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I am entirely unsure as to how many people heard the first Father Beard CD-R; though regardless of that number, ever more listeners need be introduced to the tiny buzzing world of Messrs. Williams and Lucas. Whereas Tokens, then Light occupied a gloriously ambigous middle ground, The Voyage Out is at points more and less distinct than its predecessor. What before were lightly droning, repetitious songs of psychedelia, here we get the drone or the song. The small palette of sounds that lent Tokens, then Light its unity here seems to be even smaller but augmented with versatility in styles of play. Structures on The Voyage Out are more complex than Tokens' unidirectional thrust; a straight-forward pop song (straight-forward for this group, at least) may become unexpectedly and strangely mathy. Songs suddenly fall away to barest skeletons only to return half-minutes later. "Eye Pattern" is straight drone, yet closer "Letters From Outside," short and direct, is the possibly the most exacting thing the group has yet recorded, with a quick kraut-like rhythm. Many of the other tracks remind me, strangely enough, of Souled American's last two albums of disjointed and abstract country. But for its numerous merits, The Voyage Out occasionly sports tentative, unsure vocal melodies and periodic reductions in recording quality. As whole, Williams and Lucas are undoubtedly progressing; hopefully towards album that cannot be ignored.

Father Beard at Amazon & Insound