by Bob Keeley
Sweden’s Beardfish disbanded in 2016 but after about five years they began conversations about reuniting. It turned out that these long-time friends missed being with each other and making music together. They had found other musical outlets for their creativity, with singer/guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom having perhaps the highest profile as a member of Big Big Train but, in Songs for Beating Hearts, their first new album in nine years, they seem to relish being together again.
The album opens with a finger-picked acoustic guitar as the instrumental theme from “Ecotone,” is introduced. Soon Sjöblom, the band’s frontman and lyricist, begins to sing a wistful tune about being adrift on a river. There is a delicacy to both the music and the lyrics. When he sings “I can hear songs for beating hearts” we don’t know if he is referring to romantic love (a theme that will show up later in the song “Beating Hearts” and in “In the Autumn”) or if he is singing about the loss and regaining of his friends in the band (a theme in the epic, “Out in the Open.”) Perhaps he means to be singing about both. Either way, the song, which remains delicate even as the rest of the band joins in, is an effective opener.
“Ecotone” serves as an appetizer before the main course, the five-part “Out in the Open.” Presented as five separate tracks, “Out in the Open” is really one piece, a reflection on how the members of Beardfish missed each other. The Overture begins with a quick and nimble motif played in unison by keys (Sjöblom), guitar (David Zackrisson), and bass (Robert Hansen) with drummer Magnus Östgren ably holding down a steady beat. “Who knows where the river of time wants to take us on our journeys through life” is sung, almost chanted, over this intro setting the stage for the main metaphor in this 20-minute piece. “Part 2 – Oblivion” gets to the heart of this piece. Sjöblom specifically wove in themes that recur from one song to the next, often referencing a journey or rain. It is not just the lyrics that make this an album that holds together. There are also musical themes that are repeated throughout the album. Overall, the effect gives the album a sense of wholeness.
“Out in the Open” does what all good epics do; it takes its time. A long quiet instrumental intro to ‘Part 3 – Hopes and Dreams” sets the stage and leads into a sung melody that repeats the chant from the Overture. The piece serves as a few moments of calm amid more up-tempo parts of the rest of the piece. It morphs back to a reprise of “Oblivion” as Sjöblom sings, “so now we have travelled once more around the bend and I think that our journey has no beginning, it has no end.” Finally, “Part 5 – Around the Bend” brings the piece to a close with an instrumental celebration of being together weaving together many styles as it shifts from one emotion to another. “Out in the Open” works as a both a prog epic as well as the centerpiece for this album.
There are still three more songs, though. “Beating Hearts” opens with a string quartet presenting the main melody, soon replaced by the full band. The melodic motif (which is later sung as “love can cure the beating heart”) in this 11-minute piece is so strong that it is instantly recognizable. The theme of loss and reconciliation that we’ve already seen is also central to this song. The interplay between all four members of the band in the instrumental section in the middle of this piece is fun to experience. It is not an exercise in virtuosity, but rather an opportunity for these four longtime friends to make music together. You can almost feel the fun they’re having. The song ends as it began, with a string quartet.
“In the Autumn” is a love song, a duet between Sjöblom and guest singer (and Rikard’s fiance) Amanda Örtenhag. Ringing guitars usher in this moderately up-tempo song. It is no surprise that this was selected as the lead single as it is both catchy and also the shortest song on the album. Örtenhag’s voice is a nice additional color for the album. After a brief instrumental reprise of “Ecotone,” we arrive at the finale, “Torrential Downpour,” another song about loss and love, this time about Sjöblom’s father. Perhaps the hardest hitting song on the album, the heavy backbeat brings the album to a stirring conclusion. (There is also what appears to be an old version, perhaps a demo from 1982, of “Ecotone” that is a bonus track showing how the band has evolved over the years. It makes for a nice postscript.)
Even though it is not a concept album in the strict sense, Songs for Beating Hearts is an album that has consistent musical and lyrical themes throughout. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts making Songs for Beating Hearts one of the highlights of 2024.
Released on Nov. 1st, 2024 on InsideOutMusic
Order here: https://beardfish.lnk.to/SongsForBeatingHearts
The full track-listing is as follows:
1.Ecotone 04:30
2.Out in the Open 20:33
3.Beating Hearts 11:01
4.In The Autumn 05:58
5.Ecotone (Reprise) 00:43
6.Torrential Downpour 08:29
7.Ecotone – Norrsken 1982 edition (Bonus Track) 06:13
Rikard Sjöblom / vocals and keyboards
David Zackrisson / guitars
Robert Hansen / bass
Magnus Östgren / drums
with
Amanda Örtenhag / vocals (4)
