Musicians are a strange breed and putting several famous names is no guarantee of success; mix those chemicals wrong and they can crackle and explode. However, get that blend right and things bubble and fizz nicely. I’m pleased to report that in the case of Sweden’s The Night Flight Orchestra, it is very much the latter and their seventh full-length album (and first for Napalm Records) finds the band in rude health. Featuring current and former members of such luminaries as Soilwork, Arch Enemy and Mean Streak, Give Us The Moon comprises a (lucky) thirteen tracks that fuse AOR to hard rock in the most spectacular fashion and stands as a career best.
The Night Flight Orchestra have set themselves on an impossible trajectory; their 2012 debut album Internal Affairs placed the bar exceptionally high and since then they’ve been on an upward curve and latest record finds them aiming for the moon (a destination they’ll reach in some style). Those unfamiliar with this Swedish crew (shame on you!) should imagine an alternative reality where ABBA decidedly to play hard rock in the vein of the Doobie Brothers, Journey and Fleetwood Mac. It harks back to an age when the idea of an album (as a collection of strong songs unified into a collective whole) was king and that’s very much the aesthetic Give Us The Moon plays into. While it is perfectly feasible to dip in and out of this album (and any of these thirteen songs could be pulled as a single), it is best experienced as a whole really appreciate it’s ebb and flow as the band take us on an amazing journey that’s characterised by soaring guitars, huge slabs of keyboards and sublime female and male vocals (in short, everything that makes music great).
As the world continues to be plagued by pestilence and conflict, it seems we need the likes of The Night Flight Orchestra now than ever. Like a musical balm sent to heal the world, there’s something so very life affirming about tracks such as ‘Melbourne, May I?’ that are like a caffeine buzz. Like a sugar fix or a rush of adrenaline, the likes of ‘Cosmic Tide’ should be administered as a cure for depression and could do more to lift a mood than anything a doctor could prescribe. Music critics can often be dismissive of bands like The Night Flight Orchestra because their music doesn’t “say” anything and they don’t have a political agenda to push, but those critics are idiots and when it comes to feel good music, The Night Flight Orchestra are in a class of their own.
Here’s your first class ticket to the moon.
- Give Us The Moon is released via Napalm Records on 31st January 2025.
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Track List:
1. Final Call (Intro)
2. Stratus
3. Shooting Velvet
4. Like The Beating Of A Heart
5. Melbourne, May I?
6. Miraculous
7. Paloma
8. Cosmic Tide
9. Give Us The Moon
10. A Paris Point Of View
11. Runaways
12. Way To Spend The Night
13. Stewardess, Empress, Hot Mess (And The Captain Of Pain)
