Sure there will be the inevitable Toto, Night Ranger, and 38 Special references but diving into Aeromantic II is much more akin to experiencing Genesis’ earlier days with Phil Collins behind the mic (“Domino” Prog stuff especially…or Peter Gabriel’s earlier solo works if we’re on that Genesis line). Regardless of comparisons, with Aeromantic II The Night Flight Orchestra truly orchestrate a record that sounds like nothing being done in the modern music scene. It’s lovely and lively, electric, eccentric, and eclectic!
“Violent Indigo” is soaked in Dazed And Confused-like nostalgia for a massive keys-driven anthem that just stomps. It’s that proverbial show opener that works the crowd into a frenzy or, if you’re listening to the record at home, causes an uncontrollable furor of what’s to come. It’s equal parts Björn Strid’s passionate pipes leading into a powerful chorus backed by vocalists Anna-Mia Bonde and Anna Brygård, Jonas Källsbäck’s drumming skills and fills, and those aforementioned keys by John Lönnmayr. But in the end, like the rest of Aeromantic II, it’s the collective might of The Night Flight Orchestra as a whole that make everything about their latest album so mighty and magical.
“Midnight Marvelous”, like so many on Aeromantic II, sounds oh so familiar but oh so fresh due to the general feel the band creates with Strid’s voice acting as a guiding light on each track here. “How Long” is straight out of the ’80’s with a frantic synth line behind the wheel for the majority of this fast-paced anthemic number while “Burn For Me” is like amped up modern day Hall & Oates or J. Geils Band with some rollicking riffs courtesy of David Andersson and Sebastian Forslund as Sharlee D’Angelo’s bouncin’ bass keeps it all steady.
“Chardonnay Nights” is like the second coming of Scissor Sisters if they made music in a galaxy far, far away and “Amber Through A Window” is wistful and mystical and almost like soaring on a rainbow (“The Night Begins To Shine” comes to mind for all you Teen Titans Go! fans out there). Down the Aeromantic II road listeners get the glistening anthem “You Belong To The Night”, “White Jeans” introduces a “Barracuda” meets “Stand Back” danceable rawker that’s one helluva earworm, and then “Reach Out” closes the curtain on the latest from The Night Flight Orchestra with a grandiose rawker that’s every bit as epic and memorable as what preceded it.
Aeromantic II arrives on August 27th through Nuclear Blast Records. Pre-orders are available now and can be checked out when you click here or here. For the latest on The Night Flight Orchestra, follow them across the information superhighway by heading here, here, or here.