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██▌ Artist...: Beardfish ░▐██▌
░▐██ Album....: Songs for Beating Hearts ░██▌░
▓▐██ Year.....: 2024 ▓▐██▓
▓▐██ Rel. Date: 2024-12-22 ░▐██▓
▐██ Genre....: Progressive Rock ██▌░
░ ██▌ Label....: Inside Out Music / Sony Music ██▌
▐██ Source...: CD ▐██
░▐██▌ Type.....: Retail ▐██▌░
▓▄████ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ████▌░
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1. Ecotone 4:30
2. Out in the Open - Overture 2:23
3. Out in the Open - Oblivion 5:44
4. Out in the Open - Hopes and Dreams 4:23
5. Out in the Open - Oblivion (Reprise) 4:32
6. Out in the Open - Around the Bend 3:30
7. Beating Hearts 11:01
8. In the Autumn 5:58
9. Ecotone (Reprise) 0:43
10. Torrential Downpour 8:29
11. Ecotone - Norrsken 1982 (Bonus Track) 6:13
57:26
ItÆs strange to reflect on more than a decade of servitude at AMG.com.
ItÆs even stranger to think thereÆs only been one Beardish record in
that time, considering that the decade before saw six of them. 2015Æs
+4626-Comfortzone may not have been the best progressive rock release in
the last 10 years but itÆs supremely enjoyable, if somewhat off-beat and
irreverent. The close of 2024 sees the overdue renewal and return of the
Swedish band, showing signs of a more mature outfit than we saw
previously. Songs for Beatings Hearts is a warm reminder of one of the
genreÆs unsung heroes and the power of dissolution and then reformation.
ItÆs hard to review Beating Hearts without considering the multi-part
ôOut in the Openö suite that occupies most of side A. Take ôPart II
(Oblivion)ö. On first listen itÆs jaunty, easy-listening rock, but
repetition yields surprising details and many instrumental layers. It
sounds like music created on a slant given the bandÆs off-kilter
approach. Beardfish make something that sounds simple but they do so in
a complex way, thus rewarding repeated listens. Though few instruments
used deviate from rock norms, theyÆre fused into a deep, textured
Goldilocks zone between progressive rock, folk music, and blues. The
band harmonizes distinct û and distinctly Southern-friend û grooves,
acoustic pastoral edges, and expansive songwriting. There are shades of
bands I know well, like Yes and King Crimson, but also shades of blues
and folk bands with which IÆm less familiar. All this is capped with
Rikard SjoblomÆs croons. TheyÆre pretty unique and immediately situate
you in a Beardfish record with a warmth and expressiveness that fits the
off-beat music.
Beardfish are also masters of mood; their music conveys emotion and feel
so effectively. Just look to ôOut in the Open: Part III (Hopes and
Dreams)ö and ôPart IV (Oblivion Reprise).ö The former represents a stark
contrast to the preceding three tracks, using a sedate acoustic melody
and colder vocals to strike a delicate but beautiful tone. The tracks
wind slowly and carefully towards an apex that flowers into something
warmer. Meanwhile ôPart IVö returns to a jaunty bounce that has become
the bandÆs signature sound. The jazzy bass, bluesy grooves, and layered
vocals convey a sense of joy. This type of emotive shift is common
across Beating Hearts, from poignant pianos on ôPart I (Overture)ö to
grand synths on ôPart V (Around the Bend).ö It takes you on an engaging,
unpredictable journey through the albumÆs 51 minutes, situating the
listener in the bandÆs world. While the sophisticated compositions
engage my brain, itÆs the emotive control that engages my soul.
Taking ôOut in the Openö in its entirety, itÆs a long and varied
journey. Breaking these 20 minutes into digestible chunks was smart
because without doing so, it could have felt like too much. But outside
of this multi-part opus, the other longer tracks (like ôBeating Heartsö
and ôTorrential Downpourö) can feel scattershot and meandering, good
though the music is. Fortunately, among this variety and length, there
are numerous tidy riffs to provide the requisite hooks to distinguish
and elevate each song. The bluesy lick played against the descending
ôLove can cure the beating heartö line on the title track is great, as
is the hard rocking riff closing the album. But the best of the bunch
has to be the lead on ôIn the Autumnö. ItÆs technical but soulful;
intricate but emotive. But while the guitars are stronger than ever
here, I find a relative lack of vocal hooks compared with Comfortzone to
be a weakness. There are a few subtle earworms but itÆs tougher to
recall the choruses where the songs donÆt prioritize the vocals as the
melodic focal point.
IÆve struggled with scoring Beating Hearts. It feels like a strong 3.5
now but itÆs grown from a 3.0 and might yet grow further to 4.0. ItÆs
generally less focused and less hooky than Comfortzone, but it casts a
powerful spell and will suck you in more over time. And while you donÆt
always look to a genre like prog rock for stellar riffs, this album is
full of them. Beardfish have made the most of their revival, and I
eagerly anticipate what more they can conjure.
---
God's gift to Big Big Train and Beardfish founder, Rikard Sjoblom,
returns from his self-imposed exile upon British soil. In 2015 he
abandoned his home country and Beardfish mates to join the British prog
masters, immediately elevating them to one of the planet's finest
crafters of traditional progressive rock. Something has prompted him to
resuscitate his old band. Prog World should stand up and give him a
standing ovation!
1. "Ecotone" (4:30) sounding a lot like a Guy Manning song, the calm,
pastoral sound palette and musical arrangement over the first 90 seconds
is unexpected, but then tensions start to mount with bass and female
vocals (the latter courtesy Amanda Ortenhag) but the band stays the
original course: continuing to propel this remarkably-Guy Manning-like
song forward. There are several creative/interesting tangents along the
way showing compositional maturity but ultimately this is nothing
earth-shattering. (8.875/10) 2. "Out in the Open" (20:33) now this is
the Beardfish we've come to know and expect: demanding instrumental
performances of sophisticated time- and thematic-shifting When Rikard's
singing joins the music, it reconfirms the fact that Rikard's less-than
usually-processed voice has aged. Still, this is the kind of
widely-dynamic, shape- and mood- shifting prog that Prog World needs and
expects from one of its 21st Century leaders. Though I like and
appreciate the more complex and angular sections of music, I'm surprised
at how much I like the softer, more pastoral TFK-like passages (like in
Part 3). The quality is top notch but the spirit (the conveyance of joy
and enthusiasm) is a bit lacking-- as if parts are a bit forced (as if
by expectations, outside and inside) or serving to check off certain
boxes. Above all, however, it just feels good to have a band of such
competent musicians and composers back offering true prog to the world.
(36.5/40)
3. "Beating Hearts" (11:01) opening with a 38-second overture from a
string quartet, the heavy rock version ensues thereafter, with
heavily-distorted "old Rock" instruments on every wing. At 1:48 a turn
in direction unveils an acoustic palette for the following vocal
passage. Electric guitar is very present. In the fourth minute the
string quartet rejoins in support of the current motif. Interesting!
Manning and Nektar-ish at the same time. As other reviewers have pointed
out, the changes in motifs on this song are quick and sometimes
startling, never expected--they come so fast! And each motif seems quite
stark in its difference from the previous one(s). Definitely an
interesting epic. Bass player Robert Hansen is rock solid throughout
while guitarist David Zackrisson has some real moments of incandescence.
Heck! Rikard's emotional power vocals even shine! I do, however, like
best the way in which the string quartet was/is woven into the mix,
sometimes on their own, sometimes woven into the mix with all of the
folk rock or heavy rock stuff. (17.75/20)
4. "In the Autumn" (5:58) a powerful song that has a distinctive
Southern Rock feel to it (not unlike those of The ALLMAN BROTHERS and
Jared Leach's GHOST DISCIPLINE) with an uber-talented Sarah
Hoefer-sound-alike Amanda Ortenhag stepping up to the front in a
commanding performance. Other than the vocal and guitar displays, this
is not that great of a song. (8.75/10)
5. "Ecotone (Reprise)" (0:43) reverb-drenched keyboard interlude. What
for? (4/5)
6. "Torrential Downpour" (8:29) more Southern Rock, this time a little
heavier. The music is less sophisticated, less dense and intricate than
the Beardfish music of old. While listening to this, I hear BON JOVI,
IRON MAIDEN, YES, NEKTAR, and many others. (17.625/20)
7. "Ecotone - Norrsken 1982 Edition" (Bonus Track) (6:13) a re-mastered
version of the original Ecotone from way back in 1982.
Having listened to the album through and realized how the opening song
was actually a remake of one of Rikard/the band's oldest songs (from
1982), I can well imagine that the making of this album was spattered
with many such trips down memory lane.
---
Man it's been a hot minute since I reviewed a Beardfish album. How long
has it been, 2 years? Quite a bit, huh? Anyhow, since they decided to
miraculously come back after what we all thought was their finale of
+4626- Comfortzone, They managed to wriggle back up 9 years later with
the very orange, but very great Song for Beating Hearts.
After a 9 year exile, you'd think the band would lose its touch from its
golden days of Sleeping in Traffic, or Destined Solitaire, but I find
Songs for Beating Hearts to be an incredibly well made comeback record,
probably one of the best of this year. They still carry that same quirky
retro prog stylings that remind one of the 70s prog sound, but still
with that modern kick that makes them sound as fresh as a ripe pear. In
fact, I'd say they improved more, at least in direction with their music
on here. While I do love it when they get all goofy and try some new
stuff, an album this consistent, yet still with tracks that certainly do
feel distinct from one another, is quite the blessing for me...
...As well as a curse. It can be quite a double edged sword, since while
I do really love this constant symphonic prog style they provide on this
album, I do admit I very much miss when they changed things up on
occasion. I really do wish there was a track like Cashflow, or Turn to
Gravel, or even Daughter / Whore on here, you know something that kinda
detracts away from the constant beats of symphonic prog music. They
kinda remedy this with Torrential Downpour, but even then I feel like it
being the final track kinda doesn't do much for me, though I still
really like that song.
I'll also say this album is weirdly stark of any comedy, heck even more
than on Mammoth, but unlike Mammoth I think it does give a benefit to
this album. It feels like the band really grew up, in a way, where
instead of hiding melancholy under a visage of Zappa-like comedy, they
really put their beating hearts on their sleeves, making a purebred,
serious album. While the funniness of their previous albums will be
missed, I am not discontent with them continuing this direction.
Oh yeah, this album also has a really amazing epic. In fact this album's
track listing is just really good. Sure I kinda wish Torrential Downpour
was more placed in the middle rather than at the end, but other than
that this record has a pretty amazing number of scores to go through.
From the grand 20 minute epic of Out in the Open, to the soft and folksy
In The Autumn, to even the more neo-progesque bonus track of Ecotone -
Norrsken 1982, this record does manage to just have some really good
tracks, with really no bad stuff, aside from Ecotone (Reprise), but
that's really only because it's basically 40 seconds so you aren't
missing out on much.
Overall, while Songs for Beating Hearts may not be a true return to form
for Beardfish, it does a lot of things right to make up for it in my
opinion. Definitely a recommendation from me, especially if you had
already been a fan of Beardfish for a while now. Out of every comeback
album of this year, this is certainly one that's on top.
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