What it isn't: A concept album about the biblical story of Adam & Eve.
What it is: Another chapter in an illustrious career for these Prog Rock masters!
With the most flamboyant and eye turning cover art to date the Flower Kings have a possible pinnacle album on their hands. While their previous release, the two disc monster known as "Unfold The Future" was quite an achievement it was too long in my opinion which caused me to never fully get into it. I just don't have that much free time! haha. So to receive this one disc adventure from the guys was a relief to say the least!
The best prog rock in my opinion is that which is based on well written songs.
The Flower Kings do just that on Adam & Eve. To be sure there are the wankering excursions and jaw dropping solos and the requisite full band freak outs, but they are tucked well in place within incredibly well written tunes, catchy choruses and all. An easy album to get into and hear again and again. Repeated listens akin to peeling an artichoke....more and more gets revealed with each layer of listening you give it. This is an important factor if prog is to survive and indeed grow to a broader audience. Not condoning commercialism as we know it, but if there had been more albums like YES' "90125" with great songs like that, then prog would indeed have grown further than it is now. Alas it is indeed growing because of the resurgent likes of Spock's Beard and
The Flower Kings. Even now the more song oriented releases of Spock's Beard's "Feel Euphoria" sans
Neal Morse and Neal's own "Testimony" album, the
Karmakanic releases, the new
IQ album, Ritual's "Think Like A Mountain" and the
Transatlantic masterworks..... Neal's new album is following suit as well.... all these great albums within the last 3 or 4 years are just getting better and better because there are songs contained within the jamming... songs you can sing with and remember and like a lot!
If you have heard the Flower Kings before you know what to expect from Adam & Eve but the songs I think are the best yet. As always they experiment and there plenty of interesting sounds and lyrical ideas.
The 19:50 long opening track
"Love Supreme" is long right? Man you wouldn't even know it....it keeps you interested and before you know it it's over and you're like "no way that was 20 minutes long!".
There are the influences they proudly wear on their sleeves like early YES and Genesis but there is a lot that is truly and only
The Flower Kings!
The jazz excursions, the heavy rock guitars at times, the symphonic and bombastic, the Pink Floydian trippiness and a myriad of influences I'm sure I don't have a clue as to where they come from. One thing is for sure...it all comes from the heart and you can feel they are fully comfortable with who they are and what they do....they are consumed!
Take some of that 90% empty brain space we humans supposedly don't access and put the music of these guys in there.... you will dig it if Prog rock is your thing and even if it isn't there is plenty to enjoy because, once again, there are actual songs on here! haha I love it!
You know the only thing wrong with "commercial" music these days is what passes for commercial music. So to wish prog rock bands commercial success is to wish for the restructuring and reclaiming of what passes for commercial music. Instead of the mental boycott of radio friendly, record company produced, dribble such as Brittany Spears ad nauseum we should champion these bands by buying the music and requesting airplay! It really is in our hands.
The Flower Kings are poised to be one of the saviors of popular music, to bring back musicality and respectability to the most sacred of the muses. Music!
A big cheers to the Kings Of Flowers! haha keep it coming gentlemen....keep it coming!
Written by
David Monday, July 26, 2004
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