I've listened to the new album a half dozen times now, but today was the first time I've actually heard the album all the way through in a single sitting. If this were the first time I'd heard The Flower Kings, I'd be damned impressed. For a band that's been around so long, this one feels really fresh and energized. I'm loving the Zappaesque flourishes.
Last edited by Superfly; 11-15-2020 at 12:11 AM.
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Just been listening again on You Tube, have yet to find a bad track. Having not bought a new TFK album since Banks Of Eden I am pleasantly surprised, I might even order it.
Agreed, that was a nice interview. I think the Roinester is a good guy also. I only briefly met him at the 3RP show in 2008, but it was cool getting to meet him in person after hearing his music for several years. Probably a different dynamic though, seeing as you were a fellow performer at NearFest.Originally Posted by chalkpie
It did seem a bit uncomfortable when he talked about Tomas; I got the impression that maybe they have some differences in terms of commitment to TFK. Those things can get tricky, especially with long-standing relationships. It doesn't sound like there's any ill will, so I hope that they can patch things up in the future as friends if nothing else.
Very interesting take. Like he said about "relationships", the parting of ways reminds me of my last project working with a guy I have known for the better part of almost 40 years. We had worked on our various musical projects off & on since we were in a band back in "81. This time, however, I just completely burned out on what we were doing. I also found myself becoming increasingly critical of how he was crafting his parts. In other words there were sections I had written on keyboards where he would come in & throw crunchy, loud guitars over it & to my ears this was completely wrong & killed the original vibe. Also, he was known for being very cheap when it came to gear & his overall sound never evolved or varied much. Don't get me wrong, this guy was an excellent musician, much more talented, skill-wise, than me, but it just wasn't working anymore. I was hearing things one way & he was hearing them another. The cohesiveness just wasn't there anymore. I'm thinking this was the type of message Roine was trying to convey about his relationship with Tomas or something similar IMO.
Have given this a few more listens since my initial reaction and there are certainly parts of it that elicit a more emotional reaction than they did at first. My opinion that the songs seem more like fragments than complete pieces still hold. Some, like "Morning News", especially seem like segments of a larger whole that just isn't there. If it is, it isn't connected to these pieces in a way that seems to flow.
Mongrel dog soils actor's feet
This is my feeling after several listens. I do like it more than the past 3 albums, but I do feel link a lot of it could have been developed more. Which would have been fine, a triple or quadruple set
Seriously though, I do miss the epics, even though I still don't get much out of Numbers.
All that said, I think it's a solid album for them and certainly gets a lot of the old vibes back for me.
After around 2 months and having given up hope of ever seeing it, my white vinyl copy of Islands finally arrived a few days ago.I've listened to it a couple times on the turntable and it sounds great. I'm still really enjoying this album; the shorter more digestible songs work, and even though I'm a fan of their epics I find this one to be a refreshing change of pace. It just works for me, for some reason.
Still can't get enough of Tangerine, Solaris, and All I Need Is Love.
Although I completely understand why some people miss the epics, I enjoy this release because it is precisely the facet of TFK that I missed. Focused songs and great melodies. I'm sure the epics will be back with a vengeance on the next album.
This! With a catalog of albums as large as theirs it is great to see them change it up still. When looking at their overall catalog this is a great addition because of those reasons mentioned. And as you say if the hints they are dropping are true we can expect the epics to return.Although I completely understand why some people miss the epics, I enjoy this release because it is precisely the facet of TFK that I missed. Focused songs and great melodies. I'm sure the epics will be back with a vengeance on the next album.
Gave the album a couple more spins in its entirety. Now I feel like the entire thing is as if someone did a long interconnecting piece of music consisting of songs that fit together - then randomized the order and that's what was released.
Mongrel dog soils actor's feet
Dig the Queen vibe on this one.
I think this video is pretty dang cool, and it looks like the same person/people who did this one also did the two on YouTube for the new Transatlantic, which are also a lot of fun. Yes, it's all sort of corny, Up-With People, NBC Saturday Morning happiness, but so what? It's eye candy! If MTV still shows videos, or if music videos are still shown to anyone in addition to us (LOL), these ought to be in heavy rotation!
I don't think this FloKi song is the best though. It has some nice spots, but never quite seems to me to reach the heights it hints at. But still, it's ok with the visuals. I like Islands overall, and think it's a nice change, and I'm still getting to know it, so maybe this one will grow on me. The song I so far am most glad to hear when I replay it is the one that sounds like Paul Simon's Graceland, whichever one that is.
A very good assessment. That's just how I feel about it.
Last edited by JKL2000; 01-13-2021 at 02:27 AM.
My initial impressions as a late-comer: the songs Solaris and Heart of the Valley are more "symphonic" than anything TFK has done in the past. Other moments sound very much like Tomas Bodin's solo albums. Even more so than the TFK songs written by Tomas, when he was still part of the band.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
I'm relatively new to TFK, have only listened to "Waiting for Miracles" previously, which I liked, but I must agree that Islands is the better of the two.
This cd seems to be sold out everywhere now for quite some time. Has Roine given any updates as to why?
It's on the official Flower Kings shop, Lasers Edge and both U.S. and Canadian Amazons, I'm not sure what you mean by 'everywhere', but it seems pretty easy to find to me.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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Woops. Well, it is sold out at Deepdiscount.com, sold out at Importcds.com, and sold out at Wayside Music. Flower Kings website it's $36 shipped to USAIt's on the official Flower Kings shop, Lasers Edge and both U.S. and Canadian Amazons, I'm not sure what you mean by 'everywhere', but it seems pretty easy to find to me.Heck no.
Laser cd it is
Someone tried to say only Miracles was recorded remotely (of the most recent 3 TFK albums). Islands is great, considering the remote collaboration. How much better would it be if they had been able to get together for a week or two?
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Nice insight by Roine on that. Kind of amazing they could come up with do much stuff remotely, yet it sounds like a cohesive work. Who knows...maybe it ended up stronger this way since everyone had complete freedom over their parts?
Could be! I tend to doubt it was truly complete freedom, just probably more freedom than usual. But who knows.
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