Customer Reviews

Flower Power (2CD)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK...in brief:

I first got turned on to this band a year ago when I read something over the Net extolling their virtues. I picked up "Prog Fest 97" and wa blown away by their talent. I picked up "Scanning The Greenhouse" to see what they were really like...and was blown away.

For months, I've tried to get this CD or ANY other FK CD at ANY website. I called store after store, only to be rebuffed. These guys are an *obsession*...they are THAT GOOD!

This is a 2 CD set...their "lead off" tune is 56 mins long...and that's just Disc 1! My God, this whole album is amazing...true Prog Rock in the spirit of the genre without sounding like a clone of some Prog Band...these guys have chops and talent.

If you're looking for Prog comparisons to Howe, Wakeman, Emerson et al, you're not going to get them from me. These guys just..."ARE".

If you like Prog, or just awesome music...buy this CD...it is simply a masterpiece.

I'd write more, but I'm speechless afterlistening to this CD!

This is the first Flower Kings album I bought, and I must say that I unconditionally love the Flower Kings on the basis of this, thier fourth studio recording. To put it even more strongly, I would like to think I understand the Flower Kings. They remind me of all the bands I love without copying any of them. Sometimes they remind me of classic 70's King Crimson with John Wetton. Sometimes I hear Yes, or Genesis. Every now and then, Roine Stoltz even dips into Frank Zappa's vocabulary for guitar work (and believe me, I know the implications of that statement - but listen to Astral Dog and prove me wrong!). Innumerable reviewers cite these artists when they talk about "prog-rock, " and understandably so. These artists were pioneers in the experimental pop/prog-rock genre.

However, regardless of influences, the Flower Kings have a unique and defining sound. They copy none of those bands, yet at any given time they sound like all of them simultaneously.

Ultimately,though, any band that can effectively write a long form song to the duration of an hour ("The Garden of Dreams") and actually make it work necessarily demands respect. Upon first listening, this composition seems like a collection of unfinished songs, but it is, upon subsequent listenings, a carefully and deliberately woven tapestry written around four or five deceptively simple musical themes (the most important and recurring of which is recognizable at 9 notes!).

Although it seems The Garden of Dreams is the most long-term rewarding listen, the most accessible listening lies hidden on the second disc. Deaf, Numb and Blind is both energetic and ingenious, especially in its use of complex meter and song form. There are moments that exemplify psychedelia (Magic Pie) and moments of sublime serenity (The Power of Kindness). Harmonies on Painter and Psychedelic Postcard rival the thickest and most overproduced harmonies that 90125 has to offer. In fact, the lowest point on the entire 2 disc set is the track Stupid Girl, which sounds like Simple Minds or David Bowie on a cloudy day (understand: that is meant to be complimentary).

From reading online reviews, I understand that "Stardust We Are" and " Back in the World of Adventures" are even stronger discs than "FlowerPower". I approach this idea with a high level of anticipation. In fact, I am saving my fifth stars for this possibility.

In itself, FlowerPower singlehadedly re-ignited my love for experimental pop music. After Marillion's Clutching at Straws, I fully believed that all the best "prog-rock" had been written. The Flower Kings have thankfully proven me wrong, and I plan on spreading the word as far and as as wide as I can, much to the chagrin of ignorant US record company reps and radio programmers.

There's one thing The Flower Kings can't be accused of, and that's brevity. "Flower Power" runs over 140 minutes in length--that's even longer than The Smashing Pumpkins' "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness", and would have translated into a *quadruple* album of all-new material had it been released in the days of vinyl! As if that weren't enough, the album's centerpiece is the multi-part prog epic "Garden Of Dreams", which runs exactly one hour in length and thus would also qualify as the longest song in rock history. So is any of this any good? The answer is mostly yes--and sometimes no. The Flower Kings are all over the map on "Flower Power", offering so many different styles that you're bound to be annoyed by some of them eventually. While it's impressive that they can play virtually anything, they share a trait common to most prog acts and that's that they just don't seem to know when enough is enough (indeed, I would say they are

proud of that fact, as are most 90s prog revivalists). The group is at its best when it plays hardcore symphonic prog reminiscent of Genesis, Yes, and Gentle Giant, with the added bonus of having access to 90s technology. In these moments the group sound like what prog fans have been dreaming of for years now: a group that is reminiscent of the best 70s prog acts without sounded diluted or derivative, while at the same time updating the sound for the new millenium. The singer sounds at times like David Bowie, at other times like John Wetton, which is to say that he's got an appealing and passionate voice. With all of these elements in tow, the group manage to sound both complex and melodic, virtuostic and accessible at the same time. Unfortunately, not everything they choose to play comes off like this--much of disc two veers toward the distressing waters of neo-prog, and there are far too many attempts to mimic the soaring guitar solos of Hackett in "Firth Of Fifth" or "Spectral Mornings". Once or twice and it would sound special--however, the group tends to play this style to tedium; it even ruins the end of the otherwise excellent-up-to-that-point "Garden Of Dreams". To put it succinctly, the band needs an editor. One fifty-minute distillation of the best ideas here would have produced the greatest prog album in two decades; the album is still highly recommended nonetheless, but if you're not a died-in-the-wool prog fan used to this sort of thing (and even if you are, like I am) be forewarned.

Dreamy. Psychedelic. Kaleidoscopic. Jazzy. Wacky. Zany. Eerie. Swirling. Melodic. Brilliant. Artsy. These are some of the words which define the Flower Kings' "Journey to the Hidden Corners of Your Mind" known as "Flower Power." These are 2 CDS chock full of wonderful music. It's sort of a Lucy-in-The-Sky-With Diamonds meets Sunday-morning-church-music meets lost-souls-in-purgatory, with Frank Zappa, Yes, King Crimson, Steve Hackett, and Focus influences. If this doesn't make any sense to you, get the CD and listen to it - it will. I am amazed at how the Flower Kings continue to create great, interesting music so consistently with rarely any dull or weak songs, album after album. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is the vocals. On their more recent albums, "Flower Power" included, the vocalist sounds like a hoarse David Bowie, who at times strains on certain notes. This voice really takes getting used to. (Nowhere is this more evident than on "Calling Home", an otherwise great song where the subpar vocals are distracting). On the earlier Flower Kings albums, the vocals are less distinctive but more palatable , with "David Bowie" nowhere to be found. I personally prefer the earlier vocals, but this is a matter of taste. But don't let this sway you from buying this or any other Flower Kings CD; it's not that the vocals are bad; they are just better on the earlier CDs. And the music, the musicianship, and the songwriting all more than make up for anything lacking in the vocals.

I can write the same review for any Flower Kings album. They make fantastic music, but terrible albums. Isn't that a paradox? Well, not really, considering their notorious inability to select and edit their prolific output. The result is a frustrating album, that contains some really great, inpired music, yet ends up disappointing because the other half of it is filler material or just plain bad. If you cut out 50% of every FK album, you would end up with a masterpiece every time. That's the sad part for me - I cannot sit down and enjoy any of their albums without skipping tracks. So my solution is to make one amazing MP3 compilation and listen to that instead! In the case of this album, "The Garden Of Dreams" is a great prog suite if you remove about 20 minutes of it, cutting it down to just 40 minutes (wink wink). The second cd has some amazing moments like "Psychedelic Postcard", "Hudson River Sirens" and "Stupid Girl" and the rest of it it utterly forgettable. So is it worth the price tag? You decide.

From very calm and quiet to very fast-paced in a snap; from drums discharging energy and keyboards striking chords like crazy to soothing acoustic guitar sounds; with finales that remind of the grandeur of Genesis' "Fountain of Salmacis," Disc 1 of 'Flower Power,' the Swedish band's fifth release doesn't let you rest. It's an authentic trip up and down hills and valleys of music filled with instrumental detail and virtuosity.

Roine Stolt (the band's vocalist, guitarrist and overall frontman) takes his voice through moments when he sounds totally like Peter Hammill (Van De Graff Generator), and other times like John Wetton (King Crimson). So does his guitar... it has so much personality, so much strength... It's definitely a brilliant work with musical depth where Stolt and the band show all the musicianship they're capable of.

Disc 2 seems like part of a different album altogether. In general, it contains more commercial/less experimental elements, with songs such as "Stupid Girl," "Psychedelic Postcard" and the beautiful tunes (with a very Asia-like sound) "Magic Pie" and "Calling Home" being a good example of this. However this doesn't make it any worse than Disc 1. In fact it shows how the band can balance these elements in a very successful way. "Hudson River Sirens Call," it has to be said, is an exception to this... it's an almost haunting piece with the siren's cry laid over a careful cushion of sound played by the band.

Wow, this band certainly is prolific. After releasing a full double album's worth of music in 1997 with "Stardust We Are" the band comes back with another 2 hour plus double album of new music again in 1999. "Flower Power" would showcase the best and worst of what The Flower Kings are all about. There is some absolutely marvelous material to be found here, but there is just so much of it that there is bound to be a certain amount of filler. The band throws everything plus the kitchen sink to the listener and hopes most of it sticks. The whole first disc (sans the last 8 minutes) is comprised of "Garden Of Dreams", an hour long whopper of an epic that harkens back to the days of "Tales From Topographic Oceans" era Yes and other long winded "masterworks". For me "Garden" is all a bit too much. There are bits and pieces that I really love, but it just goes on and on and on, almost it seems, for the sake of being long. There are Flower Kings fans out there that think this is the ultimate FK track, but for me it is just a bit too long winded. Tastes will certainly vary on this one. One thing that really stands out on "Garden" is Hasse Bruniusson's percussion work on the piece. Bruniusson is the former drummer for Samla Mammas Mana and has a very distinct style. Although he has played on previous Flower Kings albums, this is the first time where his presence is really noticed and he does add interesting and innovative percussive flourishes to the piece. The last 8 minutes of the first disc consists of the track "Astral Dog". It is not really apparent why this was tacked on to the end of the big epic, but it is actually a cool little instrumental ditty that sees Roine Stolt plying in a style similar to Joe Satriani or Steve Vai. It is very different from what FK fans may be used to with Stolt, but further showcases his amazing versatility. The second disc is very different from the first comprised of mostly shorter material (although two tracks break the 10 minute barrier), and for the most part a bit more commercial. I enjoy the poppier side of The Flower Kings and tracks like "Stupid Girl", "Psychedelic Postcard", and "Magic Pie" are all cool little tunes. The rest of the tracks are all solid with a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks. Overall this is not one of my favorite Flower Kings albums, but it is still certainly worth owning and I can see where this could be many fans most enjoyable disc, all depending on personal taste.

One of the first things I noticed about this CD is the short phrase at the bottom of the front cover: "A Journey to the Hidden Corners of Your Mind." This accurately describes Flower Power.

The first CD (4.5 out of 5) is nearly flawless. The first 18 tracks make up the "Garden of Dreams" suite, a nearly 60 minute long collection of interwoven songs. One of the most beautiful and moving tracks I've heard in a long time is "Dungeon of the Deep", the 13th track in the suite, composed by Tomas Bodin. The song reaches its emotional peak with a short choir passage while thunder and rain echoes from below. The first CD concludes with the instrumental "Astral Dog" (not part of "Garden of Dreams"), which is the first CD's only flaw. While the first 5 minutes of the song are phenomenal, the song's ending sounds out of place.

The biggest problem with the second disc is that it follows the near-perfect first, an almost impossible task to overcome. Still, the second CD (3.5 out of 5) contributes some excellent pieces. The opening vocals on "Psycedelic Postcard" are difficult to get into (imagine singing after inhaling helium), but on subsequent listenings the vocals give an added feel to the song. "Hudson River Sirens Call" is another beautiful instrumental, this time penned by Roine Stolt, which leads into "Magic Pie" & "Painter", the two highlights from the second disc.

The Flower Kings may be recording their music in the 1990's and into the 21st century but make no mistake about it they could have been back in the late 60's or 70's when listening to prog rock was truly an event. At times they remind me of Yes, King Crimson and Genesis (with Peter Gabriel)Excellent guitar work from Roine Stolt, compelling arrangements, thoughtful lyrics and soothing vocals all add up to an excellent recording which anyone who loves prog rock or just great and tastefully done music will enjoy very much.

It's pretty hard to write anything bad about The Flower Kings - they're just that good. This is the fourth studio album from Sweden's reigning monarchs, and it's an ambitious outing to be sure. Two full discs of material are presented here, kicked off by the hour-long magnum opus, Garden of Dreams. The piece is thoroughly listenable, full of the gorgeous melodies that are a hallmark of the band's sound. Though it lacks an over arching theme, the song is wonderful for it's abundance of rich sonic textures and lyrical set-pieces. Disc two is comprised of a more conventional set of shorter, 8-10 minute pieces. There's much to be enjoyed here also, in such songs as "Deaf, Numb, and Blind" and the Zappa influenced "Psychedelic Postcard."

The strength of this album, and in all of The Flower Kings releases, is the musicianship, always perfect, and the unique, experimental sound of the compositions. The band are never afraid to push the limits, and never shy away from the progressive spirit. And for their efforts, they've produced some of the most beautiful, captivating music ever heard. This one's thoroughly recommended.