Beardfish: Original Album Collection

It’s good to see the InsideOut label getting on board with these multi-disc Original Album Collection reissue sets. They have a rich back catalog of progressive rock and metal albums, and these compact, affordable box sets are a great way to introduce new fans to often overlooked bands.

Case in point: Beardfish. This Swedish progressive rock band has a strong Beatles influence, and falls right in line with bands like The Flower Kings, Spock’s Beard and The Tangent in making smart, expertly-crafted modern progressive rock. This Original Album Collection set includes their first five albums on the InsideOut label. They are:

Disc 1: 2007’s Sleeping in Traffic, Pt. 1
Disc 2: 2008’s Sleeping in Traffic, Pt. 2
Disc 3: 2009’s Destined Solitaire
Disc 4: 2011’s Mammoth
Disc 5: 2012’s The Void

The set comes in a compact, clamshell box, with each CD in its own inner cardboard sleeve. It’s the kind of minimalist packaging that helps make these sets so affordable. There is, however, a very thick booklet that appears to have all five albums’ worth of liner notes, which is a nice touch.

If you’re not familiar with Beardfish, this Original Album Collection box set is the perfect way to discover this fantastic modern progressive rock band. And if you are familiar with them but are missing a few of these back catalog titles, this is an affordable way to fill in those gaps. Either way, this is an awful lot of first rate progressive rock for a very reasonable (I grabbed my set for a mere $15) price.

beardfish