The Official Flying Colors Thread

[rumborak]

On a completely separate note, is there a "Buy Neal Morse new keyboard patches" donation page? Good god, he's been using the same patches for 20 years now.

[rumborak]

Second listen in, my resume so far is: It's a reasonably solid semi-prog album. But it's not what I fell in love with on their debut. In fact, in a weird way it's the music I was afraid it would be before I heard the first album. Given the lineup I had thought it would be proggy guitar rock, but when it wasn't that I was totally surprised and blown away. This  new album fell into that lineup trap I think. I think they all went back into their habitual styles.
Don't get me wrong, there's some good moments on it. But for me it nowhere near captures the lightning in the bottle that was the debut.

[Dark Castle]

Second listen in, my resume so far is: It's a reasonably solid semi-prog album. But it's not what I fell in love with on their debut. In fact, in a weird way it's the music I was afraid it would be before I heard the first album. Given the lineup I had thought it would be proggy guitar rock, but when it wasn't that I was totally surprised and blown away. This album fell into that lineup trap I think. I think they all went back to what they thought they are good at, I.e. prog.
Don't get me wrong, there's some good moments on it. But for me it nowhere near captures the lightning in the bottle that was the debut.

My exact thoughts

[Ben_Jamin]

The Debut is pretty safe. This one they felt comfortable,  the only way its pop is due to casey. But its pop prog.

[rumborak]

I really also can't understand their decision to drop the producer and do it themselves. Of course one shouldn't necessarily judge the sound too much based on a SoundCloud stream, but at times the album is a total wall of sound, where everybody is noodling something. MP derides the debut's producer's decision to "trim the fat", but I think that was one crucial ingredient in giving the debut the poppiness it had. This new album occasionally collapses under its own sonic mass, a common problem for prog albums.

[rumborak]

The Debut is pretty safe.

Totally and utterly disagree. The debut was a decisive departure from anything any of the members had done before. It wasn't the singer-songwriter stuff Casey does, it wasn't the guitar rock Steven does, nor the straight prog Neal and MP do.
This new album is *far* safer in that it returns to what they all usually do.

[RodrigoAltaf]

I only listened to it once, but liked it far more than the debut.

[KevShmev]

First listen, I like it, and I agree that it is way more proggy than the first, which I am not sure is good or bad.  I kind of liked how they made it a point to not go overboard with the prog on the first one,  but like others have said, some of the fat was definitely left on this time around.

On the brighter side of things, Casey's vocals are as awesome as ever. He's the link that's gonna make me keep listening to this album.

Took the words right out of my mouth.  As much as I love Neal's voice, every time I hear him sing, I am disappointed that it's not Casey singing.

On a completely separate note, is there a "Buy Neal Morse new keyboard patches" donation page? Good god, he's been using the same patches for 20 years now.

    I know what you mean.  That synth lead he plays a little over a minute into the first song (that is basically playing a variation of that main melody really fast) just screams NEAL MORSE. 

[The Letter M]

On a completely separate note, is there a "Buy Neal Morse new keyboard patches" donation page? Good god, he's been using the same patches for 20 years now.

    I know what you mean.  That synth lead he plays a little over a minute into the first song (that is basically playing a variation of that main melody really fast) just screams NEAL MORSE.

For better or for worse, I love that Neal has a distinct sound to his key parts. His sound banks are just as constant as his style of playing, and I like that about him. I don't think he'll ever change up too much, and I hope he doesn't either. His playing and sounds have a charm of their own, and if he changed just to be different or sound like other keyboardists out there, then he's not really being himself, now is he?

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

Eh, that's a myopic way of looking at it.  It's like saying that if he ever changes anything, then he's not being true to himself.  And I think he has done a decent job over the years of having new sounds (some of the stuff on The Whirlwind was very new-sounding, and that solo in the middle of the Kaleidoscope title cut is very different sounding for him), but that part I was talking about just sounds like the same synth sound he has been using since 1997.

[The Letter M]

Eh, that's a myopic way of looking at it.  It's like saying that if he ever changes anything, then he's not being true to himself.  And I think he has done a decent job over the years of having new sounds (some of the stuff on The Whirlwind was very new-sounding, and that solo in the middle of the Kaleidoscope title cut is very different sounding for him), but that part I was talking about just sounds like the same synth sound he has been using since 1997.

That is entirely possible! I don't think Neal has ever parted with any of his equipment, and I'm sure he keeps most of what he's used over the last 20 years always in his studio. He's done so many albums at his home studio since 2003, I'm sure he's used everything he owns, and then some! He just likes what he has. To paraphrase Genesis, he knows what he likes and he likes what he knows (in his keyboards).

-Marc.

[Polarbear]

I have listened the album a couple of times now, and its excellent!

I also agree with others here, it has more prog elements in it. I think most of us expected that, and i think this was a natural progression for the band. I believe, none of them wanted to do the debut- album all over again. But IMO, they don't completely throw everything from the old album out the window, and there is still lot's to enjoy for the fans of the debut.

IMO i love this album more than the last!

[Bolsters]

I think they had something special and unique with the debut (at least from most of these musicians), but this new one seems to be the beginnings of throwing that sound out and replacing it with more "Neal Prog". It isn't a bad album by any means, but I can't help but be disappointed. I mean, we already have Transatlantic and however many Neal solo bands there are now, and now it appears that Flying Colors is joining this homogenisation.

I'm thinking that they needed to keep the outside producer.

[nobloodyname]

Some killer melodies on the album but I agree pretty much word for word with Rumborak and Bolsters.

Flying Colors' debut was set apart by its pop/rock approach and was all the better for it. As I've said previously, the weakest track on the debut was Infinite Fire (that repeating guitar motif drives me a little crazy) and that's the type of music Second Nature is packed with.

Still, it's not bad. I just didn't want it to be so progressive. One man's meat is another's poison and I am sure the majority of posters here will love it because of its Transatlantic-Lite approach.

[RoeDent]

I never thought I'd find people on a forum for a prog band saying they don't want prog in an album. 

----------

I particularly like Dave LaRue's use of slap bass in some of the songs. The bass line of Forever In A Daze, particularly in the break, is one of my favourite parts of the debut album, so it's nice to hear him incorporating it a bit more in Second Nature.

[Bolsters]

I never thought I'd find people on a forum for a prog band saying they don't want prog in an album. 

Just because we're all on a prog band forum doesn't mean we all only listen to that, or want every album we buy to be that. We all have other tastes aswell, not everything has to be prog.

Having said that, my disappointment isn't so much that this album is more progressive than the debut, it's that it's the same Neal-inspired progressive rock in the vein of what we already get from Transatlantic. And Neal Morse solo albums. And had with old Spock's Beard. Flying Colors used to be different from that, but now not so much. I don't mean to imply there's anything wrong with Transatlantic etc. as I love some of those albums. However, Flying Colors was something else, different from that, and now it isn't. We just have more of what we were already getting somewhere else.

[rumborak]

I never thought I'd find people on a forum for a prog band saying they don't want prog in an album. 

Just because we're all on a prog band forum doesn't mean we all only listen to that, or want every album we buy to be that. We all have other tastes aswell, not everything has to be prog.

Seriously, this. Prog elements are fine for prog bands, but in many bands it would be totally out of place. It's as if this was a hot sauce board, and they suddenly dumped hot sauce on sushi in some high-end sushi restaurant, and upon complaining here you'd get the reply "never thought I'd see people complaining that there's too much hot sauce on food on a hot sauce board".

[devieira73]

I have listened the album a couple of times now, and its excellent!

I also agree with others here, it has more prog elements in it. I think most of us expected that, and i think this was a natural progression for the band. I believe, none of them wanted to do the debut- album all over again. But IMO, they don't completely throw everything from the old album out the window, and there is still lot's to enjoy for the fans of the debut.

IMO i love this album more than the last!

Adding to that, I must say that it's kind of grower cd, like most of the proggier cds are. The melodies don't come so fast/easy like in the first one, but I've already listened to the it about six times and the great melodies in there really came to life at this point... just to point out few examples, to me Peaceful Habour maybe is the most beatiful music they done (what a great, imense choir in the ending!) and it's really incredible that they managed to mix Muse + Pink Floyd + Neil Diamond (what?!) so beautifully and well succeded in one song (Cosmic Symphony). I love so much the first one and I think it's too soon to compare one to another, but I bet I'll love this new one as much. Just in a different style, but it's fine!

[ariich]

I never thought I'd find people on a forum for a prog band saying they don't want prog in an album. 

Just because we're all on a prog band forum doesn't mean we all only listen to that, or want every album we buy to be that. We all have other tastes aswell, not everything has to be prog.

Seriously, this. Prog elements are fine for prog bands, but in many bands it would be totally out of place. It's as if this was a hot sauce board, and they suddenly dumped hot sauce on sushi in some high-end sushi restaurant, and upon complaining here you'd get the reply "never thought I'd see people complaining that there's too much hot sauce on food on a hot sauce board".

From this day on, I decree that the forum shall be renamed the Hot Sauce Forums. Much more fun.

[rumborak]

HSF. I like it.

[Dark Castle]

It would end people giving me weird looks when I talk about DTF forums 

[KevShmev]

I forgot to comment on this:

Through my first listen now. I will definitely need to listen to it a few times more, but my first impression so far is: It doesn't really feel like a Flying Colors album. The first half is quite TA in places (for better or for worse), but even in the places where it doesn't sound like TA, it honestly sounds like a different band with the same musicians as the original FC. Weird.

 

Er, they've only had one album prior to this one.  I am guessing what you mean is, "it doesn't really feel like the first Flying Colors album," right?  Or are you already putting them in that "they need to always sound like the first album" box?

[rumborak]

They can do whatever they want. I think I'm not the only one saying that this new album is very different from the first. That's all I'm saying, and later I posted a much more nuanced review. Don't get hung up on my first impression post.

[Dr. DTVT]

It would end people giving me weird looks when I talk about DTF forums 

Let's face it though, we are all DTF.

[Dark Castle]

Er, they've only had one album prior to this one.  I am guessing what you mean is, "it doesn't really feel like the first Flying Colors album," right?  Or are you already putting them in that "they need to always sound like the first album" box?

Come on man, don't use that argument. They had a pretty distinct sound on the first album that was a refreshing, sound from these guys; now it's buried under fatty prog. Natural growth in sound from a band is welcomed, but this album just seems like they regressed back into their comfort zone of prog, proggin prog.

[Dark Castle]

It would end people giving me weird looks when I talk about DTF forums 

Let's face it though, we are all DTF.

[KevShmev]

They can do whatever they want. I think I'm not the only one saying that this new album is very different from the first. That's all I'm saying, and later I posted a much more nuanced review. Don't get hung up on my first impression post.

That's fine.  I think it is definitely different from the first, and certainly more proggy, but aside from a few moments here and there, I am not getting this "Transatlantic-lite" thing that some are.  Perhaps it's the fact that Casey's voice is the dominant one, but it gives it a different feel and vibe on that alone.

[rumborak]

Really? Especially the first track just oozes Morse-type TA.

[Dark Castle]

I also reeeeaaaaly don't like that they went with Hugh Syme for the cover art :L
That's unrelated to my thoughts on the album, but eyeh.

[KevShmev]

Really? Especially the first track just oozes Morse-type TA.

Agreed.  But very little else really has given me that feeling so far.  The first song, no doubt about it, but that's it. 

Ironically, the long songs sound like the two least best songs to me so far.

[rumborak]

But to pick up on your comment, I *do* have to scratch my head at their decision to reduce the pop and crank up the prog, and ditch the producer.
I mean, prog is what Neal does. Day in, day out. MP is known for prog. So, they bring out an album that is not prog, and it's immensely popular. And for the follow-up they do .. prog.
Again, they can do whatever the fuck they want. But I personally can't wrap my head around why they would ditch an apparently winning formula for something they can have in their myriad other outfits.

EDIT: And yeah, change the album cover artist too, to the tired artist that DT is using. I bought the shirt for the first album and random people have chatted me up and said "that's a beautiful image, what is it?". The new album cover is total meh.

[ariich]

I haven't heard the new album yet, but is the ramping up of prog throughout all the songs, or mainly in the lond opening and closing tracks?

The first album had that final track that was pure NM prog. I don't really mind having one more track like that, although having it open the album does mean setting the tone for the rest of it.

[Dark Castle]

I haven't heard the new album yet, but is the ramping up of prog throughout all the songs, or mainly in the lond opening and closing tracks?

The first album had that final track that was pure NM prog. I don't really mind having one more track like that, although having it open the album does mean setting the tone for the rest of it.

Personally to me, while the entire album wasn't full on Transatlanticness like the opener, it's just generally waaaaaay more prog.

[KevShmev]

I think you're overstating, rumbo.  Yes, this new album is more prog, but the majority of the songs are still catchy, straight-forward tunes; they just happened to leave some of the fat on them, making them six or seven minutes instead of four or five. 

And if nothing else, I don't see this album have any clunkers, unlike the first album which had two or three - Shoulda Coulda Woulda and All Falls Down; Fool in My Heart isn't really a clunker from a writing standpoint, but having Portnoy sing it sorta killed it.

[Dark Castle]

I think you're overstating, rumbo.  Yes, this new album is more prog, but the majority of the songs are still catchy, straight-forward tunes; they just happened to leave some of the fat on them, making them six or seven minutes instead of four or five.

Honestly didn't find anything to be catchy unlike the first. I hope I don't seem to just disagree to disagree here, trying not to, but I'm with rumbo, and then a little dollop of my own personal thoughts.