Note.

1. End On A High Note
2. The Flower King
4. World Of Adventures
6. Hit Me With A Hit

And all this from November last year and onward when I started listening to them. Crazy.

Great selection. Those are some of the best pieces of TFK music right there, 2 of the best songs off Paradox Hotel, the titular title track off Roine's 1994 solo album, and the first track off of BITWOA, which I always thought was the best song on the album (but the rest of the album is great) and one of the band's best songs overall.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 15, 2021, 02:47:28 PM
I picked up a copy of Flower Power yesterday (got it in the mail really) and am finishing my first listen this morning. Listened to disc 1 last night and was blown away. I need more listens to digest, but Garden of Dreams worked as a single epic in a way some CD length "songs" like SDOIT or The Whirlwind don't (those feel more like a collection of discreet songs). Not that there aren't discreet songs to Garden of Dreams, but they all felt like they were part of the whole on first listen at least. The ending is incredible. Never heard Roine sing that way (probably hasn't sung that way since he laid down the track!). I don't know why they felt compelled to include Captain Capstan and Ikea at Night as separate tracks (writing credits?), but Astral Dog is fantastic and a fun way to end the disc.

I'm only half way through the second disc. It really does feel like it's own separate album, and will take some time to digest. But I'm liking what I'm hearing so far. 

Edit: Calling Home, which I think I have heard before, is wonderful.

I really think GoD is the best epic among all the big massive 35+ minute epics between Roine and co, Neal Morse and co, Dream Theater, etc... and surely by any band who's produced prog rock since the 80s IMO. It is just the most.... epic piece of music, and it really is one piece and moves as so, whereas SDoIT and The Whirlwind do have more noticeable changes if you're not looking at when the tracks change. I don't even know where one track ends and the other begins for most of GoD's length. While a little shorter, the live version from Meet The Flower Kings is essential listening once you've digested the studio version. It is very different, with added sections, extended solos, jams, and while I think the studio version is better, the live one is really interesting, and I love some of the funky sections added in, and some prefer it over the studio one.

As I've said, the first disc of Flower Power is the perfect single disc of TFK music, it really is its own album, with the 2nd disc having more of its own feel, with a few call backs to GoD, but the reprises are little more discreet. This is unlike their other double albums, where each disc is part of the greater whole.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 15, 2021, 03:08:50 PM


I really think GoD is the best epic among all the big massive 35+ minute epics between Roine and co, Neal Morse and co, Dream Theater, etc... and surely by any band who's produced prog rock since the 80s IMO. It is just the most.... epic piece of music, and it really is one piece and moves as so, whereas SDoIT and The Whirlwind do have more noticeable changes if you're not looking at when the tracks change. I don't even know where one track ends and the other begins for most of GoD's length. While a little shorter, the live version from Meet The Flower Kings is essential listening once you've digested the studio version. It is very different, with added sections, extended solos, jams, and while I think the studio version is better, the live one is really interesting, and I love some of the funky sections added in, and some prefer it over the studio one.

As I've said, the first disc of Flower Power is the perfect single disc of TFK music, it really is its own album, with the 2nd disc having more of its own feel, with a few call backs to GoD, but the reprises are little more discreet. This is unlike their other double albums, where each disc is part of the greater whole.

Spot on.

If Garden of Dreams on its own was a studio album, it would certainly be my favorite TFK album and probably in my all-time top 10, maybe even top 5.  Not that I don't like Astral Dog a lot or most of Disc 2, because I do.  But most of Disc 2 being merely good brings the overall quality down from "top tier album ever" to merely "great album."  How's that for semantics?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 15, 2021, 03:16:54 PM
The Whirlwind is basically tied with Flower Power disc 1 for me, but I don't think I could choose one or the other as a desert island disc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on June 18, 2021, 04:22:39 AM
I finished listening to Space Revolver just recently. I think this one will take a few listens to really absorb. There were some songs I liked a lot, such as "Rumble Fish Twist", "Chicken Farmer Song", and "Slave to Money". However, there were a few songs that I don't think I really "get" yet, mainly "I am the Sun" (both parts) and "You Don't Know What You've Got". I still think it's a pretty good album, though. It's just one that I'll need to listen to more to get a more solid opinion on.
Next up is The Rainmaker, which I hear tends to be considered a step down from the other TFK albums. Regardless of how I may feel about it compared to the other albums I've heard thus far, I think I'll probably enjoy it nonetheless, based on how much I'm liking this band so far.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on June 18, 2021, 04:38:48 AM
I Am The Sun is actually a pretty odd song once you break it down, especially the "I left my heart..." part. But there's so many fascinating parts that I can't help but absolutely love it. The mellow section at the end of Part 1 and the entire first half of Part 2 are some of my favorite FK moments. Slave To Money has so much going on for being a relatively shorter song, and Monster Within (the Epping Forest of this album) seems to get divided opinions, but it's fantastic with some really brilliant melodies.

The Rainmaker is cool. I don't think it's inferior considering the longer songs are all pretty much top tier, with the shorter tracks being very memorable also. But it loses that upbeat whimsical vibe the first 5 albums had and the album cover reflects the darker vibe of the music. My favorite song is actually the ambient title track with Road To Sanctuary not far behind.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 18, 2021, 05:51:02 AM
The biggest problem with The Rainmaker, and there are several, is the mix.  The drums sound totally flat and like they weren't recorded or mix correctly.  The lush and warm tones that flood nearly every other TFK album are largely non-existent on The Rainmaker.  It's not a bad record, just a slight misstep.  I do like the songs Serious Dreamers and Elaine a lot.  I go back and forth on Last Minute on Earth, which has a killer riff, but Hasse's lead vocal is pretty questionable (a longtime friend who loves the band hates that song because of, in his words, how bad the vocals are).  Sword of God is the one that needed to go in the dumpster.  That might the one song in their history I would say is just bad.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on June 18, 2021, 07:38:55 AM
The biggest problem with The Rainmaker, and there are several, is the mix.  The drums sound totally flat and like they weren't recorded or mix correctly.  The lush and warm tones that flood nearly every other TFK album are largely non-existent on The Rainmaker.  It's not a bad record, just a slight misstep.  I do like the songs Serious Dreamers and Elaine a lot.  I go back and forth on Last Minute on Earth, which has a killer riff, but Hasse's lead vocal is pretty questionable (a longtime friend who loves the band hates that song because of, in his words, how bad the vocals are).  Sword of God is the one that needed to go in the dumpster.  That might the one song in their history I would say is just bad.

I really like The Rainmaker (it was my first TFK album), but I agree with pretty much all of this, especially Sword of God. The drums sound fine to me though. It is a denser mix (for lack of a better word) than earlier TFK. City of Angels is a favorite from this one, in addition to Serious Dreamers. Road to Sanctuary is great too.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on June 18, 2021, 07:56:27 AM
I Am The Sun is great, give it more listens!
I overall think Space Revolver is the band's most accessible album, for a TFK album. The sound is great, there are great melodies throughout, the overall mood is very cheerful throughout as well. Monster Within is a dense but rewarding piece of music.

The Rainmaker is better than you think. Sure, it isn't as good as the previous albums, but it's still a solid record. It's a transitional album, as they were starting to move into a more jazz-fusion direction, as well as bringing in more darker elements into the music. I think it's better than the band's last handful of albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Willthescout7 on June 23, 2021, 10:33:18 AM
I am looking into purchasing Back Into the World of Adventures on Friday. Question: I know that reissues have cut parts of songs, so I need to know if the reissue of Back Into the World of Adventures does the same. I looked at the Discog page for it and it looks like 8 seconds have been cut off one of the songs and some added in other places, it just looks like silence was cut but I if any of you have additional information I would appreciate it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on June 23, 2021, 06:52:16 PM
I am looking into purchasing Back Into the World of Adventures on Friday. Question: I know that reissues have cut parts of songs, so I need to know if the reissue of Back Into the World of Adventures does the same. I looked at the Discog page for it and it looks like 8 seconds have been cut off one of the songs and some added in other places, it just looks like silence was cut but I if any of you have additional information I would appreciate it.

Hmmm, I have no clue about any of this.  I wouldn't let it hold you back from getting it, though, especially if it is only 8 seconds.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on July 06, 2021, 04:25:23 PM
So I was listening to Waiting For Miracles and Islands the other day, and I was wondering - which pair of albums do you all prefer more?

Banks Of Eden & Desolation Rose, or Waiting For Miracles & Islands? Both pairs feature the same line-up for both albums, something that hadn't happened since the band's early days, and both pairs of albums were released in back-to-back years.

I'd have to give BOE another spin, but I think would go with the last two albums over the previous pair. I just like the sound that WFM and Islands have more, part of it reminds me of classic/early TFK a bit more than BOE/DR did, but that isn't to say I don't like what those albums had to offer.

Just figured I'd try to stir up some TFK-related discussion while we all wait for news about their next album, which I think I read would be coming next year.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on July 06, 2021, 07:40:53 PM
Even though Desolation Rose is easily the weakest of the four (weakest TFK studio album to date actually, IMO), I still might pick the earlier duo on the strength of Banks of Eden, which is a fantastic record.  I like both Waiting for Miracles and Islands a lot, but neither touches Banks of Eden for me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on July 07, 2021, 12:58:31 AM
I'd probably rank them like this:

Desolation rose
Islands
Banks of eden
Waiting for miracles
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on July 07, 2021, 03:38:56 AM
As you're asking which pair of albums I prefer, it's definitely Miracles/Islands. Banks of Eden has one of their great epics in Numbers, but the rest is forgettable relative to the earlier albums, and I've never been able to get into Desolation Rose properly.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on July 07, 2021, 03:55:46 PM
Even though Desolation Rose is easily the weakest of the four (weakest TFK studio album to date actually, IMO), I still might pick the earlier duo on the strength of Banks of Eden, which is a fantastic record.  I like both Waiting for Miracles and Islands a lot, but neither touches Banks of Eden for me.

This is where I'm at. DR is easily my least favorite TFK album, and BoE is arguably the strongest effort of all 4 albums.
However, I like the overall vibe of the latest two albums, especially Islands, over the other two, and both recent efforts are more consistent albums to me.
On the strength of Numbers alone, I will choose BoE+DR, but I'm totally into this new era of the band over the last one with Bodin still on keys. Those last two albums with Bodin feel cold to me, in both production and the overall vibe, especially DR.
Islands brings back much of that old TFK cheeriness that was lacking after the first hiatus.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on July 28, 2021, 06:45:30 PM
https://www.facebook.com/835639522/posts/10160165170864523/

Mirkko De Maio posted a studio tour on FB earlier today, where the band have been for at least 3 days working on the new album!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on July 30, 2021, 06:25:04 AM
Great news!  :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 06, 2021, 01:46:15 PM
If you've followed and enjoyed his reactions to Dream Theater's epics, Doug Helvering from The Daily Doug, finally put out a reaction video to some Flower Kings music, with Love Is The Only Answer from The Sum of No Evil album.
I believe this is the first piece of music he's covered from the TFK/Transatlantic/Spock's Beard/NM world of music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUn8araO4HI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUn8araO4HI)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on August 06, 2021, 01:49:40 PM
If you've followed and enjoyed his reactions to Dream Theater's epics, Doug Helvering from The Daily Doug, finally put out a reaction video to some Flower Kings music, with Love Is The Only Answer from The Sum of No Evil album.
I believe this is the first piece of music he's covered from the TFK/Transatlantic/Spock's Beard/NM world of music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUn8araO4HI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUn8araO4HI)

I believe he did Spock’s Beard recently as well. Either At the End of the Day or The Great Nothing.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 06, 2021, 02:13:05 PM
If you've followed and enjoyed his reactions to Dream Theater's epics, Doug Helvering from The Daily Doug, finally put out a reaction video to some Flower Kings music, with Love Is The Only Answer from The Sum of No Evil album.
I believe this is the first piece of music he's covered from the TFK/Transatlantic/Spock's Beard/NM world of music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUn8araO4HI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUn8araO4HI)

I believe he did Spock’s Beard recently as well. Either At the End of the Day or The Great Nothing.

Ah yes, he did, At The End Of The Day almost a week ago. That one didn't pop up on my YT feed strangely enough.
Then this is the first TFK piece he's reacted to. Something by Transatlantic and NMB/Neal Morse solo should be also be in his queue sometime soon.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on August 07, 2021, 04:44:28 AM
I'd love to see someone's reaction/analysis to Stardust We Are. I enjoy Love Is..., but Stardust is on a whole 'nother level.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 07, 2021, 06:07:39 AM
Love Is the Only Answer is definitely an odd choice to start off with the Flower Kings, but hey if he liked it (did he? I did not watch the video) and wants to check out more as a result, who am I to argue with it? :lol :P
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on August 07, 2021, 09:14:14 AM
I didn’t watch it because I haven’t heard Sum of No Evil yet (still working my way through the TFK catalog). I did watch his reaction to SB’s At the End of the Day and he was blown away by it. That was at least fun to see someone genuinely enjoying such amazing music for the first time.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: SwedishGoose on August 07, 2021, 09:27:57 AM
Love Is the Only Answer is definitely an odd choice to start off with the Flower Kings, but hey if he liked it (did he? I did not watch the video) and wants to check out more as a result, who am I to argue with it? :lol :P

He was super impressed with it in a way he said that he had only been to King Crimson  before

Songwriting, playing, arrangements, mixing, everything was totally blowing him away.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on August 07, 2021, 10:07:17 AM
I'd love to see someone's reaction/analysis to Stardust We Are. I enjoy Love Is..., but Stardust is on a whole 'nother level.

I believe YouTuber JustJP did a reaction to "Stardust We Are" not too long ago (one of the few reactions to the whole song I've seen on YouTube), and his style of music reaction is to simply let the song play all the way through and he barely, if ever, talks during it, and leaves all his thoughts for after the song finishes. He also dives into the lyrics a lot and tries to parse their meaning, so if that's your bag, he's a good one to follow.

If you've followed and enjoyed his reactions to Dream Theater's epics, Doug Helvering from The Daily Doug, finally put out a reaction video to some Flower Kings music, with Love Is The Only Answer from The Sum of No Evil album.
I believe this is the first piece of music he's covered from the TFK/Transatlantic/Spock's Beard/NM world of music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUn8araO4HI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUn8araO4HI)

I believe he did Spock’s Beard recently as well. Either At the End of the Day or The Great Nothing.

Ah yes, he did, At The End Of The Day almost a week ago. That one didn't pop up on my YT feed strangely enough.
Then this is the first TFK piece he's reacted to. Something by Transatlantic and NMB/Neal Morse solo should be also be in his queue sometime soon.

This is indeed his first taste of TFK, and judging by his impressions, I hope he continues to explore their works. I would love to see him cover another epic, but I also wouldn't mind him reacting to one of their shorter songs in the 8-15 minute range. Hopefully someone can inform him how to pronounce Roine's name. :lol To be fair, every TFK and Transatlantic reaction video I've ever seen has the reactor pronouncing his name wrong, so I don't blame Doug for not getting it right away.

I hope Doug will cover some Transatalntic really soon, or some solo Neal Morse, now that he's heard him in Spock's Beard.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 07, 2021, 12:16:41 PM
I didn't know the proper way to pronounce Roine Stolt's name until I heard MP say his name a few years ago.

I used to think it was pronounced "Royn", but it's pronounced "Roy-nay".

Doug couldn't pronounce Zoltan's last name either, at all. But then, I don't think anyone knows how to pronounce it unless you're Swedish.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on August 07, 2021, 12:20:56 PM
I didn't know the proper way to pronounce Roine Stolt's name until I heard MP say his name a few years ago.

I used to think it was pronounced "Royn", but it's pronounced "Roy-nay".

Doug couldn't pronounce Zoltan's last name either, at all. But then, I don't think anyone knows how to pronounce it unless you're Swedish.

I've always been under the impression that Roine is pronounced as "Roy-nah" or "Roy-nuh". I don't think I've ever heard it as "Roy-nay".

https://youtu.be/ZnfqChe6U8c

Sounds like the interviewer is saying "Roy-nah" here.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 07, 2021, 12:41:09 PM
I didn't know the proper way to pronounce Roine Stolt's name until I heard MP say his name a few years ago.

I used to think it was pronounced "Royn", but it's pronounced "Roy-nay".

Doug couldn't pronounce Zoltan's last name either, at all. But then, I don't think anyone knows how to pronounce it unless you're Swedish.

I've always been under the impression that Roine is pronounced as "Roy-nah" or "Roy-nuh". I don't think I've ever heard it as "Roy-nay".

https://youtu.be/ZnfqChe6U8c

Sounds like the interviewer is saying "Roy-nah" here.

-Marc.

You're right, I couldn't even remember the right way to pronounce it  :laugh: but I knew it was something like that.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 07, 2021, 01:27:28 PM
Love Is the Only Answer is definitely an odd choice to start off with the Flower Kings, but hey if he liked it (did he? I did not watch the video) and wants to check out more as a result, who am I to argue with it? :lol :P

He was super impressed with it in a way he said that he had only been to King Crimson  before

Songwriting, playing, arrangements, mixing, everything was totally blowing him away.

That is great to hear!  Hopefully, it inspires him to dig into the rest of their catalogue when he has a year or two to spare, given how large it is. :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on August 07, 2021, 01:35:05 PM
Now that he’s found Spock’s Beard I’m just waiting for him to find Big Big Train. He’d love Victorian Brickwork or East Coast Racer.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on August 17, 2021, 02:45:38 AM
I've finally gotten around to continuing my marathon of the albums by The Flower Kings. Tonight I listened to The Rainmaker, and it was pretty good. It wasn't on the same level as Flower Power, and it wasn't as exciting as some of the other albums I've heard from this, but I think it was still a pretty good album overall. Some highlights of the album were "The Rainmaker", "City of Angels", "Elaine" (despite the somewhat weird lyrics), and "Serious Dreamers". If I were to choose a favorite, it would probably be City of Angels. The only downside of this album compared to the others I've heard is that the songs generally seem to have the same kind of sound to them. It doesn't bring the album down that much, but I prefer the bigger variety that some of the other The Flower Kings albums have.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on August 17, 2021, 05:33:40 AM
It's only been in the last year I really got into The Rainmaker, and probably in the last few months that I got into City of Angels specifically.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on August 17, 2021, 07:13:23 AM
City of Angels is fantastic. Love that chorus.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 17, 2021, 02:48:55 PM
The Rainmaker lives in the shadow of the previous album, Space Revolver, which is one of the band's most popular albums, and also one of their strongest. The album is a little 'darker' by TFK standards, and also a little jazzier at times, than previous TFK albums. I also think one reason this album is not heralded as one of the band's best is the track order. LMOE is a decent TFK song, but not really a good opener for an album. It is still one of the better songs, along with RTS and COA. There's tracks that I like, but don't love, like Elaine and Serious Dreamers. Then the rest of the tracks I'm not into. I don't hate them, and would listen to them if I listen to the whole album, but they're not that memorable to me. Even the best songs on this album would still rank lower than the best from the first 5 albums and some albums after this. So while not their worst album by any means, it's possibly the worst of the first 10 albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on August 17, 2021, 02:53:57 PM
The Rainmaker lives in the shadow of the previous album, Space Revolver, which is one of the band's most popular albums, and also one of their strongest. The album is a little 'darker' by TFK standards, and also a little jazzier at times, than previous TFK albums. I also think one reason this album is not heralded as one of the band's best is the track order. LMOE is a decent TFK song, but not really a good opener for an album. It is still one of the better songs, along with RTS and COA. There's tracks that I like, but don't love, like Elaine and Serious Dreamers. Then the rest of the tracks I'm not into. I don't hate them, and would listen to them if I listen to the whole album, but they're not that memorable to me. Even the best songs on this album would still rank lower than the best from the first 5 albums and some albums after this. So while not their worst album by any means, it's possibly the worst of the first 10 albums.

I could probably agree with this. I often put The Rainmaker and Adam & Eve at the bottom of my lists for the band, especially among the first ten albums. The first five are all golden to me, as are UTF and PH, and I really enjoy TSONE, which leaves TR and A&E to sit at the bottom. I would say I even like TBOE and DR a bit more than TR, though they all sit at a lower tier for me.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 17, 2021, 02:57:10 PM
The Rainmaker lives in the shadow of the previous album, Space Revolver, which is one of the band's most popular albums, and also one of their strongest. The album is a little 'darker' by TFK standards, and also a little jazzier at times, than previous TFK albums. I also think one reason this album is not heralded as one of the band's best is the track order. LMOE is a decent TFK song, but not really a good opener for an album. It is still one of the better songs, along with RTS and COA. There's tracks that I like, but don't love, like Elaine and Serious Dreamers. Then the rest of the tracks I'm not into. I don't hate them, and would listen to them if I listen to the whole album, but they're not that memorable to me. Even the best songs on this album would still rank lower than the best from the first 5 albums and some albums after this. So while not their worst album by any means, it's possibly the worst of the first 10 albums.

I could probably agree with this. I often put The Rainmaker and Adam & Eve at the bottom of my lists for the band, especially among the first ten albums. The first five are all golden to me, as are UTF and PH, and I really enjoy TSONE, which leaves TR and A&E to sit at the bottom. I would say I even like TBOE and DR a bit more than TR, though they all sit at a lower tier for me.

-Marc.

I only put DR last, but TR, A&E, and BoE all hover around the same place near the bottom, depending on my mood.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on August 17, 2021, 02:57:30 PM
Would anyone happen to know if The Flower Kings will reissue/re-release their older albums at some point? I really want to get at least a few of these albums on CD, but unless I'm just looking in the wrong places, these CDs seem rare and kind of expensive.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on August 17, 2021, 03:12:00 PM
Would anyone happen to know if The Flower Kings will reissue/re-release their older albums at some point? I really want to get at least a few of these albums on CD, but unless I'm just looking in the wrong places, these CDs seem rare and kind of expensive.

Discogs (a second hand marketplace) is probably the best place to go for this. I picked up Back in the World of Adventures and Flower Power there recently. They also did release a box set with all of their albums a year or two ago, but from what I recall it was one of those deals where the CDs came in cardboard slips and you didn’t get the full artwork and lyrics. That might be out of print too now.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on August 17, 2021, 03:15:30 PM
Would anyone happen to know if The Flower Kings will reissue/re-release their older albums at some point? I really want to get at least a few of these albums on CD, but unless I'm just looking in the wrong places, these CDs seem rare and kind of expensive.

I've seen Roine hint at the fact that the TFK catalog may get a vinyl run sometime soon, especially after Transatlantic has re-issued their first two albums on vinyl. And because of the way Inside Out releases vinyls, you would also get CDs for each of the albums as well, but they may be remastered and/or remixed, and given Roine's propensity to tinker around with songs a la George Lucas' Special Editions, the new mixes may or may not improve on the original versions.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 17, 2021, 03:22:08 PM
I bought the early albums a while back. I see Islands is 30 bucks on Amazon! I bought it for 12 bucks shortly after its release. Their other recent albums since 2012 seem more reasonably priced, at least on Amazon and a couple other sites.

The Flower King is on Amazon for $15
The Rainmaker is on Roine's site for $24

Everything else I looked at was over 30 bucks, new or used. I would scoop up that The Flower King album up while you can.

It may be more worth it to find the compilation album A Kingdom of Colours volume 1 for the early albums, what with the prices I'm seeing for their first 7 albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on August 17, 2021, 03:30:45 PM
The best prices I've found so is on LaserCD, but they only have a few TFK albums available on there. Discogs does have a good amount available, but most of them seem quite pricey, especially the listings for Flower Power.


I've seen Roine hint at the fact that the TFK catalog may get a vinyl run sometime soon, especially after Transatlantic has re-issued their first two albums on vinyl. And because of the way Inside Out releases vinyls, you would also get CDs for each of the albums as well, but they may be remastered and/or remixed, and given Roine's propensity to tinker around with songs a la George Lucas' Special Editions, the new mixes may or may not improve on the original versions.

-Marc.

Interesting to hear. If they do re-release in a vinyl/CD format, that'd be nice. Personally, I don't care much for vinyl formats (the vinyl is just glorified wall art for me, as I don't have a record player), but the inclusion of a CD might make some of them worth buying.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 17, 2021, 05:59:02 PM
The Rainmaker lives in the shadow of the previous album, Space Revolver, which is one of the band's most popular albums, and also one of their strongest. The album is a little 'darker' by TFK standards, and also a little jazzier at times, than previous TFK albums. I also think one reason this album is not heralded as one of the band's best is the track order. LMOE is a decent TFK song, but not really a good opener for an album. It is still one of the better songs, along with RTS and COA. There's tracks that I like, but don't love, like Elaine and Serious Dreamers. Then the rest of the tracks I'm not into. I don't hate them, and would listen to them if I listen to the whole album, but they're not that memorable to me. Even the best songs on this album would still rank lower than the best from the first 5 albums and some albums after this. So while not their worst album by any means, it's possibly the worst of the first 10 albums.

I could probably agree with this. I often put The Rainmaker and Adam & Eve at the bottom of my lists for the band, especially among the first ten albums. The first five are all golden to me, as are UTF and PH, and I really enjoy TSONE, which leaves TR and A&E to sit at the bottom. I would say I even like TBOE and DR a bit more than TR, though they all sit at a lower tier for me.

-Marc.

I only put DR last, but TR, A&E, and BoE all hover around the same place near the bottom, depending on my mood.

I think Adam & Eve is sneaky good.  I find that I come back to that one quite often when in the mood for the band. 

I think Desolation Rose is definitely the least best, with The Rainmaker a bit ahead of it at 2nd from the bottom.  I do love Serious Dreamers and Elaine a lot, though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on August 18, 2021, 02:40:40 AM
The Rainmaker lives in the shadow of the previous album, Space Revolver, which is one of the band's most popular albums, and also one of their strongest. The album is a little 'darker' by TFK standards, and also a little jazzier at times, than previous TFK albums. I also think one reason this album is not heralded as one of the band's best is the track order. LMOE is a decent TFK song, but not really a good opener for an album. It is still one of the better songs, along with RTS and COA. There's tracks that I like, but don't love, like Elaine and Serious Dreamers. Then the rest of the tracks I'm not into. I don't hate them, and would listen to them if I listen to the whole album, but they're not that memorable to me. Even the best songs on this album would still rank lower than the best from the first 5 albums and some albums after this. So while not their worst album by any means, it's possibly the worst of the first 10 albums.

I could probably agree with this. I often put The Rainmaker and Adam & Eve at the bottom of my lists for the band, especially among the first ten albums. The first five are all golden to me, as are UTF and PH, and I really enjoy TSONE, which leaves TR and A&E to sit at the bottom. I would say I even like TBOE and DR a bit more than TR, though they all sit at a lower tier for me.

-Marc.

I only put DR last, but TR, A&E, and BoE all hover around the same place near the bottom, depending on my mood.

I think Adam & Eve is sneaky good.  I find that I come back to that one quite often when in the mood for the band. 

I think Desolation Rose is definitely the least best, with The Rainmaker a bit ahead of it at 2nd from the bottom.  I do love Serious Dreamers and Elaine a lot, though.

Desolation Rose has one of my favorite songs of the band overall, which is Tower ONE. Great chorus and awesome playing by Felix Lehrmann on drums (btw the same dude who plays in Martin Miller's session band)!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on August 18, 2021, 03:38:21 AM
I just finished listening to Unfold the Future. I was a bit skeptical of how much I was going to like the album at first, because the first song, "The Truth Will Set You Free", seemed a little too similar to the songs on The Rainmaker, and it only got really interesting in the last third of the song. It was a good song, but after that song is when the album really gets going. Disc 1 is very good overall (though "Christianopel" is just kind of... there). "Monkey Business" sounds cool, though admittedly seems to have some really dark and twisted lyrics; Black and White as a whole is good, but I especially enjoyed the first two or three minutes; Silent Inferno was really cool, and has some parts that almost feel metal; and Vox Humana is a really nice ballad to end the first disc. Disc 2 starts off nicely with "Genie in a Bottle" and "Fast Lane" (I quite like Daniel Gildenlöw's vocals on Fast Lane), and while the rest is still good, it doesn't quite reach the highs of the highlights I mentioned before until the end. "Devil's Playground" was a consistently enjoyable song, with a really interesting and lengthy instrumental section.

I also listened to the bonus track, "Too Late For Tomatoes", which I really liked. I think it's great on a narrative level, too; the darker and almost threatening vibe I get from it makes The Flower Kings' warning to us clear: If you desire tomatoes, then you must not hesitate to obtain them when they're available, or else you will regret not seizing the opportunity when it is indeed too late for tomatoes.
...Okay, that's just a silly headcanon I have about the song, but I do think it's one of the best songs on the album.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this album for the most part on my first listen! Next up is Adam & Eve, which seems to be considered one of the band's lesser albums, but I'm not really worried about that.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on August 18, 2021, 03:40:03 AM
My favourite song on Unfold The Future is Solitary Shell. What a lovely song that is. A bit short, but that's alright.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 18, 2021, 02:21:40 PM
Solitary Shell has always been one of my favorites from Unfold the Future, along with Man Overboard, another killer short song.

Grand Old World has long been a favorite as well. That ride-out at the end with the sax and the acoustic guitar is one of my favorite little moments of the entire record.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: hefdaddy42 on August 19, 2021, 09:29:01 AM
I think Desolation Rose is definitely the least best
I tend to agree with this, but I still like it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 19, 2021, 07:09:38 PM
Oh, I like it, too.  I just don't love it. And I like everything else better.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on August 20, 2021, 09:18:24 AM
Road to Sanctuary just popped up for me on my shuffled playlist. It's a great track with some really beautiful passages. Underrated TFK song and album in my view. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 20, 2021, 03:49:15 PM
Desolation Rose is the only TFK album I can't get into. Not totally sure what it is, but the writing just doesn't get the juices flowing for me. There are moments on there that make me cringe, and otherwise the album just comes and goes for me, I can't recall anything off the album from memory.

Literally every other TFK or Roine Stolt-related album I've heard has been at least enjoyable, if not some of the best music I've ever heard. It makes me wonder if there was tensions in the studio, as this is the last album with Tomas Bodin, who got the boot preceding Manifesto of an Alchemist and this new era of The Flower Kings.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 20, 2021, 04:21:32 PM
There are moments of greatness, but it never really comes together.  It doesn't help that Froberg sings a lot of the lead vocals on that album, and he seemed a bit hoarse and off his game, but too many songs just seemed a bit off.  The Resurrected Jesus sounds stylistically very much like classic TFK, but then the chorus is this huge letdown.  Tower ONE has a killer middle section, but the beginning and ending parts of pretty lacking, IMO.  Just not much for me to grab on to anymore.  The bonus disc has a few songs I am much more likely to reach for now over anything from the main disc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on August 21, 2021, 03:16:17 AM
I just finished listening to Adam & Eve. I would call this a good album, but I think it's easily my least favorite of all the albums I've heard from The Flower Kings so far. There weren't many songs that I was really into, and some of the ones I was into did have some flaws. For instance, the title track sounds really good musically and vocally, but the lyrics are really odd, and I honestly don't like them. "Driver's Seat" has quite a few nice moments, but I think they should've removed the part where the song completely stops and there's not much substance for the next 40-50 seconds. The one song that I really liked from beginning to end was "A Vampire's View". I particularly liked Daniel Gildenlöw's vocals on that track. The rest of the album I liked fine enough, but there wasn't much else that stood out to me. Well, next up is Paradox Hotel, and while I try to go into an album with a completely open mind and an unbiased perspective, some of the song titles (like End on a High Note and Touch My Heaven) are giving me some big expectations. Regardless, though, I'm looking forward to this next one.

Also, this doesn't affect my enjoyment of the album, but the album cover of Adam & Eve is really weird and I don't like it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on August 21, 2021, 06:41:06 AM
Also, this doesn't affect my enjoyment of the album, but the album cover of Adam & Eve is really weird and I don't like it.

Ha, I know it shouldn’t but sometimes it does for me. I avoided this album altogether when it came out in part because of the cover (if I recall the reviews were lackluster as well). Have still never heard it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 21, 2021, 06:49:13 AM
The chorus to Starlight Man is really the only part of Adam & Eve I do not like (Froberg's delivery of it is just so limp).  I wouldn't call either longer song one of their best epics, but both are really, really good.  I view it as one of those the whole is greater than the sum of its parts albums.  It's just a really good listen from start to finish, and it sounds fantastic.  Every studio album featuring Zoltan on the drums sounded killer. Something about his playing brought out a deeper and richer lower end, especially in the bass playing by Jonas.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on August 22, 2021, 01:49:15 AM
I have just finished listening to Paradox Hotel. Let me just put it like this... Those who have read my first impressions of Flower Power might remember what I said at the end of my impressions on that album:

Amazing album. I don't know if I'll hear another album by The Flower Kings that I'll enjoy more than this one, that's how much I like this after just one listen. But if it turns out that this band managed to make a better album after this one (and I would not doubt their ability to do so), I'm highly intrigued to hear how they outdid this one.

It turns out all they had to do to make a better album than Flower Power was to make Paradox Hotel. Honestly, I could probably say something about every single track on this album... And, well, I've got a lot of free time, so actually, I'll do just that. I might be vague and not give many details, but it is a long album and a lot to absorb, and I don't want this post to be too long.

"Check In" is a pretty neat intro, and I like the callback to Rhythm of Life from Retropolis. "Monsters & Men" is pretty good, though the last four minutes or so are amazing and definitely the highlight of the song. "Jealousy" is good, though it's a bit weird and almost amusing how Roine sings so pleasantly yet the song has kind of dark lyrics. "Hit Me with a Hit" is very good, and true to its name, it hit me with a hit. "Pioneers of Aviation" is a really cool instrumental track, and I think this is where the album started to go from "good" to "great" for me. "Lucy Had A Dream" is more atmospheric than the other tracks thus far, and it has one of the best vocal performances on the album. The ending with the vulgar advertisement is kind of dumb, but it doesn't bother me much. "Bavarian Skies" isn't a song I enjoyed that much, but it was still pretty unique and interesting, at the very least. I honestly don't remember much about "Self-consuming Fire", but I have to imagine I enjoyed it to some extent. And then there's the final two songs on Disc 1...
"Mommy Leave the Light On" is a really great ballad. The lyrics are sad and simple yet very beautiful at the same time, and everything fits together musically so well. And then there's the big one, "End On a High Note". I don't even know what to say about this one, other than the last few minutes are truly amazing, and I predict that this will go on to be one of my favorite songs of all time. With a name like "End On a High Note", it did not disappoint!

And then there's Disc 2, which is pretty much just as good as Disc 1. "Minor Giant Steps" is a nice way to start off the second disc while still continuing the overall quality of the album. "Touch My Heaven" has some incredible moments; the rest of the song is good, too, but if the song as a whole grows on me, it'll be one that I consider a masterpiece. "The Unorthodox Dancinglesson" is a very cool and energetic instrumental piece; I really like this one. "Man of the World" is another song that I'd call good now, but could easily become a song I really love with time. "Life Will Kill You" is pretty good musically but has some of the best lyrics on the album. Speaking of great lyrics, I'd say the same about "The Way the Waters Are Moving"; It's a bit simplistic musically, but it's pretty nice all the same. "What If God Is Alone" is just wonderful to listen to, I don't think there's any more I can say. The title track, "Paradox Hotel", has a lot of great moments, and I like the heavier rock approach they take on this one. "Blue Planet" is one of my favorites on the album solely for that one guitar solo towards the end, and the intercom/announcer speaking at the end was really cool, just imagining floating through space and visualizing what Earth looks like from far away.

Honestly, I would be surprised if The Flower Kings manage to have another album that I consider better than this one, or at least leaves a stronger first impression for me. I've enjoyed listening to this band since starting this marathon, but I think this is the point where I'm beginning to consider this band one of my favorites just based off what I've heard from them thus far (taking into account that I've only listened to most of their albums once so far, meaning many of their songs and albums have a chance to really grow on me). Needless to say at this point, I think Paradox Hotel is a great album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 22, 2021, 06:32:04 AM
Hell yeah! Paradox Hotel has held up as probably my favorite TFK album (by a nose over Flower Power), so I love that review. Their double albums can be challenging to get through in one sitting, but that one is so consistent.  And with regards to End on a High Note, you sound like me in 2006!  Amazing song, one of their best ever.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on August 22, 2021, 08:04:41 AM
I'm really glad you liked PH, Revenge319! It's easily one of my Top 3 TFK albums (along with SWA and UTF), but it wasn't an immediate hit with me like it was with you. After a year or so of absorbing their first 8 albums, Paradox Hotel was their first new album after I became a fan, it for me, it felt so different compared to what came before it, especially in the line-up that produced UTF and A&E, the former of which I was already in love with.

Paradox Hotel really took some time for me to unravel and unpack, but once everything started to click, it quickly rose to become a favorite. Every song does something different and there's a real sense of musical adventurousness that I like about the album. And while "Monsters & Men" might be one of their weakest side-length epics IMO ("Stardust We Are", "I Am The Sun", "The Truth Will Set You Free", "Love Is The Only Answer", and even "Numbers" I would all consider better songs), it works just fine for this album.

Also, shout outs to Marcus Liliequist for his drumming on this album. He's the only TFK drummer to appear on just one studio album (though they released a couple of hard-to-find releases with him on it before PH, including Circus Brimstone: Brimstoned In Europe, and Harvest, the 2005 Fanclub CD). Despite that, he also appeared on many other TFK-related solo albums, like Tomas Bodin's I AM and You Are (by Eggs & Dogs), Roine Stolt's Wall Street Voodoo, and Karmakanic's In A Perfect World. While Marcus isn't as flashy as Zoltan, I think he fit the band quite nicely!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on August 22, 2021, 03:50:46 PM
I'm really glad you liked PH, Revenge319! It's easily one of my Top 3 TFK albums (along with SWA and UTF), but it wasn't an immediate hit with me like it was with you. After a year or so of absorbing their first 8 albums, Paradox Hotel was their first new album after I became a fan, it for me, it felt so different compared to what came before it, especially in the line-up that produced UTF and A&E, the former of which I was already in love with.

Paradox Hotel really took some time for me to unravel and unpack, but once everything started to click, it quickly rose to become a favorite. Every song does something different and there's a real sense of musical adventurousness that I like about the album. And while "Monsters & Men" might be one of their weakest side-length epics IMO ("Stardust We Are", "I Am The Sun", "The Truth Will Set You Free", "Love Is The Only Answer", and even "Numbers" I would all consider better songs), it works just fine for this album.

Also, shout outs to Marcus Liliequist for his drumming on this album. He's the only TFK drummer to appear on just one studio album (though they released a couple of hard-to-find releases with him on it before PH, including Circus Brimstone: Brimstoned In Europe, and Harvest, the 2005 Fanclub CD). Despite that, he also appeared on many other TFK-related solo albums, like Tomas Bodin's I AM and You Are (by Eggs & Dogs), Roine Stolt's Wall Street Voodoo, and Karmakanic's In A Perfect World. While Marcus isn't as flashy as Zoltan, I think he fit the band quite nicely!

-Marc.

Marcus was a great addition to the band. He was a lot of fun and interactive when I saw them in NJ on the PH tour. Also, agreed on Monsters & Men. It's telling that the band didn't even try to play it live - it's much weaker than the rest of their epics.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on August 22, 2021, 08:00:48 PM
I cannot remember the exact wording, but I think Roine said one of the band members was not positive at all about Monsters and Men when recording it in the studio (I think it was the drummer), and that kind of got in his head which is why they didn't play it live.  I like it a lot, but they ended up playing a ton of songs from PH on that tour (the only one of theirs I have seen), which may not have happened had they dedicated 20+ minutes of the show to a single song from it, so I was more than pleased. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on August 28, 2021, 07:37:38 AM
Good news for fans of Hasse Fröberg & Musical Companion (HFMC), their fifth studio album, titled We Are The Truth, will release November 26th.

Quote
Swedish progressive rockers HFMC announce the forthcoming release of their 5th studio album "We are the truth" on November 26th, 2021.

Hasse Fröberg declares about the album:

"We Are The Truth is our most adventurous album to date. The music is positive, warm, organic, soulful and thoughtful. The lyrics are a cry for compassion, respect and love.

"We Are The Truth is both musically and lyrically very much about the world today".

The album will be available as CD digipack with 16-page booklet, Limited Gatefold Double LP with 8-page booklet and Digital Download.

Pre-order starts September 3rd  (More information to come).

Track list:
1.    To Those Who Rule The World (7:29)
2.    Other Eyes (12:55)
3.    Rise Up (4:47)
4.    The Constant Search For Bravery (8:59)
5.    Yoko ( 6:36)
6.    We Are The Truth (6:45)
7.    Shaken And Stirred (7:13)
8.    Every Second Counts (3:55)
9.    A Spiritual Change (10:53)

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10152327359989945&id=84014399944

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on August 28, 2021, 08:11:07 AM
I've never listened to Hasse's work, though I feel like I checked out one of his early albums way back when, and wasn't into it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 03, 2021, 09:12:39 AM
Quote
HERE IT IS…. OUR BRAND NEW VIDEO

TO THOSE WHO RULE THE WORLD

This is the first piece of music and visuals from our upcoming album We Are The Truth. Enjoy the video and feel free to share it and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

This is what Hasse says about the song:
The reason we chose to make a video to the song 'To Those Who Rule The World' is because it represents the album and showcases the band in a good way. The lyrics is almost written in a naive or maybe even childish tone. Still I think it reflects the way many of us are feeling today. This is 6 minutes of crazy, sometimes groovy, sometimes epic but always accessible music, here together with a catchy video. This is HFMC and 'To Those Who Rule The World'

Directed by: Sampo Axelsson and Johnny Taxén
Filmed by: Johnny Taxén
Editor: Sampo Axelsson
Produced by:  HFMC and Rockwater Productions
Record label: GlassVille Records
Album order: hfmc.bandcamp.com

https://youtu.be/QuIRbdQgzVw

Just posted less than 20 minutes ago. Not a bad song, but it leaves me wanting more. I noticed the runtime of the video is a bit shorter than the song's track length on the originally released track list so I wonder if it's an edit of some sort. Either way, only less than 2 months from the album's release!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on October 03, 2021, 09:25:14 AM
Dang, I thought that was for a new TFK record, but it's just some Hasse project.  Darn it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on October 03, 2021, 10:07:14 AM
I'm not that much into Hasse's voice (though it doesn't bother me in TFK), so this doesn't knock my socks of. But this song has a far better production and sound than the last two TFK albums. I'd love this sound for the band.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 03, 2021, 10:07:41 AM
Oh, not the new TFK album. Woops

Good news though, but I haven't felt inclined to listen to Hasse's work outside of TFK.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on October 03, 2021, 10:10:24 AM
Dang, I thought that was for a new TFK record, but it's just some Hasse project.  Darn it.

 :rollin :rollin :rollin

Sorry to bump the thread to your disappointment. I take it you're not a fan of HFMC? I like Hasse's music well-enough. It's definitely interesting to hear him outside of TFK, and with his own band, but it's definitely not quite TFK music. It's more hard-rock and classic-rock inspired, though as time has gone on, I've gone back to his albums less and less with each successive release, so I'm hoping their fifth album will keep me coming back. The first album, 2010's Future Past, is still one of my favorites, and it helped fill in the gap between TFK albums during their first five-year hiatus (between 2007 and 2012).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on October 03, 2021, 10:13:30 AM
I don't like Hasse's voice enough to bother with anything he does outside of TFK, to be honest.  I tolerate his voice more often than not with TFK.  Yes, he sings on a lot of TFK songs I like (although it seems like Roine sings most of my favorites), but it seems like most of the TFK songs I am not wild about are ones where he sings.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 03, 2021, 10:22:56 AM
I agree, his voice is good enough to add some color to the music, but a whole album of his vocals would get tiring for me.
Especially now, his vocals don't sound as good to me on more recent TFK albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Zydar on October 27, 2021, 08:37:53 AM
In a new interview with Hasse he says that the new TFK album will probably be released in March.

https://stargazed.net/interviews/spellbound-solid-blue-the-flower-kings-hasse-froberg-musical-companion-an-interview-with-hasse-froberg/ (https://stargazed.net/interviews/spellbound-solid-blue-the-flower-kings-hasse-froberg-musical-companion-an-interview-with-hasse-froberg/)

"I think the new album will be released in March. From a hifi-point of view it's probably our best sounding record ever. Hasse Bruniusson is back on percussion and we've all been very much invited into the creation process. Roine usually brings quite strict demo's to the table, but this time around they were more like shells, which we all participated in filling up".
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on October 27, 2021, 08:49:12 AM
Bruniussun is always a great addition, but I'm still patiently waiting for the return of Ulf. His sax on those early FK songs created such a cool, jazzy vibe. I'm excited, even though the last two albums kind of came and went. Maybe the next one will stick with me?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on October 27, 2021, 09:06:00 AM
Curious to see where they go on the new album. I feel like Islands was better than WFM which was a lot better than DR.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: HOF on October 27, 2021, 09:38:49 AM
I listened to my one-disc edit of Islands the other day, and it is really quite enjoyable. The overall sound is still a bit disappointing a year out, but the songs are strong enough to be worth your while. I haven’t returned to the album a ton since the initial new release phase though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on October 27, 2021, 06:13:03 PM
Roine writing less and the others writing more makes me a bit nervous, since most of their best albums feature either Roine as the sole writer or writing with Tomas Bodin (who is no longer in the band) on probably 95% of the songs. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on October 27, 2021, 06:18:12 PM
Neal Morse brought on Eric and Bill and their writing contributions elevated NMB considerably, so it's possible the other guys' input will jolt Roine into really delivering some great stuff. Plus Ascending To The Stars was one of the highlights of WfM (for me at least) and I think the new keyboardist wrote that.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Ben_Jamin on October 27, 2021, 06:57:59 PM
"We Are The Truth is both musically and lyrically very much about the world today".

5.    Yoko ( 6:36)


 :rollin :rollin :rollin

How does this relate to the world today. Is it due to Paul saying John caused the end of the beatles.  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 18, 2021, 06:56:41 AM
https://www.musikenshus.se/flower-kings/

Someone in the TFK Facebook group shared this link - the band's 16th album will be titled By Royal Decree and sees the return of Michael Stolt. The accompanying band photo shows Michael and not Jonas so I wonder if something happened or if he just wasn't available for the album or what. The article states that the band is now 3/5ths the original line-up and so they suggest their tour next year could involve songs from those earlier TFK albums.

Guess we will have to wait and see...

Edit - never mind, found this link to a post by Michael Stolt - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4941080172597069&id=100000854068743

Basically, he and Jonas share bass duties on the album but he will be touring with them as the sole bassist, from what I can gather.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Mladen on November 18, 2021, 07:51:29 AM
I've always been intimidated by the band's enormous discography. So over the last decade, whenever a new album is coming out, I go back and check out one or two of the older albums. It's worked well so far, so I will be another step closer to the completed discography next year.  ;D
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on November 18, 2021, 08:36:15 AM
Jonas seems firmly entrenched in Hackett's band which I'm sure is a much more lucrative venture overall for an aging prog musician. Nothing against Jonas at all, but I always felt his inclusion into the band is what pushed them into jazzier territory, and away from the bright, sunny prog-rock sound of the earlier albums (which is the sound of TFK I greatly prefer). Maybe this could be a good shakeup in their sound.

I'd love to see a tour where they get rid of all the usual suspect songs and go all out into rare-song territory.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 18, 2021, 11:41:50 AM
Jonas seems firmly entrenched in Hackett's band which I'm sure is a much more lucrative venture overall for an aging prog musician. Nothing against Jonas at all, but I always felt his inclusion into the band is what pushed them into jazzier territory, and away from the bright, sunny prog-rock sound of the earlier albums (which is the sound of TFK I greatly prefer). Maybe this could be a good shakeup in their sound.

I'd love to see a tour where they get rid of all the usual suspect songs and go all out into rare-song territory.

I feel the opposite way. I think Jonas' contribution is very important to the band's sound and his prominence on Unfold The Future made that album the greatest album in the TFK's discography. He and Zoltan were a beast of a rhythm section and they remain unmatched by any other combination of bassist and drummers in TFK. So, Jonas not being the main dude on bass disappoints me quite a bit and lowers my interest in this album a great deal.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 18, 2021, 12:44:21 PM
I think it'll all boil down to the music itself. I remember that Michael and Jonas (along with Roine himself) all shared bass duties on Roine's Manifesto of An Alchemist album, and while I could tell the difference, it didn't matter who played on what song, only that the song itself was good, so it really depends on how the music sounds whether or not Jonas or Michael can fill the bass-shoes appropriately. Of course, the band's first four albums are highly revered and Michael was the bassist on those albums, so he's no slouch when it comes to bass guitar, but I do agree that Jonas did add a certain jazz-fusion flavor to the band that was infused into UTF and A&E.

Having both on the new album kind of excites me, TBH, and I'll be interested in hearing what they can do.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 18, 2021, 07:12:00 PM
My initial reaction to the Jonas news was, "oh, crap," but then I remembered, "Oh wait, he wasn't on their first four albums," and I feel like those are four of their best, so I think it'll be okay.  Don't get me wrong, I'd rather he was there, but if the songs are really good, it won't matter a whole lot, honestly. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 18, 2021, 07:39:49 PM
My initial reaction to the Jonas news was, "oh, crap," but then I remembered, "Oh wait, he wasn't on their first four albums," and I feel like those are four of their best, so I think it'll be okay.  Don't get me wrong, I'd rather he was there, but if the songs are really good, it won't matter a whole lot, honestly.

This is how I feel as well. I think Roine knows what he's doing, and he'll probably give Jonas the songs with the bass parts that suit Jonas, and same for his brother. Roine has been steering the FloKis ship for over 25 years now and I trust he knows what he's doing with the band at this point, whether we like the music or not, but personally, I've enjoyed every album at least a little bit enough to keep getting their music.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 19, 2021, 06:17:34 AM
Yep, I have no doubt that the album will be good.  They will always be an auto-buy for me, as they are one of my Big 7. :coolio :coolio
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 20, 2021, 07:00:16 PM
Cool, interesting news. Isn't it rumored that Roine played the bass parts on the first 4 albums even though Michael is credited?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Willthescout7 on November 22, 2021, 06:56:57 AM
New Flower Kings Album By Royal Decree out March 4th
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: MinistroRaven on November 22, 2021, 07:23:17 AM
New Flower Kings Album By Royal Decree out March 4th

Quote
Prog icons The Flower Kings are pleased to announce the release of their 15th studio album ‘By Royal Decree’, set for 4th March 2022. The band have also announced the first live dates in support of the album, taking place in Sweden beginning end of March 2022.

The band are back at their most creative, flowery and playful – mirroring the 70’s melting pot of folk, symphonic, electronic, jazz, blues, funk & prog. On the new album they have looked for more organic and vintage sounds, still centered around the foundation of drums, bass, guitars and the iconic Hammond, grand piano, mellotron & Moog synthesizers.

The album also sees the return of founding member Michael Stolt, who takes up bass guitar and vocals, alongside the line-up of Mirko DeMaio on drums, Zach Kamins on keyboards, Hasse Fröberg on vocal & guitar and Roine Stolt on vocal & guitars. The band convened in the middle of 2021 at Fenix Studios in Sweden to record through the fully analogue Rupert Neve mixing desk. The album also features beautiful cover art, once again created by Denver-based artist Kevin Sloan.

Next years tour will also see the band revisiting their early years, performing tracks from ‘Retropolis’, ‘Stardust We Are’, ‘Flower Power’, ‘Space Revolver’ and ‘Back In The World Of Adventures’. This will coincide with the release of newly remastered editions of The Flower Kings albums on CD & Vinyl later in 2022. The first confirmed live dates are as follows:

30th March 2022 – Katalin, Uppsala, Sweden
31st March 2022 – Musikens Hus, Gothenburg, Sweden
1st April 2022 - Södra Teatern, Stockholm, Sweden

Look out for more information on the new album, pre-orders and the first single on the 10th December.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 22, 2021, 08:29:38 AM
Very nice, although it releases the same day at the new Marillion album! What a week for my birthday!

So I Googled the cover art by Kevin Sloan and found that it's been around since at least 2018, if not longer. I guess they were cool with using pre-existing artwork for their album again as the elephant art by Sloan used for WFM was painted in 2011. Still, the new cover is quite nice.

(https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bqP3uQiAkQJGQTVdx4FWRN-970-80.jpg.webp)

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 22, 2021, 06:07:56 PM
I like the release date, with it being right before spring.  TFK is very much a spring and summer band for me, so with any luck this will be really good and dominate my listening time next spring and summer.  :hat :hat
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 22, 2021, 07:40:31 PM
I like the release date, with it being right before spring.  TFK is very much a spring and summer band for me, so with any luck this will be really good and dominate my listening time next spring and summer.  :hat :hat

I'm a bit miffed that new TFK and new Marillion are out on the same day, and not long after my birthday too. Too much new music in one week! Well, hopefully I find time to listen to both in equal turn, though if the new TFK is a double, it might take precedence since it'll take longer to digest, especially since Roine has teased a new epic!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Fritzinger on November 23, 2021, 06:52:09 AM
With no or little Reingold-input on this album, this is actually the most exciting news for me:

Quote
This will coincide with the release of newly remastered editions of The Flower Kings albums on CD & Vinyl later in 2022.

 :coolio

Albums like Flower-Power and (hopefully) Sum Of No Evil deserve to be pressed on vinyl.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: RoeDent on November 23, 2021, 08:29:39 AM
I can't help but wonder with the cover art if the new album is a sequel to Waiting for Miracles. A lot of similar elements. Animals, the watch, similar colour background, same band logo.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: The Letter M on November 23, 2021, 09:00:27 AM
I can't help but wonder with the cover art if the new album is a sequel to Waiting for Miracles. A lot of similar elements. Animals, the watch, similar colour background, same band logo.

I think it's just a matter of them using Kevin Sloan's art again, and both times the art wasn't even made for the band/newly painted. The album art for WFM has been around for many years, and from what I could find for the new album's art, that has been around since at least 2018. I think Roine just likes the style, and probably has no meaning or bearing on the album much, so I doubt BRD is related to anything on WFM.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: darkshade on November 23, 2021, 11:37:12 AM
With the exception of Retropolis and Space Revolver, TFK's album covers always feature humans or human faces, humanoid characters, and/or animals.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: Revenge319 on November 24, 2021, 11:33:23 PM
With a new album by The Flower Kings coming out in the not too distant future, I figured now is as good a time as any to get back to my first-time TFK marathon.

I've just finished listening to The Sum of No Evil, and like pretty much all of their albums, this one left a good impression on me. The first song, "One More Time", didn't particularly stand out for the most part, but the instrumental section at the end was cool. "Love Is the Only Answer" has a lot of good moments; one of the best parts was around 2:25, where it gets kind of intense. It reminds me a little bit of the "Lay Down Your Life" movement from The Whirlwind. "Trading My Soul" was alright, though I think it could grow on me. "The Sum of No Reason" is my favorite song on the album. It has some odd lyrics here and there, but everything else is great from start to finish. "Flight 999 (Brimstone Air)" is a nice instrumental, and "Life in Motion" is a good closing track that feels adventurous.

Ten albums thus far in my marathon, and all of them are at least good! It'll be great to really get to know these albums, because I know for some of them, I'll probably end up loving them a lot.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: DTA on November 25, 2021, 04:58:12 AM
Sum Of No Evil is their equivalent of Black Clouds & Silver Linings to me. The songs have lots of good ideas but are just too damn bloated and stretched beyond what feels natural. Sum Of No Reason is probably my favorite on there too (especially that heavy riff), and the epic has some really cool stuff going on but the other songs are just kinda there. Banks of Eden was a huge improvement so they maybe they just needed the extended break
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. Islands, Oct. 30
Post by: KevShmev on November 25, 2021, 08:08:43 PM
With a new album by The Flower Kings coming out in the not too distant future, I figured now is as good a time as any to get back to my first-time TFK marathon.

I've just finished listening to The Sum of No Evil, and like pretty much all of their albums, this one left a good impression on me. The first song, "One More Time", didn't particularly stand out for the most part, but the instrumental section at the end was cool. "Love Is the Only Answer" has a lot of good moments; one of the best parts was around 2:25, where it gets kind of intense. It reminds me a little bit of the "Lay Down Your Life" movement from The Whirlwind. "Trading My Soul" was alright, though I think it could grow on me. "The Sum of No Reason" is my favorite song on the album. It has some odd lyrics here and there, but everything else is great from start to finish. "Flight 999 (Brimstone Air)" is a nice instrumental, and "Life in Motion" is a good closing track that feels adventurous.

Ten albums thus far in my marathon, and all of them are at least good! It'll be great to really get to know these albums, because I know for some of them, I'll probably end up loving them a lot.

Good to hear! They have so many albums, many of which are long, but it is a very rewarding journey if you have the time and the patience for it.   :tup :tup

It's still not close to being one of my favorite TFK records, but I like The Sum of No Evil a lot more than I did for a long time.  It's a good record to just turn on and let play.  There are no WOW songs, but it's all good, and the mix is just splendid.  This reminds me of something I recently said about the new DT album: not every album has to be the greatest ever or bad. Sometimes, a good album is a good album and that is fine.  The Sum of No Evil is neither great nor bad; it is a good album.  And that works just fine.  :coolio
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on December 07, 2021, 02:28:52 PM
justforkicks.de has put up pre-orders for  By Royal Decree, but sadly no track list has been posted. The album IS listed as being a 3LP and 2CD set, so it looks like we've got another double on our hands, and a lengthy one at that if it needs 3 LPs, presumably at least 100 minutes in length, though they could shortchange us at an 85-90 minute double CD and each side of vinyl be only 12-15 minutes in length on average.

https://justforkicks.de/shop/progressive/11926/by-royal-decree-ltd.-black-3lp-2cd-box-set

https://justforkicks.de/shop/progressive/11927/by-royal-decree-exclusive-jfk-edition-ltd.-yellow-3lp-2cd-box-set-postcard

https://justforkicks.de/shop/progressive/11925/by-royal-decree-ltd.-2cd-digipak

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: ProfessorPeart on December 09, 2021, 07:11:43 PM
The new HFMC album arrived today and I got a listen in to most of it. The thing that struck me is that Hasse seems to be losing his higher register. Seemed to struggle a bit and he has a noticeable amount of gravel in his voice that I don't remember. The album is good, just age seems to be catching up with him.

I like Hasse and and have never disliked his vocals. The thing I like about HFMC is that they tend to be the heavier cousin of TFK. Similar style but with some heavier sections/songs and soloing that is of the heavier variety.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on December 10, 2021, 12:44:40 AM
New TFK single!
https://youtu.be/3IyGvwYhvTY

Preorders are up at lasercd-
https://www.lasercd.com/cd/royal-decree-2cd-digipak-preorder
https://www.lasercd.com/vinyl/royal-decree-3lp-black-vinylcd-preorder
https://www.lasercd.com/vinyl/royal-decree-3lp-trans-blue-vinylcd-preorder

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on December 10, 2021, 06:24:45 AM
Ugh, why do their first singles nowadays always seem to start off with Hasse singing lead first?  Nothing for me is a bigger musical killjoy than getting that first new Flower Kings song and hearing his voice first instead of Roine's. 

Overall, not a bad song, but I can't say it was particularly exciting.  Some nice guitar and keyboard work, but the melodies all seemed pretty bland (no matter who was singing).  First impression.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on December 10, 2021, 07:36:15 AM
CD1

1  The Great Pretender  00:06:55 

2  World Gone Crazy  00:05:04 

3  Blinded  00:07:45 

4  A Million Stars  00:07:11 

5  The Soldier  00:05:23 

6  The Darkness In You  00:05:13 

7  We Can Make It Work  00:02:48 

8  Peacock On Parade  00:05:15 

9  Revolution  00:05:59 

 

CD2

1  Time The Great Healer  00:06:12 

2  Letter  00:02:25 

3  Evolution  00:04:47 

4  Silent Ways  00:05:01 

5  Moth  00:04:31 

6  The Big Funk  00:04:39 

7  Open Your Heart  00:05:17 

8  Shrine  00:01:08 

9  Funeral Pyres  00:07:14



Looks like it's about 100 minutes, and no sign of a sidelong epic. I guess it just didn't happen this time. Ah well...

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on December 10, 2021, 08:09:50 AM
New single definitely sounded like it could have been on Islands. Not a ton to latch onto. Would say it’s fine but not much else to say about it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on December 10, 2021, 12:30:52 PM
Because Hasse's the best singer in the band. Roine's far far from terrible, but it's clear Hasse has the stronger voice of the two, capable of higher notes and whatnot.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: ProfessorPeart on December 10, 2021, 02:15:04 PM
Because Hasse's the best singer in the band. Roine's far far from terrible, but it's clear Hasse has the stronger voice of the two, capable of higher notes and whatnot.

Agreed. I hated Roine when I first heard him in TA. I've loved Hasse from the moment I heard him. I've come around on Roine, but he's not Hasse. I've always been confused by the Hasse hate.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on December 10, 2021, 02:38:08 PM
Feels like they're just releasing the same album over and over again. Roine has discovered his inner-Neal Morse
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: darkshade on December 10, 2021, 02:54:13 PM
I have a feeling this will be like recent TFK, Transatlantic and Neal Morse efforts, where each song bleeds into the next, creating a quasi-concept album / album long song feel, but each track is really their own song.

I will await album release, not checking out any singles, they don't give a good impression of the overall album anyway.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTwwbwMP on December 10, 2021, 02:56:57 PM
I actually LOVED TGP and think it's one of their better songs in years!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: darkshade on December 10, 2021, 03:02:26 PM
Feels like they're just releasing the same album over and over again. Roine has discovered his inner-Neal Morse

I'd argue the recent TFK albums have more diversity in sound than recent Neal albums, but I get it, compared to the first 10 TFK albums, the last 3-4 albums, as well as MoaA, all have a similar sound.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on December 10, 2021, 03:57:36 PM
Because Hasse's the best singer in the band. Roine's far far from terrible, but it's clear Hasse has the stronger voice of the two, capable of higher notes and whatnot.

Agreed. I hated Roine when I first heard him in TA. I've loved Hasse from the moment I heard him. I've come around on Roine, but he's not Hasse. I've always been confused by the Hasse hate.

I've come to appreciate Roine's voice in more of a Bob Dylan/Bruce Springsteen kind of way. Not that I love either of them, more that there's a personality and expressiveness despite the technical limitations.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on December 10, 2021, 07:36:51 PM


I've come to appreciate Roine's voice in more of a Bob Dylan/Bruce Springsteen kind of way. Not that I love either of them, more that there's a personality and expressiveness despite the technical limitations.

Well, it's not like Hasse is a technical marvel.  His voice has sounded strained and thin for a long time when he trying to take it too high, so his reach has always exceeded his grasp.  Roine is a better singer, not just because he has a better natural and pleasant sounding voice, but because he knows what he can and cannot do and never tries to do too much.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Orbert on December 11, 2021, 09:13:16 AM
I love Roine's voice.  It's got a very different color to it that I like.  It's not a great voice in the classic sense, but Roine is a great musician, and it comes through in his voice just as it comes through when he's playing.  Hasse is the better voice for sure, but Roine is The Flower King.  There can be only one.






















(https://imgur.com/EcuFRDI.jpg)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on December 11, 2021, 09:38:03 AM
Connor MacLeod reference FTW!! :metal :metal
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Orbert on December 11, 2021, 08:53:49 PM
Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod

:metal :metal
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on December 11, 2021, 09:06:55 PM
Duncan was the better MacLeod IMO.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Zydar on December 12, 2021, 12:47:04 AM
Duncan was the better MacLeod IMO.

And the better singer :neverusethis:
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on December 14, 2021, 10:02:10 PM
Listening to Roine Stolt's The Flower King again. Man, it's a really amazing album. Up there with anything else by TFK I think.

It keeps ending and I keep starting over again.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on December 15, 2021, 01:12:10 AM
Yes, I think Humanizzimo is one of Roine's best compositions. The motives and melodies are just beautiful. The version on Meet The Flower Kings is the ultimate one for me though. It features the Reingold/Csörsz rhythm section, which (as you guys may know by now ;)) is by far the best rhythm section the band has ever had in my opinion.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Zydar on December 15, 2021, 01:16:16 AM
That title track is just amazing, perhaps my 2nd favourite TFK song after World Of Adventures.

Although I actually prefer the Road Back Home version, that was the first version I heard of it and am so used to it :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on December 15, 2021, 03:56:17 PM
Dissonata is one from The Flower King that gets ignored even though it's full of amazing parts. The whole album is pretty much full of exceptional songs. I think newer FK is really missing those instrumental tracks like Pilgrims Inn, Magic Circus of Zeb, Theme For A Hero, Atomic Prince, Circus Brimstone, etc where there's really strong themes that almost act as makeshift vocal parts.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on December 15, 2021, 07:18:15 PM
Yeah, I think Dissonata might be my favorite Roine solo tune, although The Flower King and Humanizzimo are both tremendous as well.  That is a damn good record.  I'd love to see Roine do another solo album in that vein (one that is more guitar driven).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on December 28, 2021, 06:28:19 PM
Got a copy of Roine Stolte’s Hydrophonia last week. Another great album that fits right in with the early TFK albums in terms of sound, style, production, etc., just without vocals. Definitely one that shouldn’t be missed by TFK fans.

It’s amazing how much music Roine put out from 1994 to about 2007 between his solo albums, TFK, and Transatlantic, not to mention things like The Tangent.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on December 28, 2021, 06:35:14 PM
Little Cottage by the Sea is one of the best instrumentals Roine has ever written.  That is one gorgeous piece of music.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on December 28, 2021, 06:42:51 PM
Little Cottage by the Sea is one of the best instrumentals Roine has ever written.  That is one gorgeous piece of music.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

It is really great.

Two things that I really like about the album are the amount of saxophone and some of the cleaner guitar tones Roine solos with. Really like the clean solo on Wreck of HMS Nemesis and the sax on Nuclear Nemo.

Also, I think Jaime Salazar is still my favorite TFK drummer.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: darkshade on January 01, 2022, 10:26:54 AM
There is definitely some magic missing in recent TFK albums. The stretch from TFK->BITWOA->Retropolis->SWA->FP->SR->TR->UtF is basically unmatched by any other prog band or artist, especially the pre-Jonas run of albums, much as I enjoy Jonas' contributions when he joined.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 01, 2022, 10:07:53 PM
There is definitely some magic missing in recent TFK albums. The stretch from TFK->BITWOA->Retropolis->SWA->FP->SR->TR->UtF is basically unmatched by any other prog band or artist, especially the pre-Jonas run of albums, much as I enjoy Jonas' contributions when he joined.

I think the last two albums have been fairly good, and IMO, better than the two albums that came before (Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose). With their upcoming album, the band will have released three albums in a row with the same line-up, a feat that hasn't happened in the band before, AFAIK, even though their first four albums share roughly the same line-up (their debut didn't feature Hasse, and he was only a guest on Retropolis and not yet a full-time member until Stardust We Are). It'll be interesting to hear what a TFK line-up with three albums in a row will sound like! Guess they won't be like Yes anymore.  :lol

I like Waiting For Miracles. It wasn't their best, but it was enjoyable and probably middle-of-the-pack TFK for me, but Islands really stepped it up a bit for me. I guess we will find out how By Royal Decree goes in about 9 weeks!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on January 02, 2022, 05:46:33 AM
Little Cottage by the Sea is one of the best instrumentals Roine has ever written.  That is one gorgeous piece of music.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

That whole album is full of beautiful moments, but Little Cottage is the best of them all. I've probably said it a few times in this thread but Hydrophonia is like a lost instrumental FK album (same with Bodin's An Ordinary Night) and if anyone is a fan of those 90's albums, then they owe it to themselves to check them out.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on January 02, 2022, 06:59:07 AM
There is definitely some magic missing in recent TFK albums. The stretch from TFK->BITWOA->Retropolis->SWA->FP->SR->TR->UtF is basically unmatched by any other prog band or artist, especially the pre-Jonas run of albums, much as I enjoy Jonas' contributions when he joined.

It just goes to show you that songs are almost always more important than the players (when the difference in the latter is not significant).  Jonas is a beast of a bass player, yet doesn't play on any of the first four TFK albums, which are all among their best, IMO.  And Zoltan has been by far their best drummer, yet doesn't play on any of what I consider the best TFK records.  Heck, the drummer who played on Paradox Hotel is probably the least best one they've had, yet I think that is their best album.  Songwriting is where it's at.  :tup :tup

Little Cottage by the Sea is one of the best instrumentals Roine has ever written.  That is one gorgeous piece of music.  :hefdaddy :hefdaddy

That whole album is full of beautiful moments, but Little Cottage is the best of them all. I've probably said it a few times in this thread but Hydrophonia is like a lost instrumental FK album (same with Bodin's An Ordinary Night) and if anyone is a fan of those 90's albums, then they owe it to themselves to check them out.

I agree that fans should check those out, but I cannot call them lost TFK albums since too many key elements are missing.  Same thing with The Flower King.  Keyboards are too big a part of the TFK sound for me to say that an album that didn't feature a keyboard player is a real TFK album (sorry, but Roine, whose main instrument is guitar, playing the keys is not even close to the same thing as a regular keyboard player playing them), even if the style is somewhat similar to the one taken on by the band that became known as The Flower Kings a year later.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: darkshade on January 02, 2022, 06:22:14 PM
There is definitely some magic missing in recent TFK albums. The stretch from TFK->BITWOA->Retropolis->SWA->FP->SR->TR->UtF is basically unmatched by any other prog band or artist, especially the pre-Jonas run of albums, much as I enjoy Jonas' contributions when he joined.

I think the last two albums have been fairly good, and IMO, better than the two albums that came before (Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose). With their upcoming album, the band will have released three albums in a row with the same line-up, a feat that hasn't happened in the band before, AFAIK, even though their first four albums share roughly the same line-up (their debut didn't feature Hasse, and he was only a guest on Retropolis and not yet a full-time member until Stardust We Are). It'll be interesting to hear what a TFK line-up with three albums in a row will sound like! Guess they won't be like Yes anymore.  :lol

I like Waiting For Miracles. It wasn't their best, but it was enjoyable and probably middle-of-the-pack TFK for me, but Islands really stepped it up a bit for me. I guess we will find out how By Royal Decree goes in about 9 weeks!

-Marc.

I agree that the last few albums have been better (I include MoaA) than the two post-hiatus albums, but I wouldn't rank them higher than anything released before 2004, except for TSoNE, and maybe Paradox Hotel.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 03, 2022, 10:12:18 AM
There is definitely some magic missing in recent TFK albums. The stretch from TFK->BITWOA->Retropolis->SWA->FP->SR->TR->UtF is basically unmatched by any other prog band or artist, especially the pre-Jonas run of albums, much as I enjoy Jonas' contributions when he joined.

I think the last two albums have been fairly good, and IMO, better than the two albums that came before (Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose). With their upcoming album, the band will have released three albums in a row with the same line-up, a feat that hasn't happened in the band before, AFAIK, even though their first four albums share roughly the same line-up (their debut didn't feature Hasse, and he was only a guest on Retropolis and not yet a full-time member until Stardust We Are). It'll be interesting to hear what a TFK line-up with three albums in a row will sound like! Guess they won't be like Yes anymore.  :lol

I like Waiting For Miracles. It wasn't their best, but it was enjoyable and probably middle-of-the-pack TFK for me, but Islands really stepped it up a bit for me. I guess we will find out how By Royal Decree goes in about 9 weeks!

-Marc.

I agree that the last few albums have been better (I include MoaA) than the two post-hiatus albums, but I wouldn't rank them higher than anything released before 2004, except for TSoNE, and maybe Paradox Hotel.

Funny enough, I really enjoy TSONE and PH, the latter being a Top 3 TFK album for me. I think it's just that those album have sat with me longer, and they came out not long after I became a fan of the band (back in 2005, PH was their first new album after I became a fan, though it wasn't an immediate favorite like TSONE would be the following year in 2007). After their first hiatus, I wasn't too thrilled with BOE and only liked DR slightly more than BOE. After their second hiatus, WFM kind of thrilled me a bit, but Islands really got me back into the band, and I have since gone back to WFM and appreciated it a bit more.

S-Tier:
Stardust We Are
Unfold The Future
Paradox Hotel

A-Tier:
Back In The World Of Adventures
Retropolis
Flower Power
Space Revolver
The Sum Of No Evil
Islands
(The Flower King)

B-Tier:
The Rainmaker
Desolation Rose
Waiting For Miracles

C-Tier:
Adam & Eve
Banks Of Eden
(Manifesto Of An Alchemist)

Of course, the majority of their albums are A or above for me, and while I put A&E and BOE in C-Tier, they're not AWFUL by any means, I just never really got into them all that much and rarely reach for them when I've got a TFK itch to scratch. I also am a bit influenced by the expanded tracklistings I've made for some of those albums where I've included bonus tracks and mixed them into the running order to my own personal liking (which I've posted here before many times). I'm kind of glad these last couple of albums haven't gone the Bonus Tracks route like BOE and DR did, and are giving us complete albums with all of the songs (even if these double albums are a bit shorter than they used to be like SWA, FP, UTF, and PH). I guess that's the difference between a 2LP and 3LP album on vinyl.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on January 04, 2022, 11:47:26 AM
Hmm...OK then...

S-tier:
Stardust We Are
Flower Power
Space Revolver

A-tier:
Back in the World of Adventures
Retropolis
Unfold the Future
Adam & Eve
Paradox Hotel

B-tier:
The Rainmaker
The Sum of No Evil
Banks of Eden
Waiting for Miracles

C-tier:
Desolation Rose
Islands
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on January 04, 2022, 12:44:20 PM
There is definitely some magic missing in recent TFK albums. The stretch from TFK->BITWOA->Retropolis->SWA->FP->SR->TR->UtF is basically unmatched by any other prog band or artist, especially the pre-Jonas run of albums, much as I enjoy Jonas' contributions when he joined.

It just goes to show you that songs are almost always more important than the players (when the difference in the latter is not significant).  Jonas is a beast of a bass player, yet doesn't play on any of the first four TFK albums, which are all among their best, IMO.  And Zoltan has been by far their best drummer, yet doesn't play on any of what I consider the best TFK records.  Heck, the drummer who played on Paradox Hotel is probably the least best one they've had, yet I think that is their best album.  Songwriting is where it's at.  :tup :tup


I think part of what makes those early TFK albums special is the unique production style. Just the way the drums sounded, the kind of trebly guitar tones, the mix of the keyboard sounds. Those two Roine solo albums have it as well. Kind of hard to explain, but the production started to shift with The Rainmaker, I think, to a warmer and more modern style of production.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on January 04, 2022, 06:54:30 PM


I think part of what makes those early TFK albums special is the unique production style. Just the way the drums sounded, the kind of trebly guitar tones, the mix of the keyboard sounds. Those two Roine solo albums have it as well. Kind of hard to explain, but the production started to shift with The Rainmaker, I think, to a warmer and more modern style of production.

I think The Rainmaker is the only TFK album where I have an issue with the production (that one is a bit too dry; the melodies don't feel as lush and in your face).  I actually think the albums with Zoltan on drums tend to be the best sounding as something about his style just adds a groove and deepness to the overall sound that is just really bad ass.  Adam and Eve and The Sum of No Evil both sound incredible, and I feel the former is a highly underrated record.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 06, 2022, 02:26:17 PM


I think part of what makes those early TFK albums special is the unique production style. Just the way the drums sounded, the kind of trebly guitar tones, the mix of the keyboard sounds. Those two Roine solo albums have it as well. Kind of hard to explain, but the production started to shift with The Rainmaker, I think, to a warmer and more modern style of production.

I think The Rainmaker is the only TFK album where I have an issue with the production (that one is a bit too dry; the melodies don't feel as lush and in your face).  I actually think the albums with Zoltan on drums tend to be the best sounding as something about his style just adds a groove and deepness to the overall sound that is just really bad ass.  Adam and Eve and The Sum of No Evil both sound incredible, and I feel the former is a highly underrated record.

I will agree, UTF, A&E, and TSONE all sound so good from what I can recall, especially TSONE. I remember when that came out and feeling very impressed by the sound of the album. Regarding The Rainmaker, I think my issues with the album is that the music just isn't as interesting as the albums that surround it, and it kind of just gets lost in the mix of their discography. It's not an awful album by any means, but it's just simple enjoyable enough for me. Same with Adam & Eve and Banks Of Eden for me, though I've slowly warmed up to The Rainmaker over the years. "Last Minute On Earth" is a solid opener IMO, and "Serious Dreamers" is unique as an album closer for TFK. "City Of Angels" is also an underrated epic, and has a very early-TFK sort of feel to it. I may have to revisit this album as a whole sometime soon!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on January 06, 2022, 07:03:03 PM
I think some of you guys vastly underrate Banks of Eden, which I think is their best post-Paradox Hotel album.  Numbers has not one, not two, but three out-of-this-world awesome guitar solos.  Tremendous record.  Five songs, all major winners.  And the bonus tracks are all quite good as well.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on January 07, 2022, 06:42:24 AM
I think some of you guys vastly underrate Banks of Eden, which I think is their best post-Paradox Hotel album.  Numbers has not one, not two, but three out-of-this-world awesome guitar solos.  Tremendous record.  Five songs, all major winners.  And the bonus tracks are all quite good as well.

I thought it was a great comeback after their post TSONE hiatus. It felt like a rejuvenated TFK again with their best epic since the Adam & Eve duo and a supporting cast of songs that all work well. The upbeat vibe of For The Love of Gold was something I really wanted to hear from again (and still do). And yeah, the bonus tracks are all solid too. I'm a huge fan of Desolation Rose and I think that one ranks slightly higher for me overall, but Banks of Eden is in no way an inferior album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Zydar on January 07, 2022, 07:15:10 AM
I think some of you guys vastly underrate Banks of Eden, which I think is their best post-Paradox Hotel album.  Numbers has not one, not two, but three out-of-this-world awesome guitar solos.  Tremendous record.  Five songs, all major winners.  And the bonus tracks are all quite good as well.

Fireghosts is a great song, and too good to be just a bonus track. It's actually one of my favourite TFK songs ever. I really like Going Up too.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on January 07, 2022, 03:58:46 PM
I think some of you guys vastly underrate Banks of Eden, which I think is their best post-Paradox Hotel album.  Numbers has not one, not two, but three out-of-this-world awesome guitar solos.  Tremendous record.  Five songs, all major winners.  And the bonus tracks are all quite good as well.

Fireghosts is a great song, and too good to be just a bonus track. It's actually one of my favourite TFK songs ever. I really like Going Up too.

Four b-sides on a five-song album always felt a bit odd to me. I think they could've worked Fireghosts and Going Up into the main album and had a more substantial main album as a result.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 07, 2022, 04:08:58 PM
I think some of you guys vastly underrate Banks of Eden, which I think is their best post-Paradox Hotel album.  Numbers has not one, not two, but three out-of-this-world awesome guitar solos.  Tremendous record.  Five songs, all major winners.  And the bonus tracks are all quite good as well.

Fireghosts is a great song, and too good to be just a bonus track. It's actually one of my favourite TFK songs ever. I really like Going Up too.

Four b-sides on a five-song album always felt a bit odd to me. I think they could've worked Fireghosts and Going Up into the main album and had a more substantial main album as a result.

Yeah, especially considering that all 9 songs could fit into one CD anyway. I've always listened to it with a re-done tracklist that works in all 9 songs into the running order.
Numbers
Illuminati
For The Love Of Gold
LoLines
Pandemonium
Fireghosts
For Those About To Drown
Going Up
Rising The Imperial

Basically, I put the 4 bonus tracks between the 5 main album songs, all still in their original order. I will say, the bonus tracks quite decent on this one. I know I seem like I give this one some negative views, but it's not really all that bad. I just don't reach for it very often if I'm looking to itch a TFK-scratch.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on January 07, 2022, 06:50:01 PM
I think some of you guys vastly underrate Banks of Eden, which I think is their best post-Paradox Hotel album.  Numbers has not one, not two, but three out-of-this-world awesome guitar solos.  Tremendous record.  Five songs, all major winners.  And the bonus tracks are all quite good as well.

Fireghosts is a great song, and too good to be just a bonus track. It's actually one of my favourite TFK songs ever. I really like Going Up too.

Four b-sides on a five-song album always felt a bit odd to me. I think they could've worked Fireghosts and Going Up into the main album and had a more substantial main album as a result.

Nah, the bonus tracks are those for a reason; they do not really fit in with the main record. And I am not a fan of "hey, we have more songs, so let's throw them all on the main record!"  Bands structure albums certain ways for a reason, and I feel that Banks of Eden is just fine as a 5-song record.  :tup :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 15, 2022, 08:49:15 AM
Tomas Bodin has shared new music on his YouTube page!
https://youtu.be/D1USttsqxFo

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on January 18, 2022, 08:24:19 AM
New TFK song/video out today. “A Million Stars.”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k0RiSF1Lwac

Mellow, but I quite like it. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 18, 2022, 09:25:03 AM
New TFK song/video out today. “A Million Stars.”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k0RiSF1Lwac

Mellow, but I quite like it.

That was mellow but very good. Reminded me a lot of early TFK, especially with Michael Stolt on bass. Also interesting to note, this song is one of 3 songs over 7 minutes long on the album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: darkshade on January 18, 2022, 12:57:03 PM
Remind me, is Jonas sharing bass duties with Michael Stolt on the new album?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 18, 2022, 01:19:03 PM
Remind me, is Jonas sharing bass duties with Michael Stolt on the new album?

Yes, both Jonas and Michael appear on the new album playing bass, but for their upcoming tour, it'll just be Michael (which is an excuse to play a bunch of material from their first four albums).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on January 19, 2022, 06:32:50 AM
New TFK song/video out today. “A Million Stars.”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k0RiSF1Lwac

Mellow, but I quite like it.

That was mellow but very good. Reminded me a lot of early TFK, especially with Michael Stolt on bass. Also interesting to note, this song is one of 3 songs over 7 minutes long on the album.

-Marc.

I fell asleep to that song earlier too  ;)  Maybe the guys need a critical producer in their ranks? The ideas of this song could have made a decent 3-minute track, but in my opinion the material just isn't enough for 7 minutes. Also, the virtuosic rhythmic foundation of Jonas Reingold is missing here, so that almost only sweet goo is left. I found Islands to be the band's best album since The Sum Of No Evil (which again is grossly underrated IMO, with the terrific Csörcz/Reingold rhythm section), but this just makes me roll my eyes. Add to that this cheap video... I sound very bitter, I'm sorry. The truth is, this song is not bad in my opinion. But surely this can't be all the man who composed Silent Inferno, Circus Brimstone and Of Monsters & Men has to say? The only bright spots for me: the second part of the song sounds a bit like the mellow part in Yes' Awaken and has a touch of Pink Floyd and the drums are finally a bit louder in the mix.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on January 19, 2022, 07:48:05 AM
New TFK song/video out today. “A Million Stars.”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k0RiSF1Lwac

Mellow, but I quite like it.

That was mellow but very good. Reminded me a lot of early TFK, especially with Michael Stolt on bass. Also interesting to note, this song is one of 3 songs over 7 minutes long on the album.

-Marc.

I fell asleep to that song earlier too  ;)  Maybe the guys need a critical producer in their ranks? The ideas of this song could have made a decent 3-minute track, but in my opinion the material just isn't enough for 7 minutes. Also, the virtuosic rhythmic foundation of Jonas Reingold is missing here, so that almost only sweet goo is left. I found Islands to be the band's best album since The Sum Of No Evil (which again is grossly underrated IMO, with the terrific Csörcz/Reingold rhythm section), but this just makes me roll my eyes. Add to that this cheap video... I sound very bitter, I'm sorry. The truth is, this song is not bad in my opinion. But surely this can't be all the man who composed Silent Inferno, Circus Brimstone and Of Monsters & Men has to say? The only bright spots for me: the second part of the song sounds a bit like the mellow part in Yes' Awaken and has a touch of Pink Floyd and the drums are finally a bit louder in the mix.

I kind of feel like at their age, mellow is the way to go, especially vocally.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTwwbwMP on January 19, 2022, 02:32:42 PM
New TFK song/video out today. “A Million Stars.”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k0RiSF1Lwac

Mellow, but I quite like it.

WAYYYY too mellow for my FK taste.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on January 19, 2022, 03:51:55 PM
Very nice song.  I dig it.  Roine doing most of the lead vocals is always a good thing.


I fell asleep to that song earlier too  ;)  Maybe the guys need a critical producer in their ranks? The ideas of this song could have made a decent 3-minute track, but in my opinion the material just isn't enough for 7 minutes. Also, the virtuosic rhythmic foundation of Jonas Reingold is missing here, so that almost only sweet goo is left. I found Islands to be the band's best album since The Sum Of No Evil (which again is grossly underrated IMO, with the terrific Csörcz/Reingold rhythm section), but this just makes me roll my eyes. Add to that this cheap video... I sound very bitter, I'm sorry. The truth is, this song is not bad in my opinion. But surely this can't be all the man who composed Silent Inferno, Circus Brimstone and Of Monsters & Men has to say? The only bright spots for me: the second part of the song sounds a bit like the mellow part in Yes' Awaken and has a touch of Pink Floyd and the drums are finally a bit louder in the mix.

If this were the only song on the album, that might be a valid point, but since there are many other songs on the album, it is not. :)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on January 19, 2022, 03:57:25 PM
Very nice song.  I dig it.  Roine doing most of the lead vocals is always a good thing.


I fell asleep to that song earlier too  ;)  Maybe the guys need a critical producer in their ranks? The ideas of this song could have made a decent 3-minute track, but in my opinion the material just isn't enough for 7 minutes. Also, the virtuosic rhythmic foundation of Jonas Reingold is missing here, so that almost only sweet goo is left. I found Islands to be the band's best album since The Sum Of No Evil (which again is grossly underrated IMO, with the terrific Csörcz/Reingold rhythm section), but this just makes me roll my eyes. Add to that this cheap video... I sound very bitter, I'm sorry. The truth is, this song is not bad in my opinion. But surely this can't be all the man who composed Silent Inferno, Circus Brimstone and Of Monsters & Men has to say? The only bright spots for me: the second part of the song sounds a bit like the mellow part in Yes' Awaken and has a touch of Pink Floyd and the drums are finally a bit louder in the mix.

If this were the only song on the album, that might be a valid point, but since there are many other songs on the album, it is not. :)

It's also the same man who composed songs like Rhythm of the Sea, Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar, and World Without a Heart, so it's not like mellow isn't usually part of the repertoire.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on January 19, 2022, 05:37:57 PM


It's also the same man who composed songs like Rhythm of the Sea, Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar, and World Without a Heart, so it's not like mellow isn't usually part of the repertoire.

Yep.  My favorite TFK album, Paradox Hotel, has quite a few mellow tunes, most of which are just terrific.  Variety is the spice of life, and while super prog is obviously the biggest part of the band's DNA, their albums are often so good because of the different stuff we get on them.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: darkshade on January 19, 2022, 07:25:59 PM
Haven't listened, but I'll take a mellower direction over Neal Morse and Friends recreating The Light or All Of The Above for the 30th time.

I love Neal's music, but it's true ^

I felt Roine's contributions to the last Transatlantic album were more creative than Neal's, not to mention Forevermore (mostly Roine's vision) is vastly superior to TBOL (Neal's vision) (imo)

I have to give credit to TFK for not trying to recreate the glory of their 90s and early 00's output. Each album of theirs is different than what came before, some more so than others. A TFK album can be filled with all kinds of goodies that the other albums don't have, and can be real growers with time. With Neal, it's consistent, but his music offer few surprises unless there are new/different players like with NMB. There is an evolution in the TFK discography that just isn't there in the Neal Morse discography.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 20, 2022, 11:05:54 AM
So I'm sitting here listening to "Circus Brimstone", as performed by Circus Brimstone on their one-and-only album Circus Brimstone LIVE - Brim Stoned In Europe, and it got me wondering what every TFK drummer has done within and around the TFK family, so out of curiosity, here's a list of what each of the major TFK drummers/percussionists have done and released with TFK and TFK members:

Hasse Bruniusson:
TFK - Back In The World Of Adventures, Retropolis, Stardust We Are, Flower Power, Space Revolver, Fan Club CD 2000, The Rainmaker, Unfold The Future, Meet The Flower Kings, Adam & Eve, Paradox Hotel, The Sum Of No Evil
Roine Stolt - The Flower King
Karmakanic - Wheel Of Life (guest on 1 track)
Tomas Bodin - An Ordinary Night In My Ordinary Life, Sonic Boulevard
Hasse Bruniusson - Flying Food Circus

Jaime Salazar:
TFK - Back In The World Of Adventures, Retropolis, Stardust We Are, Edition Limitee Quebec 1998, Flower Power, Space Revolver, Fan Club CD 2000, Alive On Planet Earth, The Rainmaker
Roine Stolt - The Flower King, Hydrophonia
Karmakanic - Entering The Spectra
Tomas Bodin - An Ordinary Night In My Ordinary Life
The Tangent - A Place In The Queue, Going Off On One, Not As Good As The Book
Opus Atlantic - Opus Atlantic

Zoltan Csorsz:
TFK - Unfold The Future, Live In New York - Official Bootleg, Meet The Flower Kings, BetchaWannaDanceStoopid!!, Adam & Eve, The Sum Of No Evil
Karmakanic - Entering The Spectra, Wheel Of Life, Who's The Boss In The Factory
Tomas Bodin - Pinup Guru, Sonic Boulevard
The Tangent - The Music That Died Alone, The World That We Drive Through, Pyramids And Stars
3rd World Electric - Kilimanjaro Secret Brew
Agents Of Mercy - The Fading Ghosts Of Twilight

Marcus Liliequist:
TFK - Fanclub CD 2005 - Harvest, Paradox Hotel, Carpe Diem, Instant Delivery
Roine Stolt - Wall Street Voodoo
Karmakanic - In A Perfect World
Tomas Bodin - I AM, You Are (under the band name Eggs & Dogs)

Felix Lehrmann:
TFK - Banks Of Eden, Desolation Rose
Anderson / Stolt - Invention Of Knowledge

Mirko DeMaio:
TFK - Waiting For Miracles, Islands, By Royal Decree (forthcoming)

There have been other drummers who have shared kit duties with various TFK family members but these are the six that have appeared on actual TFK albums. Looking back, I forgot just how much Jaime played with his fellow band members outside of TFK, same with Zoltan. I do remember that Marcus was being utilized before and after his one studio album, Paradox Hotel, as Roine's WSV album and Tomas' I AM both came out before Paradox Hotel. I had also forgotten that Felix drummed on the Anderson / Stolt album (which I haven't really spun in quite some time).

I also decided to throw in Bruniusson because, while he mostly does non-drumkit percussion, he has played actual drumkit for some songs in the TFK catalog, and his percussive sounds definitely add a lot to the over-all sound of the band, especially in their earlier days. You can really feel his absence in their live recordings when he isn't there, and when he is, like on Meet The Flower Kings, he adds so much to the layers of percussion in their music.

Which of these percussionists/drummers are your favorite? Who has your favorite performance OUTSIDE of The Flower Kings? For me, Marcus on Wall Street Voodoo is absolutely fantastic, but Zoltan's work on the early Tangent albums is nothing short of expert-level, and probably better than his stuff in TFK.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on January 20, 2022, 11:14:41 AM
I think Ulf & Bruniusson were key elements contributing to the greatness of the early FK sound and their absence on later albums is very obvious to my ears. Bruniusson's bombastic percussion in some of the more busy instrumental sections was always such an exciting layer to their sound.

Jaime was my favorite. To me, the magic of TFK sort of ended once they adopted a jazzier sound, and I'm sure it was the addition of Zoltan that pushed them harder in that direction. Zoltan's an outstanding drummer, but I like the more hard-rock/metal feel Jaime had that contrasted nicely with the pure prog-rock sound from The Flower King through Space Revolver. I will agree that Marcus did a fantastic job on Wall Street Voodoo, but Jaime's performances on Hydrophonia and An Ordinary Night... are just perfect to my ears. I still need to check out Karmakanic
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 20, 2022, 11:20:20 AM
I think Ulf & Bruniusson were key elements contributing to the greatness of the early FK sound and their absence on later albums is very obvious to my ears. Bruniusson's bombastic percussion in some of the more busy instrumental sections was always such an exciting layer to their sound.

Jaime was my favorite. To me, the magic of TFK sort of ended once they adopted a jazzier sound, and I'm sure it was the addition of Zoltan that pushed them hard that direction. Zoltan's an outstanding drummer, but I like the more hard-rock/metal feel Jaime had that contrasted nicely with the pure prog-rock sound from The Flower King through Space Revolver. I will agree that Marcus did a fantastic job on Wall Street Voodoo, but Jaime's performances on Hydrophonia and An Ordinary Night... are just perfect to my ears. I still need to check out Karmakanic

I feel like Zoltan fits in better with Karmakanic than The Flower Kings (though that isn't to say I don't enjoy his albums with TFK). When Jonas is leading the charge in his own band, I think he knew how to write for Zoltan and they worked off each other so well on the three albums he was on. My favorite is Who's The Boss In The Factory, but you can't go wrong checking out any of them. I'd say of their five albums, In A Perfect World is their weakest, but they got better with the follow-up, DOT. I'd say check them out in chronological order. Jaime is the main drummer on their debut, Entering The Spectra, but Zoltan plays on the 12-minute title track.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on January 20, 2022, 01:25:15 PM
I've mentioned several times that Zoltan is my favorite TFK drummer, but I also highly appreciate Felix Lehrmann. He did a great job on the few TFK albums (and the one by A&S), but was kinda underutilized on those recordings in my opinion. He reveals how great a drummer he is on different occasions. For example, he frequently plays with my former teacher, Martin Miller:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFK97GUkp-s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhJEcRx6CXc&t=926s

Here, you can also hear what my problem with Roine's drum mixes is. In this recording, Felix is loud, his snare has punch and his cymbals are crystal clear. Not so much on Banks of Eden, Desolation and Invention.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on January 20, 2022, 02:34:14 PM
Felix is excellent and his playing on Banks/Rose is quite creative and exciting. I think both him and Marcus were a good balance between the relatively simplistic style of Jaime and the super-jazz style of Zoltan, and overall, I think Felix was probably the most versatile of their drummers.

On the drum sound, Roine's mixes have bugged me since The Rainmaker. Where the music used to have this bright, clear sheen on it, everything post-Rainmaker kind of feels slightly muffled and subdued.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on January 20, 2022, 02:58:08 PM
Felix is excellent and his playing on Banks/Rose is quite creative and exciting. I think both him and Marcus were a good balance between the relatively simplistic style of Jaime and the super-jazz style of Zoltan, and overall, I think Felix was probably the most versatile of their drummers.

On the drum sound, Roine's mixes have bugged me since The Rainmaker. Where the music used to have this bright, clear sheen on it, everything post-Rainmaker kind of feels slightly muffled and subdued.

The mixes do seem to get more muffled as time goes on. The drums on Islands are so unusually muffled/distant sounding. The new tracks seem similar, though it's hard to say just from YouTube videos.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on January 25, 2022, 10:33:07 AM
Felix is excellent and his playing on Banks/Rose is quite creative and exciting. I think both him and Marcus were a good balance between the relatively simplistic style of Jaime and the super-jazz style of Zoltan, and overall, I think Felix was probably the most versatile of their drummers.

On the drum sound, Roine's mixes have bugged me since The Rainmaker. Where the music used to have this bright, clear sheen on it, everything post-Rainmaker kind of feels slightly muffled and subdued.

The mixes do seem to get more muffled as time goes on. The drums on Islands are so unusually muffled/distant sounding. The new tracks seem similar, though it's hard to say just from YouTube videos.

For some reason it sounds slightly better on my vinyl LP. Not sure why. Anyway, I listened to Islands again and I gotta say, this is one FINE album. I think there are some beautiful moments on there. Solaris, All I Need Is Love and Looking For Answers are my favorites. Solaris is one of the band's best songs since Tower ONE for me. The orchestral arrangements sound great (although I think they are coming out of Zach's keys) and the whole song has some epic character to it. I also have a soft spot for the Driving Home For Christmas-like Morning News. It just has some kind of calm beauty to it.

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on January 25, 2022, 10:44:08 AM
I enjoy Islands whenever I revisit it. Like you said, there is some nice, calming music on it. I do think that’s the band’s strong suit at this point. I think Islands would have been better served as a one disc effort, but I can just as easily listen to my alternate one disc version.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 25, 2022, 10:59:50 AM
Regarding the calming nature of (most of) Islands, I think it suits the band perfectly, more so than the calming nature of latter-day Yes (from Open Your Eyes onward). There's also still some trademark TFK sounds coming from the band at this point, and it isn't all homogenous-sounding. The last two albums have been pretty good, which is why I'm looking forward to BRD in a little over a month from now.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on January 26, 2022, 07:56:46 AM
Anyone else notice Roine's weird lyrical obsession with horses?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Kyo on January 26, 2022, 08:11:11 AM
Solaris is one of the band's best songs since Tower ONE for me.

But... there was just one album between Desolation Rose (the one with Tower One) and Islands.  ;D
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on January 26, 2022, 10:25:40 AM
Solaris is one of the band's best songs since Tower ONE for me.

But... there was just one album between Desolation Rose (the one with Tower One) and Islands.  ;D

Oops, you're right  :lol But in my opinion, Banks Of Eden didn't have better songs than these two either  ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on January 26, 2022, 10:39:10 AM
Anyone else notice Roine's weird lyrical obsession with horses?

Yeah, I’ve noticed it in a few places at least. There Is More To This World and Elaine are the first two to spring to mind, but I’m sure there are more.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 26, 2022, 10:40:00 AM
Anyone else notice Roine's weird lyrical obsession with horses?

Yeah, I’ve noticed it in a few places at least. There Is More To This World and Elaine are the first two to spring to mind, but I’m sure there are more.

That, and blinders as well. He's used "blinders" in a couple of Transatlantic lyrics too. Are horses big in Sweden? Not that I mean are the horses themselves big, but rather, are they a big deal there?  :lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on January 26, 2022, 09:37:21 PM
https://youtu.be/GTvW9YhCgA8

InsideOut has shared Mirkko DeMaio's drum playthrough of "The Great Pretender". He's got a great set up and the kit sounds great. He hasn't done much to really stand out amongst the other TFK drummers so far, but he is definitely suitable to the band's sound and fits right in. It's nice to see videos like this especially since the last live video that TFK released was nearly a decade ago.

-Marc
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on January 27, 2022, 06:18:49 AM
Lots of cool details that you can't really pick up on by just hearing the song without seeing him play it. Pretty dynamic song too now that I'm listening more intently, though I wish the pace would pick up a bit earlier in the song. Awesome Portnoy fill at 5:44 too
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Zydar on February 18, 2022, 10:03:56 AM
New video/song.

https://youtu.be/BZEv8zSdmFA
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on February 18, 2022, 10:09:11 AM
New video/song.

https://youtu.be/BZEv8zSdmFA

Another fairly mellow tune but lots of nice guitar work by Roine, lots of keyboards. I like the call back to A Million Stars. Looks like this track closes the first disc, so maybe tying some themes together. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: majo on February 20, 2022, 02:50:08 PM
Love this one
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on February 21, 2022, 01:07:13 PM
Surprised I haven't found any reviews yet given the album is coming out literally next Friday.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: darkshade on February 23, 2022, 06:02:21 AM
Surprised I haven't found any reviews yet given the album is coming out literally next Friday.

I guess it is. That sneaked up on me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Zydar on February 23, 2022, 06:06:11 AM
Here's one from February 7.

https://spiritofcecilia.com/2022/02/07/spirit-of-cecilia-decrees-the-flower-kings-latest-rules/
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on February 23, 2022, 04:50:31 PM
I probably won't dig into until April anyway when the weather turns, as TFK is very much of a spring and summer band for me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on February 24, 2022, 01:03:10 PM
The mail came by my house earlier today just before I left for work and my copy of By Royal Decree came in from Foxtrot Records! I didn't even get a shipping notification from Roine's shop about it, so I'm happy to get the album a week early! Can't wait to get home and listen to it tonight!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: MinistroRaven on March 01, 2022, 08:50:56 AM
Surprised I haven't found any reviews yet given the album is coming out literally next Friday.

https://www.facebook.com/1751302641546920/posts/5256038574406625/?d=n
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on March 02, 2022, 11:39:43 AM
Finally getting around to digging into this album a bit, between Troika, Revel In Time, and An Hour Before It's Dark, there just isn't much time for all this new music!

It's got a very classic TFK feel but with some modern takes and sounds mixed in. I'll need quite a few more listens to pick some stand outs, but the album has a very good flow of songs, and a lot of crossfades and segues between pieces. I recall Roine or another band member once teasing they'd have a side-length epic on this album but I think somewhere along the way, those ideas were split up across the album as there are some recurring themes and lyrics across the album that I've picked up on after a couple of full album listens.

Before I forget, there's a melody in "The Big Funk" that feels ripped right out of Tubular Bells by Oldfield. When you hear it, you'll know what I mean.

I'd say this is a step up from Islands if you wanted a more solid return to early TFK. There are moments where I would think I'm listening to music that could've been written in the Retropolis/Stardust era. Definitely one I'll keep spinning as the weeks and months go on.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on March 05, 2022, 04:44:18 AM
Listened to it twice yesterday. It's definitely got that classic TFK feel about it, even with the new drum sound of modern-era. Only thing that's missing from this lineup that would be the cherry on top is *their* defining side-long epic.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on March 05, 2022, 06:07:24 AM
It's weird, Roine (as well as Neal Morse, apart from his latest NMB album) seem to like that "several short songs make a longer, album-filling suite"-approach more nowadays than composing actual 20 minute songs.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Orbert on March 05, 2022, 03:00:50 PM
Some of that is probably down to a "been there, done that" mentality.  Long epic tunes are cool, but are usually made up of smaller sections that ultimately get fit together anyway. If each of the smaller sections is developed into its own thing, then maybe you call it a suite.  At the very least, the liner notes break it up into sections with Roman numerals. A suite of songs which each stand alone but also flow together into a unified piece is kinda like taking that concept all the way. A different kind of compositional challenge.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on March 06, 2022, 04:27:12 AM
I'm on my first listen right now. Initial thoughts:

- Roine finally managed to mix the drums a little more into the front.

- It takes three interesting and exciting songs and 20 full min of proggy music until the band falls back on one of those TFK-children-songs that I could easily live without. On Islands it was already the second song, From The Ground, here it's A Million stars, the fourth song. If they just managed to omit these songs, I think their albums would be more concise and exciting. But it seems they just like this kind of songs. Oh, and the second song like this is We Can Make It Work. The following Peacock On Parade is a lot stronger and shows just how redundant those songs are (to me). I sound bitter, I' not saying these songs are bad, but dropping those songs would make their records more interesting in my opinion.

- I was a lot less excited about this release than about Islands, mainly because Jonas Reingold is not the (main) bassist anymore. But Michael Stolt is doing a good job, although I miss Jonas' virtuosic bass foundation. Btw, he lives here in Austria, around 20 minutes from my apartment, maybe I should drive over there and tell him to better be the main bassist on the next TFK album, or else!!!  :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 06, 2022, 07:39:40 AM
I don't expect another Stardust We Are or Paradox Hotel or Retropolis again (albums that are great from start to finish), but if the new album is a similar balance to Waiting for Miracles and Islands (mostly solid/good, with a few standout songs), I will be content with that as this juncture. 

For me, it is all about managing expectations with this band at this point, and I pretty much accept at this point that Froberg is going to sing far more lead vocals than I would prefer, but the hope is always that Roine sings tons of lead as well, and that those end up being the best written songs, to where I get those handful of standout songs.  The irony of course is that my favorite TFK album, Paradox Hotel, is one that has a pretty even balance between Froberg and Roine singing lead, but that felt like lightning in a bottle.  I don't expect it again, but if it happens, awesome.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on March 07, 2022, 02:57:15 AM
So I got the CD this morning and I figured out that, just on the 15 studio albums alone, The Flower Kings output totals nearly 23 hours now. As I say, that doesn't include any bonus tracks and the like.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: ariich on March 07, 2022, 05:39:37 AM
Listened a couple of times and it might be their best album in a while. I've been a bit lukewarm on everything since Banks of Eden. I'm undecided on this one so far, but it's definitely capturing my interest and my desire to give it further listens, which is a pretty good sign.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on March 07, 2022, 07:25:14 AM
The end of Time The Great Healer radiates similar sort of energy to There Is More To This World.

Also has anyone figured out what the sample is right at the beginning of The Letter? It sounds like Hasse singing but whether it's from this album (cool) or a previous one (even more cool), it'd be good to know. My initial thought (probably wrong) is that it could be from the song The Flower King.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: hefdaddy42 on March 07, 2022, 01:19:36 PM
I listened to it this morning, and I really liked what I heard.

Need to listen more to fully digest it, obviously, but at first listen I was impressed.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 07, 2022, 06:21:26 PM
My first listen was pretty positive, which is a good sign since their style can usually take a few listens for a lot to really sink in.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on March 08, 2022, 03:39:41 PM
I'm finally giving BRD some decent spin-time after a week+ of listening to the new Marillion. Every time I get through BRD, I tend to like it more and more. I picked up on repeated themes and motifs and lyrics here and there, hearing more of the classic/early TFK influence in some of the songs. The use of sax in more than one song really helps drive the classic TFK feel across the album (and IIRC, sax only appeared on ONE song on Islands). Hearing Bruniusson return to the band also really gives this album that Retropolis/Stardust We Are feel that has been largely absent over the last couple of albums.

I hope that this line-up can release a live album of the upcoming tour, especially since Roine has publicly stated that they will be playing material from their first four albums, which makes sense considering they'll be touring with Michael Stolt on bass this time around. It's been 11 years since their last live album was released, and even that, that 2011 release was from their 2007 tour in support of The Sum Of No Evil, featuring Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson) on drums. No live show was released from the BOE/DR era of the band, so there's no live record of Felix on drums, or Tomas' last tour(s) with the band. I guess it's sort of like Dream Theater not having a live release of the their shows in support of BC&SL before Mike left.

At any rate, this is definitely an album of growers for me, and I'll be spinning it regularly in the coming weeks and months, balancing it with the new material from Star One and Marillion, as well as Pattern-Seeking Animals next month.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 08, 2022, 03:46:28 PM
Happily, it seems like Roine does the major bulk of the lead vocals on this album (at least it felt that way), as Froberg's voice seems more than a bit shaky at times.  He hits a note in the last song that literally made me wince and say, "ouch," out loud to myself.  Fortunately, those moments seem few and far between. Many more listens to come.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on March 08, 2022, 03:51:45 PM
Happily, it seems like Roine does the major bulk of the lead vocals on this album (at least it felt that way), as Froberg's voice seems more than a bit shaky at times.  He hits a note in the last song that literally made me wince and say, "ouch," out loud to myself.  Fortunately, those moments seem few and far between. Many more listens to come.

Ever since you've mentioned your affinity towards Roine's vocals over Hasse's, I've been trying to listen to how much Hasse there is on the new album compared to Roine, and I think you're right - there is more Roine than Hasse this time around. I wonder if Hasse having recently release a new HFMC album had something to do with him not contributing a lot of music and/or vocals on this album?

Personally, I don't mind Hasse's vocals as I am a fan of HFMC as well, and I think he sounds fine on BRD so far, but I also haven't given it a fully attentive listen with headphones on quite yet.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 08, 2022, 07:12:37 PM
As usual, a new album by a favorite always gets to me go back and listen to prior albums, and I am pleasantly surprised again at how good Waiting for Miracles is.  Just a damn good listen from start to finish.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on March 09, 2022, 06:16:13 AM
I appreciate the guest vocal appearance from R2-D2 on Time the Great Healer.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 16, 2022, 06:32:27 PM
Still trying to really hammer down a good solid opinion of the new album, but after a handful of listens, it feels similar to Islands in quality, in that it seems to have a handful or so of very good songs, a bunch of solid/good songs, and few throwaways.  The first two songs in particular are complete throwaways.  They are bland and tuneless.  I hate to say it, because it does feel like I pick nits at him, but the songs that Froberg sings all or much of it seem to be the worst ones.  His voice, quite honestly, seems shot.  Fortunately, Roine sings a lot on this album, so it will be easy to lop off the fat (see: the Froberg songs) once I really get my arms around this record.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 18, 2022, 05:51:10 PM
I guess other fans do not have much to offer right now, but for my money, the standout songs so far are:

Blinded
A Million Stars
The Soldier
The Darkness in You
Revolution
Evolution
The Big Funk
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on March 18, 2022, 06:27:10 PM
I ordered this from Laser CD last week assuming it was out already. Had to double check when it didn’t show up this week. It actually isn’t out in the States until the 25th? I guess you had to order from the band to get it on the 4th? I didn’t even check the release date when I ordered. Oh well!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Mladen on March 19, 2022, 04:52:47 AM
To me, this is yet another enjoyable, fairly cheerful symphonic prog album, which is what The Flower Kings have been consistently putting out for a while now. The Great pretender and Revolution are my favorite songs. I do think Islands has more highlights, though.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 19, 2022, 06:56:21 AM
Time the Great Healer and Peacock on Paradise are also very nice (along with the ones I mentioned last evening).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on April 01, 2022, 09:00:13 PM
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-flower-kings/2022/musikens-hus-gothenburg-sweden-43894be7.html

Just took a look at their setlist from last night in Gothenburg, Sweden, and WOW what a set! I was prompted to see what they played after I saw a clip fro. The show someone had shared in a TFK group on Facebook.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on April 02, 2022, 05:24:57 AM
That is a good set, and I’m always pleased to see the second disc of Flower Power get some love.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on April 02, 2022, 06:14:58 AM
The selections from the new album are poor, IMO, but the rest of the set looks pretty damn awesome.  TFK has rarely been a band in the last 15+ years to play tons of new stuff at concerts, so I won't quibble about the lack of overall representation of Royal Decree in the set list.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on April 02, 2022, 11:15:42 AM
I don't get the hate for Froberg in here. His scream at the end of the Desolation Rose album is an almighty cry to the heavens above!!! One of the all-time classic album endings.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on April 02, 2022, 12:43:05 PM
I don't get the hate for Froberg in here. His scream at the end of the Desolation Rose album is an almighty cry to the heavens above!!! One of the all-time classic album endings.

If an almighty cry to the heavens means your scream was so awful that your voice cracked badly and had to be buried in effects to try the hide the fact that you couldn't pull it off naturally, then I agree.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on April 02, 2022, 01:12:17 PM
I’ve always thought Haase was a nice compliment to Roine as a singer, and I’ve always thought the had a good voice. But these days he’s definitely lost a lot of range and power, and I’m not sure he has much more range than Roine now.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on April 02, 2022, 02:28:41 PM
I am really really enjoying By Royal Decree. It sounds like classic TFK in places, but also sounds like the best of Islands with better overall production. I’m not sure I can really wrap my head around many of the individual tracks yet, but I am enjoying just sort of letting it play and wash over me without thinking too much about it. Just sounds really great.

One track that absolutely does stick out to me though is Evolution. That sounds like it could have been on one of Roine’s early solo albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on April 02, 2022, 04:09:46 PM
I’ve always thought Haase was a nice compliment to Roine as a singer, and I’ve always thought the had a good voice. But these days he’s definitely lost a lot of range and power, and I’m not sure he has much more range than Roine now.

Generally, he is, and he has plenty of nice moments throughout their history, especially from the Space Revolver through Paradox Hotel era, but, for me, his vocal moments can be very hit or miss, and far too often on their last four studio albums (Desolation Rose through Royal Decree), they miss.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on April 08, 2022, 05:50:05 AM
From Inside Out:

Quote
Prog icons The Flower Kings are pleased to announce that their back catalogue will be reissued by InsideOutMusic over the course of 2022 & 2023 in brand new remastered CD editions, and in some cases for the first time ever on vinyl. The first two releases to see the light of day will be ‘Back In The World Of Adventures’ and ‘Retropolis’ which will both be released on the 27th May 2022 as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD + LP-booklet & as Digital Album. Both records have been remastered & partially remixed, with updated artwork and liner notes from Roine Stolt.

Pre-order now here:
https://TheFlowerKings.lnk.to/BackInTheWorldOfAdventures-2022Remaster

https://TheFlowerKings.lnk.to/Retropolis-2022Remaster

Roine comments: “I’ve been living life in the fast lane for a long time as far as releases with The Flower Kings and all my other bands and projects - but it’s been both a real joy and a sobering experience re-visiting the early Flower Kings years and early albums.

I remember once again what I set out to do in the mid 90’s - Symphonic progressive rock with a clear melodic and sometimes ’folky’ vibe - a Swedish tone - colored by all things progressive and influenced by my teenage years listening habits. Hearing Focus, Frank Zappa, Yes, Tomita, Gentle Giant and Weather Report etc. back then, opened up a world of possibilities.

Remixing some of these songs, for the reissues, took me back and made it even more fun to start work on and include a big chunk of this in our live set. We are now truly heading back to the world of musical adventures.”

The next two releases will be ‘Flower Power’ & ‘Stardust We Are’ which will arrive on the 24th June 2022, with pre-orders starting on the 6th May.

(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/278024738_10160211710905439_8741492343437458543_n.jpg?stp=cp0_dst-jpg_e15_fr_q65&_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8024bb&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=xwFj19dv4RgAX9FdCAR&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&oh=00_AT_5K00clqKmnZgNVFeyIICdVzfwKJQSdiHSUrR8AO5l9Q&oe=6254DD55)


I'm hesitant to get these after Roine chopped up stuff from the Kingdom Of Colours boxsets several years ago. I'll wait until reviews are in to decide if I want to order these.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on April 08, 2022, 05:57:10 AM
Even though the way he axed Devil's Playground on the Unfold the Future was pretty gross, I will likely get these two in vinyl simply because I love the covers, especially the Retropolis one, and collecting favorites with cool covers on vinyl has become a new habit of mine in the last few years.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on April 08, 2022, 09:47:21 AM
Burning Shed has the tracktimes posted on their preorder pages.

Quote
1. World of Adventures  2022 Remaster  00:13:33
2. Atomic Prince  2022 Remaster  00:07:44
3. Go West Judas  2022 Remaster  00:07:42
4. Train To Nowhere  2022 Remaster  00:04:01
5. Oblivion Road  2022 Remaster  00:03:33
6. Theme For A Hero  2022 Remaster  00:08:28
7. Temple Of The Snakes  2022 Remaster  00:01:23
8. My Cosmic Lover  2022 Remaster  00:06:51
9. The Wonder Wheel  2022 Remaster  00:04:04
10. Big Puzzle  2022 Remaster  00:13:34

Quote
1. Rhythm of Life  2022 Remaster  00:00:32
2. Retropolis  2022 Remaster  00:11:10
3. Rhythm of the Sea  2022 Remaster  00:06:12
4. There Is More To This World  2022 Remaster  00:10:15
5. Romancing The City  2022 Remaster  00:00:57
6. The Melting Pot  2022 Remaster  00:05:45
7. Silent Sorrow  2022 Remaster  00:07:42
8. The Judas Kiss  2022 Remaster  00:07:43
9. Retropolis By Night  2022 Remaster  00:03:18
10. Flora Majora  2022 Remaster  00:06:50
11. The Road Back Home  2022 Remaster  00:08:55

On the debut, every track is shorter except the closer, and on Retropolis, some tracks are a bit longer than the original.

I may get the CDs considering the expanded artwork and photos, plus being in digipaks. I feel sorry for anyone who hunted down the Kingdom Of Colours boxes at secondary market prices as these are all going to be, hopefully, improved sonically compared.to all prior releases.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: 425 on April 08, 2022, 10:38:37 AM
Really excited for these releases. I got into the band just after Kingdom of Colors vanished from the world, so I just don't have much of their back catalog at all. In fact, Back in the World of Adventures is the only pre-Banks of Eden album I own—I might rebuy it, though, to have a complete collection of these remasters. Looking forward to really exploring this discography this year and next.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Zydar on April 08, 2022, 11:09:16 AM
It will be especially interesting to hear what he did with my favourite TFK song ever, World Of Adventures.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Orbert on April 08, 2022, 12:15:23 PM
Artists have the right of course to do whatever they choose with their creations, but I'm not a fan of continuing to tweak the work once it's been published.  If/when I buy the latest remastered version of an album, I want to hear the album I've known for years, just cleaned up and sounding awesome.  I don't want to hear it cleaned up, but also changed a little bit here and there.  In a way, I find this disrespectful of the original work and also the fans.  Again, it's theirs to do what they want with it, but they have to know that a lot of people would rather they left the re-editing part out of the process.

Zappa did the same thing, and we know Roine is a big Zappa fan.  Zappa saw the re-release of albums on CDs as the opportunity to tweak things.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Nel on April 08, 2022, 02:03:45 PM
I bought the two Kingdom of Colours box sets b/c I figured it was the fastest way to get all the band's stuff and had no idea that song had been chop-shopped until I read about it here.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: 425 on April 08, 2022, 02:43:07 PM
If I could easily choose, I suppose I'd rather go for the original versions. But since most of those are out of print and hard to find, I'm content to accept Roine's "special editions."
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on April 09, 2022, 12:11:10 AM
I don't get the hate for Froberg in here. His scream at the end of the Desolation Rose album is an almighty cry to the heavens above!!! One of the all-time classic album endings.

If an almighty cry to the heavens means your scream was so awful that your voice cracked badly and had to be buried in effects to try the hide the fact that you couldn't pull it off naturally, then I agree.

It just adds to the intensity of the moment.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: axeman90210 on April 09, 2022, 04:58:57 AM
So if Retropolis is the only FK album I own, what should I get next?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on April 09, 2022, 06:49:56 AM
Tbh the 90s albums are much of a muchness. 90s TFK peaks with Stardust We Are, an essential in any modern prog collection.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on April 09, 2022, 07:26:26 AM
So if Retropolis is the only FK album I own, what should I get next?

The double albums can be a mountain to climb, but if you feel daring, try Flower Power, Paradox Hotel or Stardust We Are.

If you want one of the most easily digestible single albums, try Space Revolver or Back in the World of Adventures.

Ignore The Rainmaker and Desolation Rose early on like they've got a scorching case of gonorrhea. :P
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on April 09, 2022, 07:31:51 AM
Artists have the right of course to do whatever they choose with their creations, but I'm not a fan of continuing to tweak the work once it's been published.  If/when I buy the latest remastered version of an album, I want to hear the album I've known for years, just cleaned up and sounding awesome.  I don't want to hear it cleaned up, but also changed a little bit here and there.  In a way, I find this disrespectful of the original work and also the fans.  Again, it's theirs to do what they want with it, but they have to know that a lot of people would rather they left the re-editing part out of the process.

Zappa did the same thing, and we know Roine is a big Zappa fan.  Zappa saw the re-release of albums on CDs as the opportunity to tweak things.

I pretty much agree with everything here.  Yes, artists absolutely have the right to change or tweak their art if they are re-releasing it, but as the customers, the ones buying the art, we absolutely have the right to express our dissatisfaction if we are not pleased with certain changes or tweaks.

Looking over the track lengths Marc posted, it looks most of them are pretty close to what they were on the original albums. A few are off by 10-20 seconds, but most are maybe just 5-10 seconds, and those could be a case of changing a time stamp of when one song ends and the next begins (like when songs run together with a cross fade) or tightening up an ending, like songs that fade out and there are few seconds of nothing at the end of the track to create a space or break before the start of the next song.  So, I think it is safe to assume that there will be nothing significant changed like what we saw with Devil's Playground.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on April 12, 2022, 06:34:43 AM
When I think about Devil's Playground, I start developing a stomach ulcer. What the hell was he thinking?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: 425 on April 17, 2022, 07:49:48 PM
I've been very much into TFK recently, so while waiting for the remasters to come, I've been exploring the remaining albums 2012-present that I hadn't heard.

Today I listened to By Royal Decree for the first time. Really positive first impression—I felt that it had a very "lush" sound, and might end up being my favorite of the current era.

Meanwhile, I've actually really gotten into Desolation Rose, which I know has a really mixed reception (maybe more so than any of their albums?). I really like the use of recurring themes, especially because the main one is really good ("In silent graveyards, they look for saviors"). And I think there's a lot of good songwriting here—Tower ONE, White Tuxedos and Dark Fascist Skies stand out.

Hopefully I'll have time to give significant attention to the ones from the recent set that I haven't listened to all that much—the new one, and Waiting for Miracles—within the next month. And then I'll try to give updates as I explore the back catalog through the reissues, from the perspective of someone who mainly knows the newer ones.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Trav86 on April 18, 2022, 05:56:21 AM
I’m actually trying to make a real effort to get into this band. I’ve been a fan of Roine’s work with Transatlantic since their inception. But I’ve always struggled with TFK every time I tried. Wish me luck!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: 425 on April 18, 2022, 09:44:52 AM
A piece of advice from a fellow newbie: Start with some of the shorter albums. Some of the most beloved albums are so long that it's really difficult to take them in.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on April 18, 2022, 10:12:29 AM
But more like Space Revolver than the actual shortest albums Banks of Eden or Desolation Rose.

Or...how about don't worry about full albums and just listen to Stardust We Are the song. That'll be your way into it because really the best introduction to TFK is Stardust We Are the album and there's no two ways around it. You'll have to get round to the long albums eventually so you might as well dive straight in and get it over with cos that's 100% where the best music is.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on April 18, 2022, 10:39:42 AM
Stardust We Are is great but it is a lot to take in. For a long time I would only listen to the best bits, but there was a lot of great stuff I was missing. It took me something like 12 years to explore the band beyond Stardust We Are and The Rainmaker. It was actually Roine’s The Flower King album that first got me really interested in exploring the rest of the catalog, and then Retropolis was the first proper TFK album to really click for me. After that I was able to really appreciate all of Stardust We Are for the first time.

I still think I’d recommend starting with Retropolis.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: darkshade on April 18, 2022, 05:26:58 PM
I think Space Revolver or Back In the World of Adventures are good albums to start with. Listening to the title track for Stardust We Are ain't a bad idea either.

Still haven't checked out the new album. I will some day, but my musical interests aren't in the prog rock zone right now.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on May 07, 2022, 07:18:22 AM
Been digging hard into By Royal Decree for the past few weeks and I like it quite a bit. I think it's probably the strongest thing Roine has been a part of in awhile and is the best of the reformed-lineup albums by far. Some parts feel like 90's-era Flower Kings which I always appreciate. Funeral Pyres, The Soldier, and Letters are probably my favorite songs on here but I like everything quite a bit.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on May 08, 2022, 01:05:43 PM
Pre-orders for the remaster re-releases of Stardust We Are and Flower Power have recently gone up - both are 3LP vinyl and 2CD.

Looking at the track list for SWA, they've finally separated the hidden track from the end of "Compassion", which was 8:40, but is now 4:46, followed by "Hidden Dust" at 3:27. Otherwise, track lengths are generally the same, only off by 1-5 seconds shorter/longer.

As for FP, track lengths for "Stupid Girl", "Psychedelic Postcard", and "Hudson River Siren Call" are all lengthened a bit, and the CD lumps "Garden Of Dreams" as one track on Disc 1 of the CD (at least according to the tracklist on Burning Shed).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on May 09, 2022, 01:07:53 AM
Pre-orders for the remaster re-releases of Stardust We Are and Flower Power have recently gone up - both are 3LP vinyl and 2CD.

Looking at the track list for SWA, they've finally separated the hidden track from the end of "Compassion", which was 8:40, but is now 4:46, followed by "Hidden Dust" at 3:27. Otherwise, track lengths are generally the same, only off by 1-5 seconds shorter/longer.

As for FP, track lengths for "Stupid Girl", "Psychedelic Postcard", and "Hudson River Siren Call" are all lengthened a bit, and the CD lumps "Garden Of Dreams" as one track on Disc 1 of the CD (at least according to the tracklist on Burning Shed).

-Marc.

I'm not a big fan of their first two albums (then again, I don't know them that well), but I do like FP and SWA, so I think I will get these two releases eventually. In the moment, money is a little tight though, so I hope that colored vinyls will still be available in a month or so  :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on May 09, 2022, 03:15:23 AM
Psychedelic Postcard has the wrong length listed on the original album, a length that is re-listed on the Burning Shed listing. The song is actually 8:42 so unless it genuinely is extended by a full minute somehow that will be incorrect.

Also it looks like they split the vinyl sides the way I imagined they would. Sides A and B each have 7 sections of Garden of Dreams, then Side C has the last four sections and the three following tracks from CD1. And I notice the vinyl omits HRSC98, but it has the short track End of a Century between DN&B and Stupid Girl. Unfortunate, as the PP>HRSC98>MP triptych is one of my favourite three-track runs on the album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on May 09, 2022, 05:47:42 PM
I didn't think the next two would be up and ready so fast, but I have the first four all pre-ordered now on vinyl.  What the hell, why not?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on May 10, 2022, 01:26:23 AM
I just hope Roine doesn't have another "great" idea of editing out 6 minutes of one of their best songs again.

Edit, I actually hope he re-releases Unfold The Future too, with the full version of Devil's Playground. I have that 3 red LP version that came out a couple of years back and I would buy it again in a heartbeat if the complete TDP would be included.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: ProfessorPeart on May 10, 2022, 12:58:52 PM
I'm fine with my Kingdom boxes. Thankfully, I already owned Unfold The Future so I essentially ignored the version that was in the boxset. It was one of two albums that I actually owned. I have no interest in double-dipping already. Happy with my sets.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on May 11, 2022, 01:24:50 AM
I'm fine with my Kingdom boxes. Thankfully, I already owned Unfold The Future so I essentially ignored the version that was in the boxset. It was one of two albums that I actually owned. I have no interest in double-dipping already. Happy with my sets.

Well, it's the only available vinyl version, so there's no possibility of listening to the full version of the song on vinyl.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on June 14, 2022, 07:56:30 PM
Back in the World of Adventures and Retropolis vinyl have arrived!!  :metal :metal
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on July 16, 2022, 05:56:50 AM
Stardust We Are and Flower Power vinyl arrived a few weeks ago!!  :metal :metal

I still need to bust out all of the CDs with the remasters of the first four and give them a listen.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on July 16, 2022, 10:25:13 AM
Stardust We Are and Flower Power vinyl arrived a few weeks ago!!  :metal :metal

I still need to bust out all of the CDs with the remasters of the first four and give them a listen.

Let us know how you feel about the remasters. I’ve heard Retropolis on Amazon, but feel like I’d need to A/B the CDs to know if there was a real difference. Did sound nice.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on July 16, 2022, 08:22:11 PM
Stardust We Are and Flower Power vinyl arrived a few weeks ago!!  :metal :metal

I still need to bust out all of the CDs with the remasters of the first four and give them a listen.

Let us know how you feel about the remasters. I’ve heard Retropolis on Amazon, but feel like I’d need to A/B the CDs to know if there was a real difference. Did sound nice.

The bitch is the new computer I got a year and change ago does not have a CD drive, which means I will have to put the CDs in my old iMac, which I still have hooked up downstairs, and rip all of the new remasters to that, and then transfer them to my external hard driver, and then transfer them to the new computer.  One of these days I will get the urge to do it.  :lol :lol
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on August 05, 2022, 08:28:01 AM
Both Space Revolver and The Rainmaker re-issues are now available for preorder at the usual places, both on CD and double vinyl LP (w/CD).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: ErHaO on August 05, 2022, 08:39:15 AM
Stardust We Are and Flower Power vinyl arrived a few weeks ago!!  :metal :metal

I still need to bust out all of the CDs with the remasters of the first four and give them a listen.

Let us know how you feel about the remasters. I’ve heard Retropolis on Amazon, but feel like I’d need to A/B the CDs to know if there was a real difference. Did sound nice.

The bitch is the new computer I got a year and change ago does not have a CD drive, which means I will have to put the CDs in my old iMac, which I still have hooked up downstairs, and rip all of the new remasters to that, and then transfer them to my external hard driver, and then transfer them to the new computer.  One of these days I will get the urge to do it.  :lol :lol

Perhaps buying an external USB CD/DVD drive will be a solution, I believe they are quite affordable (ASUS models for example).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on August 05, 2022, 12:49:48 PM


Perhaps buying an external USB CD/DVD drive will be a solution, I believe they are quite affordable (ASUS models for example).

I've thought about it, but I simply don't buy enough physical product anymore to really need it. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on August 07, 2022, 03:02:44 AM
Both Space Revolver and The Rainmaker re-issues are now available for preorder at the usual places, both on CD and double vinyl LP (w/CD).

-Marc.

They're getting these out quickly! About as quickly as the original albums came out...  :biggrin:

That's what it feels like anyway. One of the wildest things to me is how they released Flower Power, an album lasting around 2hrs 20mins, then 9 months later they released Space Revolver, about 76 minutes. You're talking over 3½ hours of music in the space of a year.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on August 07, 2022, 09:34:02 AM
And don't forget that the first Transatlantic album came out in that space between Flower Power and Space Revolver.  Yes, Neal Morse did a lot of the heavy lifting on that record with regards to songwriting, but Roine's contributions are there, and his playing is all over it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on August 08, 2022, 01:51:52 PM
And don't forget that the first Transatlantic album came out in that space between Flower Power and Space Revolver.  Yes, Neal Morse did a lot of the heavy lifting on that record with regards to songwriting, but Roine's contributions are there, and his playing is all over it.

AND Roine even went and did his own mixes of the album as well! The late 90s/early 00s for Neal and Roine were a very busy and productive time, probably their golden age between their respective bands and Transatlantic.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on August 23, 2022, 07:57:47 PM
Still working my way through them all, but I have to say that I am not a fan of the way Roine changed some of the new "remasters" of the first four albums.

The Road Back Home sounds way too different. The keys are a lot lower in the mix at times, and some of them even sound a bit different, making me wonder if he had the new keyboardist re-record some of them.

And he completely removed the vocal effect in the first verse of Psychedelic Postcard.  Yeah, that effect is weird as heck, but it is part of the song, and taking it out completely is jarring. And while Hasse's lead vocals are good in that song, it feels like many of the original harmonies in the song are lessened to backup vocals underneath his lead vocal.

Also, he completely emasculated Stupid Girl. The remix sounds lifeless and boring.  What was he thinking??

Way too much revisionist history with these, to say the least.

Thank goodness I still have my originals.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on August 24, 2022, 09:18:50 AM
Still working my way through them all, but I have to say that I am not a fan of the way Roine changed some of the new "remasters" of the first four albums.

The Road Back Home sounds way too different. The keys are a lot lower in the mix at times, and some of them even sound a bit different, making me wonder if he had the new keyboardist re-record some of them.

And he completely removed the vocal effect in the first verse of Psychedelic Postcard.  Yeah, that effect is weird as heck, but it is part of the song, and taking it out completely is jarring. And while Hasse's lead vocals are good in that song, it feels like many of the original harmonies in the song are lessened to backup vocals underneath his lead vocal.

Also, he completely emasculated Stupid Girl. The remix sounds lifeless and boring.  What was he thinking??

Way too much revisionist history with these, to say the least.

Thank goodness I still have my originals.

Thanks for that review of the remixes/Remaster. I was afraid he was going to tinker around too much. Saves me money from having to buy the first six albums again! They never sounded like they desperately needed updating anyway.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on August 24, 2022, 03:20:11 PM


Thanks for that review of the remixes/Remaster. I was afraid he was going to tinker around too much. Saves me money from having to buy the first six albums again! They never sounded like they desperately needed updating anyway.

-Marc.

Nope, they didn't.  The debut getting a little extra oomph in the bottom end department is nice, but everything else was unnecessary.  I still have PTSD from how badly he butchered the remixes of Stupid Girl and Ghost of the Red Cloud.  Two of my favorite TFK songs, but neither would be if those were the versions I heard first.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on August 25, 2022, 11:29:29 PM
I have complained about this for some time now but this seems like a good moment to bring up Roine’s butchering of The Devil’s Playground again. Maybe someone needs to tell him to just leave the songs as they are.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on August 26, 2022, 05:41:36 AM
I have complained about this for some time now but this seems like a good moment to bring up Roine’s butchering of The Devil’s Playground again. Maybe someone needs to tell him to just leave the songs as they are.

The thing is, I will always support the right of the artist to do whatever they want with their art, their work, but we, the consumers and the ones buying the art, have the right to express our dissatisfaction with it, and/or not buy it.  I won't buy anymore of these "remasters" by the band, and really the only reason I bought the first four is because I am a fan of buying vinyl, especially when the albums have covers I really like, and the first two albums and Flower Power are all some of my favorite album covers ever, so I am happy to have them on vinyl.  I just didn't need any remix or remaster of the music because the first four albums all already sounded great.  Okay, the debut needed a bit of a kick when it came to the low end, which it got, but the other three already sounded flawless.

And while I, again, do support Roine's right to remix or do whatever he wants with his music, I do take a bit of umbrage with the way they are presented on YT.  All of the new versions have been uploaded on the band's official YT page, with (2022 Remaster) listed for each, but not a word about the ones that were remixed, which feels a bit misleading.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: 425 on August 26, 2022, 01:47:13 PM
I can definitely sympathize with fans who are unhappy with the changes, but at the same time I can also sympathize with an artist who is really unhappy with or even embarrassed by a choice he made 25 years ago.

Personally, I'm happy these albums are getting re-released in any form, since they've been largely just totally unavailable for the last several years (after the quick sell-out of the very limited Kingdom of Colors boxes). If it takes a remaster for Roine to feel comfortable with a re-release, that's okay with me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on August 26, 2022, 01:55:03 PM
I don't mind him changing things if that's what he wants to do, but it does stink that the new versions will likely replace the old for streaming purposes, and it's going to be hard for any new fans to ever find a copy of the originals if they want them. Wish he would have done a two disc set for these with the original mix and the new mix in a 2-disc set like Marillion did with Radiation or King Crimson did with their Steven Wilson remixes.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on August 26, 2022, 07:32:52 PM
The Flower Kings have been one of a few bands to get a lot of play with me the last few weeks, and listening to those early albums was a reminder of how all-world they were then. Those first five albums are as good as any bands first five albums...ever.  Just an amazing run.  Plenty of greatness since, especially on Paradox Hotel, which is still my favorite TFK album on a lot of days, but that early run is just something that is impossible to equal. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: DTA on August 26, 2022, 08:08:42 PM
I listened to the new Stupid Girl after reading this thread and I actually kinda like his new interpretation of it. I do miss the excessively loud xylophone in the chorus but the new mix brings out some different things that are un-hearable in the original. What an incredibly catchy song though. They really did have the perfect blend of pop sensibility, insanely catchy melodies, and expansive, gorgeous anthemic prog themes on those first group of albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: NoseofNicko on September 08, 2022, 08:20:34 PM
Forgive me if this has been talked about before but does anyone have the Stardust We Are 2022 reissue CD and if so do you have any issues with it? I read that there are glitches throughout, is that true? I was planning to buy it this Saturday but now I’m not sure.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on September 08, 2022, 09:03:15 PM
Forgive me if this has been talked about before but does anyone have the Stardust We Are 2022 reissue CD and if so do you have any issues with it? I read that there are glitches throughout, is that true? I was planning to buy it this Saturday but now I’m not sure.

I haven't gotten around to listening to the CDs yet, but my issues are with songs being remixed for the worse.  The remix of Ghost of the Red Cloud makes me want to not even bother with the rest of the album.  Thank goodness I still have the original.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Zydar on September 09, 2022, 04:53:08 AM
Forgive me if this has been talked about before but does anyone have the Stardust We Are 2022 reissue CD and if so do you have any issues with it? I read that there are glitches throughout, is that true? I was planning to buy it this Saturday but now I’m not sure.

I've noticed that too, it's pretty much all over the album.

It's been discussed in the Flower Kings Facebook group, where Roine commented "Mixes and remasters derived from almost 25 year old tapes ........go figure".

https://www.facebook.com/groups/908494075873543/permalink/5371603292895910/
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on September 09, 2022, 06:26:03 AM
Roine also said the remasters are much better in his humble opinion...shocking. :lol :lol  I find it curious that he keeps referring them to as just remasters and not remixes as well.  Saying they are just remasters implies that these are updated and better sounding versions of the original versions and mixes (which many are not).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: RoeDent on September 22, 2022, 06:47:16 AM
Trying the altered tracklist version of Desolation Rose as suggested by Letter M in the discography thread. It flows wonderfully, especially ending Disc 1 with White Tuxedos; stroke of genius, my friend!

However I still have trouble with how to end the album. For me Silent Graveyards is such an effective ending with Hasse's almighty scream to the heavens above bringing an end to the Bodin era. I decided to put The Final Era third-to-last preceding Blood of Eden and Silent Graveyards
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on September 22, 2022, 10:26:24 AM
Trying the altered tracklist version of Desolation Rose as suggested by Letter M in the discography thread. It flows wonderfully, especially ending Disc 1 with White Tuxedos; stroke of genius, my friend!

However I still have trouble with how to end the album. For me Silent Graveyards is such an effective ending with Hasse's almighty scream to the heavens above bringing an end to the Bodin era. I decided to put The Final Era third-to-last preceding Blood of Eden and Silent Graveyards

Whoa, hey, thanks! It's been YEARS but I'm glad you're checking it out. And as much as I did like Desolation Rose, I don't find myself reaching for it much lately. I guess I haven't been in a very TFK mood this year since BRD came out. I may revisit the band very soon though, and give them a proper discography spin.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on March 20, 2023, 07:47:47 AM
Been a while since this thread had a post, but I just noticed that Roine Stolt and Zach Kamins have shared posts on Facebook regarding the upcoming sets of shows. It looks like Zach will not be joining TFK for this year's shows, and will be replaced by Daniel Lantz for the first handful of shows, then by Lalle Larsson in the fall. Zach has also said in his own post that he will not be on the upcoming TFK studio album either, which is the worse news for me. I guess it was a miracle that the same line-up recorded 3 albums together but any more than that seems like a curse.  :lol

Roine's post - https://www.facebook.com/100000224097006/posts/pfbid034XEPUU93hxVpY6yhzw17CGivTqh8XxgiQ3nWzH48VDSYrZv4SMgYs4oVWYzVMNMPl/?mibextid=Nif5oz

Zach's post - https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02wRwqqDooUAvWZTQKbS9m4mhwEcoDCN72qQoWor9SUnq6rU8jugfbmbNdgphYnFqnl&id=20803122&mibextid=Nif5oz

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: Fritzinger on March 20, 2023, 10:51:55 AM
Sucks that bands are not able to afford their own shows. They should be making money for the music they give us. Instead they can't even play with their own bands because it's too expensive. Meanwhile, Selena Gomez has gained over 15 million new followers on Instagram because of some mindless gossip about that Bieber girl.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2023, 07:23:31 PM
Been a while since this thread had a post, but I just noticed that Roine Stolt and Zach Kamins have shared posts on Facebook regarding the upcoming sets of shows. It looks like Zach will not be joining TFK for this year's shows, and will be replaced by Daniel Lantz for the first handful of shows, then by Lalle Larsson in the fall. Zach has also said in his own post that he will not be on the upcoming TFK studio album either, which is the worse news for me. I guess it was a miracle that the same line-up recorded 3 albums together but any more than that seems like a curse.  :lol

 

Jeez, for all of the people that have went, somehow Hasse remains!  :lol :facepalm: 

And when did Jonas officially leave the band?  I thought he and Michael Stolt shared bass duties on the last album, and now all of a sudden he is just gone?  Will this be like Tomas where he is gone and no one bothers to say why?

Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on March 20, 2023, 07:29:45 PM
Been a while since this thread had a post, but I just noticed that Roine Stolt and Zach Kamins have shared posts on Facebook regarding the upcoming sets of shows. It looks like Zach will not be joining TFK for this year's shows, and will be replaced by Daniel Lantz for the first handful of shows, then by Lalle Larsson in the fall. Zach has also said in his own post that he will not be on the upcoming TFK studio album either, which is the worse news for me. I guess it was a miracle that the same line-up recorded 3 albums together but any more than that seems like a curse.  :lol

 

Jeez, for all of the people that have went, somehow Hasse remains!  :lol :facepalm: 

And when did Jonas officially leave the band?  I thought he and Michael Stolt shared bass duties on the last album, and now all of a sudden he is just gone?  Will this be like Tomas where he is gone and no one bothers to say why?

IIRC, he was busy touring with Steve Hackett, but I'm not sure if that extends through the upcoming shows for TFK. Has it been said whether or not Jonas is participating on the upcoming tour?

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 20, 2023, 07:34:25 PM

IIRC, he was busy touring with Steve Hackett, but I'm not sure if that extends through the upcoming shows for TFK. Has it been said whether or not Jonas is participating on the upcoming tour?

-Marc.

I saw this tweet:

https://twitter.com/TheFlowerKings/status/1637516543759196160

No mention of Jonas.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on March 20, 2023, 09:05:55 PM

IIRC, he was busy touring with Steve Hackett, but I'm not sure if that extends through the upcoming shows for TFK. Has it been said whether or not Jonas is participating on the upcoming tour?

-Marc.

I saw this tweet:

https://twitter.com/TheFlowerKings/status/1637516543759196160

No mention of Jonas.

I guess his leave has been extended. Looking at Hackett's tour dates for 2023, it looks like Jonas will be fairly busy (assuming he is still touring with Hackett).

Also interesting to note that the new album is slated for early September. I guess we won't get any more info on that til at least June or so, with the typical Inside Out 3-month marketing campaign.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: hefdaddy42 on March 21, 2023, 07:15:22 AM
Slight title change for the thread.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 21, 2023, 05:47:38 PM

I guess his leave has been extended. Looking at Hackett's tour dates for 2023, it looks like Jonas will be fairly busy (assuming he is still touring with Hackett).

Also interesting to note that the new album is slated for early September. I guess we won't get any more info on that til at least June or so, with the typical Inside Out 3-month marketing campaign.

Makes me wonder if touring with Hackett pays better than touring with the Flower Kings.  Hackett looks to have a pretty full slate of dates this year, so it could definitely be a financial decision on the part of Jonas, as I cannot imagine he has gotten rich being in the Flower Kings.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: The Letter M on March 21, 2023, 06:21:25 PM

I guess his leave has been extended. Looking at Hackett's tour dates for 2023, it looks like Jonas will be fairly busy (assuming he is still touring with Hackett).

Also interesting to note that the new album is slated for early September. I guess we won't get any more info on that til at least June or so, with the typical Inside Out 3-month marketing campaign.

Makes me wonder if touring with Hackett pays better than touring with the Flower Kings.  Hackett looks to have a pretty full slate of dates this year, so it could definitely be a financial decision on the part of Jonas, as I cannot imagine he has gotten rich being in the Flower Kings.

And I think Jonas has been a part of more projects and bands than Roine has in the last decade, including Kaipa, The Tangent, The Fringe, and of course Karmakanic, as well as a bunch of one-off groups like The Sea Within, The Backstage, and Tillison Reingold Tiranti. And this is just recorded material, I'm not sure who else he's played with live beyond Hackett, but I'm sure the Hackett shows definitely pay more and have a larger draw than TFK so I don't blame him.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: KevShmev on March 22, 2023, 06:21:48 AM


And I think Jonas has been a part of more projects and bands than Roine has in the last decade, including Kaipa, The Tangent, The Fringe, and of course Karmakanic, as well as a bunch of one-off groups like The Sea Within, The Backstage, and Tillison Reingold Tiranti. And this is just recorded material, I'm not sure who else he's played with live beyond Hackett, but I'm sure the Hackett shows definitely pay more and have a larger draw than TFK so I don't blame him.


Yep, he keeps pretty busy, and I get it if he likes bouncing from project to project rather than sitting around and waiting for Roine to come up with a time table for the next TFK album and tour.  I would imagine Roine is the only one who makes any real money from the albums and tours.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread - v. By Royal Decree, March 4th 2022
Post by: HOF on March 22, 2023, 08:48:42 AM


And I think Jonas has been a part of more projects and bands than Roine has in the last decade, including Kaipa, The Tangent, The Fringe, and of course Karmakanic, as well as a bunch of one-off groups like The Sea Within, The Backstage, and Tillison Reingold Tiranti. And this is just recorded material, I'm not sure who else he's played with live beyond Hackett, but I'm sure the Hackett shows definitely pay more and have a larger draw than TFK so I don't blame him.


Yep, he keeps pretty busy, and I get it if he likes bouncing from project to project rather than sitting around and waiting for Roine to come up with a time table for the next TFK album and tour.  I would imagine Roine is the only one who makes any real money from the albums and tours.

Might also be a situation where Roine just wanted to tour with his brother again. They are getting on in age.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Nick on March 22, 2023, 04:28:01 PM
Eh, I think you guys are both just overlooking the obvious. Steve Hackett's band is a huge step in financial stability and prestige above The Flower Kings. I'm sure Jonas has to give full commitments to that and can make other things work if the pieces fall right. On TFK side, they are in a delicate enough situation that trying to work around Jonas puts a hardship on every other facet of booking and making things happen, so forge ahead, if Jonas can join, great, and if not, plan B.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 22, 2023, 06:17:16 PM
Eh, I think you guys are both just overlooking the obvious. Steve Hackett's band is a huge step in financial stability and prestige above The Flower Kings. I'm sure Jonas has to give full commitments to that and can make other things work if the pieces fall right. On TFK side, they are in a delicate enough situation that trying to work around Jonas puts a hardship on every other facet of booking and making things happen, so forge ahead, if Jonas can join, great, and if not, plan B.

Funnily enough, Jonas posted on Facebook earlier today regarding his upcoming busy schedule with Hackett, but has also made time for a Tangent show, who are probably less likely to try and do tours than TFK anyway.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02h245awdD5yFjS2NQQGMCyXu1NPoALQSMbok8AS2zNbLVr7AHJU35ZCNKLXHhHyhul&id=100031883575774&mibextid=Nif5oz

Quote
A messy room for a moshi head. Trying to get 5 hours of music and 3 different programs into my old head. Deadline next week. Foxtrot @50, Hackett Symphony Orchestra set and 90 minutes of The Tangent for next weekend at the Winters End festival in Cheapstow UK. Wish me luck 🫣
(https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/336152260_1392694964816881_352691937174494455_n.jpg?stp=cp1_dst-jpg_e15_fr_q65&_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=110474&efg=eyJpIjoibyJ9&_nc_ohc=8MaUCTvHS9sAX-ljTT7&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_rml=0&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfAACIe4Gk0IGRe7YGyFB21M5ne_Wt2aDM6wHYZ9onZPWQ&oe=64215B40)

So yeah. I'm sure things are fine between Jonas and Roine, and since Michael rejoined them last year in his stead, it's probably been an easy choice for TFK to carry on with their original bassist than to try and work around Jonas' schedule.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 18, 2023, 06:20:51 AM
I'd love do a Flower Kings song countdown (similar to the ones I have done for DT, Maiden, Rush, VH, etc.), but I cannot imagine getting more than a handful to participate.  Who would be down for that?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Zydar on April 18, 2023, 06:23:11 AM
I'd be up for one, but yeah I think there won't be that many participants to warrant one.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on April 18, 2023, 06:26:07 AM
I would participate, even though there are still like 4 TFK albums I haven’t heard yet. There are plenty that I do know!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Zydar on April 18, 2023, 06:27:38 AM
I already know what my #1 song would be though  :P
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: DTA on April 18, 2023, 07:03:27 AM
I'd be down
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mladen on April 18, 2023, 07:13:57 AM
There are four albums I haven't heard, some of which are actually well known albums, so I'd probably mess up the list a little bit. I'd participate if you don't mind.  :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on April 19, 2023, 06:09:55 AM
Maybe just ranking the albums in order might be a better way to go with them, like anyone can list their 10 favorites. That would at least result in an album countdown where we can discuss the albums.  We'll see.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mladen on April 19, 2023, 07:02:20 AM
I'd participate in that as well.  :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Zydar on April 24, 2023, 10:07:31 AM
Roine says the new album is mixed and off to the pressing plant.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on April 24, 2023, 10:35:33 AM
Roine says the new album is mixed and off to the pressing plant.

Man, he’s pumping them out now. I enjoyed the last two but don’t feel like I gave them the time they deserve and so am less anxious for another one. The last one starts out strong but seems to lose steam mid-way though disc two. Kind of hope the next one is a bit shorter, preferably a single disc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on April 24, 2023, 02:40:40 PM
I'd love do a Flower Kings song countdown (similar to the ones I have done for DT, Maiden, Rush, VH, etc.), but I cannot imagine getting more than a handful to participate.  Who would be down for that?

Sorry for late response but I'd be happy to contribute to this if it gets done.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: DTwwbwMP on April 24, 2023, 03:00:25 PM
 :tup
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: 425 on May 21, 2023, 03:09:19 PM
Inspired by some of the conversation in the ranking thread, but I figured I'd post it in the main artist thread:

I was one of several people in that thread who mentioned the challenge of getting into the full TFK discography because there's so much music on each album and it takes a while to get my head around it. One of the challenges for me is that there are a lot of shorter songs in amongst the longer, epic pieces. They have several albums with like 15-20 songs! I find it challenging to differentiate all the individual shorter songs. And I feel almost certain that I've been overlooking some of the shorter songs on the longer albums.

So I was thinking it would be cool to see people's lists of their favorite shorter TFK songs. Ranked, unranked, however you want to do it. I'll post some of my favorites from the albums I know pretty well.

Oh, and we could arbitrarily draw a line in a lot of places for long vs. short, but let's just say <10 minutes for the purpose of this, although if those end up mostly being songs in the 8-10 minute range, it might also be cool to see a separate list for <8 minutes.

Here are some of mine in chronological order (not ranked):
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on May 21, 2023, 03:40:14 PM
Not sure which albums you don’t know, but here are some favorites from albums you didn’t list:

Retropolis:
- There is More to This World (10:07, close enough)
- Flora Majora (instrumental)
- The Road Back Home

Stardust We Are:
- Just This Once
- Church of Your Heart
- The Man Who Walked With Kings (instrumental)
- The Merrygoround
- Different People
- Kingdom of Lies

Flower Power:
- Stupid Girl
- Magic Pie

Space Revolver:
- Chicken Farmer Song
- Slave To Money
- A King’s Prayer

The Rainmaker
- World Without A Heart
- Elaine
- Serious Dreamers

Paradox Hotel (don’t know this one so well, but some standouts):
- Jealousy
- Pioneers of Aviation (instrumental)
- What If God Is Alone
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on May 22, 2023, 06:25:37 AM
In chronological order:

My Cosmic Lover
Silent Sorrow
Just This Once
Painter
Underdog
Elaine
Fast Lane
Timelines
Pioneers of Aviation
Trading My Soul
For Those About to Drown
White Tuxedos
Wicked Old Symphony
Northern Lights
Blinded

A shorter track from each album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Zydar on May 22, 2023, 07:08:16 AM
Some favourites of the shorter songs:

Cosmic Circus
Starlight Man
Jealousy
Ghost Of The Red Cloud
World Without A Heart
Chicken Farmer Song
Hit Me With A Hit
Fireghosts
Different People
Stupid Girl
Magic Pie
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: 425 on May 22, 2023, 09:28:15 PM
Not sure which albums you don’t know, but here are some favorites from albums you didn’t list:

I think my post ended up being more focused on asking for personal recommendations than I intended it to be. I primarily just thought it would be interesting to talk about the shorter songs, and wound up going on excessively about the backstory of how I came up with the idea.

That said, I am listening to Flower Power for the first time right now, and I've been paying special attention to the ones mentioned here. I liked Magic Pie, but I really, really enjoyed Painter, which just ended. I'm not sure how I feel about Stupid Girl yet, but maybe it will grow.

HOF, you and I seem to be familiar with mostly non-overlapping sets of albums, but I definitely agree with you about Flora Majora, and with you and Zydar about Flora Majora.

RoeDent, good call on Painter (as I just mentioned), along with White Tuxedos and Wicked Old Symphony.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 23, 2023, 06:09:26 AM
If you are listening to the original Flower Power, then Stupid Girl is awesome.

On the recent remaster/remix, not so much.  He totally ruined that song with the remix. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: 425 on May 23, 2023, 07:03:23 AM
Huh, that’s unfortunate. I am listening to the remix, as it’s what’s in print.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on May 23, 2023, 10:22:58 AM
Yes, plenty of things to be aware of with the 22/23 remixes. Pioneers of Aviation cuts out the opening 2 minutes or so, with the best parts of the song.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 23, 2023, 05:17:41 PM
Yes, plenty of things to be aware of with the 22/23 remixes. Pioneers of Aviation cuts out the opening 2 minutes or so, with the best parts of the song.

Oof, that is awful.  I didn't bother checking out any of the remasters/remixes after the first few once I heard how he butchered those.  And I will reiterate that the artist obviously has the right to do what he or she wants their art, but I still think it is shady that these are being advertised as simply "remasters" when uploading them to YT on their official account.  I just looked and the new remix of Pioneers of Aviation that was posted from the band's official YT account calls it a remaster and says NOTHING about it being a remix.  That is misleading as hell.  For shame, Flower Kings.  For shame.  :tdwn :tdwn
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on May 23, 2023, 06:16:10 PM
Yes, plenty of things to be aware of with the 22/23 remixes. Pioneers of Aviation cuts out the opening 2 minutes or so, with the best parts of the song.

Oof, that is awful.  I didn't bother checking out any of the remasters/remixes after the first few once I heard how he butchered those.  And I will reiterate that the artist obviously has the right to do what he or she wants their art, but I still think it is shady that these are being advertised as simply "remasters" when uploading them to YT on their official account.  I just looked and the new remix of Pioneers of Aviation that was posted from the band's official YT account calls it a remaster and says NOTHING about it being a remix.  That is misleading as hell. For shame, Flower Kings.  For shame.  :tdwn :tdwn

Hey now, don't blame ALL of them. I'm sure the remixing/remastering is 95% all Roine, as I haven't heard or seen any evidence to suggest that anyone else in the band (former or current) have had any say in the process of remixing these albums.

Like you, Kev, I have also been avoiding these albums and it sucks that for newer fans that have discovered them in the past few years, these are the versions that many of them will be listening to for the first time.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 23, 2023, 07:23:12 PM
Well, I was trying to be diplomatic and not blame Roine solely, but, yeah, I am sure it is all his doing. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on May 24, 2023, 09:03:48 AM
I'd've thought he'd've learnt from the Devil's Playground debacle but clearly not.

It's probably cynical in the extreme but I wonder if it has to do with the fact that the opening 2 minutes of POA is dominated by Bodin. Some of my favourite keyboard work of his for atmosphere. Bit of sour grapes maybe?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 24, 2023, 09:59:11 AM
I would hope Roine wouldn't be that spiteful, but it does seem to be a trend based on what I've heard.  Some of the really cool keyboard parts in both Ghost of the Red Cloud and The Road Back Home were removed/altered in those newer remixes, and both songs suffered greatly because of it.  It's like he is going out of his way to make his great songs a lot less great.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: 425 on May 24, 2023, 12:56:08 PM
I think there can be a trend like that without it necessarily coming from something like spite. Not saying that isn’t the cause, but that it doesn’t have to be. Remember when people were pointing out that Neal Morse removed a lot of the great guitar sections from The Breath of Life version of The Absolute Universe? These things might be a natural result of people liking parts that they came up with better than parts that others wrote (probably why it’s a good idea to check with an outside producer on edits like these).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on May 24, 2023, 06:06:25 PM
Right, I highly doubt that spite was the reason.  Roine is certainly not the first artist to want to tinker with the past and make changes to older work when re-releasing it and he won't be the last.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 06, 2023, 09:00:41 AM
Quote
New single from The Flower Kings "Beginner's Eyes."
Premiere Friday, 7 July: https://youtu.be/c23lFSB0Mfk

From the Inside Out Facebook page. Looks like we are entering the new-album cycle of pre-release singles.

Edit - here's the album cover and vinyl track list, with a release date of September 8th.
https://justforkicks.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/15520

(https://linkstorage.linkfire.com/medialinks/images/e14fab9e-d9ca-4dd9-8def-33519ad9a56c/artwork-440x440.jpg)

Side One (17:14)
1. Beginners Eyes 4:35
2. The Dream 4:37
3. Hollow Man 5:00
4. Dr. Ribedeaux 3:02

Side Two (15:25)
5. Mother Earth 4:15
6. The Queen 5:25
7. The Light in Your Eyes 5:45

Side Three (17:38)
8. Seasons End 5:26
9. Scars 5:27
10. Stronghold 6:45

Side Four (18:16)
11. Father Sky 3:06
12. Day For Peace 3:10
13. Look At You Now 12:00

Album length total - 68:33 - a bit short than the usual TFK album, but still a double vinyl. Seems like it'll be a single CD this time though.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Zydar on July 06, 2023, 09:02:34 AM
Nice!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on July 06, 2023, 09:07:07 AM
Not sure why I get the sense that AI generated that cover, but it looks cool anyway!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 06, 2023, 09:11:38 AM
Not sure why I get the sense that AI generated that cover, but it looks cool anyway!

Now that you mention that, yeah I get that vibe too. :lol

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mladen on July 06, 2023, 09:23:54 AM
Last time they did a single disk release, it worked really well for me. I'll check it out and I'll also use the opportunity to check out another one of their older albums, maybe even two.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on July 06, 2023, 10:50:38 AM
As per this German website (https://justforkicks.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/15520) we have a release date of September 8th, 2023.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 06, 2023, 11:22:40 AM
As per this German website (https://justforkicks.de/en/detail/index/sArticle/15520) we have a release date of September 8th, 2023.

Yep, noted that in my post a few replies up. A few sites have reported the album already with the cover, but Just For Kicks is the only place I've seen a track list foe the CD and the vinyl set. I suspect pre-orders will go up tomorrow once the single goes live. Just over two months until release!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on July 06, 2023, 11:32:25 AM
Yep, and in the same week as the new Southern Empire album as well. Big week for us symphonic prog enjoyers!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 06, 2023, 11:39:50 AM
Yep, and in the same week as the new Southern Empire album as well. Big week for us symphonic prog enjoyers!

There's a new Southern Empire album coming? In the same year as the new Unitopia? Well, I'll believe Unitopia's new album when I have it in my hands, as they haven't set a release date for it yet.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 06, 2023, 03:31:55 PM
I don't get as jazzed for their new records as I did in years past, but a new TFK album is always on my list of things to check out. 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Fritzinger on July 07, 2023, 04:46:15 AM
Yep, and in the same week as the new Southern Empire album as well. Big week for us symphonic prog enjoyers!

There's a new Southern Empire album coming? In the same year as the new Unitopia? Well, I'll believe Unitopia's new album when I have it in my hands, as they haven't set a release date for it yet.

-Marc.

A friend and I are in contact with Mark Trueack, they have had some health-related and financial problems that keeps pushing the album back. We'll see if the autumn tour will really happen. But the album has been nearly done for a while now, it's in the final mixing stages. I'm not sure when it will come out eventually, but I think you can "believe" in it with good conscience ;)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: MinistroRaven on July 07, 2023, 04:49:05 PM
The video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c23lFSB0Mfk
 
Pre-Order Look At You Now , out on Sept 8th, here: https://TheFlowerKings.lnk.to/LookAtYouNow

The Flower Kings comments on the new release: “Here’s news from veterans THE FLOWER KINGS - Album Nr. 16! Like a ghost ship sailing in from faraway places - a set of new songs leave their mark on 2023 - A year most of us will remember for the wars, the migration & refugees, the wildfires, the lost youth, the melting ice, the economic crisis, too many dead heroes, the political unrest. But also, a year that opens to possibilities, re-birth - new ways of thinking - We think this new album from The Kings of the North gives a bit of both.”

Look At You Now Tracklist:
 
1.Beginner's Eyes
2.The Dream
3.Hollow Man
4.Dr. Ribedeaux
5.Mother Earth
6.The Queen
7.The Light in Your Eyes
7.Seasons End
9.Scars
10.Stronghold
11.Father Sky
12.Day For Peace
13.Look At You Now

Ltd. CD 6-Panel Digipak
Ltd. Gatefold Black 2LP 180g Vinyl
Ltd. Gatefold Transp. Orange/Black Marbled 2LP 180g Vinyl – Limited to only 500 copies
Ltd. Gatefold Transp. Blue 2LP 180g Vinyl – Limited to only 300 copies
Ltd. Gatefold Transp. Sunflower Yellow 2LP 180g Vinyl – Limited to only 300 copies
Digital Album

Roine Stolt adds on the album release: “The first track out - and likewise the opening track - is “Beginner’s Eyes”. A song that has its origin in the very early 90's - a time before The Flower Kings were gathering - but now finally and finely developed and recorded properly. A happy tune with plenty of flowery sunny themes Roine & Hasse vocals united - and a good groove, cool Hammond and Moog blipping' and bloppin' sounds, over a solid beat from Mirko & Michael. There's no doubt that The Flower Kings plays no 'style' - or in no league - other that their own - a style they created and crafted carefully for more than 25 years strong. The album is a celebration of the imagination and craft of those who lead rather than follow. Artwork came in like magic from Joey Tessier - a world of magic and flowery creatures.”

Remember to catch The Flower Kings on their upcoming EU Autumn Tour:
 
13.07.2023 NO-Brönnöysund - Rootsfestival
16.09.2023 SWE-Uppsala - TFK Fan Day & Release Party
17.09.2023 SWE-Uppsala - TFK Fan Day & Release Party
04.10.2023 DK-Kopenhagen – Beta
05.10.2023 DE-Berlin – Frannz-Club
06.10.2023 PL- Poznań – 2Progi
07.10.2023 PL-Rzgów - GOK
08.10.2023 PL-Piekary Śląskie - OK Andaluzja
10.10.2023 CZ-Olomouc – Bounty Rock Café
11.10.2023 HU-Budapest – Analog Music Hall
12.10.2023 SLK-Bratislava – Majestic Music Club
14.10.2023 IT-Borgomanero – Teatro Rosmini
15.10.2023 DE-Regensburg – Evenhalle Airport
16.10.2023 DE-Augsburg - Spectrum
17.10.2023 CH-Pratteln – Z7
19.10.2023 UK-Southhampton - The 1865
20.10.2023 UK-London - Powerhaus
23.10.2023 BE-Verviers – Spirit Of 66
24.10.2023 DE-Aschaffenburg – Colos-Saal
25.10.2023 DE-Köln – Yard Club
26.10.2023 DE-Übach-Palenberg - Rockfabrik
27.10.2023 NL-Uden – De Pul
28.10.2023 NL-Zoetermeer - Boerderij
29.10.2023 DE-Hamburg – Logo
 
 
The Flower Kings line-up:
Roine Stolt - Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Percussion
Hasse Fröberg - Vocals
Michael Stolt - Bass, Vocals, Keyboards (Track 5), Guitar (Track 5)
Mirko Demaio - Drums, Percussion, Keyboard (Track 12)
 
With:
Hasse Bruniusson - Percussion (Track 3)
Lalle Larsson - Synthesizers (Tracks 4,9)
Jannica Lund - Backing Vocal (Tracks 1,2,3,5,7,11,13)
Marjana Semkina - Vocal (Track 12)
Jörgen Sälde - Nylon Guitar (Track 6)
 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on July 07, 2023, 04:53:59 PM
The video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c23lFSB0Mfk
 

Sounds pretty good, even if it also seems a bit generic TFK ish.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 07, 2023, 06:16:49 PM
The video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c23lFSB0Mfk
 

Sounds pretty good, even if it also seems a bit generic TFK ish.

Yeah, it's alright. I listened to the track this morning before work since it was up on YouTube as an audio-only version before Noon EST, and it's got that TFK-vibe, but I just don't really feel "wow'ed" immediately by any TFK post-Desolation Rose. Maybe that's just a me-thing, or maybe I just miss Tomas Bodin, but perhaps the single will sound better in the context of the whole album.

Not counting bonus tracks, this is the band's shortest album since Desolation Rose, but if you count the bonus tracks released on DR and BOE, then this is their shortest collection of studio songs released as an album *ever*, beating Retropolis' 69:16 (and even that had two B-Sides that were cut from the album). Not saying album length has anything to do with album quality, but it's interesting that they've scaled back so much after three (barely) double albums. Hopefully this ends up being a nice, concise and "all killer no filler" album of 13 songs.

Here's the lasercd pre-order page for LAYN for anyone wanting to order it!

https://www.lasercd.com/search_results?fulltext=flower%20kings%20look%20at%20you%20now%20preorder

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: KevShmev on July 07, 2023, 06:19:15 PM
The song was okay, but I was dismayed to see that there is no regular keyboard player on this album.  Ugh.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Fritzinger on July 07, 2023, 08:51:30 PM
The song was okay, but I was dismayed to see that there is no regular keyboard player on this album.  Ugh.

And no Jonas Reingold. This is the least excited I have been for a TFK release in over 10 years, and that’s saying something.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on July 07, 2023, 09:06:50 PM
The song was okay, but I was dismayed to see that there is no regular keyboard player on this album.  Ugh.

And no Jonas Reingold. This is the least excited I have been for a TFK release in over 10 years, and that’s saying something.

No Jonas and no dedicated keyboardist. It's like Roine went all the way back to the album The Flower King, assuming Roine handled the keys on LAYN.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: DTA on July 08, 2023, 06:17:25 AM
I’d love to see some sort of longer epic but I guess Roine just isn’t into them anymore. I know it’s stupid to judge albums based on track times, but this is the 5th album in a row with all relatively shorter songs, and all of them have felt a bit samey because of that. I’m always optimistic they’ll release a latter day masterpiece so I’m hoping this is it
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on July 08, 2023, 07:53:55 AM
That said, the title track is by a few minutes the longest of the post-Bodin era.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: MinistroRaven on July 24, 2023, 04:01:53 PM
Who wants to review this one?

(https://i.ibb.co/tpJnv4C/Captura-de-pantalla-2023-07-24-a-la-s-17-58-59.png) (https://ibb.co/zV4CBrf)
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: MinistroRaven on August 10, 2023, 07:07:39 AM
“The Dream” their newest song can be listened to HERE.
 
The video, by 12InchMedia can be seen here:
https://youtu.be/JGeRCuFv3H8
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: hefdaddy42 on August 10, 2023, 08:23:41 AM
“The Dream” their newest song can be listened to HERE.
 
The video, by 12InchMedia can be seen here:
https://youtu.be/JGeRCuFv3H8
I'm listening to the new single on Spotify.

It also has a radio edit of the song.  Who the fuck is that for?  What radio station is going to play the Flower Kings? 
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on August 10, 2023, 02:04:52 PM
I think "radio edit" is getting to be a historical term.  Basically it's just a trimmed-down version of the song, a more digestible version for people who might want to check out the band without having to sit through an entire epic.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on August 10, 2023, 02:20:10 PM
I think "radio edit" is getting to be a historical term.  Basically it's just a trimmed-down version of the song, a more digestible version for people who might want to check out the band without having to sit through an entire epic.

Cut to 3:29 down from 4:37, such an epic length. ;)

But yeah, in the prog genre, I don't think many folks are going to share "radio edits" to prospective fans to get them into a genre that prides itself in long-form pieces over 4 minutes long. And I certainly don't think editing out a minute and eight seconds is going to make-or-break any new fans' opinions on a band like The Flower Kings. If anything, that's 1:08 they're missing out on!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on August 10, 2023, 02:23:29 PM
Maybe there are some radio stations in Europe who might play it? But I’m sure it’s more of an alternate version just for the heck of it.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on August 10, 2023, 02:30:36 PM
I couldn't find anywhere that mentioned the actual length of the track.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on August 10, 2023, 02:39:24 PM
Maybe there are some radio stations in Europe who might play it? But I’m sure it’s more of an alternate version just for the heck of it.

That's possible, and I'm sure there are online streaming podcasts or radio shows that would use the "edit" versions of prog songs for airplay.

As for the new single itself, after one listen, I was left wanting more. One of the comments on the video said "I can't wait to hear the other 20 minutes of this song!" and I had a good chuckle. Am I the only one who is sad that Roine hasn't put out a grandiose epic since 2012's Banks Of Eden and the song "Numbers"? I'm not counting the Anderson/Stolt stuff because I'm sure the epic length of those songs could be largely attributed to Jon and not Roine. That album always felt like an Anderson solo album with Stolt playing some part, at least to me anyway.

I guess we'll never get another "Stardust We Are", "The Truth Will Set You Free", "Love Is The Only Answer", or even "Numbers" from Roine Stolt ever again. I swear up and down that he's teased working on an epic length piece for future TFK albums for YEARS now but longest song since "Numbers" has been the opening track on the subsequent album, "Tower ONE" on Desolation Rose, clocking in at 13:39.

I know, I know, song length isn't EVERY thing, but I feel like with TFK, the sprawling epics held some of Roine's best writing and they helped make a name for the band, carrying on the kind of torch that Yes was known for in the 70s. Thankfully, I've discovered other bands in recent years that have developed lengthy epics on their own and they sort of fill that void in my musical heart, but I'll still miss the Roine Stolt epic.

I couldn't find anywhere that mentioned the actual length of the track.

I found the track lengths over at Prog Archives (https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=81325), and they seem legit as I remember seeing them before on pre-order pages at various websites when they went up. The longest track on the album is the title track, closing the album with 12:00 of music.


-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: gzarruk on August 10, 2023, 02:56:23 PM
As for the new single itself, after one listen, I was left wanting more. One of the comments on the video said "I can't wait to hear the other 20 minutes of this song!" and I had a good chuckle. Am I the only one who is sad that Roine hasn't put out a grandiose epic since 2012's Banks Of Eden and the song "Numbers"? I'm not counting the Anderson/Stolt stuff because I'm sure the epic length of those songs could be largely attributed to Jon and not Roine. That album always felt like an Anderson solo album with Stolt playing some part, at least to me anyway.

I guess we'll never get another "Stardust We Are", "The Truth Will Set You Free", "Love Is The Only Answer", or even "Numbers" from Roine Stolt ever again. I swear up and down that he's teased working on an epic length piece for future TFK albums for YEARS now but longest song since "Numbers" has been the opening track on the subsequent album, "Tower ONE" on Desolation Rose, clocking in at 13:39.

I know, I know, song length isn't EVERY thing, but I feel like with TFK, the sprawling epics held some of Roine's best writing and they helped make a name for the band, carrying on the kind of torch that Yes was known for in the 70s. Thankfully, I've discovered other bands in recent years that have developed lengthy epics on their own and they sort of fill that void in my musical heart, but I'll still miss the Roine Stolt epic.

I guess TA's Kaleidoscope doesn't count? :huh:
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on August 10, 2023, 03:49:47 PM
As for the new single itself, after one listen, I was left wanting more. One of the comments on the video said "I can't wait to hear the other 20 minutes of this song!" and I had a good chuckle. Am I the only one who is sad that Roine hasn't put out a grandiose epic since 2012's Banks Of Eden and the song "Numbers"? I'm not counting the Anderson/Stolt stuff because I'm sure the epic length of those songs could be largely attributed to Jon and not Roine. That album always felt like an Anderson solo album with Stolt playing some part, at least to me anyway.

I guess we'll never get another "Stardust We Are", "The Truth Will Set You Free", "Love Is The Only Answer", or even "Numbers" from Roine Stolt ever again. I swear up and down that he's teased working on an epic length piece for future TFK albums for YEARS now but longest song since "Numbers" has been the opening track on the subsequent album, "Tower ONE" on Desolation Rose, clocking in at 13:39.

I know, I know, song length isn't EVERY thing, but I feel like with TFK, the sprawling epics held some of Roine's best writing and they helped make a name for the band, carrying on the kind of torch that Yes was known for in the 70s. Thankfully, I've discovered other bands in recent years that have developed lengthy epics on their own and they sort of fill that void in my musical heart, but I'll still miss the Roine Stolt epic.

I guess TA's Kaleidoscope doesn't count? :huh:

The album or the song? The song has parts that are definitely written by Stolt, like "Black Gold", but not the whole song. If you listen to Neal's Kaleidoscope Demos and watch the making-of documentary, you can get an idea of how much material Roine presented to the band and ended up using on the final album, and it's about as much as BAF. All of the TA epics have been collaborative efforts anyway, whereas the TFK epics all seem credited to Stolt alone: "Stardust We Are", "I Am The Sun", "The Truth Will Set You Free", "Love Supreme", "Driver's Seat", "Monsters And Men", "Love Is The Only Answer", and "Numbers".

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on August 11, 2023, 03:54:48 AM
Thankfully, I've discovered other bands in recent years that have developed lengthy epics on their own and they sort of fill that void in my musical heart

Any examples?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mladen on August 11, 2023, 05:06:57 AM
I've finally checked out Unfold the future after years of being intimidated by its length. There's some really good stuff in here. Is it controversial that I find Devil's playground better than The Truth will set you free? I feel like people talk about The Truth will set you free more than they talk about the album closer.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on August 11, 2023, 08:31:44 AM
Thankfully, I've discovered other bands in recent years that have developed lengthy epics on their own and they sort of fill that void in my musical heart

Any examples?

My recent discovery of Mystery has given me some epics to enjoy. They remind me a bit of Genesis and Transatlantic, even a bit of Dream Theater, so they're not quite TFK-ish/Stolt-y in nature, but as far as new (to me) music with epics, they satisfy. Most of their albums have at least one epic in the 10-20 minute range, and seven of them are over 15 minutes long, so lots of epic-y goodness. I've been on a big binge of them all summer (as noted in the Mystery thread I began a couple weeks ago).

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on August 11, 2023, 08:46:03 AM
For the record, I enjoyed the new TFK song.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: DTA on August 11, 2023, 08:56:29 AM
I've finally checked out Unfold the future after years of being intimidated by its length. There's some really good stuff in here. Is it controversial that I find Devil's playground better than The Truth will set you free? I feel like people talk about The Truth will set you free more than they talk about the album closer.

I greatly prefer The Devil's Playground. More interesting overall, and oddly enough, The Truth is a bit overplayed for me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: MinistroRaven on August 11, 2023, 11:05:38 AM

I couldn't find anywhere that mentioned the actual length of the track.

I found the track lengths over at Prog Archives (https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=81325), and they seem legit as I remember seeing them before on pre-order pages at various websites when they went up. The longest track on the album is the title track, closing the album with 12:00 of music.


-Marc.

Here's the actual track lengths as shown on my promo of the album:

(https://i.ibb.co/d6HqghZ/Captura-de-pantalla-2023-08-11-a-la-s-13-00-58.png) (https://ibb.co/k0Pf1dZ)

Prog Archives:
(https://i.ibb.co/7QSfpBH/Captura-de-pantalla-2023-08-11-a-la-s-13-01-35.png) (https://ibb.co/tzHG2nS)

Almost accurate what they have on their website.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on August 11, 2023, 12:55:54 PM
This happens all the time. The press releases tend to get early info on track times, or they use the vinyl master and sometimes those are longer/shorter than the CD/Digital track lengths, and sometimes the final mix/master just ends up being different than the press release.

I remember for TFK's Islands, the CD had shorter track times because the songs all crossfaded, but on some digital versions, the songs didn't crossfade, so the tracks were technically longer by several seconds on both ends. I've seen this happen with other studio albums too, where I guess the digital version was sent out before the CD was mastered and so they have songs that aren't crossfaded, but on the CD (and presumably the vinyl), they blend into each other.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on August 14, 2023, 07:26:23 AM
I noticed that on By Royal Decree as well. The songs crossfaded into each other on the CD version but on Spotify they don't.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on August 21, 2023, 05:19:21 AM
Cool little details I've spotted on the 2022 remaster of Unfold the Future. The little preview of the opening motif of Devil's Playground in the first few minutes of Christianopel, and spotted today: in the song Devil's Playground, during the long instrumental break in the middle, is a callback to "The truth will find its way..." section of The Truth Will Set You Free.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: TheHoveringSojourn808 on August 21, 2023, 07:43:49 AM
so glad there's a flower kings thread here! huge fan. can't wait for the new album to drop soon
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: MinistroRaven on August 28, 2023, 07:05:44 AM
Yep, and in the same week as the new Southern Empire album as well. Big week for us symphonic prog enjoyers!

There's a new Southern Empire album coming? In the same year as the new Unitopia? Well, I'll believe Unitopia's new album when I have it in my hands, as they haven't set a release date for it yet.

-Marc.

Our review of SE's album:
https://lotsofmuzik.com/album-review-another-world-by-southern-empire/
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: MinistroRaven on September 06, 2023, 09:48:29 AM
Our review of the FK's album:

https://lotsofmuzik.com/flourishing-in-full-bloom-the-flower-kings-look-at-you-now-review/
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: TheHoveringSojourn808 on September 07, 2023, 10:41:50 AM
does it come out friday?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on September 07, 2023, 10:43:03 AM
Yes, it does.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: TheHoveringSojourn808 on September 07, 2023, 10:45:16 AM
Yes, it does.

hell yeah!
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on September 07, 2023, 10:47:45 AM
does it come out friday?

The release date is tomorrow. My CD from LaserCD should be arriving tomorrow, so I have my weekend listening sorted! I'm only mildly excited for this. I liked WFM, loved Islands, but was only lukewarm on BRD, so I haven't had much anticipation for LAYN, especially b without Kamins or Reingold. Maybe it'll surprise me, especially given its shorter-than-usual length for a TFK album.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on September 08, 2023, 05:11:26 AM
Better first reaction than BRD here.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on September 08, 2023, 10:04:27 AM
Expecting my copy in the mail today. Listening to my TFK discography on shuffle this morning to get in the mood. Don't think I've ever done something like this before, but it's amazing how well everything flows together even from the most recent and oldest albums.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: SwedishGoose on September 08, 2023, 10:48:29 AM
Listened to it once..... very nice
Got goosebumps at 0:27 in "Day For Peace" when the beautiful voice of Marjana Semkina came in.

Think that is my favorite so far and not only because of Marjana (might be a bit biased as I'm one of her Patreons).
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on September 08, 2023, 11:05:39 AM
What do people think of that shock callback right at the end of the album?
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: TheHoveringSojourn808 on September 08, 2023, 11:31:45 AM
not a bad album! i think it's better than their last couple
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on September 08, 2023, 03:30:50 PM
Only two songs in, but really like how the album sounds. A fuller sound than the last few albums I think.

But I'm gonna gripe (briefly) about these cheap digipacks which might push me to digital only after all. This is the second one I've gotten this year that has a very thin strip of cardboard holding the booklet, and on both of them the strip ripped away the first time I took out the booklet. I am sympathetic to environmental concerns with plastic, but the old jewel cases were so much nicer and more dependable than all this cardboard packaging we get now.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on September 09, 2023, 09:52:30 AM
After a few spins, I really like the first two songs and the last song, but the middle is all a bit muddled. Also, I assume that’s Michael Stolt singing on Mother Earth which isn’t great.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on September 09, 2023, 12:22:48 PM
Such a good album! They got their mojo back after losing their way a bit on BRD. Michael sounds great on Mother Earth! Roine and Hasse are dependable as ever on vocals; consistency.

Look at that ending though! That's the massive news from this whole thing. The callback of Welcome back to the world from the first song on their first album!!! This story ENDS where it began. Is this the end for the mighty Flower Kings? Time will tell. Yes there have been callbacks on other albums to previous albums but never the first thing we ever heard from them.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on September 09, 2023, 12:30:46 PM
Such a good album! They got their mojo back after losing their way a bit on BRD. Michael sounds great on Mother Earth! Roine and Hasse are dependable as ever on vocals; consistency.

Look at that ending though! That's the massive news from this whole thing. The callback of Welcome back to the world from the first song on their first album!!! This story ENDS where it began. Is this the end for the mighty Flower Kings? Time will tell. Yes there have been callbacks on other albums to previous albums but never the first thing we ever heard from them.

Yesterday BRD played next after I finished the new one, and that first disc is still really strong in my opinion (and some of the second). I feel like this one is a little more uneven in the middle.

But speaking of call backs I noticed for the first time yesterday that one of the songs on Paradox Hotel starts out with a clip from The Flower King, which supports my opinion that that is the first The Flower Kings album.

Edit: I listened to too much TFK yesterday. The song with the call back to The Flower King is “Letter” from By Royal Decree.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on September 09, 2023, 11:11:23 PM
So like the last few TFK albums, there's apparently a digital version with longer track lengths because the songs aren't crossfaded. That version adds up to 68:40 (seven seconds longer than the packaging says), while the CD version clocks in at 67:26 due to all the crossfading.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Orbert on September 10, 2023, 07:06:34 AM
Interesting.  To be honest, I think I'd prefer the non-crossfaded version.  When songs on an album segue, I always feel compelled to keep them as a single track because they were "meant" to be played that way.  Having them all run together makes for a nice continuous listening experience I suppose, but I also like the option of shuffling or just listening to individual tracks.  And if they exist as individual track, then the crossfading was introduced later, artificially, and the songs don't truly segue.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mladen on September 11, 2023, 02:46:13 AM
Look at that ending though! That's the massive news from this whole thing. The callback of Welcome back to the world from the first song on their first album!!! This story ENDS where it began. Is this the end for the mighty Flower Kings? Time will tell. Yes there have been callbacks on other albums to previous albums but never the first thing we ever heard from them.
On their last studio album, Deep Purple put the instrumental at the very end that was a new recording of the first song on their debut way back in 1967. I thought that was a hint of an end. However, they're apparently considering yet another album. So who knows.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Zydar on September 11, 2023, 03:06:22 AM
I got chills at the very ending during the callback to World Of Adventures - my favourite TFK song.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: RoeDent on September 11, 2023, 04:54:37 AM
So like the last few TFK albums, there's apparently a digital version with longer track lengths because the songs aren't crossfaded. That version adds up to 68:40 (seven seconds longer than the packaging says), while the CD version clocks in at 67:26 due to all the crossfading.

-Marc.

The crossfades are there on Spotify, for the songs that have them.

Edit: I listened to too much TFK yesterday. The song with the call back to The Flower King is “Letter” from By Royal Decree.

I did spot that, yes. Cut and spliced a bit but it's there. Another cross-album callback I spotted a while back is on Life in Motion, during one of the quiet ambient bits there's a callback to the loop in Mommy Leave the Light On.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 12, 2023, 08:30:24 AM
Only listened once, so hard to rank or anything, but I really liked this album.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: HOF on September 12, 2023, 08:47:33 AM
It starts out super strong with the first two tracks, but then you really have to wade through the rest of it to find the bright spots. They are there, but I’ve been giving it a good bit of time and having a hard time remembering much between tracks 1-2 and the final track. Which is fine, at this point I take TFK as a “if I get good vibes and nostalgia from a new album I’m happy” type band. Still, over the last 3 releases I think there are probably 3 strong single discs worth of music spread over 5.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: Mladen on September 15, 2023, 02:33:33 AM
I've been spining the new album for a week now. I thought this one had potential, given that it is a single disc that isn't overloaded with material, but unfortunately, it's not sticking with me. There are ocassional pretty verses and guitar lines here and there (Scars, Mother Earth, Seasons end, Beginner's eyes), but overall, it's kind of bland and unmemorable. It will probably end up near the bottom of the pile for me.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on February 11, 2024, 06:26:46 PM
Roine just posted this on Facebook a few hours ago:

Quote
U got Any interest in a LIVE TFK record from 2023 ? -  Interested or not  - we're going to offer a  bit of old school plastic for you to play - later this spring.  Out of a few shows recorded, one of them came out sounding surprisingly well - Pale dude - In the mixing process right now - I like what I hear - so start saving your coins.  More info  soon. 🎯😉🤑 - Be sure to catch us at the Cruise To The Edge in a few weeks - Night of the Prog Festival - Loreley Amphitheater - Crescendo festival  - and ART mania festival transylvania  - this summer. And save a few bucks for  TFK weekend 2024 !  -

Seems like he's working on a new live album from the shows they did last year!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on February 22, 2024, 09:20:01 AM
Tomas Bodin, former Flower King, has just dropped a new album on Bandcamp!

https://tomasbodin.bandcamp.com/album/ambient-cooking-the-album

Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but looking at the credits, I see Jonas Reingold is on there, which is exciting! Happy to see Tomas still working with other members of TFK.

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on February 26, 2024, 07:10:48 AM
Quote
We're now just weeks away from going official about our sixth studio album. In the meantime you can always visit our official homepage or our bandcamp site to see if you feel like expanding your collection. We can also reveal that we have other news coming up soon so stay tuned. A fine week to all!

https://www.facebook.com/share/pFuv9hSBmm9TgwMe/?mibextid=oFDknk

Looks like the Musical Companion are gearing up for their next album release soon!

-Marc.
Title: Re: Flower Kings Official Thread
Post by: The Letter M on March 16, 2024, 09:04:16 AM
Quote
Our new album ‘Eternal Snapshots’ is now open for preorder on our Bandcamp website. It’s actually a concept album that deals with why we become who we are. Is everything predetermined? Or does everything happen just by coincidence? Hasse is celebrating forty years as a record releasing artist, so what could be better than releasing a new album. For preordering the album, click on the link below.🌻

https://hfmc.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-snapshots?fbclid=IwAR23lPV2t3aworCeaqrhsnQQL8XevIar2mnEPNWzgbp71UvusihOEuJ8ONs

New album from Hasse Froberg & Musical Companion coming on June 6th!

-Marc.