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.