When this supergroup of virtuosos released their excellent, albeit comparatively conventional, debut album in 2012, many fans felt like they'd been stood up after eagerly awaiting a date with progressive rock genius. With this follow up the band seem determined to make amends, pulling out a collection of mini and major epics that deliver the dinner, dancing and full blown orgy of prog that was anticipated first time out.
Such an evolution will certainly satisfy those who love their music to be the audio equivalent of IMAX; huge in scope, with a dizzying amount of beautifully rendered detail and jaw dropping spectacle. But while there's plenty to like about this record, it's disappointing that 'Second Nature' sounds exactly like you'd be expect it to sound.
On their self-titled bow, Flying Colors played a brand of wonderfully textured, inventive pop songs that recalled the Beatles, Queen, ELO and a whole host of 1970s icons, while at the same time using their technical prowess to add more depth, colour and feeling than most modern pop puppets would manage if they lived a dozen consecutive lifetimes.
It felt like they'd carved out a nice little niche away from their usual work, whereas 'Second Nature', in spite of its ambitious progressive soundscapes, is more familiar and predictable as you immediately hear Neal Morse's solo and Spock's Beard work, and echoes of his Transatlantic efforts with Flying Colors drummer Mike Portnoy.
In fairness, musicians of the calibre of Morse, Portnoy, guitarist Steve Morse and bassist Dave LaRue were never going to rewrite their debut. They've made their names because of their ability to construct imaginative and expansive music that can move the heart as well as stimulate the cerebral hemispheres. Coming in at around 12 minutes apiece, both Open Up Your Eyes and Cosmic Symphony do just that.
The former sounds like Dream Theater if they'd never heard heavy metal, delivering classical piano grace, lightning strike guitar licks, squelching keys and razor sharp tempo changes before any sign of the mellifluous vocals begin. The latter features incredibly funky bass runs from LaRue before gliding through three movements whose different emotional beats subtly rise, fall, twist and turn as they up the dramatic tension.
The record is still built around enjoyable hooks, although where they were uplifting and celebratory last time, here they're more contemplative, sad and searching. On Bombs Away, Lost Without You, The Fury Of My Love and One Love Forever they dispatch melodic, heart wrenching choruses that become more radiant with every spin.
The one element that does bring a slightly different edge to proceedings is Alpha Rev singer Casey McPherson's lead vocals. Pitched somewhere between Matt Bellamy and Jeff Buckley, he gives a contemporary angst to the likes of Mask Machine, a tumbling track of sci-fi paranoia that sounds like Muse delightfully over baking the Doctor Who theme tune. And on the outstanding Peaceful Harbor his angelic vibrato dovetails with Morse's soulful rasp as its tale of sailing through life's storms builds to a crescendo that recalls Pink Floyd's The Great Gig In The Sky.
Overall, 'Second Nature' delivers exactly what fans of this genre crave as it's a majestic slab of melodic prog with a carnival of styles and ideas dancing around like spirited pixies. It's just ironic that, in crafting something broader, it feels like a regressive backward step compared to the revelatory nature of their simpler debut.
Flying Colors Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Mon October 13 2014 - LONDON Islington Assembly Hall
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