Customer Reviews

Who's The Boss In The Factory?

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

 

 

I just wanted to add my 2 cents worth to the other reviews. Being just a tad too young to have enjoyed the progressive rock glory days, I often find myself wondering what it might have been like to discover progressive rock from the giants while they were in full flight. It must have been fun to listen to the new Yes, ELP or King Crimson album as they came out rather than having to discover them through old recordings. Ever on the search for truly great progressive rock music that doesn't sound dated, derivative or simply "playing at progressive rock," I occasionally come across an album that makes me glad to be enjoying progressive rock today in 2008. This album sounds fresh, the melodies are strong and the playing is superb. I've come to expect nothing less of the Flower Kings camp. Perhaps this is a little unfair, so take it for what it's worth, but this album is a bit more linear and its figures seem a little tighter than most of the Flower Kings albums. Time seems a little more compressed and there is certainly less meandering then on FK albums, much in the same way that 90125 was a little more musically direct than say Going for the One.

I have pretty much all of "The Flower King" and the numerous spinoff cds but this is one of the best. I also have all three "Karmakanik" cds and again this is by far the cream of the crop. My one minor complaint is that Jonas(more cowbell)Reingold likes to mix the bass line a little on the high side. Sometimes higher then the guitar on guitar solos -- but small point,since he is such an incredible bass player. And by the way what's with the "Rasputin" look on the liner notes photos.

All that being said, this is one sweet endeavor. The current linup has more of a cohesive band feel. Goran Edman's vocals are really a plus. As a professional keyboard player, I can really appreciate the fine keyboard work by Lalle Larsson. The opening track "Send A Message From The Heart" is what "Prog rock" is all about. The rest is not too shabby either. If you are a fan of great music, buy this cd. You won't be disappointed.

Definitely a different sound than the Flower Kings but as good as anything they produce. Enough said.

Why not 5 stars? I reserve 5 stars for the very rare killer CD that totally blows me away. I have been listening to progressive music for the better part of 35 years. 4 stars still means buy it! 5 stars means, to me, it could be a classic of modern Prog. i.e. The first Transatlantic CD.

What a pleasant surprise this album was for me. It has a nice mix of styles and really captured me on the first listen which doesn't happen very often. Basically, this music is 2 parts Flower Kings, 1 part Spock's Beard and 1 part IQ with a nice dose of their own signature sound so while it's familiar sounding music, they certainly put their own stamp on the music.

Send a message - 8/10 - A little smaltzy towards the end, but very strong track
Let in Hollywood - 10/10 - wonderful catchy, creative track
Who's the boss - 10/10 - very strong title track
Two Blocks from the Edge - 9/10 another solid track
Eternally - 9/10 - nice change of pace track

All in all, anyone who like the Flower Kings should get this album, especially at a little over $5 for the entire album in MP3 format. In general though, any one who's a fan of prog will not be disappointed unless you really need the metal to be part of your music.

This album was the first to really blow me away in a very long time. I bought it on a whim, and to my surprise, it has had incredible replay value. From the standpoint of a modern progressive rock/metal fan, I can draw comparisons to bands such as Dream Theater, Pain of Salvation, Opeth, etc...But to be quite honest, there are a number of modern progressive bands who fit into this category and are actually rather mediocre. This is the first band I've seen who has managed to (A) Really incorporate notable jazz and classical influences, and (B) Traverse not only genre-barriers, but time-barriers as well.

To elaborate on (A), there are plenty of so-called progressive bands who claim to be influenced by jazz, classical, and funk music, but are all talk. Having one or two sections with walking bass lines, grand piano, and/or "wanky" guitars does not necessarily mean you can tack on another genre to your name and feign "diversity." Karmakanic, on the hand, has clearly had experience playing primarily jazz, and primarily classical music. All of it is seamlessly incorporated in the framework of a "modern progressive" song structure. For once, I feel like I can genuinely associate a solid progressive band with multiple music categories.

To elaborate on (B), Karmakanic are older guys. They probably grew up listening to what was once described as progressive music: ELP, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, etc. And while I am too young to make similar claims, I can hear Karmakanic's references to their roots, especially in songs like "Send a Message from the Heart," and "Eternally" (Both of which are reminiscent of, say, The Flower Kings). But in addition to this, the band has proven itself capable of adapting to modern audiences (which include people such as myself) with songs like "Boss in the Factory" and "Let in Hollywood." With their wild, stylized textures, ethereal vocal harmonies, and subtle time/tempo changes, it is clear that they know what appeals to younger prog fans, as well as what appeals to older audiences. Blend these two factors together, and you have "Who's The Boss In The Factory."

When I say that this album is an entirely new brand of prog, I refer to Karmakanic's ability to "progress" through different genres, different time-periods, and different audiences. Whereas today, progressive bands can get away with a few random bars of 7/8 and nonsensical chord progressions, Karmakanic clearly knows what they are doing. And with this album, they finally deliver the strongest dose of this I have seen for a very long time.
Eagerly awaiting this band's next release.

Even though I have been a long-time fan of the Flower Kings, some of whose current and former members largely comprise Karmakanic, I had never heard of the group until this CD appeared in a recent amazon recommendation. I read the description, saw who was on it, then ordered without hesitation. And am I ever glad I did!
Who's the Boss In the Factory is like a reunion of who's who in Swedish prog. Just seeing the list of who plays on it almost guarantees to you that this is going to be a great record. And overall it is. My favorite cuts are the driving, relentless title cut, the neo-classicism of Eternally Pt 1 and the somber, stately Eternally Pt 2. I like Two Blocks From the Edge at lot as well, though it sounds like more like something that would be heard on a Roine Stolt solo album. About the only things I don't like about this CD are the opening bars, after that it really opens up.
Those who insist that the golden years of progressive rock are long gone are wrong. Great bands like Procol Harum, Genesis, King Crimson and Yes may have founded the genre, but today there are so many good prog bands around that you might say with justification that the golden age of prog is now. Karmakanic is yet another name to add to the roster of greats.
Who's the Boss In the Factory comes with an attractive insert featuring pictures, lyrics, and all necessary album information. If you are a prog fan, Karmakanic is a band you should hear. I have already ordered one of their earlier albums after enjoying this so much.

Yes I first discovered Karmakanic because its a side project of Reingold from the Flower Kings.
The first 2 CDs were enjoyable but flew under the prog media radar.

Who's The Boss In The Factory blows them both away starting out with the 20 min anthem "Send a message from the heart" then mixes it up with the quickie jazzy "Let in Hollywood" then hammers you with another epic "Who's the boss in the factory?" Then the pacing smooths out with the relaxed "Two blocks from the edge" with wailing guitar. Then quick switch to 'wailing' keyboards with another epic "Eternally" split into 2 parts where we get the wails of Reingold 's bass work to finish it all off with tasteful vocals by Göran Edman and steady percussion work by Zoltan Csörsz.
By the end you're emotionally worn out but ready to play the whole thing again!

A great value on Amazon at only $5.34 at the Amazon MP3 Downloads store because its only 6 songs but 55 minutes of pure prog pleasure.
So I give it 6 stars total!

Jonas Reingold is probally best known as the bassist for the highly prolific
Swedish prog-rock band, The Flower Kings,
but Jonas also plays on recent releases by Kaipa, The Tangent, as his own band reviewed here, Karmakanic.
Based on the high quality of the song writing and instrumentation on this release, it can't be push aside as a "side project" of this prolific musician.
The music on here is far better composed than the stuff coming from The Flower Kings these days ... of which I'm a fan ... but "Who's the Boss ..." sounds fresh and exciting.
The 20 minute title track, "Send A Message From The Heart", is well worth the price of the disc on it's own.
One of the best "epic" prog tracks that I've heard in years ... not a note wasted.
Up beat, very nice vocals and lyrics, with plenty of original instrumental passages.
Jonas' work on the Flower Kings is the heart of their rhythm, but on this release, his bass playing is right up front in the mix, almost a lead instrument at times. Similar to Chris Squires' work in Yes.
Joining him on this disc are Zoltan Csorsz (drums)(Flower Kings), Lalle Larsson (keyboards), Krister Jonsson (guitars), Göran Edman (vocals).
For fans of The Flower Kings, Kaipa, The Tangent, Transatlantic, you can't go wrong with this disc.
Highly enjoyable from start to finish with no fillers!

"Who's the Boss in the Factory" is the latest release from Jonas Reingold and his brainchild project, Karmakanic. After receiving high accolades for "Wheel of Life," the Flower Kings bassist once again delivers a showstopper with his latest work. The opening track "Send a Message From the Heart" has all the elements of a great progressive epic and the album does not letdown from there on. With guest appearances by Tomas Bodin, Theo Travis and Andy Tillison there is never a cliche or dry moment on the disk.

Some may feel the album is too similar in sound to the Flower Kings, but it is important to remember Jonas has been on board with TFK for over 15 years now and is just as much part of the TFK sound as Roine Stolt (who also shows up on 'Boss!'). The piano introduction on "Eternally Pt 1" as well as the accordion solo on "Pt 2" are two often overlooked highlights of the disk not to mention the solid (and classic) rhythm section of Reingold and Zoltan Csörsz.

I cannot imagine anyone not loving this. It is a masterpiece. The lush orchestration brings goose bumps. This is a rocking, gorgeous piece of music. This has become my all time favorite and makes me believe in music again.