Moon Safari (band)

Moon Safari
Moon Safari in May 2009 at Rosfest
Background information
Origin	Skellefteå, Sweden
Genres	Progressive rock
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Blomljud
Website	www.moonsafari.se
Members	Simon Åkesson Petter Sandström Johan Westerlund Pontus Åkesson Sebastian Åkesson Mikael Israelsson
Past members	Anthon Johansson Tobias Lundgren

Moon Safari are a Swedish progressive rock band formed in Skellefteå in 2003. They gained recognition after they recorded a demo tape that caught the attention of keyboardist Tomas Bodin of The Flower Kings. Their genre is predominantly symphonic rock, though their music incorporates many different styles. Common characteristics of their sound include intricate vocal harmonization, acoustic or smoothly electric instrumentals, and pervasive tonal structures in the major and minor modes. On the 11th of July 2017, Simon Åkesson announced he was leaving the group via facebook.

Moon Safari formed in 2003. The first line-up was formed of keyboardist and singer Simon Åkesson, guitarist and singer Petter Sandström, bassist Johan Westerlund, guitarist Anthon Johansson, and drummer Tobias Lundgren, lasting until 2005. They released four studio albums, recorded and mixed by the group and released on their own label, Blomljud Records. Their first, A Doorway to Summer (2005) was produced by Tomas Bodin, the keyboardist of fellow Swedish progressive rock band The Flower Kings. It evokes themes of summer, the sun, and light in general as a comforting and hopeful concept. In their double album Blomljud (2008), Swedish for "Flower Sound", themes of flowers and nature prevail throughout, with science fiction themes also playing a key role.

Lover's End (2010) juxtaposes the story of a painful breakup with themes of nascent love, illustrating and accentuating emotions commonly associated with the stages before, during, and after a romantic relationship. Their EP Lover's End Pt. III: Skellefteå Serenade (2012) functions as a continuation of the breakup story described in Lover's End, with an additional emphasis on the powerful feelings associated with one's hometown. It also develops and reprises themes from the songs Lover's End Pt. I and Lover's End Pt. II.

Their first live album The Gettysburg Address (2012) was recorded at a performance in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and features songs from their first three studio albums. Their fourth studio album, Himlabacken Vol. 1 (2013), Swedish for "Heaven Hill", is about the band's childhoods, growing up, and responsibilities of adulthood.