FRÅN EN PLATS DU EJ KAN SE

Beardfish was a find and addition here that I was proud to make. I had never heard of the group before seeing them at ProgDay 2006 down in Chapel Hill N.C. Needless to say.. I was highly impressed and the general word was that they sort of stole the show. I met the band after the show, talked to them for a while a bought a couple of their albums. Great guys and love the albums. I had meant to add them.. but of course.. I sat on it for months. Same with reviewing the albums. I finally added them.. so I guess I should review the albums. I'll start with this one.

As a note since I see the latest album has been reviewed several times and this hasn't. This album was recorded as a 5 piece with Stefan Aronsson on organ,moog, and mellotron. He later left the group after the album was released.

The album is of a very high quality musically. The twin guitarists play well together, the rhythm section is very very impressive. Sjöblom has a great voice and Aronsson's organ and melloron gives the music a great deal of texture and colour. The musical is what we generally consider standard eclectic prog here. Fulll of many influences yet not really defined by any particular one. The music is full of tempo and stylistic shifts within the music that always make for an interesting sound. Some quick notes on the music. As a bit of an 70's elitist I tend to cringe when I hear overproduced albums that seem to squeeze the life and energy of those albums. This album thankfully does not sound that way. The guitars are often clean and not laden with too many damn effects, Aronsson stays away from cheesy synth tones (moog withstanding which can be an acquired taste). A groups of great promise, and this was a great introduction for them. A wonderful debut album.

Some of the highlites for me were the mellotron drenched Brother... the wildly energetic and hilariously funny (intended which is a good thing hahah) Poison Ivy and the fulll monty and the closing epic A psychic amplifier.

A great album with many colours and moods.. one of the few modern albums that I actually reach for and put in the player with regularity. A little something for everyone on this album.

4 stars for me and the site. Let's hope we see a third album with that epic they played that left the crowd in Chapel Hill (my self included) speechless. Hopefully will be an album that breaks them amoung the prog crowd.

Michael (aka micky)