No Ifs, Ands or Dogs (2011, CD)

CHEER-ACCIDENT

CHEER-ACCIDENT’s 17th! This one rocks. And it pops. It even hops!
Yes, the second track (“Trial Of Error”) could very well be the birth of a brand
new subgenre, one that will surely never quite catch on: Mid-Hop. This song
serves as a microcosm of the album as a whole, which is to say it’s got a little
bit of everything: skewed-yet-danceable grooves, catchy melodies, layered
progressive rock density, and meticulously-sculpted guitar and synthesizer
textures.

Undoubtedly, the newest and shiniest feature of this recording is the debut
of singer Carmen Armillas, whose sensuous vocals invite the listener to bathe
in every nuance of these seductive melodies. And she’s right there on the
first tune, “Drag You Down,” fully inhabiting the song in all of its twists and
turns.

A facile way of describing this latest offering from CHEER-ACCIDENT would
be this: If Fear Draws Misfortune was prog with pop elements, then
No Ifs, Ands or Dogs is pop with prog elements. But that tidy description
falls woefully short of doing the music justice, for the years roll on, words
become impotent, and CHEER-ACCIDENT employs increasingly powerful
forms of insidiousness toward its navigation of a vast musical terrain.
Now more than ever, you’ll just have to listen to it…

Listen to a clip of Sleep from No Ifs, Ands or Dogs.