"Stardust We Are" is the third studio album (fourth?) from prog-rock great, The Flower Kings. It is also their first double studio album. There is a lot to digest here, but I think if you sit with an open mind, and really get to know the music, I think you'll find plenty to love here. I know I did.
The album kicks off with "In the Eyes of the World", and this was the very first Flower Kings song I heard in full, actually performed by the band. There is so much to love in this song. The instrumentation, and performance are both intriguing, and incredible. There is some fantastic keyboard work, a blistering guitar solo, and the vocals are, to my ears, top notch. If you don't like this song, I'm not thinking you'll like the rest of the album, as it really does set the mood, and feel of this album. And for the next two discs, each song is a constant reminder of how great this band truly is.
"A Room With A View" is a fairly pretty, and brief, instrumental, and leads into "Just This Once", a song that kicks off extremely chaotic, and ends up being a really nice tune, with some crazy twists. This leads the listening into "Church of Your Heart", which may be in my top favorite songs of all time. This song is a melodic, progressive rock beauty. Clocking in at just over nine minutes long, this tune is my favorite song on an album full of great songs. The vocals are just beautiful throughout (with some really fantastic vocal harmonies), and the music sets a mood that makes this nine minute song just fly by.
"Poor Mr. Rain's Ordinary Guitar" is another brief instrumental track, with some pretty acoustic guitar played over a pleasant sounding rain storm. Less brief, but still instrumental, "The Man Who Walked With Kings" is another melodic tune, with some really cool ideas, and sections woven throughout. It's a very pretty song, and one that creates a great vibe.
"Circus Brimstone" is another sort of chaotic tune, with some really cool bass, and guitar work. Once again it's an instrumental (Well, mostly. There's some backwards talking stuff, and a laughing sound that haunts my dreams to this day), and a very good one at that. There are many moods and feels to this one, and it's a lot fun (and an almost sort of King Crimson vibe at about the midway point), before segueing into another brief instrumental, "Crying Clown". At less than a minute, it's just a fun little breather after that last roller coaster. "Compassion" ends the first CD of the album, and it's a very melodic, and moody track, with one hell of a guitar solo. This tune is a great way to set up a sort of breather from the cacophony of the rest of the first part of this album, as you put in the next disc. Just don't change the CD too soon, or you'll miss the weird space battle section. And is it just me, or does it feel a bit... "karn evil"?
Disc two kicks off with the brief "Pipes of Peace", which introduces the melody of the albums epic title-track, on an organ. It's a very peaceful tune. "The End of Innocence" is a mid paced melodic-rocker, with some fantastic guitar work, and Roine's wonderful vocals. "The Merrygoround" picks the pace up quite a bit, and as definitely a nice prog-rocker. Lots of great music, and sounds going on here. It's just a really fun tune. The instrumental section here is a great showcase for all of the instruments, but the drums in particular were pretty great. "Don of the Universe" starts with a short percussive intro, and leads into a fun sort of instrumental with a middle-eastern flair, that also gives a sneak peek of the title-track.
This album sure loves the quick sort of instrumental interludes, and "A Day At the Mall" is another one of them. Not much here. Just a sort of keyboard track, with people talking in the background. One would assume they're at the mall, just before seeing "Different People". This tune is another great, melodic tune. I think it's the vocals that really shine on this track. It's definitely a sing-along. "If28" is another brief instrumental piano interlude, foreshadowing the theme of the title track. "Ghost of the Red Cloud" is a fine, up beat number, with a fantastic bass line, and some really good vocals.
"Hotel Nirvana" is the final instrumental interlude of the album, a short guitar piece, before the epic title-track that closes out this amazing prog-rock rollercoaster ride. The final 25 minutes of the album are devoted to one of the band's biggest, and most known songs, "Stardust We Are". This track has everything that I love about progressive rock: expansive intstrumental sections that aren't afraid to do a bit of exploring, soaring vocal melodies, and a little bit of everything to showcase the talents of each member of this wonderful band. And while I love the entire suite, it's the third part of this track that really shines. In fact, it's even been re-recorded, and used on the band's compilation album. This really is the best way to end an album.
"Stardust We Are" has long been one of my favorite albums from The Flower Kings, and I can't see that changing any time soon. Oh sure, there are those that will think the album is too long, or even certain songs are too long, but I'm not one of them. I love every moment of this album, and will have a huge smile on my face every time I play it. This is top notch stuff, and I love it.
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