SPACE REVOLVER

This band, the Swedish symphonic orchestra "The Flower Kings" amazes me sometimes and sometimes makes me disappointed. However their music craves some times before you get a proper picture of it as full. "Flower Power" had great moments but with its enormous proportions it was hard to keep the interest. But it's different with "Space revolver" from 2000, the band's fifth album and in my eyes a very enjoyable album with both moments of strength and wonder. The format is long, as it uses to be with The Flower Kings but a little bit more "lagom"(not too much, not too little). I like the cover very much, it's pretty and very good painted. It shows strong colours and the design of the texts is also great. The musicians present are Roine Stolt(vocals, guitars, bass), Tomas Bodin(piano, organ, synthesizers, mellotrons), Hans Fröberg(vocals, guitar), Jonas Reingold(bass), Jamie Salazar(drums), Hasse Bruniusson(percussion, and more) and Ulf Wallander(soprano saxophone).

The record begins with the first part of the wonderful "I am the sun" which just as Shine on you crazy diamond both starts and concludes the album. I like the track very much and one ingredient that does something extra is Wallander's saxophone just as the wild guitars(8/10). The shorter "Dream on dreamer"(9/10) is amongst the album's best songs, also with saxophone and then follows a lot of songs with great quality but perhaps the best songs come in the end with "A Kings Prayer"(8/10) and the second part of "I am the Sun". But every minute on the album is worth listening and the band varies to play amongst jazz tunes, symphonic feelings or more pure rock features. I liked it the first time I listened to it, it lacks the broken up feeling I had on Flower Power. The Flower Kings don't change their sound very much and their songs often are just little variations on old melodical themes, but I have no problems with that. Though is my feelings towards this band very varied, some records do exactly fit in my taste and others don't.

I would recommend "Space revolver" also for listeners who aren't used to this band's music. If you just want to hear one song I would choose the long starter and ender. Four stars!