A DOORWAY TO SUMMER

"A Doorway To Summer" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish progressive rock act Moon Safari. The album was released through the independent record label Blomljud Records Inc. in 2005 (the band´s own label). Moon Safari was founded in Skellefteå, Sweden in 2003, and was initially championed by Tomas Bodin of The Flower Kings, after he listened to their demo.

Moon Safari´s sound on "A Doorway To Summer" is unmistakably the sound of Swedish progressive rock in the positive and "light" end of the spectrum. It´s artists like The Flower Kings, Ritual, and especially Kaipa that Moon Safari reminds me of.

The music on "A Doorway To Summer" features Lots of organic sounding instruments like acoustic guitars, Hammond Organ, Piano (and various other vintage keyboards and synths, like moog and mellotron), and Harmonica (which gives the music a folky touch). The vocals are a special treat with loads of harmony vocals and choir arrangements, and the vocal style is generally pleasant and soothing to the ears. The music is overall very melodic and quite accessible with a gentle mellow atmosphere. It´s not overtly complex music, but it´s complex enough to not to be mistaken for easy listening muzak, although the pleasant dreamy nature of it, sometimes conjures up a feeling of just that. The spirit is uplifting and light and I personally miss a few more dark and emotionally intense moments but I guess that´s an aquired taste. If you want something that just flows nicely and sounds pleasant this is perfect.

"A Doorway To Summer" feautures 5 tracks. All of them pretty long. The shortest track is "Dance across the Ocean" with it´s 7:30 minutes long playing time while "We spin the world" with it´s 24:52 minutes long playing time takes the prize as the longest track on the album.

The sound production is pleasant, warm, and organic. Perfect for the music. Upon conclusion "A Doorway To Summer" is a very well crafted debut album by Moon Safari. Fans of the above mentioned artists are adviced to take a listen here as this album is as profesional and pleasant sounding as most of the output by those bands. As I said above I do miss a bit of bite in the music (which is also an issue with some of Kaipa´s output) and "A Doorway To Summer" can be almost too sweet and innocent for it´s own good. But if you enjoy mellow and uplifting progressive rock this is the album for you. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.