It had been eight years since Beardfish decided to call it a day after releasing their eighth studio album +4626-Comfortzone in 2015. Eight years, that’s a long time. Rikard Sjöblom had been busy. From his solo project Gungfly to being a part of the Big Big Train family, he’s very much like Batman. By day he’s Bruce Wayne, by night he’s the Dark Knight, taking care of Gotham, one crime at a time and putting them in Arkham Asylum for good.
So, he’s a very busy, busy man. But in all fairness, we missed these guys so much that when it was announced they were coming back and releasing a new album, we knew right there and then, it was time to give these guys, the proper, welcoming handshake they rightfully deserve.
Songs for Beating Hearts is their ninth studio release. And it seems that the chemistry between Rikard, David, Magnus, and Robert, is blending in very well. Opening track ‘Ectotone’ starts off with a Barclay James Harvest-like finger-picking acoustic textures, dealing with being adrift in the middle of the river, but hearing the sounds of music in the background, knowing that there’s a sign of hope, coming to dryland.
There’s a sense of tragedy in the lyrical textures, “The ever-present sadness / A companion of sorts / And I almost named you after myself / But you are not of this world”.
We don’t know whether it’s about moving forwards, or dealing with the loss of a loved one, but ‘In the Autumn’ which features a Beatle-sque Rubber Soul-era like arrangement between Rikard and Amanda Örtenhag (Mendy), has this Country atmosphere with complexity, ascending melodies, and angelic chorus with higher results.
The erupting 11-minute guitar attack behind the ‘Beating Hearts’ features the volcanic lava bursting onto the street Zackrisson creates to add this fuelling tension before the waltz-like militant upbeat Magnus and Rikard handles in an acoustic waltz, reaching towards the gods up above the sky. The string section adds in the beauty and saddening details sending into this downward spiral, not knowing the heart itself will give out, any time soon.
Once you get to the 5-minute mark, Rikard and his fellow crew mates get the train chugging as it embarks on a brutal awakening. He pours his heart and soul into his vocals by fighting back tears in this soulful arrangement whilst Zackrisson goes to his wah-wah momentum as he follows Rikard in hot pursuit.
The five-part suite ‘Out in the Open’ which clocks in at 20-minutes, gives the band the full mount of ammunition they have needed, for a very long time. Starting out with a spreading of wings, soaring across the sky with the ‘Overture’ between Rikard’s organ and Robert’s bass, it sets up the clock-ticking jazz exercise with insane vocal lines at the end before segueing into ‘Oblivion’.
Robert gets down to business with his funked-up wah-wah bass and Rikard’s clavinet textures which speak of Gentle Giant’s Kerry Minnear. But then the door opens up to reveal some creative work as Rikard hits those organ-driven arrangements with unbelievable results as David shines through his exhilarating improvisation on the guitar before landing back to Earth with some Italian Prog time changes that’ll get your fist pumped up for more.
Man, those ELP exercises come in handy in the last two minutes of the suite. Robert, Magnus, and Rikard lay down the gauntlet with a battle preparation that’s across the horizon before it calms into a droning synth, lukewarm finger picking acoustic guitar, and the ‘Hopes and Dreams’ that lies ahead.
The loss of innocence comes in full swing with double-tracking vocals, locked up in an asylum, and the rivers of time comes at a price, knowing that once you fix the damage you’ve done, you become your own worst enemy. Just as everything goes according to plan, Rikard brings out the rapid keyboard sounds to set in full gear throughout the reprise of the piece.
Even though the journey is rough, the insane time-changes on the organ gets down and dirty with harmonising vocalisations and very Yes-like orientations going back to the Close to the Edge-era with rapid firing effects on Magnus’ drum kit. He’s laying down the orchestration for the bass, organ, and guitar coming together as one whilst the climax reaches the hottest temperature levels at an all-time high.
The fifth and final part of the suite ‘Around the Bend’ turns into a different corner in an action-packed adventure with its ‘60s into the golden-era of the 1970s, that’ll have dig out your record albums and the labels which speak of the pink scrolling / mad hatter years of Charisma and the swirling Vertigo label. It all comes to a massive end with David’s brutallic riffs and Rikard’s church organ effect, everything is down to the bone and it’s a perfect finale between two lovers.
Closing track ‘Torrential Downpour’ walks into a doomy yet folky atmosphere with stories set in a campfire with eerie arrangements. Listening to this track, you think of Black Sabbath’s moody yet sinister song ‘Planet Caravan’ that comes to mind. But for Beardfish, they walk into the Acid Folk territory across our solar system.
There’s a message of peace that the band bring to the table, sending that message across our home planet with heavier riffs, leading bluesy textures, and Iommi-like attitude that David handles on his instrument.
He invokes the minds of Gary Green, Brian May, Andy Latimer, and David Gilmour for the last section of the song, making it waltz in this empty ballroom, as it begins to shine brightly for the guests to come in for one last party and going off into the night.
This is Beardfish’s crowning achievement for 2024. As I’ve mentioned earlier, a welcoming return for the band to give us more surprises, more unexpected momentum, and repeatable listens that you need to play, top to bottom. The game itself, has only just begun.
