LOVER'S END

This is an album that seems to divide reviewers into two camps. I am firmly in the camp that sings the album's praises (in perfect multi part harmony, of course!). We all have our own predilections, of course, but some of the criticisms aimed at this release are unfair and inaccurate. Straight from track one, "Lover's End Pt. I", we're "pulling out of here to win" as the opening bars doff their hat to Springsteen's "Thunder Road". What follows is unashamed and unreserved emotion expressed through a Spectoresque "wall of sound" which ends with a folky prog instrumental break that segues into ... The 14 minute epic that is "A Kid Called Panic". This is prog by anyone's definition but prog with a chorus - "Help - I need to escape, I don't belong in here" - that once heard will be in your head for the rest of your life. After the second chorus, a sublime and superbly innovative instrumental section builds slowly over several minutes before those harmonies briefly return to take the euphoria to a new height. The whole thing slows right down before Simon Åkesson delivers some beautiful lyrics with a vocal that could melt the hardest heart. Brother Pontus delivers some killer guitar, the song is over and we are left emotionally drained. "Southern Belle" takes the emotional intensity down a notch as the harmonies come into play and yet another Springsteen reference is made. "The World's Best Dreamers" follows in a similar style highlighting those beautiful voices. "We're the world's best dreamers" sing the lads and it's hard to disagree. "New York City Summergirl" sees Johan taking the lead vocal as the band deliver yet another catchy but clever tune that appeals to both the prog and the pop ears. "Heartland" is a masterpiece of progressive rock that could have lasted 20 minutes if the band had padded it out in the way that some prog bands do. No need as its innovative twists and turns give you all the pleasure you need in under six minutes. "Crossed The Rubicon" is a magnificent song that might have, in my personal opinion, been better served to be a little sparser in parts in its production. It has all the great Moon Safari elements: magnificent music, the inimitable harmonies but perhaps, to my ears at any rate, there is sometimes too much going on. The recent live version, which was immense, showed the real power of the song for me. "Lover's End Pt. II" takes us full circle and get us ready for Part III, "Skellefteå Serenade". All in all, another great album from Moon Safari, less proggy than "Blomljud" but excellent music so who needs a tag?