Since my introduction of
labels like MoonJune and Cuneiform Records have peaked my interest thanks to
the 2010 documentary of the first documentary of Romantic Warriors: A Progressive Music Saga, there was this amazing
band that just completely blew me away. And that band was Cheer-Accident.
Formed in Chicago in 1981, the band released 17 albums and their previous is
their 16th called, Fear Draws
Misfortune released in 2009.
This is perhaps one of the
most compelling and thunderous albums I’ve listened to. You could tell that the
odd and difficult time signatures are bouncing off the wall through ominous
twists and turns throughout the entire album. It’s this combination between
Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Univers Zero, Magma, The Residents, Present, King
Crimson, and Krautrock legends, Faust.
There’s a touch of the RIO
(Rock in Opposition), the dystopian roars, and the Avant-Progressive Rock
sounds come bursting in as if the door has been blown down through a gigantic
bulldozer and Cheer-Accident coming marching in to give the surprising touches thrown
in and let me say, they know what they are doing. The band consists of; Thymme
Jones on Drums, Keyboards, Trumpet, and Vocals, Alex Perkolup on Bass Guitar,
and Jeff Libersher on Guitar and Vocals.
And having 15 musicians
playing on here along with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum’s Carla Kihlstedt on
Vocals, it’s a perfect combination to come along for a roller-coaster ride that
you will never forget. And with five centerpieces on the album, it can really
take note that you will expect the unexpected that you might be on the look out
for.
Opening track, Sun Dies, starts off with a blaring
haywire guitar introduction that have an antagonistic chords that has a
resemblance of the Trout Mask Replica-era.
And combined with the vocalizations coming in as if the thumping beats help out
before getting into the Zappa vibes of Dog
Breath, In the Year of the Plague as if the Northettes from Hatfield and
the North and Egg were singing those melodies to capture the dissonance rhythm
that makes it out of the blue and wonderous in surreal way.
Blue Cheadle starts off in a rhythm format of the Post-Rock era of the late
‘70s/early ‘80s with a thumping guitar and bass line in 126 beats per minute as
the drums capture the ominous atmosphere. Not to mention the chanting of the
title track and the doomy piano melodies and synths followed by a hand-held
Latin instrument of the Guiro, as it ends into a nightmarish violin duo to give
chills and shivers down the listeners spine with an homage to Art Zoyd.
Disenchantment has a laid-back percussion section followed by the drums and the synths
make it sound like a car driving off into the night with nowhere to go that has
an electronic beat to it. And the
crashing sounds followed by the minor keys in the piano and then going into a
midtempo beat as the female vocals come in and trumpets and melodica come out
of the blue with a crashing ending as the galloping increasing terrors that
wishes that Cheer-Accident could have written a score for either a David Lynch
or Tim Burton film with twisted and insanity force on The Carnal, Garish City.
With those odd time changes
and their homage to Present, The Residents and Gentle Giant combined into one,
it is very complex and off the wall featuring blaring horn sections, and Alex’s
tribute to Roger Triguax of Present and Fred Frith as well, he takes his guitar
into those darker and sinister areas and almost neo-classical moments followed
by the vocalizations going into different areas. And of course, the quacking
voices, shows they have an excellent sense of humor thrown in.
But it’s Your Weak Heart that is a nine-minute
epic to give the band a relaxing calm after the storm. It’s Thymme taking the
vocals and singing through his heart and showing Cheer-Accident’s softer side
for the first two minutes before it kicks into overdrive of a symphonic
structure with a jazzy section. And then it goes into the styles of a Keith
Emerson concerto that is almost straight into the touches of the Trilogy-era and there is some compelling
rhythm sections to give it the Prog power before ending with Thymme's vocals to close the curtain for a warmth and soothing finale.
This is my third time
listening to Fear Draws Misfortune and
my intro to Cheer-Accident’s music and they have released a mind-blowing yet
enthralling and absorbing release of 2009 from the Cuneiform label. A must
have for the RIO/Avant-Prog fans worth sinking into the deep waters for a
twisted adventure of explorations diving into see what they will come up with next.
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