Beekstraat 1 - B-2640 Mortsel - Belgium

THE FLOWER KINGS : Paradox Hotel

Release

Style

9/10

Until this day the more symphonic and less jazzy “Adam & Eve” is my favourite Flower Kings album. It was the definite statement proving that Sweden’s top prog band is the sole and true heir of YES. Fortunately, the symphonic character is kept intact on “Paradox Hotel”, which is already their third double studio pack! I guess the water in those Scandinavian lakes contains heavy doses of inspiration. This new record – their tenth – is not very different from what we’ve heard before. It still is what has become known as the vintage TFK sound.

Now, what does CD one deliver? After the hotel check-in by sound wizard Tomas Bodin (presenting one of his trademark themes), we’re sent to Room 111 where we’re sucked into the twenty-minute ‘Monsters And Men’ epic, juxtaposing typically proggy instrumental explorations and heavenly vocal harmonies. Especially in its second part, the YES influence really shines through, without copying the masters. The overall positivity comes broad in scope and large in scale. Contrastingly, the miniature ‘Jealousy’ scores with its intimacy, its subject ironically referring to the devil envying the suffering of people. ‘Hit Me With A Hit’ proves that a strong chorus can suffice in order to deliver a fine piece of music. The instrumental ‘Pioneers Of Aviation’ pays interesting homage to the spirit of early flying, combining the cinematic flavour of heroism with an elegiac mood. There’s some awesome bass playing from Jonas Reingold here. Definitely one of the best tracks on the first disc. The psychedelic overtones captured on the Beatle-esque titled ‘Lucy Had A Dream’ take us back to the wonderful period of ‘Stardust We Are’. The aptly named ‘Bavarian Skies’ is reigned by the distorted dramatic vocal of Roine, telling a dark tale against the historical background of Central Europe. The symphonic frame is built up tastefully by economical means. Acoustic guitar, bass and mellotron weave a delicate intro to ‘Selfconsuming Fire’, before Stolt’s guitar virtuosity is taking over all control. The sensitive lullaby ‘Mommy Leave The Light On’ contemplates about issues of a young man feeling uncertain. ‘End On A High Note’ does what it says it is, a warm heartfelt show stopper putting vocal harmony back in the picture.    

Moving to Room 222, the party kicks off with a reverence of seventies prog by means of a cross between Gentle Giant (its title ‘Minor Giant Steps’ as a reference perhaps?), King Crimson and YES. Hugely enjoyable! ‘Touch My Heaven’ features great harmony vocals by Hasse Froberg and the band, while Stolt delivers high quality sensitive guitar playing in the David Gilmour vein. The 13/8 rhythmic monster breaks loose in ‘The Unorthodox Dancinglesson’, with the guitar paying tribute to Robert Fripp and Red-era King Crimson this time. Next we hear a band that modestly paints with a thicker brush, still leaving no doubt this is standard FK. The overt complexity of the previous track is settling nicely next to ‘Man Of The World’. Although directly linked to the album’s overall theme, the curiosity of existence, ‘Life Will Kill You’ generates less interest musically, sounding more AOR than I’d love to. But then, only one filler on a double album, that’s not bad at all, is it? Piano and mellotron brush soft touches of gold in ‘The Way The Waters Are Moving’. The Hammond organ redirects the sound towards standard FK again when Stolt asks himself ‘What If God Is Alone’, explaining the record’s concept: "We live for a while, without having any real idea of our purpose. Good things as well as bad things apparently happen by coincidence, but they always happen when we least expect them. Nobody has ever seen God, the manager of this 'establishment' but most people suppose he is doing his job somewhere." Logically, the title’s question is followed by the centrepiece of the album, the bluesy title track being a reference to people's life on Earth. Stolt: "We are only guests here; we can't take much with us. We check in, we use the hotel bar, pay the bill – you get nothing for free – and then leave again sometime.”  The album’s conclusion is the ecological statement ‘Blue Planet’, carrying a moralizing message about the preservation of human and natural life in our 21^st century. Stolt’s guitar is taking centre-stage once more, building up towards a dreamy coda.

It will be difficult to uncrown “Adam & Eve” as my favourite TFK. Still “Paradox Hotel” has all the hallmarks of TFK’s musical universe, summarizing an astounding career of more than a decade. In this sense, “Paradox Hotel” is what the “White Album” signified for the Beatles. Furthermore, this record is more than ever the project of a band, with Jonas Reingold and Tomas Bodin very much involved in the writing process. New drummer Marcus Liliequist is settling down with comfort and confidence, assisted by the percussive genius of long-time TFK associate Hasse Bruniusson. Together with Reingold, they are one hell of a rhythm section. Bodin is another stand-out player here, displaying more than ever his affinity with Rick Wakeman. And Stolt? Well, his guitar and vocal talents remain the nucleus of the group’s distinctive sound, while his clear musical vision is still taking the benefits of its ongoing fruition.
 

Musicians

Roine Stolt: guitars, vocal
Tomas Bodin: keyboards, backing vocal
Hans Froberg: vocal, guitar
Jonas Reingold: Bass, acoustic guitar, vocal
Marcus Liliequist: drums, percussion, backing vocal
Hasse Bruniusson: Marimba & assorted percussion

CD 1 - Room 111 (64:50)
1. Check In
2. Monsters & Men
3. Jealousy
4. Hit Me With A Hit
5. Pioneers Of Aviation
6. Lucy Had A Dream
7. Bavarian Skies
8. Selfconsuming Fire
9. Mommy Leave The Light On
10. End On A High Note

CD 2 - Room 222 (62:04)
1. Minor Giant Steps
2. Touch My Heaven
3. The Unorthodox Dancinglesson
4. Man Of The World
5. Life Will Kill You
6. The Way The Waters Are Moving
7. What If God Is Alone
8. Paradox Hotel
9. Blue Planet

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Last updated: 25 maart 2006 .
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