Moon Safari - [Blomljud]

Year of Release: 2008
Label: Blomljud Records
Catalog Number: BRCD002
Format: CD
Total Time: 103:53:00

Moon Safari's second release, the two disc affair [Blomljud], is an epic work. Not just because the tracks are long (the longest two at 15-plus and 31-plus, respectively), but because of the scope of what happens in those minutes and the rich contextual aspect the album has. In fact, this is one of those albums where I could easily write a long essay about the subject matter, how this is a concept album by virtue of the fact that there are connections between aspects of each track -- some clearly by design, some perhaps by happenstance. The album's title, [Blomljud], translates as "sound of flowers" and one of the strongest ties between the album's 11 tracks is flowers (and the Garden of Eden...). Also, "Ka-on," a term used to label each of the two disks, is a Japanese word meaning "flower sound"; and this explains the Japanese influenced artwork on the cover*.

The opening track is the only exception to the musical epicness; the a cappella "Constant Bloom" lasts a mere 1:26. And, as those of us at RoSFest discovered (and I'm sure it's not an isolated phenomenon), the gents of Moon Safari are taken to multi-part harmonies on a whim. So, to hear them unaccompanied by instrumentation is not so unusual. And, given how great A Doorway To Summer was, that they sound so good here, and the entire album, also is not unusual. There are also a couple of shorter songs on disc two, but they don't have the same intimate and compact feel as this opener. And the sparseness of this contrasts with the density that begins disc two.

So, let's talk about the music, which is fantastic I must say. In fact, you read no further than here, you merely need to know that Moon Safari crafted another wonderful album. If Doorway was sugary, as I suggested some might find it (though I didn't), this is not. There's certainly sweetness here, in the falsetto vocals, the beautiful harmonies, but there's also a bit more of the dark.

If Moon Safari's debut seemed a mostly pastoral affair, their follow up doesn't seem to be quite as much. Well, it is, but the pastel colors are a bit bolder, the sound a bit richer.... a band in full bloom? The vocal harmonies are still there and we are surely still listening to a band influenced by the 70s, but [Blomljud] rocks a bit more than A Doorway.... Yes are still swirling around in their arrangements, not only in the guitar of Pontus Åkesson, but also in keyboard parts of Simon Åkesson - lyrical, classical flourishes -- lots of tinkling piano -- along with a seasoning of widdly parts, parpy parts, and all the expected colors of symphonic prog (although the guitar isn't absent, far from). There are some darker tones, but no hard edges, nothing's really overdriven (well, with one exception). That is, it still retains a softer approach to prog rock and still presents everything with a musically sunny outlook. Feeling a bit down? Put on Moon Safari and I verily think your mood can't do anything but getting better, brighter. All in all, it's quite happy and chirpy (in fact, if you listen closely, you will hear birds chirp).

Or is it? Interestingly, on the epic "Methuselah's Children" (it's the one at 15-plus), I think also of a modern reference - Spock's Beard, harkening back to the early, Morse-led years. Vocally it reminds me of the Beard, and also a bit of the same kind of dramatic shifts as "The Light," though perhaps not quite as dramatic. This is one spot where those darker keyboard tones come in, at the 7:11 minute mark; this is followed by a deep-toned throbbing keyboard phrase that uh... reminded me of Queen's "Flash." But that's a few colors of this multi-hued piece.. It begins with an instrumental intro (a full 2:50 minutes) filled with light guitar arpeggios, lacy piano leads, and a trilling keyboard; when percussion, comes in adding more guitar textures, shrill keyboards sing more vibrantly. Then we get more prog-typical wobbly keyboard phrases over some mid-toned vocals. The phrasing here is breezy, not quite carefree, but unhurried and in a sing-song manner. As I said, they compose happy sounding music. I suppose another expected reference would be to The Flower Kings, fellow Swedes they. In fact, the thought that came to me was... Yes music as if performed by Spock's Beard.

And if you read the lyrics, it's cynical yet observant of human nature. I'm sure you will read your own references between the lines. As this album came out in 2008, I suspect the flood-related observations relate the Biblical flood to either the flood following the Sumatran earthquake or that which hit the US' Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina... Or both, only because they are probably the most notable flood events of that period between 2005 and 2008 (though I don't think the only events). That's not the only point being made here, there's also our perception that we'll live forever, both individually and as a species... and that we probably won't. So, happy, chirpy musically; not so much lyrically. (And what's cheerful about being trapped forever in an evil forest, as detailed on the softly muted, somber "A Tale Of Three And Tree"? Despite some more wonderfully in sync harmonized vocals.)

The second true epic is the 31-plus minute suite "Other Half Of The Sky," which starts as somber as the track that comes before ("A Tale..."), with vocals, tinkling piano spread throughout this intro, along with beds of vocal "ahs" to provide atmosphere. This gives way to organ and a guitar that, once fully taking over, do have a slight edge to them, the organ burning and grinding against choppy bass and searing guitar. It's dark and dangerous; more ELP or Genesis than Yes in many ways. As we had commentary in "Methuselah's Children," so too here. This is the darker side to that piece, truly the "other half of the sky," where sun has set. It's the "real world" versus the "idyllic" that is detailed heretofore on disc one and the first two tracks on disc two. Halfway through, it sounds a bit late-period Beatles-esque... I think of the latter half of Abbey Road...; this a bridge to the third part of the suite, "Child Inside The Man." This section is filled with lots of lovely piano, over a simple, repeated percussion and bass refrain. When a short guitar solo enters the scene, it transition the song into a galloping overdrive, where the throbbing bass and pounding drums propel us toward something, while shrilly parping keyboards scream out, joined by more searing guitar. And in this piece (around the 23-minute mark), I certainly detect a reference to Genesis, a certain bass throb that recalls a certain "Apocalypse 7/8" (or from Marillion's "Grendel," but I suspect that too was referencing Genesis). The track ends, however, on a hopeful and positive note; one that is open to more than one interpretation, depending on your mindset.

"In The Countryside" sings its praise of the simpler life away from the press of the present -- over-reliance on technology... In fact, it posits a very dark future, a dystopic future. While it is not a reference in the song, I suddenly thought of that ending scene of Blade Runner, where Deckard and Rachel drive off through the countryside... and one might also think of Canned Heat's "Going Up The Country" thematically (sort of)... Ok, they both are about getting away to the country. Not that I think this track bears any musical similarity. Here acoustic guitars provide the drive; shrill keyboard notes sing like birds, but do not mimic actual birds. Percussion is present, punctuating the beat, but is otherwise muted, letting the voices and guitars take the lead.

"Moonwalk" opens with some spacey keyboards - sci-fi's version of a whistle, if I may - and some subtly tinkling piano, before some heavy organ comes in (the countdown, perhaps), and then we're off soaring into space... add into this swirling mix some arpeggios, acoustic guitar, parpy keys, rumbling drums, and soaring guitar leads, and you're on an instrumental journey. And it's less space rock than an a pastoral where the landscape is varying shades of gray, craggy in spots, but no less beautiful than rolling green hills of... you choose. The track ends with the astronauts of Apollo 8 reading verses from the Book of Genesis. And, if we step back a second, we notice that Methuselah was mentioned in the Book of Genesis as well (or so my research suggests). And, you might also detect some influence from the band Genesis on this album. Deliberate? Coincidence?

Yes really comes to mind during the vocals only harmonizing of "Bluebells" at around the 6-minute mark. It's a gentle track; as I said, the musically disposition of Moon Safari is always sunny, even if the lyrical disposition is anything but. This leads to "The Ghost Of Flowers Past." A romantic solo piano passage starts us off, before giving way to shrill keys, keening guitars, shimmery percussion, and a quiet Moog-created choral backing. It's a dramatic 2-minute overture that gives way to a delicate vocal and piano duet, the latter dancing around the former. From there on, in a Genesis like fashion (with even some lyrical nods to Genesis), we get a track that contrasts between these more subdued sections and sections where intricate guitar phrases intertwine with vocals, and swirl about with widdly keyboard passages. The texture of this track builds as it progresses, giving space to modest guitar solos, near-to-wild keyboard solos - more Wakeman stately than Emerson bombastic.

Where it really rocks is on the disc two opener "Yasgur's Farm," the intro to which verily percolates with guitar, rolling piano, and drums... perfect for speeding over the roads of that rolling countryside. There even comes a brief moment where it sounds a bit like classic Springsteen! -- a section where the lyrics and intonation recall "Born To Run." As with most Moon Safari tracks, it's never merely one thing; 6-plus minutes in, we get some falsetto vocals; a minute later, as the song moves towards its end, guitar soars over more rolling piano. I needn't tell you that Yasgur's Farm was the site of Woodstock and this track is a paean of sorts to ... well, there you have it, 1969 -- free love, a sense that anything was possible, etc. That's one aspect the year represents; there are others... and it, this track, also signals our passing out of summer into autumn...

And there's the reel like "Lady Of The Woodland," allowing these Swedes to get their Celtic on; perhaps it's the sprinkling of fiddle.

There's a lot to digest here; it bears multiple listens, which won't be hard to do because you'll surely want to. As I said above, beautiful album.

I was going to cram all this in a footnote, but it was getting too big and I was referencing songs before I had actually otherwise mentioned them, so... You who know your Bible, probably already noticed that Methuselah is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, Apollo 8 reading from the Book of Genesis and, in some way, the band's musical influence by the band Genesis. As I was a mere pup of 19 months, I have no direct recollection of Apollo 8 (nor any direct experience with Methuselah, either...). Apollo 8 was the second manned mission and the first human spaceflight to leave Earth orbit and the first to orbit the Moon; not quite a moon safari... that was to come. The first moon walk was with Apollo 11 some seven months after the Apollo 8 mission, which landed on July 20, 1969. Interestingly, perhaps, as I'm reviewing this CD, it's less than 48 hours since the very last US shuttle mission left Cape Canaveral. While I don't think Atlantis' final flight will be the end of the US space program or of manned flight, it certainly ends an era, just as, I suppose, Apollo 8 was at the beginning of one. A month after Apollo 11, although unrelated to the space program (although I'm sure some of the attendees were spaced out) Woodstock took place at Yasgur's Farm. One of the bands on the bill? Canned Heat. And if we're talking harmonized vocals, we should also mention Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, who also were at Woodstock. Oh, and Bowie's "Space Oddity" was released in 1969.

I've left other connections out; but a stroll through the not-always-the-best-authority-but-it-will-do-in-a-pinch Wikipedia you will find some other... connections: for example, if you look up bluebells, you will find a reference to the Greek god Apollo...

* Here's an article published on MSNBC's website September 2004 (from an AP report): "Plants that play music"


Tracklisting:
Disc One: Ka-on I: Constant Bloom (1:26) / Methuselah's Children (15:43) / In The Countryside (5:43) / Moonwalk (8:49) / Bluebells (10:11) / The Ghost Of Flowers Past (9:47)

Disc Two: Ka-on II: Yasgur's Farm (8:06) / Lady Of The Woodlands (3:36) / A Tale Of Three And Tree (3:28) / Other Half Of The Sky (31:44) / To Sail Beyond The Sunset (5:18)

Musicians:
Simon Åkesson - lead and backing vocals, keyboards, sfx, choir arrangements
Petter Sandström - lead and backing vocals, 12 string and electric guitar, sfx
Pontus Åkesson - lead and backing vocals, guitars, mandolin
Johan Westerlund - lead and backing vocals, bass
Tobias Lundgren - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Discography:
A Doorway To Summer (2005)
Blomljud (2008)
Lover's End (2010)
The Gettysburg Address (2012)
Lover's End Pt III (2012)
Himlabacken, Vol 1 (2013)
Live In Mexico (2014)

Genre: Symphonic Prog

Origin SE

Added: July 9th 2011
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.moonsafari.se
Hits: 3310
Language: english