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micky
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Topic: 4th Round Moderns: Sleeping in Traffic v. Vemod Posted: August 29 2015 at 08:46 |
Next up... a battle of two greats! In previous rounds we did song samples, great PA's reviews, with this
round I wanted to do something a different. So I went outside PA's..
what do people outside of this site say about these albums. first up... Sleeping in Traffic Part 2 by Beardfish
One
year on from the release of their first album for InsideOut Music,
Beardfish fulfills the promise made via the title of that release (Sleeping in Traffic Part One)
with the second half of their lengthy concept piece. Supposedly
telling the tale of a day in one man’s life, from dawn to dusk (Part
One), and then Dusk to the next day’s dawn (Part Two), the albums are an
impressive introduction to this Swedish progressive rock band that is
both unabashedly rooted in the sounds and textures of the 1970’s, and
reaches beyond them to create a style that is solidly modern and
contemporary.
Where many bands simply ape the styles of the first generation prog
bands, Beardfish uses these as points from which to leap off into the
unknown, following their muse wherever it leads them. Their
compositions are solidly impressive, shifting moods and styles as
necessary for the song. The band as a whole plays impressively as a
combo; where many bands often seem little more than a foundation
intended to showcase a single player, Beardfish exists as an almost
organic entity complete in itself. While Rikard Sjöblom is the leader
and brain behind the group, his playing, writing and singing is but one
part of the whole that is Beardfish. Robert Hansen’s bass playing, David
Zackrisson’s organ and guitar work, and Magnus Östgren’s varied and
tasteful drumming are all equally important in creating the Beardfish
sound. Their chemistry is as important as the songs they are playing.
Sleeping in Traffic Part Two is a worthy follow-up to
their 2007 release, a worthy addition to the band’s slowly growing
curriculum vitae, and most likely an easy and early addition to any prog
fan’s 2008 top ten albums list.
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Track by Track Review
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As the Sun Sets Sleeping in Traffic Part Two
opens with a brief musical interlude, setting the stage as the 2 album
story shifts from dusk to night. Reminiscent of some of the
percussive/gamelan experiments the "double duo" King Crimson line-up
released during the lead up to their 2003 album The Power to Believe,
this short instrumental eases the listener back into the album after a
nearly one year wait with a pleasant, almost ethnic feel. |
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Into The Night The
album proper begins with this jaunty composition evoking comparison to
Gentle Giant, perhaps at their more accessible. A pulsing bass note and
organ lead into the first vocal section, with Rikard Sjöblom’s vocals
pitched high, continuing the Gentle Giant comparisons. There’s plenty
of great organ playing and guitar work to be had on this track, a full
blown pastiche of everything that made 70’s prog the unique auditory
experience it was. |
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The Hunter A
great bass line (courtesy of Robert Hansen) is the focal point in the
opening moments of this piece, with slightly chiming guitar notes
ringing out overtop. A lengthy instrumental opener would seem to offer
plenty of opportunity for individual pyrotechnics, yet the band plays on
with admirable restraint, hitting a groove and riding it for all it’s
worth. Sjöblom’s vocals are more soulful here, while David Zackrisson’s
organ playing is thick, meaty and incredibly pleasing to the ear, with
his solo around the 4:30 mark meriting special note. |
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South of the Border Beardfish
is often noted as having a style that allows for comparison to Frank
Zappa. Nowhere is this more evident than on “South of the Border,” a
song that could have easily been an outtake from an album such as Apostrophe or Overnite Sensation.
A strange and twisted tale of Garth, the typical gigolo picking up
girls at the local dive, only to find out that his latest conquest is in
fact a man (after the fact), I am constantly struck by how Zappaesque
this piece is. I’d even say that Sjöblom starts sounding a touch like
Ray White (he of the incredibly bluesy, soulful vocals which sell “The
Illinois Enema Bandit” as a serious song). Twisted, almost (but not
quite) descending to the depths of scatological potty humour which sadly
seems to be what most remember Frank Zappa for, “South of the border”
may seem out of place here, but as a possible dream within the story, it
pretty much works. |
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Cashflow “Cashflow”
leads out of “South of the Border” almost seamlessly, with a bit of
ambience and audio verite mixing with an almost carnival-esque rhythm
and organ playing, creating a feel that is both playful and disturbing.
A much lengthier instrumental, Beardfish as a group really shines here,
showing the tight interplay and restraint (while allowing for each
player to have moments to shine) which many modern prog bands simply
fall short on. |
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The Downward Spiral/Chimay Chirping
sounds, gliss/slide guitar, and a rolling, warm bass line lead into
this composition. Sjöblom’s vocals are higher in pitch, almost fragile,
with the band continuing to groove along in full-blown early 1970’s
mode. It’d seem typical to compliment a drummer for showing off on a
heavier piece, but special note must be made of Magnus Östgren’s playing
on this piece.. It’s far more difficult to handle things on a quieter
piece yet still show off a signature style. His playing is wonderfully
light in touch, driving the track without bludgeoning everything in his
path. A jaunty acoustic section about 3:30 in on the track offers the
band a chance to showcase some of the elements that made up a larger
part of SIT Part One....hand percussion and harmonized acoustic
guitars playfully offset each other, providing a nice contrast from the
more electric sections around it. |
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Sleeping in Traffic Beardfish
saves the best for (almost) last on the album’s title track, a 30-plus
minute epic that feels less like a single monolithic composition and
more like a series of vignettes that flow seamlessly into each other.
Debuted in North America at their performance at Progday in 2006, the
piece has evolved somewhat since then, yet several of the notable set
pieces, including a departure to a biker bar where the Bee Gee’s
“Staying Alive” is being played (complete with faux-disco vamp and
falsetto vocals), this piece blows by so fast that the listener may be
shocked to see the counter on their CD player reading 30:00.
There’s more variety than one might think imaginable on this piece, the
band shifting from full on symphonic mode to stripped back grooving and
funking, often within moments of each other. The vaguely country-esque
vamp at 1:45 is one highlight, as is the almost Spanish sounding theme
that comes in almost 2 minutes later (and which will be revisited near
the end of the piece with full-blown synth horn backing, completing the
Spanish/Mexican allusion). Sjöblom’s singing is as varied as ever, and
Magnus Östgren really has his work cut out for him as he is forced to
power the band through an embarrassment of musical riches that’d make
King Solomon blush. |
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Sunrise Again Following
on from the epic title track, “Sunrise Again” is another brief
instrumental interlude easing the listener back toward the light of
day. The album (and 2-CD concept piece) ends with the cycle about to
repeat with the rising of the sun. This piece is, to my ears, a bit
more Beardfish and not as heavily influenced as the opening instrumental
“As the Sun Sets,” and makes for a gentle and appropriate album closer. |
and against that we have.. Vemod by Anekdoten
There's nothing like listening to a
"progressive" rock album that sounds exactly like an album that was
released twenty years before it, eh? In Anekdoten's debut album, Vemod, there's really no mistaking the heavy influence from King Crimson's Red. While comparing albums like this usually is a bit off-the-mark, this pretty much fits Vemod
like a somewhat large glove. Okay, I might paint Anekdoten in a bit of
an unfair light here, as this isn't a pure clone, but everything from
the distorted bass-riffs to the Fripp-sounding guitar solos and the
not-that-great-but-charming-tone vocalists certainly bring the ol'
ContruKCtionists to mind. These guys do keep it a bit more accessible
to people who generally find prog superfluous and tedious, though, by
filling up the songs with music that doesn't just feel like a lesson in
music theory.
What Anekdoten delivers is an album full
of great arrangements, melodies and riffs. You'll find a little bit of
everything here, from slow cozy jazzy numbers like "Thoughts in Absence"
to the madly up-tempo "The Flow", whose opening riff is one of the
ugliest, atonal riffs I've ever heard. And that's a good
thing, by the way. The instrumentation on the album is the typical rock
instruments, with the addition of a cello, and the progster-staple: the
mellotron.
"This is all well and cozy, but so what?
Does it rock?" Didn't I already say it did? Damn you, pay attention!
Hell yes it does! This is a perfect progrock album for people who
fricken hate the "w**ky" nature of most progrock bands. Sure, it's not
the most original album out there, but this band knows how to groove
with the best of them, and since they change up the mood and melodies of
the songs constantly, it's not likely you'd get bored by this release.
I think this album holds enough crossover appeal to be enjoyed by both
diehard progrock fans, indiekids and metalheads. To bring back the Red
comparison, you essentially get a version of that album based more
around actual songs and not quite the same oppressive feeling, as this
gets downright beautiful both once and thrice.
There are some bad moments on this
album, though. The lyrics are somewhat silly at times, but nothing truly
atrocious. I find the vocals occationally veering off the pitch, but
it's no big deal, as it's usually in the more hard-rocking parts, where
it off-pitch vocals are the norm anyways. And of course, if originality
is a big issue for you, or you frickin' despise Red, you should probably skip this and try one of Anekdoten's later albums.
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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zravkapt
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Joined: October 12 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 6446
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Posted: August 29 2015 at 08:59 |
Not big on either...will be back for this one.
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Magma America Great Make Again
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Nogbad_The_Bad
Forum & Site Admin Group
RIO/Avant/Zeuhl & Eclectic Team
Joined: March 16 2007
Location: Boston
Status: Offline
Points: 20224
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Posted: August 29 2015 at 10:48 |
Neither does much for me but Beardfish does the least
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Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/
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LearsFool
Prog Reviewer
Joined: November 09 2014
Location: New York
Status: Offline
Points: 8635
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Posted: August 29 2015 at 11:26 |
Beardfish
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sleeper
Prog Reviewer
Joined: October 09 2005
Location: Entropia
Status: Offline
Points: 16449
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Posted: August 29 2015 at 17:06 |
Beardfish annoy me so Vemod.
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Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Nightfly
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Joined: August 01 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 3659
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Posted: August 29 2015 at 17:34 |
This was a very difficult choice. That is Beardfish's best IMO but Anekdoten take some beating and that's not even their best album.
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The Bearded Bard
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Joined: January 24 2012
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Status: Offline
Points: 12859
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Posted: August 30 2015 at 07:19 |
Nogbad_The_Bad wrote:
Neither does much for me but Beardfish does the least |
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micky
Special Collaborator
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Joined: October 02 2005
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 46828
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Posted: August 30 2015 at 07:59 |
ehhh... not inspired by either... sitting and might abstain... or just flip a coin.
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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Svetonio
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 20 2010
Location: Serbia
Status: Offline
Points: 10213
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Posted: August 30 2015 at 11:54 |
Sleeping in Traffic Part 2
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zravkapt
Special Collaborator
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Joined: October 12 2010
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 6446
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Posted: August 30 2015 at 12:14 |
Ended up going for Beardfish.
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Magma America Great Make Again
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digdug
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 13 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 4707
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Posted: August 31 2015 at 10:33 |
easy vote for Vemod for me
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Prog On!
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Moogtron III
Prog Reviewer
Joined: April 26 2005
Location: Belgium
Status: Offline
Points: 10616
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Posted: August 31 2015 at 12:20 |
digdug wrote:
easy vote for Vemod for me
| Yes, for me as well.
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Man With Hat
Collaborator
Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team
Joined: March 12 2005
Location: Neurotica
Status: Offline
Points: 166178
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Posted: August 31 2015 at 21:56 |
Vemod
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Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.
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t d wombat
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 14 2007
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 504
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Posted: September 01 2015 at 03:39 |
Last round the lovely "Night" from Gazpacho got my vote but it was a close thing. Vermod didn't do it for me so Traffic gets the green light.
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Andrew B
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” ― Julius Henry Marx
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O666
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 20 2009
Location: TEHRAN-IRAN
Status: Offline
Points: 2619
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Posted: September 01 2015 at 03:48 |
I love both. I can't choose one of them.
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Prog Sothoth
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Location: MA
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Posted: September 01 2015 at 14:05 |
Anektoden
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Meltdowner
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Posted: September 04 2015 at 06:06 |
Anekdoten. Beardfish's album is so long, I wished it was over even before the 35 minute epic started
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O666
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 20 2009
Location: TEHRAN-IRAN
Status: Offline
Points: 2619
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Posted: September 04 2015 at 10:01 |
Vemod. Unfortunately Anekdoten's new album disappointed me. I expected better album from them.
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symphonicman
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 14 2015
Location: Sweden
Status: Offline
Points: 114
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Posted: September 07 2015 at 17:02 |
Beardfish, Sleeping in Traffic: Part Two.
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Master James of St. George. Of the fields and the sky. He used to build castles of stone, steel, and blood. But lines get broken down.
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micky
Special Collaborator
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Joined: October 02 2005
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 46828
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Posted: September 10 2015 at 14:05 |
still sitting on this one..
which album bores me least... will wait until the end to decide...
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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