A month or so before I picked up this CD for review I had been trying to grow a beard. It was probably the best example I had managed to produce so far in my 21 and a bit years on this planet. The day before I received the CD I had to shave it off for a job interview. Upon hearing The Beards' album and the myriad of wondrous tales of beards and their owners, it made me suddenly feel ashamed, inadequate and somehow, less of a man. Somewhere near the middle of the album the Beards kindly include a radio interview they did at KA-FM in which they explained that this record is for people who have a beard or are seriously thinking about growing a beard, and seemingly I didn't fall into either category anymore. After an EP last year, The Beards (which look suspiciously like local band The Dairy Brothers) have at last provided the world with their first full-length album. Opener Beards Club sets the tone, and tells the fascinating tale of Billy and his attempts to gain entry into this beards-only venue. All of the songs here are about beards (see Growing A Beard, Beard Revolution and so on) and are all, obviously, hilarious and very smartly written by these astute beard wearers. Most of the material could be likened to a bearded version of Tenacious D or Tripod, with some ZZ Top and Cat Stevens thrown in. They prove themselves to be adept at a variety of styles and genres covering acoustic folk, metal (My Beard Is Better Than Satan's Beard) to sunny pop love balladry (It Only Takes A Fortnight To Grow A Beard). The bottom line: 'tis is all in good bearded fun.
A month or so before I picked up this CD for review I had been trying to grow a beard. It was probably the best example I had managed to produce so far in my 21 and a bit years on this planet. The day before I received the CD I had to shave it off for a job interview. Upon hearing The Beards' album and the myriad of wondrous tales of beards and their owners, it made me suddenly feel ashamed, inadequate and somehow, less of a man. Somewhere near the middle of the album the Beards kindly include a radio interview they did at KA-FM in which they explained that this record is for people who have a beard or are seriously thinking about growing a beard, and seemingly I didn't fall into either category anymore. After an EP last year, The Beards (which look suspiciously like local band The Dairy Brothers) have at last provided the world with their first full-length album. Opener Beards Club sets the tone, and tells the fascinating tale of Billy and his attempts to gain entry into this beards-only venue. All of the songs here are about beards (see Growing A Beard, Beard Revolution and so on) and are all, obviously, hilarious and very smartly written by these astute beard wearers. Most of the material could be likened to a bearded version of Tenacious D or Tripod, with some ZZ Top and Cat Stevens thrown in. They prove themselves to be adept at a variety of styles and genres covering acoustic folk, metal (My Beard Is Better Than Satan's Beard) to sunny pop love balladry (It Only Takes A Fortnight To Grow A Beard). The bottom line: 'tis is all in good bearded fun.
