Blomljud

Infobox Album
Name = [Blomljud]
Type = Studio
Longtype =
Artist = Moon Safari


Cover size = 200
Caption = Front cover to [Blomljud] created by Petter Sandström
Released = 2008
Recorded = February-September 2008
Genre = Progressive rock
Length = 103:52
Language =
Label = Blomljud Records
Director =
Producer = Moon Safari
Reviews =
Compiler =
Chronology =
Last album = "A Doorway to Summer" (2005)
This album = " [Blomljud] " (2008)
Next album =
Misc =

" [Blomljud] " is the second album release from the swedish progressive rock band Moon Safari. It is the bands first double album containing 11 songs of various length. It was released in 2008, three years after their debut album, "A Doorway to Summer". It was released on the independent label, Blomljud Records.

Blomljud is swedish and means "sound of flowers", although the lyrics on the album are all in English. The flowers are a recurring theme throughout the whole album.

Composition

Unlike on "A Doorway to Summer", where all words and music were credited to the whole band as a whole, the booklet to " [Blomljud] " gives credit to separate band members for each song, revealing Petter Sandström and Simon Åkesson as the principal song writers.

Music

Most of the music on the album is credited to Sandström and Åkesson, either by themselves or together. Johan Westerlund is credited as writing the music for "Bluebells", and former guitarist, Anthon Johansson, shares writing credits for "Yasgur's Farm".

Themes and motives

There are a few musical themes and lead motives that can be heard with different lyrics and some musical variations in different songs, making the album more of a single piece of music rather than eleven separate songs.

Choirs

One thing that typifies Moon Safari's music is the choir arrangements made by Åkesson. These arrangements often include four voices or more (note that all five members receive vocal credit).

Time signatures

Like many other progressive rock acts, Moon Safari's songs often use odd changes and values of time signature. The following are some examples found on this album:
*Most parts of "Bluebells" are in 5/8
*"Yasgur's Farm" includes segments of both 7/4 and 7/8 rounded with 4/4
*"Written in the Stars" ends with an instrumental section that switches between 5/4, 6/4 and 7/4
*At the end of "Child Inside the Man", there is another instrumental section in the very unusual 11/8 that may lead to comparisons to Apocalypse In 9/8 by Genesis
*"After All" begins with a simple 4/4 but with one bar shortened to 3/4 which creates a section of 8 bars with a total of 31 beats.

Track listing

[ Ka-on I ] – Disc 1

#Constant Bloom (1:27) - Music & Arrangement by: S Åkesson, Lyrics by: Westerlund
#Methuselah's Children (15:43) - Music by: Sandström/S Åkesson, Lyrics by: Sandström
#In The Countryside (5:43) - Music & Lyrics by: Sandström
#Moonwalk (8:49) - Music by: Sandström/ S Åkesson
#Bluebells (10:11) - Music & Lyrics by: Westerlund
#The Ghost of Flowers Past (9:46) - Music by: S Åkesson, Lyrics by: Westerlund/Sandström

[ Ka-on II ] "' – Disc 2

#Yasgur's Farm (8:06) - Music by: Johansson/Sandström/Åkesson, "'Lyrics by: Sandström
#Lady of the Woodlands (3:37) Music by: Sandström/S Åkesson, Lyrics by: Sandström
#A Tale of Three and Tree (03:28) Music by: S Åkesson, Lyrics by: Westerlund/Sandström
#Other Half of the Sky (31:44) Music & Lyrics by: Sandström
##Written in the Stars (6:28)
##The Meaning of Success (7:51)
##Child Inside the Man (10:13)
##After All (7:12)
#To Sail Beyond the Sunset (5:18) Music by: S Åkesson, Lyrics by: Sandström/Westerlund

Personnel

*Simon Åkesson – Lead and backing vocals, piano, moogs, mellotrons, hammond organ, piano accordion, SFX, choir arrangements
*Petter Sandström – Lead and backing vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, occasional electric guitar, SFX
*Pontus Åkesson – Electric guitars, 6 & 12-string guitars, mandolin, backing vocals
*Johan Westerlund – Bass, lead vocals
*Tobias Lundgren – Drums, percussion, backing vocals

Guest musicians

*Anthon Johansson (Founding member) – Electric guitar on "Yasgur's Farm"
*Anders Pettersson – Pedal steel guitar
*Andreas Persson – Percussion
*Måns Axelsson-Ljung – Violin, fiddles
*Mona Falk – Cello on "A Tale of Three and Tree"