LOVER'S END

An absolutely beautiful masterpiece of modern prog. The first song I heard from Moon Safari was A Kid Called Panic, the second track on this album. I was immediately struck by its theatrical, anthemic nature, and hard-hitting lyrics, accompanied by gorgeous piano riffs and vocal harmonies. Clocking in at just under 14 minutes, A Kid Called Panic is the longest song on Lover's End, but despite its significant length it still left me wanting to hear more, so I was inspired to give a listen to the rest of the album. I am so glad that I did. The piano intro of the album's first track, Lover's End Part 1, feels like the overture of a musical, syncing well with the theatrical energy that drew me into A Kid Called Panic. The song is clearly destined to be at the beginning of the album. It's a strong set-up, successful at drawing you into the wistful universe that the record resides in. The instrumental outro transitions seamlessly into A Kid Called Panic, which despite its beautifully depressing content, is where the energy of the album begins to rise. This energy peaks with a key change at the end of the song, and culminates like an exhale into the calming acapella of the beginning of track three, Southern Belle. The harmonies in Southern Belle evoke the melancholic side of the Beach Boys, with a modern twist. This track is the second-shortest on the album, but is able to pack an unexpected amount of emotion into its small package. Tracks four through six (The World's Best Dreamers, New York City Summergirl, and Heartland) have always felt like the weakest on the album to me, but that doesn't mean they're bad at all. Rather, it speaks to the strength of the other songs. In terms of the contour of the album, the energy picks up across this set of songs, providing a nice reprieve from the heaviness that much of Lover's End contains. Much like the first two songs on the album, the last two tracks functionally feel like a pair to me. Crossed the Rubicon is both the second-last and second-longest on the album, and functionally serves as a climactic point. With this track, Moon Safari continues to provide an astounding sense of contour and story. Crossed the Rubicon is shaped in a way that keeps your interest across its nearly 10 minute length, working together with confessional, turning-point lyrics, lush instrumentals, and the group's signature harmonies to form the powerful climax Lover's End deserves. The album wraps up with a bittersweet 2 minute outro track named Lover's End Part 2. Staying true to the wistful feelings established throughout the record, Lover's End Part 2 beautifully concludes the album that drew me into the magical world of Moon Safari. I would recommend this album to both prog listeners and non-prog listeners alike, because not only is it tastefully musically complex and thoughtfully constructed, its also ridiculously pretty.