Author Topic: Flower Kings Official Thread  (Read 230921 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #875 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. 
« Last Edit: November 01, 2013, 12:03:54 PM by KevShmev »

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #876 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.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #877 on: November 02, 2013, 10:24:39 PM »
Really cool interview with Roine Stolt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2lpsplUb4w


Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #878 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

Offline Nihil-Morari

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 5328
  • Gender: Male
  • Check out the Zappa Discography thread!
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #879 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.
The FZ Discography Thread! https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=44650.0
Nihil-Morari is generally considered the resident Zappa person.

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15494
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #880 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.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline kirksnosehair

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 8521
  • Gender: Male
  • Bryce & Kylie's Grandpa
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #881 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




 

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #882 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.

Offline Nick

  • A doctor.
  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 20050
  • Gender: Male
  • But not the medical kind.
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #883 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.
For the best online progressive radio: ProgRock.com
For the best in progressive news, reviews, and interviews: SonicPerspectives.com
For a trove of older podcasts and interviews: WPaPU.com
Awesome Majesty Pendant Club: Member #1

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15494
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #884 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.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #885 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.

Offline pain of occupation

  • DT.net Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 1341
  • Gender: Male
  • DTF Official Thread Killer
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #886 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.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #887 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

Offline kirksnosehair

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 8521
  • Gender: Male
  • Bryce & Kylie's Grandpa
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #888 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.


Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15494
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #889 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.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #890 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

Offline darkshade

  • Posts: 4251
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #891 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.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #892 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:

Offline Xersiz

  • Posts: 43
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #893 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.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #894 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.

Offline pain of occupation

  • DT.net Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 1341
  • Gender: Male
  • DTF Official Thread Killer
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #895 on: February 06, 2014, 12:37:27 PM »
come on, guys, im pretty sure its against thread rules to low-grade UTF.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #896 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

Offline pain of occupation

  • DT.net Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 1341
  • Gender: Male
  • DTF Official Thread Killer
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #897 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!

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #898 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.

Offline pain of occupation

  • DT.net Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 1341
  • Gender: Male
  • DTF Official Thread Killer
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #899 on: February 06, 2014, 03:12:42 PM »
especially when TLFT is probs the best instrumental on there.

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #900 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. 

Offline pain of occupation

  • DT.net Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 1341
  • Gender: Male
  • DTF Official Thread Killer
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #901 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.

Offline King Postwhore

  • Couch Potato
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 59292
  • Gender: Male
  • Take that Beethoven, you deaf bastard!!
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #902 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.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #903 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

Offline King Postwhore

  • Couch Potato
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 59292
  • Gender: Male
  • Take that Beethoven, you deaf bastard!!
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #904 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.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #905 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:

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #906 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

Offline The Letter M

  • Posts: 15494
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #907 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.
ATTENTION - HAKEN FANS! The HAKEN SURVIVOR 2023 has begun! You can check it out in the Polls/Survivors Forum!!!

Offline Perpetual Change

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 12264
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #908 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?

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: The Flower Kings Official Thread (Desolation Rose - Oct. 28/29)
« Reply #909 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.