Spocks Beard - The Archaeoptimist- Progressive Voyages Review PV095
Spocks Beard – The Archaeoptimist - Progressive Voyages Review PV095
Well it’s been seven years since the last Spocks Beard album; Noise Floor for that came out in 2018. Since that time several “Beards” Have spent time with projects. Ted Leonard was part of Transatlantic for their Ultimate Universe tour and he has also been a part of John Boegenholds Pattern Seeking Animals band who have released no less than five albums in that intervening time.
So this time around, John was either unwilling or unable to write the songs for this album. To be fair he was probably busy writing more material for PSA to do this album. Another change is the addition of new drummer Nick Potters who makes his debut here. Further significant change seems to be that Ryo Okamoto seems to have stepped into the leadership role, or at least has become far more involved in the direction of the band. Fresh from the great reception his own Solo album of The Myth Of The Mostrophus of 2022 received, for which he was joined for much of that album by I Am The Manic Whale’s Michael Whiteman who this time has helped write most of the album with Ryo and also written lyrics for four of the albums 6 tracks including the epic length title track .
A further difference here is that the keyboards play a far more prominent role than on earlier Spocks Beard albums. This seems to enhance and endorse the Prog credentials even further, or maybe it was just how things turned out, either way there are a lot of epic keyboard textures on this album.
So let’s dig in and see what is on offer here in this latest offering from Spocks Beard shall we ?
The album begins with an accapella vocal part that starts the song Invisible. After the initial voices a strident riff and organ are heard which then leads into some soaring synthesisers before Ted Leonards vocal commences. This song has a lot happening in its 6:34 running time including a great interaction between Ryo’s keyboards and Alan Morse’s guitar. It is a fine and strong opening salvo from a newly engaged and focused Beard. Here they sound hungry and are not content to rest on former glories. One hopes they tour this album here in England.
Next track is Electric Monk again this sets off at a brisk pace and never let’s up. It gives lots of opportunity for new Sticks and Nick Potters to make a good impression which he does very noticeably and to great effect.
Afterthought follows this one is very rhythmically driven with an upfront elastic bass line from Dave Mero’s and lots of synthesisers from Ryo. It seems to have lots of input from Michael Whiteman and could easily by mistaken for a Manic Whale track as there is a lot of their sound and style to this track, a huge compliment I’m sure. I do like the vocals harmonies used here and also how the song builds gradually but most effectively. Another strong Beard track completed by some complex overlapping vocal parts that certainly declare the Beards love for Gentle Giant style vocalisations.
St Jerome In The Wilderness is up next. This tells the tale of a monk who finishes an incomplete Renaissance painting by Leonardo De Vinci in his own style and way but is it his story or the artists is the question? An interesting and unusual track all told dramatically with strong keyboards and guitar throughout. Again a lot of activity in this track, I think it manages to pull it all off convincingly though, I certainly enjoyed it.
Next up is the Title track The Archaeoptimist. This is a long track of just shy of 21minutes in duration and would probably have been a whole side of an LP in days gone by. The track is the tale of a father and daughter who survive a cataclysmic event on Earth, with the daughter born after the event. The daughter who’s understanding of events of how life is comes from tales shared around the camp fire and ancient stories. The daughter searches for meaning in the relics that remain hidden in the mud that covers the land. This is a long multi part track with lots of solo sections, keyboards and guitar. Both get the chance to shine here in this great adventure of the girls life. The album booklet explains the tale more fully, clearly demarking the sections of the piece (all 8 of them).
The key section of the tale is possibly the third part (The Girl Has Grown) in which the girl discovers a key. The key represents the father’s hope that she would continue to be a positive guiding force & inspiration through her optimism for the future. Also in 8 that she is not dissuaded or diminished by the failures of the past, instead she both acknowledges and learns from them. In so doing she leads them differently by avoiding or repeating those same mistakes. The song is one of hope for a future as yet undetermined.
The final song of the album is Next Step. This track has a subtle balance of light and shade to it with some great acoustic guitar parts from Michael Whiteman which lends a different texture and tone to proceedings. It also has a fine solo section from Ryo who synthesisers skitter across the middle section of the track before yielding to a strong guitar section from Alan Morse. This is all acclaimed with some strong support from the rhythm section of Dave Meros (Bass) and Nick Potters (Drums). The track builds in its intensity after the solos with a strong dramatic and emotionally satisfying crescendo that ends the piece.
It’s a fine album, One that shows continued hope for the existence of this seminal American Progressive Rock Band. Proving that even now, some 33 years after their formation (in 1992) that Spocks Beard still have a place and relevance in today’s world for which we should all be very thankful. Welcome back Spocks Beard. Please don’t leave it so long next time though. In a world of constant change we all need the reliability that your music offers us.
Author John Wenlock-Smith