THANKS FOR FLYING WITH US

Thanks For Flying With Us is so far the latest studio album from the creative duo known simply as Mats/Morgan. Since most of their albums are difficult to come by I prefer to stack myself up with cash every time I attend one of their live performances just in case there will be a merch stand. This album was one of those pleasant acquisitions and once again the band delivered an uncompromising set of tracks.

The music here is slightly more serious in its tone compared to what I've heard on their previous records which probably has to do with the fact that it's basically an all instrumental with the exception for the occasional vocal choirs and background narration on Not Us. It's also a much more Jazz Rock/Fusion-oriented release although there are quite a few exceptions to that as well. The last part of the album consists of some improv-sounding live material which should probably be considered a bonus since the concluding studio track Please Remain Seated ends with a 30 seconds silent pause.

I consider Thanks For Flying With Us inferior to the fun and quirky Trends And Other Diseases but I guess that most fans would acknowledge this direction as a sign of maturity. I also have some issues with the live tracks at the end of the album since their improvisational nature doesn't fit the overall sound of this record. At the same time it can be considered understandable since this was the first Mats/Morgan album released on a wider scale by an international label so they probably wanted to let the new fans see the different aspects of the band's repertoire. This is especially clear since the live material features a live version of Coco which is a well recognized Mats Öberg composition from the album The Music Or The Money

I'd say that Thanks For Flying With Us is an overall success in terms of creativity and delivery since the issues I mentioned can be considered trivial and unimportant in comparison to all the positive things about Mats/Morgan's uncompromising music. The loose concept of a simulated airplane flight gives the album just the right tone and flavor to blend the tracks together into a comprehensive collage of work.

Another great release by this aspiring band that I definitely can recommend to people on the lookout for new exciting music!

***** star songs: Sinus (4:56) La Baratte (5:50) Softma (3:31) Proppeller Hast (3:52)

**** star songs: Thanks For Flying With Us (3:34) Not Us (2:33) JF's Tati-Car (4:09) Wounded Bird (4:35) Allan In The Rain (4:03) Wenjie (3:11) Please Remain Seated (3:45) Coco (3:13) Live Neef (7:52) Ivan (7:28)

*** star songs: Adat Dropouts I Love You (3:00) Alive In Enskede (8:02)