Artist: THE FLOWER KINGS
Album: PARADOX HOTEL REISSUE (2CD)

Year: 2006/ 2022
EAN/UPS: 0196587794026
Media type: CD

Since the mid Nineties, Roine Stolt and his Flower Kings, have maintained a prolific output on a regular basis packing as much music as possible onto each disc and sometimes expanding onto a double album. Each year sees at least one Flower Kings release, plus an array of solo albums and side-projects. One has to ask how can one man produce so much music? After 2004's "Adam & Eve", comes the new Flower Kings studio album "Paradox Hotel", and once again the band have produced another double album packed with prog!

"This album is not as focussed on detail, it has raw edges and isn't based so much on complex themes as is usually the case" says Stolt. "We painted with a thicker brush, so to speak. However, the melody side is still very strong, and the whole thing sounds much more dynamic than we have been in the past". Furthermore, keyboardist Tomas Bodin and bassist Jonas Reingold were more involved in the songwriting process than in the past, and even Hasse Froberg has composed one song.

Thematically, the record deals with the curiosity of existence, and the "Paradox Hotel" is a reference to people's life on Earth. "We are only guests here; we can't take much with us. We check in, we use the hotel bar, pay the bill - you get nothing for free - and then leave again sometime", Stolt explains the concept. "We live for a while, without having any real idea of our purpose.

The artwork for the new album was created by Andres Valles, an Argentinian friend of the band. The world's duality can once again be found in the music, with tracks such as "Minor Giant Steps" (complex arrangements in the spirit of Yes or King Crimson), or "The Unorthodox Dancing Lesson" (a Zappa-esque rhythm monster with its 13/8 timing). Blues rockers such as "Pioneers Of Aviation" feature a multitude of percussion and enthusiastic solos while other numbers showcase real Wurlitzer piano, flutes and a female choir. One such track, "Jealousy" is an ironic look at the devil envying the suffering of human beings.

TRACKLIST:

Room 111 (CD 1):
1.Check In (Bodin) 1:37
2.Monsters & Men (Stolt) 21:21
3.Jealousy (Stolt) 3:22
4.Hit Me With A Hit (Stolt) 5:32
5.Pioneers Of Aviation (Stolt) 7:49
6.Lucy Had A Dream (Bodin/Stolt) 5:28
7.Bavarian Skies (Bodin/Stolt) 6:34
8.Selfconsuming Fire (Stolt) 5:49
9.Mommy Leave The Light On (Stolt) 4:38
9.End On A High Note (Stolt) 10:43

Room 222 (CD 2):
1.Minor Giant Steps (Stolt) 12:12
2.Touch My Heaven (Bodin) 6:08
3.The Unorthodox Dancinglesson (Stolt) 5:24
4.Man Of The World ( Reingold/Stolt/Bodin) 5:55
5.Life Will Kill You (Froberg) 7:03
6.The Way The Waters Are Moving (Bodin/Stolt) 3:12
7.What If God Is Alone (Reingold/Stolt/Froberg) 6:58
8.Paradox Hotel (Stolt/Bodin) 6:29
9.Blue Planet (Stolt) 9:42

LINE-UP:

Roine Stolt: guitars,vocal
Tomas Bodin:keyboards,backing vocal
Hans Froberg: vocal,guitar
Jonas Reingold:Bass,acoustic guitar,vocal
Marcus Liliequist:drums,percussion,backing vocal
Hasse Bruniusson:Marimba & assorted percussion