A DOORWAY TO SUMMER

Every since progressive rock gestated into its own distinct genre in the 1960s very few attributes have maintained it as a unified genre with a few exceptions like time signature complexities, extended playing times and oft convoluted thematic developments but it seems that another attribute would be that prog tends to dwell in darker places and is the antithesis to the chipper happy vibes of the much simpler pop world. Despite prog tending to lurk in the shadows though there is no hard and fast rule that it be the case so it often comes as a surprise when a band chooses to take the characteristics of prog and fuse them into the prog equivalent of sunshine pop and perhaps no band has done it quite so successfully as Sweden's MOON SAFARI.

This band that formed in Skelleteå in 2003 caught the prog world's attention with its debut A DOORWAY TO SUMMER which doubled down on the symphonic prog sounds of classic Genesis, Yes, Camel along with more eclectic values from Gentle Giant as well as some of the crossover features of bands like Styx and Saga. Founded by keyboardist and singer Simon Åkesson, guitarist / singer Petter Sandström, bassist Johan Westerlund, guitarist Anthon Johansson and drummer Tobias Lundgren, the band was lucky enough to catch the attention of keyboardist Tomas Bodin of The Flower Kings who would end up producing this debut album which saw the dawn of what i often deem the sunshine prog movement of the 21st century, a style of warm, uplifting and even sappy prog that would inspire bands like Big Big Train and other pop infused crossover prog bands that love to bathe in mellotron symphonies.

Although MOON SAFARI's music offered diverse styles on A DOORWAY TO SUMMER there are a few underlying characteristics. Firstly the extensive use of lush acoustic guitars, keyboard and mellotron rich soundscapes that offer silky smooth backdrops for the compositional structures that alternate in happy major chords with just a touch of minor additions for contrast's sake but mostly what makes MOON SAFARI stand out are the intricate five part vocal harmonizations that fit somewhere between the pure pop of The Beatles and the more eclectic avant-garde workouts of Gentle Giant. It goes without saying that the emphasis of MOON SAFARI's approach is to craft instantly infectious melodies that excel in crafting a nice magazine cover beach house listening experience that would provide the perfect soundtrack for the more adventurous Airbnb crowds.

Somehow eschewing from falling into the world of neo-prog, MOON SAFARI sounds as much contemporary folk as it does symphonic prog with slow dreamy acoustic guitar strum sessions punctuated by crafty synthesized cloud covers and soaring emotive electric guitar works that evoke the likes of IQ, Arena and other neo-prog artists but never quite fall into that camp. A touch of harmonica adds an oft missing aspect in prog and that's a more intimate feel that evokes some of the characteristics of busking blues artists on the side of subway station entryways. This is music that is designed to push all the happy triggers with sing-along lyrics in extremely complex harmonic arrangements. For those who are adverse to the epitome of vocal sappiness, this will make you scurry into the dark like a cockroach once the lights come on. For those who can handle the musical equivalent of prozac, this stuff is for you!

While i usually prefer my happy music in the world of pop with 60s bands like The Turtles, The Beach Boys or even The Mamas & The Papas, i have to admit that when a band pulls off an album of this sort that works on every level i simply can't dismiss it because it's too cheerful. The songs may have irresistible endorphin emitting melodies that take you to some Kumbaya happiness camp but it's hard to not be impressed by the beautiful composiitons steeped in heavy prog workouts and those extraordinarily precise and emotive vocal harmonies that raise the whole thing to an entirely different level of musical aptitude. What sounds like a recipe for disaster in writing actually is pulled off quite well as the variations of piano rolls, dramatic organ runs and alterations between lush pastoral sequences and more heavy rock outbursts provide an hour's worth of thoroughly entertaining prog workouts. While the band is most famous for the following "[blomljud]," this debut A DOORWAY TO SUMMER does indeed provide the most gleeful musical expressions of escaping the long Swedish winters and entering a happy world in full bloom where even the wildlife is dancing like they were in "The Sound of Music."