SLEEPING IN TRAFFIC - PART TWO

Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two, while never reaching outstanding levels of musicianship, is a great album. Anyone who has been keeping up with the modern prog scene has probably heard of Beardfish and their latest release, and for good reason. Beardfish is a band that deserves attention, because they have plenty of ideas and never really get boring.

While the sound is definetely retro-prog, on the entire album there is not one example of simply rehashing the ideas of the classics of the 70s. No doubt about it though, Beardfish clearly has their influences. The boys clearly have been listening to their Gentle Giant, clearly because of the prominence of their organs and keyboards in the mix, and even a vocal run in "Into the Night" is clearly composed with Gentle Giant in mind. Also they are clearly fans of Frank Zappa, made absolutely clear by a sharp wit and nice sense of humor in the album, most evident in the title track and "South of the Border". However, while some see them as wearing their influences on their sleeves, they use clearly old band ideas without sounding derivative or boring.

Anybody talking about the album will no doubt talk about the 35 minute length title track. While lengthy, if listened to in the context of the album, it simply becomes an excellent addition. Of course, it's rather like a ton of ideas stitched ideas, but they are interesting ideas nonetheless. It has an interesting sense of humor in its narrative of a mans dreams of Norwegian pirates and disco clubs (hilarious 70's references to be found in this part).

Overall, this album will be worth your money. The laid back style and the cool licks are very enjoyable, though aren't really outstanding among the prog or even the standard rock world. That being said, Beardfish show that they are great musicians and never fail to lose ideas to make an excellent song.