InsideOut Music has issued the following press release for the new BEARDFISH album, Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two, which will be released on May 16th:

There is a world away from the usual radio and MTV formats; a universe in which music effortlessly creates colourful images without excessive visual presentation, captivating its listeners with its haunting structures. And which, if you listen really carefully, allows the whole range of traditional rock music to pass by the audience’s ear. Beardfish from Sweden are a prime example of this phenomenon, an archetype of an exceptionally expressive prog rock act. Their current album, Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two, features quotes from almost all eras of music history, blending them into an unmistakable sound. Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two sounds enthralling and timeless and has depth and substance without overtaxing its listeners with overly intricate structures. And last but not least, a distinct sense of humour pervades Beardfish’s music in general and the eight songs on their current release in particular.

“Our music is probably a mixture of many styles, but we never play anything if it isn’t fun to play,” says the band’s vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Rikard Sjöblom. “We’re basically a rock band with tendencies towards the theatrical, especially in the lyrics but also with small musical hints here and there. The main influence is a love of music, all music.” Blueprints of their style are easy to make out: “We’re just as influenced by Radiohead or Elton John as we are by Gentle Giant or Camel. Of all the influences, some shine through more than others, but we’ve heard it all from the critics, ‘this sounds like Zappa and that sounds like Gentle Giant or Genesis’ for example. But those remarks are never the same for one and the same song, so I guess the holy quest to name a band’s influences is up to each and everyone who takes the time to listen to the music.”

Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two sees Beardfish continue the story which they began in 2007 on SIT: Part One. The storyline: 24 hours in a person’s life, from one sunrise to the next. “Sleeping In Traffic: Part One is the day and Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two the night, ending with the suite ‘Sleeping In Traffic’, which is a dream, basically,” Sjöblom explains, hastening to clarify: “It’s not a concept album in the sense that all the songs are intertwined and so on, but on the other hand there is a red thread throughout the two albums. There are no moral codes or lessons or messages in these songs, other than the ones the listener hears for him- or herself. The lyrics are rather personal, either they’re more or less self-biographical, or they’re downright fictional.”

No doubt: content and direction add up in Beardfish’s music. “Our aim is to make the best music possible with the ‘know-how’ and the resources we have at our hands, and we’ll continue to do just that”, asserts Sjöblom, who enjoys an excellent reputation within the band.

“Rikard is a humble man with the biggest musical assets I’ve ever experienced,” bassist Robert Hansen describes his colleague, adding: “He’s certainly my biggest idol!”

Sjöblom in turn praises his drummer, Magnus Östgren: “I don’t know of any other contemporary drummer who plays like Magnus, he practises a lost art in bashing those skins – soft and playful at times or hard and heavy and always in favour of the music.”

Östgren on his part compliments guitarist/keyboardist David Zackrisson: ”He is the master of those small mystical details, when you hear something new in a song you’ve heard several times before, it’s most likely the work of David.”

And Zackrisson sings bassist Robert Hansen’s praises: “If Beardfish was a pirate ship, then Robert with all his explosiveness would be the cannons, especially on stage where he uses his bass and feet to conquer all that’s in his way.”

We will be able to watch this phenomenon again during Beardfish’s European tour alongside THE TANGENT and RITUAL in May.

The album tracklist is as follows: 'As The Sun Sets', 'Into The Night', 'The Hunter', 'South Of The Border', 'Cashflow', 'The Downward Spiral/Chimay', 'Sleeping In Traffic', 'Sunrise Again'.

Beardfish's tour schedule is as follows:

May

16 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Substage
17 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
18 - Voghera, Italy - Thunderroad
20 - London, UK- Underworld
22 - Zoetermeer, Holland - Boerderij
23 - Bielefeld, Germany - Movie
24 - Verviers, Belgium - Spirit of 66
25 - Uden, Holland - De Pul