SLEEPING IN TRAFFIC - PART TWO

Last year, this album made quite a fuzz among progheads around the world, and there is no question why: a pretty unknown band, even for prog rock standards, released THIS, one of the most fresh and competent progressive rock albums of last year. Upon releasin Sleeping in Traffic: part two, the band recieved more attention and media coverage than ever before and even was invited to participate in the 2009 Progressive Nation tour.

It is really not hard to understand why Sleeping in Traffic: Part Two got so much attention and praise. The band Beardfish made an excelent mix of traditional progressive rock, which has a big deal of mixing and experimentation already all by itself, and other genres, like blues rock, folk and soul/funk. Besides, the album has a considerable deal of humorous mood in some songs, like in South Of The Border, Crashflow and in the 35 minute epic Sleeping in Traffic, due to the lyrics or to the music itself.

So, for having many positive aspects, and for still being relatively unknown (thus avoiding from being mercilessly bashed by purists) this album enjoyed a quite big amount of praising. However, there is one fundamental problem with Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two: the band can't make a very good transition from one musical idea from the other, SPECIALLY in the epic and in South of the Boarder. I mean, instead of working a transition part or a bridge, many times they just change from one musical idea from the other, making the song sound bumpy or rough and (sometimes) even unfinished. It is sure good to have a lot of ideas to develop in an album, so it can be rich and colorful, but it is also essential to work the transitions between them.

All in all, that doesn't mean that the album is bad, just that it could be much better for having a better flow inside the songs and, due to that, a better flow through the album.

Beardfish also shows us with this album that it is not needed to be a virtuoso at playing any instrument to deliver a great progressive rock, specially retro prog. Competent playing is only a way to put out terrific compositions.

Grade and Final Thoughts

Many people usually bash retro prog for sounding a lot like the progressive rock in the 70's, but I really don't care. The only thing the band has to do is to release good music, the style does not matters, and Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two kind of proves it: great songs and many good ideas within them with classic prog composition and instrumentation.

Because of their problem with smoothing their songs, I can't really give them a better grade than 4, so that will be: 4 stars for this great album. I just hope they can make their music more cohere in their next album.

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