THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA

Give Us The Moon

Napalm
rating icon 8.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. Final Call (Intro)
02. Stratus
03. Shooting Velvet
04. Like The Beating Of A Heart
05. Melbourne, May I?
06. Miraculous
07. Paloma
08. Cosmic Tide
09. 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)


When THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA released their first album, "Internal Affairs", back in 2012, it was fairly obvious that this was a project with legs. Many years and multiple albums later, the demand for joyous, retro hard rock has never been higher. In times of disquiet and distress, this is the band to call. Four years on from "Aeromantic II", frontman Bjorn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) has navigated a difficult route to get to this point. The death of guitarist and chief songwriter David Andersson in 2022 would have stopped most bands in their tracks, but since THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA have always been dedicated to spreading happiness, this was clearly no time to admit defeat and allow the party to fizzle out. Instead, Strid and his comrades forged ahead and kept the glitterball spinning. Firmly in keeping with their previous six albums, "Give Us The Moon" is a joy from start to finish.

It was always remarkable that Strid and Andersson were able to keep churning out platinum-plated bangers at such a consistent rate. The first six NIGHT FLIGHT albums are comically overstocked with great songs, each with a rare ability to be both tongue-in-cheek and entirely sincere. From all-conquering set closer "West Ruth Ave.", from the debut album, to the irrepressibly upbeat "Burn For You" (from "Aeromantic II"),what may first have appeared to be a wry but expertly executed side-project has blossomed into a gift that keeps on giving, and even the loss of a key part of the songwriting team has not blurred the Swedes' crystalline vision.

On album number seven, the formula that has underscored THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's rise to prominence has been given a quick freshen up, but the joyful fundamentals remain. It's such a successful hybrid that old comparisons have faded away, leaving just the reassuring sound of the 21st century's most vital pop-rock practitioners. It's rock, it's pop, it's glossy AOR, it's shiny arena prog, and it's disco, all at the same time, and wearing a sequined satin tour jacket. There are songs like opener "Stratus", which rattles through several subgenres in five excitable minutes, while Strid hits the first of several eye-watering high notes, and gleaming, made-for-radio hooks pile up at an alarming rate; and "Miraculous": a gorgeous encapsulation of the entire NIGHT FLIGHT experience, wherein the sweetest of '80s rock melodies collides with an artful, finely detailed arrangement, and a precocious refrain. Awash with shimmering synths and theatrical dynamics, it is a thing of beauty. The only thing that outstrips it is the avowedly progged-out "Stewardess, Empress, Hot Mess (And The Captain Of Pain)". An epic by this band's standards, it has the ambition of Jim Steinman, the pop sensibilities of JOURNEY and a light sprinkling of Todd Rundgren's oddball futurism. In fact, it goes some way beyond what most people might expect from a band known for evoking the big rock hits of the '70s and '80s. For all their nostalgic self-awareness, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA are still evolving too.

As ever, there are near-magical pop-rock anthems in plentiful supply. "Shooting Velvet" is going to keep the percussionist busy when it becomes a staple in the band's live sets, but even ignoring the frantic bongo-bashing, it has a chorus of ABBA-like vastness and would have ruled the world 50 years ago. "Melbourne, May I?" hinges on a knowingly classic riff and a drivetime radio rock pulse, and delivers its melodic payoff with such energy that resistance will be useless. Meanwhile, "A Paris Point Of View" provides THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA with another cherished moment of disco-fied indulgence, and may be their finest such dalliance yet. Even easier to love, "Way To Spend The Night" harnesses the infectious, dancefloor shuffle of BLONDIE's "Call Me" and builds an even more uplifting and upbeat song around it. Not for the first or last time, Strid is having a fabulous time. Being in THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA sounds like fun. Long may it continue.

Author: Dom Lawson
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email