Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Spock's Beard
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 4/5
Despite their well-earned reputation as modern masters of blending classic symphonic prog rock, jazz fusion, pop rock and a few other genres, Spock’s Beard were long seen as a band that loves to play around with all sorts of musical influences, even outside the prog rock realm, without focusing too much on a sound of their own that people could instantly recognize. You could say they got stuck with the label of eternal experimental jokers, who put musical playfulness and clowning around ahead of consistency, and individual songs ahead of the whole. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s exactly what held back their musical growth and progress more than once. Well, they’ve stayed playful and cheeky on most of the new album too, but this time they’ve added a healthy dose of maturity to the mix, and the change has paid off big time. “Spock’s Beard” is the band’s third album since the departure of their creative genius Neal Morse, or the third under the vocal authority of drummer Nick D’Virgilio. By their own account there’s no deep reason for naming their ninth studio album after the band itself, but the move certainly shows how musically confident they are in the post-Morse era, and how clearly they’re looking ahead. I’ll admit I was a little worried about which direction they’d turn after the very good but progressively rather uneven “Octane” (2005), where they showed quite a few AOR tendencies, or a desire for more compact songs. My fears of possible commercialization, or of them catching the same bug Genesis once did, turned out to be completely unfounded, even though they still like to flirt with some pop rock elements every now and then. That’s simply in their blood, as loyal disciples of The Beatles’ legacy.
With the self-titled album, the Beard boys have gone back to their roots and combined that with their current approach, which puts the band as a whole ahead of individual solo trips. The result is one of the most varied and mature albums of their career. For the first time since Neal’s departure, you can really feel that they’ve finally found their true musical direction, or sound, that will probably define them going forward. “Spock’s Beard” isn’t their first album to show off their remarkable knack for blending classic symphonic prog rock in the style of their idols like Yes, Genesis, ELP, Kansas and so on with funk, blues, hard rock, pop and jazz fusion. But it’s the first one where they’ve finally nailed the right musical balance between their long-trademark symphonic prog sound and the other stylistic detours, without the album losing the thread. As a whole it’s remarkably fluid and isn’t dragged down by any longer AOR excursions, which is of course more than welcome. The lyrics have also clearly moved on from the earlier clichés of the “American story of a simple guy who finds himself in a strange world”, although they’re still one of the band’s weaker sides. Nick’s vocals have improved even more technically since the last album and radiate even more authority, and he keeps changing them up like a chameleon, often making his voice the backbone of the band. Their sound has also gotten a bit darker and in places more obscure, which is surely down to a bigger share of Alan’s guitar wizardry (a trend they started already with “Feel Euphoria” (2003)), though Ryo’s keyboards still make up a major part of their music. Long individual solo showcases have once again given way to compositions with real shape, where you can feel an even contribution from every member of the band.
Already on the opening epic “On A Perfect Day”, which has all the band’s trademark elements, the listener realizes that this album is once again a bit different, yet still true to their own musical voice, as they play with symphonic prog, funk and fusion with ease, without sounding like any of their many musical heroes. From majestic symphonic passages to robust guitar solos, the intensity of the song hardly lets up. The instrumental “Skeletons At the Feast” is in my opinion among a handful of their best pieces ever, with Okumoto’s incredible keyboard wizardry as well as a raw rhythm section interwoven with Alan’s often obscure guitar solos, ending in a proper instrumental cataclysm. Here you really feel like you’ve landed in the middle of a dance of death, but without any overly gloomy atmosphere. The slightly funky, hard rock-flavored bullet “Is This Love” is a real stylistic about-face that blows the listener away with its punchy directness. “All That’s Left” wins you over with atmospheric melancholy. Nick proves once again that he’s at least as good a singer as he is a drummer, and vice versa. The eleven-minute “With Your Kiss” opens as a ballad full of atmospheric keyboard curtains and excellent vocals from Nick. Somewhere in the middle it turns into a proper shamanic ritual, driven by a varied jazzy rhythm. The excellent closing on mellotron and a first-class slide guitar solo from Alan are especially tasty. After this prog rock orgy they return to funky/hard rock rhythms on “Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go”, where Nick again has a completely different vocal color. That the band thrives on extreme contrasts is confirmed by “The Slow Crash Landing Man”, where both their melancholic and their humorous sides come through. This one stands out with excellent orchestral organ arrangements as well as a brilliant solo from Alan. On the fun “Wherever You Stand”, which at times sounds like their answer to modern Deep Purple, they even play around with blues. Of course there has to be at least one ballad this time too, and that’s the piano lullaby “Hereafter”, which serves exactly that purpose, even though this kind of vocal turn suits Nick really well. Without a doubt one of the album’s less interesting moments, and it closes out its first part. Next comes, as is pretty much a band tradition by now, a longer suite called “As Far As The Mind Can See”, with the excellent opening part “Dreaming In the Age Of Answers”, which in my opinion is one of their best pieces ever. It’s an outstanding neo-prog rock intro with delicious transitions and melodic choruses, which in the second half flows through woodwind arrangements into full-blown jazz fusion. “Here’s a Man” keeps up their newly found joy in playing around with first-class jazz fusion in great fashion. Nick wows again with vocal acrobatics while Ryo serves up some thrilling Hammond organ solos that will surely satisfy any fan of the instrument. “They Know We Know” has excellent orchestral arrangements on keyboards and woodwinds and a great rhythm that’s recognizable as the band’s from a mile away. I’d say this is one of those signature pieces they’ve loved making since their early days. “Stream Of Unconscioussnes” is a real treat for all lovers of top-notch symphonic prog, with extensive orchestral passages and colorful guitar and keyboard solos. At the end it also has a surprising chorus that vocally brings back parallels to the excellent “Dreaming In the Age Of Answers”. Spock’s Beard have always had a great sense for pieces that lift the listener up and cleanse them with their spiritual flavor, this time without a speck of exaggeration or needless pathos in the lyrics. The closing “Rearranged” is that emotional closing progressive epic the average fan of the band quietly expects, and on it they successfully fuse all their stylistic costume changes, from heavier hard rock excursions to symphonic passages, into a perfect whole.
With the self-titled album, the masters of modern progressive rock have delivered an exceptionally mature record, probably their most mature one yet, even if it doesn’t reach the lofty ambitions of the albums from Neal’s era like “Snow” (2002) or “V” (2000), which will probably remain their greatest masterpieces. Still, it’s an undeniable step forward in their musical development and a clear sign of a band that has finally stepped into its new creative period, with quite a bit of hidden potential and surprises still up its sleeve. “Spock’s Beard” is thus the band’s best album since Neal’s departure, one that wins the listener over after just a few spins, and it definitely ranks among the best progressive rock albums released in the last few years. “Spock’s Beard” is without a doubt one of the top contenders for prog rock album of 2006.
Lineup
Nick D’Virgilio – vocals, drums, percussion, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards
Alan Morse – guitar, backing vocals
Dave Meros – bass guitar, bass pedals, backing vocals
Ryo Okumoto – keyboards, backing vocals
Production
Spock’s Beard
Track list
1. On A Perfect Day (7:47)
2. Skeletons At The Feast (6:33)
3. Is This Love (2:51)
4. All That’s Left (4:45)
5. With Your Kiss (11:46)
6. Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go (4:31)
7. The Slow Crash Landing Man (5:47)
8. Wherever You Stand (5:09)
9. Hereafter (5:01)
As Far As The Mind Can See
10. Part 1: Dreaming In The Age Of Answers (4:49)
11. Part 2: Here’s A Man (3:28)
12. Part 3: They Know We Know (3:18)
13. Part 4: Stream Of Unconsciousness (5:23)
14. Rearranged (6:07)
Album length: 77:15
