Madfish

Forging ahead from what came before – the latest chapter in the story of Spock’s Beard.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT…

…you may have heard the last of Spock’s Beard, a recalibration sees the genuinely iconic Proggers back with their 14th album after a lengthy gap since Noise Floor in 2018.

There are changes afoot. The latest external co-writer Michael Whiteman (John Boegehold seems to have channeled his efforts into the ongoing Pattern Seeking Animals project alongside several Beardists) and new drummer Nick Potters make their Beard debuts, the latter doing what all good drummers do, especially Spock’s drummers, by adding a strong vocal presence.

Despite changes in the set up, singer Ted Leonard assures fans: “While tipping a hat to the Spock’s legacy, the new album has an energy that arguably surpasses many or our previous releases.” Having said that, Afourthoughts picks up on the previous Spock’s music in Thoughts and Afterthoughts where any reins are slackened and see a boundless philosophy of experimentation and improvisation kicking through.

ON CLASSIC GROUND

He also mentions a melodic complexity and fusion influence, both evident with lashings of Okumoto keyboard passages, maybe less of Al Morse’s quirky processed guitar (given its head in St Jerome In The WIlderness), but the vibe after a couple of listens, is that we’re back on classic Spock’s/Prog ground. A warm feeling that despite diverting into alternative songwriting with shorter song formats and if not quite subverting, but tweaking the genre, the Beard is back to what it does best. One set out back in the mid Nineties in the Morse manifesto, never staying in one place too long; the ‘expecting the unexpected’ twists and turns are back in spades.

Other songs vary in theme from work obsessions to musings about the passage of time and forging ahead despite obstacles.  And St Jerome In The Wilderness, if in name only, offers a biblical nod of which Neal Morse would approve. The latter a track whose funky offerings are kindling to light the fire of fusion.

It’s therefore safe to anticipate another dose of irrepressibly mad time signatures, impossible harmonies, intense arrangements with keyboard player Ryo Okumoto stepping up to the plate and leading the charge. We’ve experienced the Beard and Ryo enough on stage to imagine him flying around his keyboards, tipping one or two on their sides and maybe even a bit of gurning and crotch grabbing as his enthusiasm, like the music, seems to know no bounds. His piano playing in particular is a highlight of the album.

EXPANSIVE

The title track sees the Beard progressive DNA at its most expansive. A twenty minute epic that follows the story of a young girl being raised by her father in a post-cataclysmic world and her pathway from being an inspiration to a leader. A format that sees a wild ride take turns in controlled reflection and narrative to thundering parts where the grumbling basslines that are the forte of Dave Meros, come up with some challenging patterns for Al Morse and Ryo to duel against. Not to suggest that bigger is better, as the relative brevity of opening cut and album teaser, Invisible and Electric Monk (not as bizarre as it sounds with some of the choicest melodies on the record), sets out the stall with an eye for cramming plenty into a smaller package.

Bottom line is that a decent break has been just the tonic. The finale with Next Step might be a prophetic note on which to end both the album and 2025. A tune that’s uplifting and sparkling with a emphatic drive (plus a “looking back on where we came from” lyrical direction and reflective middle section) the Spock’s future is orange. You could say, as they do themselves, they’re getting there.

Here’s Invisible:

Spock’s Beard: Website

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