Label: Blomljud Records
Release date: July 1, 2008
Production: Moon Safari
Album length: 103:52 min
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
Swedish symphonic prog rock revivalists Moon Safari came together in 2003. Not long after forming, they recorded a demo that landed in the ears of former The Flower Kings keyboardist Tomas Bodin, who went on to produce their debut “A Doorway to Summer” (2005). Right from the start the comparisons to The Flower Kings kept coming, thanks to the epic vocal harmonies, unusual time signatures, subtle shifts between acoustic and electric instrumentation, mostly cheerful arrangements and positivist lyrics, which were later joined by some sci-fi themes too.
Compared to The Flower Kings, Moon Safari have polished those happy vocal harmonies even further, since all five members of the band know exactly how to serve them up. The unofficial bosses of the band are the two lead singers, keyboard virtuoso Simon Åkesson and guitar wizard Petter Sandstrom, who cite the Beatles and prog rock champions like Genesis, Yes, Marillion and IQ as their main influences, so symphonic prog revivalism is basically ‘in their blood’.
Moon Safari’s second album, “Blomljud”, which means ‘the sound of flowers’ in Swedish, was a double album packed once again with mostly eco-conscious lyrics and, to a lesser extent, sci-fi ones. It features two epics and one superepic that runs over half an hour, so this was clearly an extremely ambitious project. The Genesis influence is obvious from the “Blomljud” cover alone, which in style and content is a bit reminiscent of “Foxtrot” (1972).
After “Constant Bloom”, a short a cappella intro that sounds like a cheerful barbershop quartet from around 1912, in comes the epic symphonic prog piece “Methuselah’s Children”, whose merry arrangements, bouncy rhythms and choral harmonies set the tone for the atmosphere that runs through the lion’s share of the album. The choral vocal harmonies are all pleasant and not pitched too high, so they never come off as exhausting or comical. This epic doesn’t lack for complex rhythmic nuances, crowned with an epic guitar solo. Still, the overall vibe has less in common with a ‘cosmic journey to nirvana’ à la Jon Anderson (Yes) and more with Santa’s holiday parade.
The meditative “In The Countryside”, with its psychedelic pulse, mini Moog sounds and acoustic leanings, sounds like a close encounter between late-period Beatles and Yes. The ambitious instrumental “Moonwalk”, one of the better moments on “Blomljud”, finally shows a slightly more serious and somewhat darker side of the band with its melancholic opening section, breaking up the monotony of the prevailing ‘ring around the rosie’ atmosphere. Still, it’s a cheerful piece overall, and Moon Safari can’t help themselves from dropping in archival audio of the 1969 Moon landing, which comes off a bit cheap.
“Bluebells” is another merry stroll through flower meadows that makes no attempt to hide its many debts to the legendary Yes, while the joyful vocal harmonies, which Moon Safari have truly perfected, are once again front and center. They’re also the most recognizable element of Moon Safari’s music, and without them the whole thing would be a lot less interesting. On the epic “The Ghost of Flowers Past”, which closes out the first disc of “Blomljud” in solemn, pompous fashion, Moon Safari treat us to a string of complex yet melodic instrumental sections and sudden time changes, proving their commendable technical chops and a knack for building eclectic, dynamic symphonic prog adventures. The main attraction is again the splendid choral vocal harmonies, which aren’t even overshadowed by a short but fun mini Moog solo.
The second disc opens with “Yasgur’s Farm”, a textbook example of a bouncy, joyful ‘happy prog’ tune that positively overflows with pompous arrangements and exuberant choral harmonies. “Lady of the Woodlands”, which in its merry, upbeat pulse is closer to something like Starcastle than Yes, sees Moon Safari flirt rather shyly with folk rock elements, helped along by guest violin and flute. “A Tale of Three and Tree” is a melancholic, mystically tinged ballad that feels a little like the Genesis standard “Harlequin”. Once again, phenomenally sung choral harmonies deliver an atmospheric climax.
“Other Half of the Sky” is the aforementioned superepic, running over half an hour, and it’s both the most ambitious composition on “Blomljud” and the high point of the album. The opening is a gentle, ethereal ballad with hypnotic vocal harmonies and subtle piano and acoustic guitar harmonies, while from there, as you’d expect, things get properly ‘complicated’, with complex but melodic instrumental sections following one another at intervals, plus the occasional moment of ethereal choral harmonies. Especially good and fun is the instrumental section with galloping rhythms and witty mini Moog passages, which kicks in around the halfway point of this superepic. With the arrival of punchy guitar passages and massive drum fills, Moon Safari prove that their favorite meal isn’t milk porridge with flower juice, while the epic journey wraps up with ‘Yes-style’ vocal harmonies and in the happiest way possible. “Blomljud” ends with “To Sail Beyond the Sunset”, an ethereal ballad with lovely piano arrangements and hypnotic vocal harmonies that at times sounds like a children’s lullaby.
“Blomljud” is an epic journey stuffed with positivist, ‘happy prog’ vibes that will delight every fan of cheerful symphonic prog rock and annoy every embittered soul who prefers the traditional gloom of the lion’s share of Scandinavian rock and metal bands. When it comes to the positive worldview and ‘planting flowers’, Moon Safari are even more committed than The Flower Kings, which means their music is definitely not for the taste of every progressive rock fan. In terms of arrangements and performance, Moon Safari, who don’t even bother hiding their many influences, hardly put a foot wrong on “Blomljud”.
On the other hand, their music suffers from the same flaws you can find in many related, modern (not necessarily Scandinavian) prog revivalists: a chronic lack of originality, innovation, vocal charisma and the occasional pinch of humor. Anyone who isn’t bothered by such shortcomings will have an immense time listening to “Blomljud”, which is undoubtedly one of the peaks of modern Scandinavian symphonic prog rock revivalism and one of the best prog rock albums of 2008.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
CD 1: Ka-on I (51:36)
1. Constant Bloom (1:26)
2. Methuselah’s Children (15:42)
3. In the Countryside (5:42)
4. Moonwalk (8:48)
5. Bluebells (10:11)
6. The Ghost of Flowers Past (9:47)
CD 2: Ka-on II (52:09)
7. Yasgur’s Farm (8:05)
8. Lady of the Woodlands (3:36)
9. A Tale of Three and Tree (3:28)
10. Other Half of the Sky (31:42) :
– i. Written in the Stars (6:28)
– ii. The Meaning of Success (7:51)
– iii. Child Inside the Man (10:13)
– iv. After All (7:12)
11. To Sail Beyond the Sunset (5:18)
Lineup:
Petter Sandström – vocals, backing vocals, twelve-string and electric guitar, sound effects
Pontus Åkesson – acoustic guitars (12-string guitar, classical guitar, folk guitar), mandolin, backing vocals
Simon Åkesson – piano, Moog, Mellotron, Hammond organ, accordion, sound effects, lead and backing vocals, choral arrangements
Johan Westerlund – bass guitar, backing vocals
Tobias Lundgren – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Guest musicians:
Anthon Johansson – electric guitar on track 7
Anders Pettersson – ‘pedal steel’
Måns Axelsson-Ljung – violin, flute
Mona Falk – cello on track 9
Andreas Persson – percussion
