In 2001, Rikard Sjöblom and David Zackrisson founded Beardfish together with Petter Diamant on drums and Gabriel Olsson on bass. Drummer Petter Diamant subsequently left the band, and was replaced by Magnus Östgren in 2002; flautist and keyboardist Stefan Aronsson also joined.
Robert Hansen replaced Gabriel on bass, and Beardfish recorded their debut album Från en plats du ej kan se in Stefan's studio in 2003. Stefan left the band shortly thereafter. Despite "Från en plats..." being released and passing by quite unnoticed, Beardfish continued to tour as a four-piece band, with Rikard replacing Stefan's role as keyboardist. The end of 2003 was a very productive period for the band, and saw several demos being recorded.
The year of 2004 was largely uneventful for Beardfish, although they did start recording a second album. After that, however, it took the band nearly a year to begin recording once again.
Come 2005, the band was to be found secluded in a cottage outside the town of Gävle, Sweden preparing to record the rest of the material for their upcoming album.
Björn Arnell, a friend of the band, lent them recording equipment, an arsenal of keyboards and effect pedals, and helped them set things up in an old and stately dining room near town.
The band has described this period as a truly beautiful process, and many songs were recorded, most of them live. So many, in fact, that Beardfish had to release a double album. The Sane Day, their 2 CD album, was released in December 2005.
Almost immediately the band started to rehearse new material, and throughout June and July of 2006 they recorded what became Sleeping in Traffic: Part One. The album was practically finished by the end of the summer, and Beardfish was also asked to play the ProgDay festival in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After this trip, during which they met Gary Green of Gentle Giant, they recorded one more song, called Roulette, and declared the album finished.
A few labels contacted the band, among them InsideOut Music, who wanted to release the new album. Beardfish signed to InsideOut at the end of the year.
New material continued to be written and recorded, and "Sleeping in Traffic: Part One" was released to many positive reviews. Sleeping in Traffic: Part Two was released in 2008.
In 2009, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater invited Beardfish to tour with them on the Progressive Nation tour, which they readily accepted. Rikard Sjöblom said of this, "When we read on a website that Mike Portnoy had our album "Sleeping in Traffic: Part One" among his favorite releases of 2007, we just couldn't believe it and we were really happy about it! And now we once again gasp for air since we've been asked to join Progressive Nation 2009 together with Dream Theater (one of the biggest bands in this genre today!), Pain of Salvation (hey, fellow Swedes!!!) and Zappa Plays Zappa (being a HUGE Zappa fan myself, I think this is really cool!). Since we've only played the US once before we simply can't wait to come over and rock out!"
Unfortunately, due to the bankruptcy of SPV and Beardfish's label InsideOut, both Beardfish and Pain of Salvation had to drop out of the Progressive Nation tour for 2009.
Beardfish's fifth release Destined Solitaire is available July 28, 2009 through InsideOut Records.
Their Myspace page is http://www.myspace.com/beardfishband
King
Beardfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because that is what they are
Underneath that stinking flesh
Where does this "spirit" you speak of live
Come where I've been chosen King
I will teach your tongue to sting
As poison
All it will take are words and a voice
Always listening carefully
Tapped into the spiritual radio of yours
The broadcast is never-ending jibber-jabber
Form your legions in the streets
Mindless slaves in every fleet
Caress their minds with empty promises
You know what you want
That makes it easier
Always listening carefully
Tapped into the spiritual radio of yours
The broadcast is never-ending jibber-jabber
Centers round me, me, me
Come where I've been chosen King
I will teach your tongue to sting
To form the words they want to hear if they are true
What do I care
We silence anyone who's in our way
I hope you know that everyone is for sale
And I have kept my eyes on you
Ever since you were a child
Your lust for power was calling on me
It welcomed me to come inside and assume control
So I did
How could you know that I was evil
Bet you're sorry now, right?
The lyrics of Beardfish's song King delve into the theme of power and manipulation. The song talks about a person who refers to people as skeletons since they consider them lifeless and soulless. The person talks about his ability to manipulate others with his words, and he refers to this as “teaching their tongues to sting as poison.” He exhibits the belief that individuals are mindless and can be controlled with empty promises. The chorus centers around the idea of power, "come where I've been chosen king," where the individual seeks to control and manipulate others.
The verse "You know what you want. That makes it easier" highlights the person's ability to play on people's desires to further their manipulation. The bridge speaks of the person's twisted motives, where they keep their eyes on individuals from a young age, waiting to hold onto them for their own selfish gain. The individual assumes control of others using their desires, which the person pretends to incorporate into their wisdom. The lyric, "How could you know that I was evil/Bet you're sorry now, right?" highlights the manipulator's satisfaction with their actions and how people often do not realize until it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
And from now on I shall call them skeletons
Referring to deceitful people as skeletons to convey that they are empty inside
Because that is what they are
Stating unequivocally that those who lie and manipulate are devoid of substance
Underneath that stinking flesh
Suggesting that superficial physicality is an insignificant facade which fails to conceal true intent
Where does this "spirit" you speak of live
Questioning the existence of pure intent and morals in individuals who are dishonest and manipulative
Come where I've been chosen King
Inviting people to embrace his deceitful ways and manipulate others
I will teach your tongue to sting
Promising to impart skills to people to deceive and hurt others
As poison
Comparing the impact of deceitful speech to that of poison
What's your weapon of choice
Asking individuals to choose their preferred method to manipulate others
All it will take are words and a voice
Asserting that manipulation can be achieved with words and a persuasive voice
Always listening carefully
Stating that the manipulator is always attentive and on the lookout for opportunities to take advantage of people
Tapped into the spiritual radio of yours
Using a metaphor to suggest that the manipulator is aware of people's true intentions even when they are insincere
The broadcast is never-ending jibber-jabber
Suggesting that most people speak insincerely and that their messages are meaningless noise
Form your legions in the streets
Encouraging individuals to establish groups to further their devious plans
Mindless slaves in every fleet
Promoting the idea of people blindly following those in power
Caress their minds with empty promises
Suggesting that the manipulator should provide false hope to people to keep them from recognizing their deceitful tactics
You know what you want
Asserting that the manipulator's followers are aware of their goals
That makes it easier
Implying that having clear goals makes it easier to manipulate people
Centers round me, me, me
Highlighting the manipulator's self-centeredness and focus on their own goals
To form the words they want to hear if they are true
Advising people to only say things that are beneficial to their devious plans
What do I care
Indicating that the manipulator has little regard for the consequences of their actions
We silence anyone who's in our way
Suggesting that the manipulator is willing to go to great lengths, including violence, to achieve their goals
I hope you know that everyone is for sale
Implying that people can be bought and sold, and that the manipulator is willing to do so
And I have kept my eyes on you
Asserting that the manipulator has been closely watching an individual and their actions
Ever since you were a child
Suggesting that the manipulator has been grooming the individual for a long period of time
Your lust for power was calling on me
Implying that the individual was always destined to become a manipulator and that the manipulator was a guiding force
It welcomed me to come inside and assume control
Suggesting that the manipulator has taken complete control of the individual and their actions
So I did
Stating definitively that the manipulator has succeeded in their plans
How could you know that I was evil
Asking the question rhetorically, as if the manipulator is self-aware of their wickedness
Bet you're sorry now, right?
Suggesting that the individual who was manipulated now regrets their actions and is paying the price for being deceitful
Contributed by Max W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.