PARADOX HOTEL

Wow! The Flower Kings.

When I first heard the Flower Kings were going to be putting out a new album, I immediately got it ordered on the internet, and I had it within a week of its release. To be quite honest, it hasn't yet left my CD player. This was my first Flower Kings album. I heard this and immediately, I went out to but Roine Stolt's "The Flower King." This album has had such a positive influence on my musical tastes. The 2 albums are extremely powerful, and cover tons of different sounds. After only hearing the Flower Kings on the radio and ProgArchives, and then putting this album in, I was pleasantly surprised. The Kings have a great, clean, happy sound that makes "Paradox Hotel" one of my favorite albums of all time. The music is superb and the atmosphere the album creates is awe-inspiring. A must have!

CHECK IN- A very cool intro. The anti-climactic ending is such a great into to the fantastic album. I love the ping-pong noises after "ignition." MONSTERS AND MEN- After CHECK IN, the listener is pleasantly surprised to hear nice soft keys introducing one of my favorite epics. This song definitely rivals Driver's Seat (My other favorite epic by the Kings). Everything works in this epics, and the shifts from one theme to another are spotless. The music is very, very emotional. What a way to begin the album! JEALOUSY - Cool song with interesting lyrics, nothing to "wow" at, but the song does have a lot of emotion to it. It reminds me of something the late Beatles would have done. HIT ME WITH A HIT - Wow! The madness begins. The Marimba with the guitars is brilliant. The theme of the song is obviously the music industry. Through the seeming chaos, this song maintains a great upbeat rhythm played perfectly. PIONEERS OF AVIATION - Thought slow to start, this tune really starts to rock once the keys get into full blast. The bass solo and guitar solo are among the best on the album, as there are no lyrics. This is definitely one of the best songs in the collection of the Flower Kings. LUCY HAD A DREAM - This sad tune has odd lyrics, and a mystical, almost psychedelic aura to it. Though it's rather somber, the song features great playing and is a nice piece of "filler" if you want to call it, although I would argue that is an important track on the album. Plus, the ending is simply HILARIOUS! BAVARIAN SKIES - An interesting song, again. I have little to say about this dark song. Though it is my least favorite on the album, I can see how it also works with the rest of the album. Combined with LUCY HAD A DREAM, these two songs fit into the grand scheme of the album by adding a tad of darkness. Hitler was a nutcase. The ending of this song it very creative, as are the vocals. A nice respite from the darker theme in the middle of Disc 1. SELFCONSUMING FIRE - Though it starts slow, this song totally picks up and then just rocks out! The vocals are super cool, and it is a fantastic addition to the album. MOMMY LEAVE THE LIGHT ON - this song is so emotional. It makes me very sad when I hear it, but again it fits into the scheme of the album, and is such a great build to the next tune. END ON A HIGH NOTE -- This was the sole reason I bought this album. I heard it on the radio, and was absolutely blown away. Though the middle of the album is very mellow, this track kicks it up a notch. From the first chord to the last note,, this song is a gem. They Keys are fantastic and the whole song has such a happy feel to it. MINOR GIANT STEPS - This song goes so understates in the other reviews that I have read. It had such a great sound to it, traditional Flower Kings. The "beeping" noises in the background I find to be very amusing, and I simply can't get over the sounds that the rest of the keys have! Nice guitar work too! TOUCH MY HEAVEN - Another song that just builds and builds and builds, until it reaches its climax at the very end with an awesomely emotional solo. THE UNORTHODOX DANCEINGLESSON - My jaw dropped the first time I heard this. The weird 13/8 time signature usually turns off all of my friends, but it had this magical feel overlying the aggressive harder-edge playing seen in this track. Definitely one of my favorite on the album. (Throughout the song, there are some priceless sound effects, watch out for them!) MAN OF THE WORLD - Featuring a bright opening, this song never fails to amaze me. I love the use of the melotron in the beginning. Toward the middle of the song, there is an unbelievable keyboard solo that gets rather out of control! LIFE WILL KILL YOU - This is also one of my favorites on the album. This song just shows the versatility of the Kings. Great guitar work and the lyrics are so cool! THE WAY THE WATERS ARE MOVING - This track slows it down a bit, but yet again, the singing is extremely emotional. Another "weak" point, but still it fits into the grand scheme of things. WHAT IF GOD IS ALONE - Interesting song. It has a good message, in my view and it does a nice job of showing what is "backwards" with today's society. The vocals, are emotional, and they grow with the rest of the music! This whole song is one giant crescendo. PARADOX HOTEL - And the title track comes at the end, cool! Although this track gets a tad repetitive, the intro is excellent and the guitar works is really cool. This hard-edged approach works very well. BLUE PLANET - The final track, unfortunately. With such an impressive album, the only complaint I have about this song is that it ends the album!

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