Artist: Beardfish Album: Sleeping in Traffic: Part One Label: InsideOut Music America Website: http://www.beardfish.argh.se Reviewer: Bill Knispel

Track List: 01. On The Verge Of Sanity... 02. Sunrise 03. Afternoon Conversation 04. And Never Know 05. Roulette 06. Dark Poet 07. Harmony 08. The Ungodly Slob 09. Year Of The Knife 10. Without You 11. Same Old Song lounging in the sun Sweden’s Beardfish follows up two independently released albums with Sleeping in Traffic: Part One, their debut for progressive rock label InsideOut Music. Drawn from their biography: Beardfish were founded by guitarist David Zackrisson and multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter Rikard Sjöblom back in 2001. Drummer Magnus Östgren and his school friend Robert Hansen, who just happens to be a “hell of a bass player” (Sjöblom), completed the line-up. In 2003 the band released their debut album ‘Från en plats du ej kan se…’ (“About a Place You Can’t See”). They soon began supporting fellow Swedish acts Paatos and Anekdoten on tour. Their live performances built a solid reputation and the band’s debut album sold respectably well. Three years later, the double-album ‘The Sane Day’ was released to excellent reviews both inside and out of their homeland. Stylistically, Beardfish might at first sound as if they are travelling a similar path to many other Swedish progressive bands, with a sound that draws heavily from traditional 1970’s prog bands. Rather than simply being a clone of their influences, Beardfish tosses in a healthy dose of contemporary sounds and instruments, mixed well to create a sound that is fresh and individual while simultaneously hearkening back to the bands that founded the genre. You will hear moments that remind of Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull, and Gentle Giant, as well as moments that are reminiscent of Frank Zappa. At the same time, there’s a modern heavy rock sensibility that is unlike any of those bands, and which helps to keep Beardfish from falling into the same pits and traps so many prog bands find themselves in. Sleeping in Traffic: Part One opens with “...on the verge of sanity,” a brief instrumental interlude played on accordion (or a synth patch that mimics it). It’s odd, off kilter, and entirely fitting for a track with such a title. Lest one think the rest of the album will continue in a similar mode, the dust and cobwebs are blasted off with “Sunrise,” a heavy rocker with loads of keyboards and a feel not unlike classic Swedish progressive rockers Trettioåriga Kriget. Organ and synth lines battle with nicely crunchy electric guitars before giving way to a mellow pastoral section with picked guitars and synth flute; the feel here is not unlike Pink Floyd in some ways. Rikard Sjöblom’s vocals are plaintive and emotional, with a slight roughness that keeps the song from becoming too slick. The band shifts through several musical and rhythmic changes throughout the song, with whispered vocals leading into a section with schizoid stabbing organ chords and a nearly flailing beat. “Afternoon Conversation” offers up more tasty pseudo-1970’s prog, vocals mixed distant and dreamy, with soft percussion and clean electric guitar. “And Never Know” is a heavier, mid-tempo rocker with slashing layers of guitar playing with and against each other and syncopated beats keeping the tune slightly off balance in an interesting and enjoyable manner. David Zackrisson shows quite a bit of flexibility on this track, with rhythm playing that is thick and crunchy, effortless picking and fluid lead playing. Sjöblom’s vocals on this track often elicit comparison to Cedric Bixler-Zavala, effortlessly shifting from lower pitched singing to near-falsetto caterwauls within a single musical phrase. “Roulette” presents a cornucopia of keyboard tones for the aficionado of the instrument, with piano, organ and synth leads all layered over a richly arranged rhythm section, quickly giving way to a gentle ballad section featuring electric piano and vocals. The song slowly builds, as drums and bass are added to the ballad section in a second variation, harmonized vocals and guitar added in at the end of this second iteration. A bridge offers up some serious comparisons to Frank Zappa, with tripped-out vocals over a military beat leading into a more typical (for Beardfish) instrumental break. “Roulette” also offers up the lyrical quote of the album: “I’m not evil I’m just being me.” I could continue on a track by track basis for the rest of the album, but it’d end up being one rave after another; every song offers up several moments that left me pointing to the speakers and saying “I like that.” This reviewer is not one to be swept up in hype very often (ref. Wobbler, La Torre dell’Alchemista), but Sleeping in Traffic: Part One by Beardfish lives up to the expectations that came with the album...and perhaps even exceeds them. Well worth picking up and unconditionally recommended. Band Members: David Zackrisson – guitars Rikard Sjöblom – vocals, multiple instruments Magnus Östgren – drums Robert Hansen – bass guitar