Cheer-Accident - Putting Off Death

It’s been a good while since I’ve done a review from the Cuneiform label. And it’s about time to do a review for one of the most interesting bands that have peaked my ears more and more since discovering them in the 2010 documentary, Romantic Warriors: A Progressive Music Saga. That band is Chicago’s own Cheer-Accident. Since their formation back in 1981 and despite line-up changes, they blew me away right from the moment I watched the documentary and I was hooked right from the get-go.

I have one of their albums which is 2009’s Fear Draws Misfortune. And then they took a six-year hiatus after the release of 2011’s No Ifs, Ands or Dogs. This year, it’s almost to let the listener that they are still here and they have the batteries all charged up and ready to go with the release of their new album entitled, Putting Off Death. The album title suggests that while death is approaching it’s a game of chess with the Grim Reaper.

But for me, it’s almost along with the album cover done by Jeff Libersher’s art deco 1940s look, the idea of Chess feels very much essence of Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 classic, The Seventh Seal. The opening track, Language Is begins with this lovely melodic piano ballad and Thymme Jones’ vocal arrangements. The first 3 minutes and 40 seconds have these lyrical aspects between Robert Wyatt and unsung singer-songwriter John Howard (Kid in a Big World-era) that brings to mind of his classic, Goodbye Suzie.

It suddenly transforms into an aggressive yet alarming movement with a mid-fast ramming speed segment before it changes near the end into a heavenly atmospheric Blade Runner-sque scenario of Brian Eno’s Here Come the Warm Jets-era. The Avant-Pop catchy melody featuring the piano and keyboards with some nice percussion sounds as Carmen Armillas’ soothing vocals describe of the scenario and where the lyrics gave the album’s title from on Immanence.

But then Thymme himself brings his essence of the psychedelic-era of The Beatles with some trippy effects between the vibes of Tomorrow Never Knows and Frank Zappa’s The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet. Not to mention the trippy effects on the vocalizations and menacing acoustic guitar sounds with Wishful Breathing while everything goes into an apocalyptic hellish introduction to Falling World.

Guitars go through a mysterious opening door to the essence of William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch. There’s this crossover essence between David Bowie’s Hallo Spaceboy and Radiohead’s The Bends sessions featuring some mid-operatic vocal arrangements. But then, Jazz Trumpets goes head towards the howling mix improvisation and then ending with an electronica doom finale guitar chords.

Lifetime Guarantee is probably going to be one of Cheer-Accident’s favorites. And it is for me one of my favorites that is on Putting Off Death. It has the ingredients of Prog-Pop, standalone rock anthem, Frank Zappa arrangements of odd-time changes near the closing sequences, memorable grooves with some fanfare trumpet movements, the vocalizations rise for life lasting voyage, and little bits and pieces of the AOR sound (Album Orientated Rock).

Hymn closes the album. The echoing reverb effects of the piano brings to mind a piece of music delving into the pool of a genre into the dreamy pop city. Jones sends you into the sky that there one day might be hope for a new day along with an eerie nightmarish string section for a brief few seconds. It is a gripping way to close the album and fade off into the sunset.

Putting Off Death in which Thymme Jones suggested that it might ask the listener that it will ask you some questions that can be answered through the mind of a receiver. Now for me, I always like a mystery. It is of course, a mysterious album that might give you some clues to the piece of Cheer-Accident’s piece of the puzzle as if they are following in David Lynch's footsteps. I have embarked more rides with album than ever before, and Putting Off Death is one of them.