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.
Topic: Flower Kings Official Thread (Read 235116 times)
