Moon Safari - The Gettysburg Address - 2012
“... Recorded Live at the Rites of Spring Festival (ROSfest) ...”
intro
Moon Safari is a young and unique band from Sweden. Their trademark is cheerful prog with polyphonic (multiple voices) vocals. This is unique in the world of progressive rock. So far the band released three studio albums; “A Doorway to Summer” (2005), “Blomljud” (2008) and “Lover’s End” (2010). After releasing their brilliant “Lover’s End” album, the band was invited back to perform on the ROSfest festival. This double album is recorded live at the Rites of Spring Festival, the Majestic Theater, Gettysburg, PA on May 20, 2011.
line-up
Tobias Lundgren - drums, percussion and vocals; Petter Sandström - acoustic guitar and vocals; Johan Westerland - bass guitar and vocals; Pontus Åkesson - electric guitar and vocals; Sebastian Åkesson - organ, Mellotron, percussion and vocals; Simon Åkesson - lead synthesizers, grand piano, organ, Mellotron and vocals
review
The album opens with “Moonwalk” a great ten-minute instrumental opener full of strong and beautiful melodies. These guys compose the most beautiful melodies and the overall sound of the band is cheerful. The band radiates so much positive energy that it makes you happy. This double album includes a nice overview of the music you can find on those three mentioned studio albums. If you don’t know the band this is a perfect start to discover this unique band. Besides “Moonwalk” you can find the following composition on this album; “Lover’s End Part 1”, “A Kid Called Panic”, “Yasgur’s Farm”, “The World’s Best Dreamers”, “Dance Across The Ocean”, “Heartland”, “New York City Summer Girl” and “Other Half Of The Sky”. In the instrumental parts of the compositions you can hear beautiful Mellotron flutes, piano, organ, melodic electric guitar and delicate acoustic guitar parts. The combination with the cheerful polyphonic vocals is unique in progressive rock. The melodies of the vocal refrains and harmonies are amazing. Just listen to the audio sample which is included in this review ... and you know what I mean. The big question after hearing their great studio albums was ... can the band perform those compositions in a live setting ... well they can, they will blow you away with their music. In a live setting the music has even more power and impact then on those studio albums.
conclusion
It is a joyful experience to listen to this live album. The band radiates so much positive energy that it makes you happy. The guys have a good sense of humor and there was a nice interaction with the audience on this remarkable evening. This double album includes a nice overview of the music you can find on those three mentioned studio albums. In a live setting the music has even more power and impact then on those studio albums. If you don’t know the band this is a perfect start to discover this unique band. Personally I think this is one of the best live albums I have heard the last couple of years. Can’t wait to see the guys of Moon Safari performing again on a Dutch stage.