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Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
Beardfish - Songs For Beating Hearts Album Art

Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts

Melodic Progressive Rock
4.5/5.0

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InsideOut Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 04.11.2024 | Released: 08.11.2024

The last we heard from Sweden's Beardfish was 2015's +4626-COMFORTZONE, which was warmly received by fans, and then followed up by a brief tour. The band abruptly broke up the next year much the same fan's surprise. But now, they got the band back together.

Co-founder Rikard Sjöblom has said: "I think the reunion became an idea in 2021, a few years ago ... We started talking about doing something. People had made amends, and I guess everyone started missing being in a band together, and missing each other ..." In 2024, Beardfish would assemble to play at the Gefle Skivmässain their hometown of Gävle, in May 2024. Concurrently, they began writing, playing, and recording what would become their latest and ninth studio album, Songs For Beating Hearts. Of which Sjoblom said:

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Beardfish

"I'm glad that we were able to pull off a 20-minute piece. That was one of the first songs we started writing and rehearsing when we started up again. We needed to keep the prog alive! It's divided into parts. When I started writing it, it basically became about missing the other guys! It's almost an ode to Magnus, David and Robert, although it's not outspoken in the lyrics. But it's really special."


Sjoblom is referring to Out In The Open, an 20 minute opus in five parts which, at its heart, is pure Beardfish. It's creative and imaginative, eclectic and esoteric, arrangement featuring various keyboard ruminations blended with acoustic guitar and a poly-rhythmic tempos. Alternatively, the starting song, the shorter Ecotone, moves largely upon voice and acoustic guitar having an almost pastoral feeling.

The two other longer pieces are Beating Hearts and Torrential Downpour. The former has a stronger guitar presence from David Zackrisson; the latter definitely a fusion of all players working together, with the rhythm section most expressive. Finally, In The Autumn, the first single of the album, is likely the heaviest song here: melodic hard rock fused with some Seventies prog vibe. The song also features guest vocalist, and Sjoblom's girlfriend, Amanda Örtenhag, who has her own band, Mendy.

All said, Songs For Beating Hearts finds Beardfish getting the band back together, and dropping another fine album of their creative, sometimes eclectic, but always entertaining melodic progressive rock for the discerning listener. Recommended.



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The Take Away

Songs For Beating Hearts finds Beardfish getting the band back together, and dropping another fine album of their creative, sometimes eclectic, but always entertaining melodic progressive rock for the discerning listener. Recommended.

Support the artist, click the link below to buy the album at Amazon (US site) in your favorite format.

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