The Flower Kings - 2023 recap and look ahead to 2024

[Splicer]

Nice sound mix.

[dmh84]

Yeah—Roine’s mixing has become so stellar!!
Thanks for the info on this!

[Czyszy]

0:29 This sounds like the band sneaked in bits from Cinema Show into Big Puzzle. I'm not sure.

[mozo-pg]

I got it but that was painful - $39 Cdn with shipping. Shipping almost the same price as the CD.

[Czyszy]

I got it but that was painful - $39 Cdn with shipping. Shipping almost the same price as the CD.

Same here!

[Plasmatopia]

I just heard that Greg Walker may be selling some of these here in the US. I'm going to email him....

[Soc Prof]

It would be nice if he would sell this on Bandcamp. It would be a win win for the band (increased sales) and the fans.

[Dan Roth]

Don't know too much about organist Merit Hemmingson , but it appears she has a new album dropping produced by Roine and featuring some of the F Kings. A quick googling on her and she apparently has been releasing albums in Sweden for fifty+ years now. This montage of clips sounds pretty great.



This is available to order of off Roine's site: https://www.roinestolt.com/product/m...fox-cd-035/102


This is from an album she released in 1971:

[Splicer]

The track from 1971 is what I want as the soundtrack of a scene where I'm driving my convertible through the city wearing a white scarf.

[Splicer]

And another thing...

I've been listening to old Flower Kings and the difference in the arrangements and mix are noticeable from their more current music. I don't know how to describe it but as one example, "Garden of Dreams" from Flower Power has a lot of layers in the music. When you listen you just hear stuff going on under the stuff that's behind the other sound and suddenly some feedback guitar can faintly be heard in the background. There is so much depth there. I don't really hear that anymore in their music.

[Czyszy]

And another thing...

I've been listening to old Flower Kings and the difference in the arrangements and mix are noticeable from their more current music. I don't know how to describe it but as one example, "Garden of Dreams" from Flower Power has a lot of layers in the music. When you listen you just hear stuff going on under the stuff that's behind the other sound and suddenly some feedback guitar can faintly be heard in the background. There is so much depth there. I don't really hear that anymore in their music.

I feel like Hasse Fröberg's vocals are wayyyyy overused now. In the early days, his talents would be utilized with restrain and taste, and mostly reserved for the dramatic sections that needed his high register. And to me as a listener, it actually felt rewarding to hear him during the climactic parts. A great narrative strategy tbh. Especially in the more "epic" songs, eg. The Flower King, There is More to This World, Stardust We Are. But from Flower Power and on, Hasse Fröberg's vocal work in TFK would gradually become a more regular thing. Because of that, it lost the emotional impact.


BTW:
*Epic climactic moment in a prog song comes*

Neo-Prog bands: "Let's spam bass pedals, Mellotron choirs and tubular bells!"
The Flower Kings: "Let's have Hasse belt the lead vocals!"

[Plasmatopia]

That's funny because in general on the last couple of albums I felt Roine was doing more singing, not less.

[Czyszy]

That's funny because in general on the last couple of albums I felt Roine was doing more singing, not less.

Yeah. And I feel it's a step towards the right direction. B)

[Plasmatopia]

Yeah. And I feel it's a step towards the right direction. B)

I don't disagree with that. I happen to really like Roine's vocals.

Also I feel that Hasse's voice has aged into something that I like more than I did in his earlier days.

[Progatron]

I feel like Hasse Fröberg's vocals are wayyyyy overused now. In the early days, his talents would be utilized with restrain and taste, and mostly reserved for the dramatic sections that needed his high register. And to me as a listener, it actually felt rewarding to hear him during the climactic parts. A great narrative strategy tbh.

Agreed completely.