Author Topic: Flower Kings Official Thread  (Read 230889 times)

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Offline KevShmev

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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.

Offline KevShmev

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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. ;)

Offline The Letter M

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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.
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Offline KevShmev

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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

Offline The Letter M

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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.
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Offline The Letter M

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From Roine, earlier today on Facebook:
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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.
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Offline DTA

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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.

Offline KevShmev

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Good news!  :hat

Offline RoeDent

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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.

Offline Ben_Jamin

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 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.
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Offline KevShmev

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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.

Offline The Letter M

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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.
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Offline RoeDent

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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).

Offline KevShmev

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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.

Offline The Letter M

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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.
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Offline DTA

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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.

Offline KevShmev

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Should be interesting to see what this one is like.  :hat

Offline Fritzinger

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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
any rock can be made to roll

Online Orbert

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That's all great, but is she hot?

Offline Fritzinger

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Jonas Reinhold ist like 2 meters tall, so I wouldn't want to mess with him  :biggrin:
any rock can be made to roll

Online Orbert

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Yeah, good point.

Offline RoeDent

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Random question that popped into my head while listening to TFK yesterday:

What for you are among the more underrated Flower Kings songs?

Offline DTA

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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.

Offline RoeDent

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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.

Offline KevShmev

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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.

Online HOF

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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.

Offline KevShmev

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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.

Online HOF

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Yeah, I almost mentioned Last Minute on Earth as a weak spot, but the instrumental sections are great. That vocal line is awkward though.

Offline KevShmev

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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.

Offline DTA

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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.

Online HOF

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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!

Offline RoeDent

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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.

Online HOF

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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.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2020, 04:29:51 PM by HOF »

Offline KevShmev

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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. 

Online HOF

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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.