THE SANE DAY

Following the release of their debut Beardfish had to face the departure of Stefan Aronsson, meaning they had also to find a new studio for recordings.Rikard Sjoblom recovered by taking over all keyboard parts and the band continued as a four piece.The next work of Beardfish would be an ambitious 2-CD effort, going by the name ''The sane day''.The album was recorded through different sessions at three different studios over a period of one year (2004-05) with a few guest contributing on additional vocals and flute.It was released independently in 2006 and reissued the following year by Progress Records along with the band's debut.

Searching for some international praise Beardfish left the Swedish language aside for an album entirely sung in English, but soundwise this was another step into the right direction for the young group.SPOCK'S BEARD appear to be Beardfish'es leading force, the band combined old days with fresh sounds and came up with a fantastic work, blending Symphonic Rock with Pop and Fusion, split on long, adventurous pieces and more accesible but extremely artistic cuts with a poppy edge.They appear to be pioneers of using analog keyboards next to modern sound distortions and the amalgam is far more than rewarding, ''The sane day'' contains intelligent, sophisticated Progressive Rock of the best quality.Not a single boring moment in here, you can feel the refreshing vibe of synthesizers and sound effects being overpowered by lovely acoustic piano themes, jazzy electric piano or the vintage Hammond organ, while the guitar work is excellent with jazzy, Fusion and melodic tendencies.GENESIS, CAMEL, GENTLE GIANT, KING CRIMSON and several other retro echoes are all over the place along with a dash of quirky Pop Rock with BEATLES-esque vocal harmonies, another section the band really shines.I get the feeling this album was created for mystifying the whole world into the majestic field of progressive music, the compositions are full of intricate melodies and impressive twists with a great respect for the masters of the movement.

The fact that two hours of progressive music flow so nice and easy is incredible.This band was here to stay, no question.Sophisticated Progressive Rock with an original aura, no less than highly recommended.