Beardfish
Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two

Take the early Genesis, add a bit of technique (yes indeed) and remove some of the nuts.
Actually, put Peter Gabriel right on stage, unburdened by the years, the beard, and the load of insipid charity music he has been dabbling in for too long.
Revisit all the 'mid-era' Yes albums, not the very first ones: actually, take it a step further. Get accustomed to the dreamlike dimensions of "Relayer" and the sounds of "Yes Album". The wooden bass, the guitar solos with hysterical and elusive echoes, the monumental keyboard that always finds a way to have its say.
Add elements evoking the Camel from the playful and carefree "Breathless" and "Rain Dances". However, always keep in mind that we are in 2008. So go overboard, fill the sound with pure three-quarter time (yes indeed, the ballroom type, just like a dance hall).
You will have something like Into the Night.

Alright, now send them to Sweden to gain experience, amidst an army of brutal, growling, and tremendously hostile Vikings. Extract some aggressive riffs from them. Because the lesson from '70s Prog shouldn't be borne and repeated crudely, but reworked in a modern key and contaminated - beneficially - by the most diverse genres. Well, get ready, because since we are here, one has to be eclectic and occasionally cross into country, blues, and – needless to say – classical. So don't forget to change mood several times over the course of a single song – move from pensive to furious to extremely cheerful to distorted. Yes, distorted is a mood, especially if you listen to Beardfish.
In short, tout court, be ready for anything.
Are you ready? And here comes Sleeping in the Traffic, a suite of no less than 35 minutes.

Know that naturally, the lyrics play a fundamental role in this part of the world: endless, yet concentrated, often seasoned with an absurdity that borders on the ridiculous. You will achieve remarkable results, especially because the lightness of some lyrics compensates for the intricate and arduous musical journey. Debone the phrases into syllables that compete with the accompaniment: sometimes it may even annoy you, but it will make you smile.
Do not forget to frequently include sounds, effects, and voices that will make you jump but help you get better into the role (horns, gunshots). Sometimes, the text simply needs to be recited. And here's South of The Border, a small, incredibly fun prog hard-rock gem.

Thus, you have the idea of Nouvelle Progressive, the Total Progressive, with superb technique which, it must be said, doesn't always warm the heart.
The final result is exceptional and undeniable, but it often leaves a sense of dissatisfaction: virtuosity should never be an end in itself but in service to the message one wants to convey, which is never pure form but always and ultimately substance. In this, Beardfish sometimes overflow, but in this album more than others, they go straight to the point, merging form and content to create a majestic work, pleasant and varied.