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MOON SAFARI are another Swedish band arriving on the
scene with their debut, A DOORWAY TO SUMMER. That is an apt
title for this disc, as the music contained here is pretty
much 'summery' and positive, avoiding the usual darkness and
despair of a lot of other prog bands. Because of that, there
may be a slight shortage of dramtic moments or irony, but
to be honest those are not entirely needed.Moon Safari have
a decent enough instrumental presence here to satisfy anyone
up for more vintage keyboards, mellotrons and analogue synths.
Those mini-moog sounds scream 70's. In general, Safari have
a positive Yes or Flower Kings vibe- not suprisingly, as Flower
King Thomas Bodin had involvement in the production. ***
Though the lead vocals aren't anything spellbinding, there
are strong harmonies which almost hint at Beach Boys, while
the guitars contained here seem mostly acoustic which brings
to mind Steve Howe at his least country-ish. There are electric
leads as well, but for some reason the acoustic stands out.
As mentioned, Moon Safari have a pleasant, somewhat 'prog-lite'
sound which is often cozy and summery, with a sunny 70's retro
sound. Any fan of YES or especially FLOWER KINGS will find
something similar to like here.***
trax include: DOORWAY: first track displays that aforementioned
summery dreaminess with a hint of Neo. You can hear large
beams of sunlight beam down from the sky in the instrumental
sections here in the Yes(Steve Howe)-like acoustic bits and
vintage keys- an even some harmonica thrown in for good measure.***
DANCE ACROSS THE OCEAN: plenty of mini-moog of the 70's
STYX or Rick Wakeman variety with some good harmonies which
recall Yes or Flower Kings. This is one of the more up-tempo
bits.***
A SUN OF YOUR OWN: expressive piano intro leads into a
mid-tempo song structure and eventual instrumental development.***
WE SPIN THE WORLD: this one is the albums 'epic' track,
clocking in at 25 minutes long. Here, the Safai brings back
some of the dreaminess of the first track, but also intills
a little more bite as well. I would even say there are some
Beatles moments thrown in(George singing). The 'Beatles'-like
theme returns later halfway through, even more Abbey Roadish,
while the vocal harmonies in one section are total Beach Boys.
Of course you get your Moraz-like keyboards as well. Some
hammond moments are as close to sounding 'gritty' or ELP as
they get here, though the drums are close to 70's-era Alan
White.This is the obligatory 'side-long' epic, and fulfills
that obligation nicely.***
BEYOND THE DOOR: the album closer kind of reiterates
the album as a whole, with similar or reprised themes and
instrumentation. This works the best out of the whole disc
as a track in its own right without the rest of the album,
as a good song.***
Moon Safari is a new addition to the vast ocean of Swedish
prog out there for sampling, and a welcome break from the
doomier bands if you're in the mood for some nice, sunny prog
rock with a more positive and melodic outlook.***
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