RETROPOLIS

Retropolis was the first Flower Kings I bought, after hearing a lot about the band. I still think it's a good starting point if you want to know this legendary group. I don't agree with some of the other reviews that say they a a retro band. Ok, there is a lot fo old keyboards, homage to many 70's great, but still their sound is very unique. Roine Stolt is definitly one of the most prolific and gifted songwriters of prog history, and the band members are among the most skilled musicians ever to play prog music.

For the ones who don't know their music, the Flower Kings sound is a mixture of Yes (around the time of Relayer) and King crimson (circa Lark's Tongue in Aspic), with some Frank Zappa experiments in jazz rock\fusion thrown in, plus some small parts of Pink Floyd and Genesis. The music might take some time to sink in, but it's worth it. Complex and very interesting. Sometimes The Flower Kings sound a bit self indulgent (specially in their double studio albums), but on this CD and the first one (Back In the World of Adventures), the music really shines. It's prog music at its best. Retropolis is a classic prog album of the 90's and the one that put the band in the major league.Highly recommended to anyone who likes good and complex music.