“This incremental crawl to a newfound accessibility continues on the marvellous No Ifs, And or Dogs, documenting a streamlined reconfiguration of progressive (not prog) rock recalling past Fred Frith projects such as Henry Cow and Art Bears, or even Soft Machine prior to Robert Wyatt’s departure. Sure, glimpses of bloat – ofYes, King Crimson, and even Comus – bubble to the fore, but whenever the group threaten to capsize under the burden of extraneous gristle along comes a track like the disarmingly charming piano-led, horn-laden Cynical Girl (with Jones delivering a deliciously honeyed lead vocal) or the splendorous Sleep, with its fittingly dreamlike fairy tale vistas. At such moments, Cheer-Accident leave behind the befuddlement of their past and commence hitting home runs from out of the same ballpark as The Beach Boys and Van Dyke Parks.” – BBC
“…[Cheer-Accident] meld difficult, angular rock with absurdist lunacy in intentionally disturbing ways that are just brilliant.” – Alternative Press
“There are few ensembles that can make noise sound both as mysterious and as strangely inviting as Cheer-Accident.” – Delusions of Adequacy
“If, in twelve months time, this isn’t in the Organ’s top three of our 100 best albums of 2009, then we’ll be looking back at a pretty extraordinary year.” – The Organhttp://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-cheer-accident-no-ifs/
Reviews of our latest, No Ifs, Ands Or Dogs:
Check out the podcast of the review of “No Ifs, Ands Or Dogs” on NPR’s Fresh Air
Reviews of Fear Draws Misfortune:
| Maelstrom | Progressor |
| Sea of Tranquility | Terrascope Online (UK) |
| Leicester Bangs | The Onion/A.V. Club |
| Prog Archives | Pitchfork |
| Fakejazz.com | Blastitude.com |
| Alarmpress.com |
Fun With Translations (Where we turn
our reviews into poetry via English translations of the German/French/Italian/Polish/etc.)
A review of No Ifs, Ands Or Dogs from movimentiprog.net (translated from Italian):
Training so extraordinary how little celebrated, the Cheer-Accident arrive at their seventeenth album now thirty years of career. Onset in 1981, the formation of Chicago has strung together a series of discs with a lowest common denominator: the scale of forms, the welter of references, the unsurpassed ability to synthesis that blends into a song by Gentle Giant and a few minutes Lalo Schifrin, Beach Boys and Muffins.
Even for “No ifs, ands or dogs” the many tracks and dense team of musicians revolving around Thymme Jones, histrionic figure of drummer and multi-instrumentalist, ideal fusion between Christian Vander, Chris Cutler and Bill Bruford with considerable talent as composer and director’s ability . The main feature of the new disc is the significance of the fragment: the Cheer-Accident operate roughly in the field of progressive, but while there are excesses of avant-garde, the other everything is dissolved in the short format of the song.
Listen to “drag you down”: the cutting guitar, the impact of sharp and carry the melody in environments post-grunge, but the arrangement, the sudden arrival of the wind, singing a little ‘crafty and gait rhythm going in the direction quite different. While the album has many episodes available (eg, “Barely Breathing” and the pop of “Cynical Girl”), the apocalyptic chamber jazz-rock of “Trial of error” and “This Is The New That” Cuneiform confirm adherence to the stable, even if they are the very first songs to have a quid more. “Sleep,” in full crimson climate, is among the most pleasant moments, “Life in Pollyanna” and “Death by Pollyanna” raised polyphonies articulated so dear to the brothers Shulman rock with a fine drive.
A good record, born of a good shock creative, spoiled only by a few moments of self-indulgence and forced complexity.
A review of No Ifs, Ands Or Dogs from schallplattenmann.de (translated from German):
Another review of No Ifs, Ands Or Dogs from arlequins.it (also translated from Italian):
Thirty years of career, not a few. We left with Cheer Accident “Fear Draws Misfortune”, what I consider their best album, and now with this, we arrived at the seventeen! Given the general appreciation of the previous output, I expected a sort of continuation, but it seems that it is well not to place expectations precise Jones and companions. Someone said: “If something works, throw it,” I think the reminder, here, has worked well, so we are celebrating their thirty-year with a little ‘of heartache and a record that on first listen you know, unfortunately, a disappointment . Fortunately, I did not stop there, because with the ratings after the disc has grown listening pleasure, and all those parts which at first seemed a little ‘drops there, have proven anything. It ‘clear, however, some swing, in “No ifs, ands or dogs”: the development is by no means homogeneous and songs are sophisticated and highly sought after in terms of rhythm, but not limited to, songs that seem to clash with, know more simplistic pop. This, fortunately, is something that is refuted by careful listening, and so you end up understanding that even those sections that immediately seem too direct and linear, hidden features music by real transformers. We will see later.
For this record Thymme Jones, drummer, composer and, somehow, the band leader has prepared a nice concept consists of 15 short images, very different, but related to well-defined musical idea. The idea is that nothing should be maintained for over a minute. From this comes a variety of forms and expressions quite staggering and the songs, the longest is just over five minutes, contain a compression element that requires a lot of plays to be well metabolized in all its aspects. And despite this complexity, there is ornamental, there are no frills and no convoluted purposes, because the purpose is clear and great fun for the performer and listener.
Then we find passages where the atmosphere is more pop than expected, the linear and the rhythmic singing seems a little ‘dry and decided. Then it turns out, for example, that the rhythmic intricacy “Barely Breathing” is something masterful stroke of exchanges between the even and odd rhythmic 2 / 4 and harmony in 3 / 4 of tag in unison to take only in the chorus.Even the opener “drag you down” with his guitar puffs a little ‘over the top and its almost Cantat “catchy” presents the digging going well beyond the radio piece here and metrics to support the odd chorus, d ‘agreement, we had already thought of the Beatles with “We Can Work It Out”, but it always works very well. And I just want to know that the DJ put on “Cynical Girl,” which, in effect, and its only 2 minutes, it is more approachable to pop the entire disk (something brings me back to certain things of XTC), but to believe that it is really a pop song, you have to forget all the rhythmic syncopations of the sung verses and think only good exercise melodic.
For the rest it is very difficult to find a genre and stick it to Cheer Accident by this work. You can simply talk about avant prog and groped to put everything that comes into your head from personal RIO aims to Zeuhl, from symphonic prog (dare some reference genesis, if not almost paradoxical) to zorniani minimalism, by foaming in scores Zappa snapped hardzeppeliniani, mini Dadaism canterburyani to exuberant rock and scratching, but I think the formless mass that comes out of the grooves is a powerful personal evolving mix where everyone can read what you prefer to read. The whole is summed up in the madness, however, of “This Is The New That”, which collects most eloquent title really says anything.Then to mention the amazing acrobatics of “Life in Polyanna” and “Salad dies” orgy frippiana. The spectacular “Sleep” where the singing of Carmen Armillas good blends themes crimsoniani and Zappa, with a concentration of polyrhythms even difficult to follow, all backed by the horns and Jeff Libersher Dudley Bayne Alex Perkolup and bottom. It is also worth mentioning the closing “Empty Provinces” and “Provincial Din”, another potential summary of the work, to live where we find the polyphonic Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Red, punk, grunge, funk powerful rhythms, chants and litanies Zappalyric-zeuhliane.
Hard fun, enjoyable, variable, intriguing and exciting as the prog should be. In short, this team of exceptional multi-instrumentalists, has managed to do something new, to say something that could be blueprint for the future of a certain part of the progressive, and now I do not think little.
A review of No Ifs, Ands Or Dogs from Donatozoppo.blogspot.com (translated from Italian):
Training so extraordinary how little celebrated, the Cheer-Accident reach their seventeenth album now thirty-year career. Since his debut in 1981, the formation of Chicago has strung together a series of discs with a lowest common denominator: the scale of forms, the welter of references, unsurpassed capacity for synthesis which merges into a song by Gentle Giant and a few minutes Lalo Schifrin, Beach Boys and the Muffins.
Even for “No ifs, ands or dogs” the many tracks and dense team of musicians rotating around Thymme Jones, histrionic figure of drummer and multi-instrumentalist, ideal fusion between Christian Vander, Chris Cutler and Bill Bruford with considerable talent as composer and directing skills . The main feature of the new disc is the significance of the fragment: the Cheer-Accident work broadly in the field of progressive but while there are excesses of avant-garde, the other everything is dissolved in the short format of the song.
Listen to “drag you down”: the cutting guitar, the impact of sharp and carry the melody in places post-grunge, but the arrangement, the sudden arrival of the wind, singing a little ‘crafty and gait rhythm going in the direction very different. While the album has many episodes available (eg, “barely breathing” and the pop of “Cynical Girl”), the apocalyptic jazz-rock chamber of “Trial of error” and “This Is The New That” confirm adherence to the stable Cuneiform, though who are the first songs to have a certain something extra. “Sleep” in full swing crimsoniano, is among the most pleasant moments, “Life in Pollyanna” and “Death by Pollyanna” raised the polyphonic articulated so dear to the brothers Shulman rock with a fine drive.
A good record, born of a good shock creative, spoiled only by a few moments of self-indulgence and forced complexity.
A review of Fear Draws Misfortune from Ilpopolodelblues.com (translated from Italian):
From Chicago Area an example of very good music research
Those who become regular readers of these pages know that we expect by the Canadian Cuneiform records of great interest for music research and originality. This album is no exception of Cheer-Accident, historicalcollective of Chicago that was formed in 1981 by Thymme Jones(keyboards and drums), Mike Greenles (drums) and vocalist JimDrummond. A formation that is now in its fifteenth album in which Jones was accompanied by Jeff Libersher (guitars and vocals), Alez Perkolup(bass), with a team of 15 musicians from rock, jazz, underground Chicago as a violinist and vocalist Carla Kihlstedt. Cheer-Accident’s music is in fact a jazz-rock music of the twentieth century with many grafts cultured fromIgor Stravinsky. An album that hits from the first notes to the spirit of research that treats each song as a complex and complete at the same time. Tempo changes, instrumental provocations, distorted melodies Blueas in Cheadle and Mescalito. The symphonic and progressive elements in the fascinating Carnal, Gasrlish City (perhaps the best piece). Until the finalsuite of Your Weak Heart begins as acoustic ballad for voice and piano, butthen takes off into psychedelic and jazz. A real showpiece for the entirecollective. One listen challenging and fascinating at the same time
Michele Manzotti
A review of No Ifs, Ands Or Dogs from Baby Blaue (translated from German):
After two years, finally released a new album by Cheer-Accident, their second production for the Cuneiform label. Since switching to Cuneiform procuring at least their new albums become much easier. Compared to the previous Fear Draws Misfortune, the cast has expanded, with keyboard player and singer Carmen Dudley Bayne Armillas the band became a quintet.
For Cheer-Accident, you never know exactly what to expect, which can be as complex as punky avant Gekrache melodiösester or art-pop. And certainly all on the same album! Thus, it is essentially also here. The instrumentation is again kept very varied and colorful. Even the regulars goes on so a lot of instruments, switches repeatedly from one device to another, which comes at concerts even more impressive. There are also indoor and singer-eight guest musicians, including the contact with several other saxophones sound of color.
In most songs it crashes properly, complex riffing with dirty, punky attitude prevails. About a kind of retro prog with crimsoider RIO and punk influences. In between, it jazzes sometimes on zappaeske kind, occasionally, a little direction Zeuhl squinted. The whole thing looks moderately sloping, a certain amount of catchiness is always maintained – though not so much that the songs would be too simple. The singing is not so (except for the new singer, but is still not so much in the foreground) the strength of the band, but it fits somehow this, especially when angled riffs with “Beach Boys”-like choruses are accompanied.
Interspersed in between, there are downright dangerous melodic pop gems (Barely Breathing, Cynical Girl), performed by androgynous Thymme Jones almost to a voice call. Above all, the summer-sun-feel-good tunes by Cynical Girl is here already hard at the border, but here is the band ultimately taste.
Cheer-Accident is No Ifs, Ans or Dogs again succeeded in creating a wonderfully diverse album at the interface of crimsoneskem retro prog and avant-garde moderate. It would be nice if the band that finally could be their eternal secret status behind. Class of!
Face-off Tip (s): all to hear!
Comparable to:
A review of Fear Draws Misfortune from Ragazzi (translated from German):
Jeff Libersher (g, b, tr, voc) and Thymme Jones (drums, keys, tr, voc), Chris was still with block long with Alex Perkolup (b, g), have made their career pass in review and is considered, what they have created with their different albums: the whole pop music grazed, each oblique angle savored, passion coupled with ease, played kitsch and art, fashion, and operated alternately zeitgeist. You are in years, with the albums strayed far from where they started.
But now, 20 years after its spectacular start “Sever Roots Tree Dies” (Reissue 2007er on Freakshow Records), they in turn play a 9 Songs, the debut could be no better legacy. Perhaps inspired by “new” bands like Thinking Plague and 5UU’s, “old” dug out, such as Henry Cow and Frank Zappa, possibly even the grand classic Yes, Strudelmix one of those bands. Expression of crisis?
Nowhere. Not even the debut was so abstract and avant-garde as “Fear Draws Misfortune”. No wonder that Cuneiform was aware of the band, their amazing and crazy good albums in recent years after the pop of the 1990s, on their new recordings. Electro-avant-garde, like Faust, sudden outbreaks of aggression radicals like Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, extremely complex and 5UU’s, esthetic Sophisticated like Yes, jazzy against stroke and stroke erupting Atonal-excitations – is avant-prog (or art-rock, if you will), last seldom rocked so vital, to melodic and harmonic extravagance of the jazz avant-approved, pressure and dynamics characterized passionate, so decided against any radical catchiness, any ease. With the help of a wealth of guest musicians, including Carla Kihlstedt (vi, vocals, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum), is one of the nine compositions on driving relentlessly oblique songs that is very true.
How did it happen that the trio radically renewed the way back to abstract progressive music has found? The general desire of the audience special sounds, to which they are themselves also allow more complex again, slanted material, as a late fruit of earlier progressive rock music? Anyway, every song is a surprise, sounds fresh and inspired, not afraid of any disharmony and rhythm breaks, has strength and energy, sound and feel like empathy and lascivious savage, unbridled humor. No lofty, haughty art, not arrogance, this “Fear Draws Misfortune”, but with crazy cabaret music desire to lean and rock and roll.
For the best collections.
&npsp;
A review of Fear Draws Misfortune from agarthaprog.com (translated from Italian):
Between King Crimson, Present and Thinking Plague, Fear Draws Misfortune ranks of Cheer Accident, which is a great record, no doubt to be had. That’s it: the final reveal! But first we return to the ranks and try to put into context. The group was founded in 1981, in Chicago and the first album dates back to 1986. This is their sixteenth disk and perhaps the best.Among other things, the history of the group is of undoubted importance, because it establishes a natural association with the record label Cuneiform, house of worship is synonymous with quality, always known for supporting innovative artists. For the uninitiated, then, we’re not talking about rookie or pseudo-musical talents of the last hour. Indeed, Jones Thymme, historical figure of the group, forms the heart of the band, which of course has changed over the years different components and that today is built upon the foundations of a trio of multifaceted only plays keyboards, woodwinds, guitars, bass, drums and sings , which is added to a pool of fifteen good jazz musicians of the underground rock scene in Chicago, including the violinist Carla Kihlstedt and singer. Fear Draws Misfortune (means “fear bad luck”, ed) is a work of art-rock, complex, choral and refined, made clear spirit of musical research. Sounds, harmonies, arrangements, composition, you name it exudes professionalism and considerable backgrounds, which are evident in the disc as much as the ‘original composition, the overall wealth of ideas, talent executive. We are in the presence of a modern animal. There are traces of styles and genres, beautiful melodic lines and the bases are firmly planted in jazz-rock, but enriched by other elements, such as symphonic prog influences or who come from far and incollocabili universes, including Zappa, Stravinkij, Magma and very more. Each piece is polished and impregnated grafts, indicating a significant research work. The overall effect is of great emotional impact, load, stress, riffs, intense and seductive harmonies. The tracks are made very well done. Each has its own story, well placed in context and can not escape the remarkable abilities of individual musicians, including the performace of the voices (and female, in the manner of a Hawk of Thinking Plague, or male, who looks a bit ‘of certain things King Crimson). The rhythm section, remarkable, is impeccable, and in general stands out the chorus of sounds and compositions, which have studied the scores for the collective. The tracks are well mixed, with arrangements and personal with diverse accents. Change of pace, different tones, accents that change abruptly but in a completely natural, and give personality to characterize this work. The listener through a musical whole, a microcosm where they found acoustic and electric sounds mixed in key art-rock and jazz-progressive rock, with echoes of ballads and hints of other genres, but did not become confused or feel that listen to a shapeless blob music and inconsistent. A high-level working, then, with a total duration of the so-called perfect. With such a concentration of references and allusions and alternating between guitars, percussion, vocals evocative, cascading keyboards, all so well studied, there is really enjoying it. The style is typical of the productions of this kind of Cuneiform, which once again has managed to marry a soul band’s art-rock with sophisticated and personalized study techniques. The result is an easy drive, then, but it’s very exciting, valuable and pleasant. Without the slightest doubt, Fear Draws Misfortune is an output of great interest and thick, well-educated and, last but not least, able to live a wonderful musical adventure. A note, though, I have to do and, alas, just the sound quality: low sounds a little too exaggerated and mixed, resulting in brilliant sound quality a little. Too bad.Apart from that, we are facing a job valuable than that in two words, describe epithelial and recommended!
A review of Fear Draws Misfortune from gutsofdarkness.com (translated from French):
So it’s the … sixteenth of a disk group that will become old without going through the box “success.” Or “split” or “reformation” or “commercial or disappointing turn” elsewhere. A case study, in fact. A kind of equivalent to the obstinacy of a Present or Univers Zero in Europe, stubbornly we imagine just as difficult to maintain, if not more, especially over such a long period. Accursed group, Cheer-Accident? Knowing their path, the question may arise. It is with a touch of apprehension that you put this disc, given the rather drab cover despite a theme yet anything but conducive (the beach) … The Sun Dies is not a cover of the famous He died on Sun Nicoletta dear to our ancestors, but a twisted composition with vocals male / female evoking an Arcade Fire who would advance a sword in hand, repeating “I will cut you head “… The album starts and we feel we will have some respite. When Blue Cheadle arrives, you end up having ears whistling on the hill, and the drummer strikes anxious as if his head depended on it. Title: Disenchantment. Oh, because it is possible to disenchant more? After a racing motorcycle engine purring ovniesque a chant, a hitherto unknown female voice sings a verse to the battalion and then goes away, leaving a tango accordion finish the job before the passage of the militia. So, after the songs almost as bizarre and unhealthy that they, much of the album sounds too shy, forgetting to turn RIO and Zeuhl influences everywhere (you must imagine that would have turned a Magma upset and moody) . Richness and variety of timbres, voices and instruments are, however, the breasts of this album very successful, doped with hallucinations and transverse structures. And for good reason, as many as 15 additional musicians have grown up training, dense enough for this album. All this does not sound heavy for a second, but lets play like whey poisoned, quietly. I would even say it grouve, it grouve copiously even on tracks like Humanizing the distance, real lessons of aeration and measuring instruments for bands like Mars Volta (which are unfortunately not the only ones confused with progressive congestion), this last title perfectly merging a final Your Weak Heart piano ballad that starts in voice quite passable in radio, limited to the early Todd Rundgren (yum, so), before removing completely and pour into 9 minutes uncertainty and wandering out of bounds … A reminder that life in danger need to keep the sense, and that there is a beautiful evening near the grand piano, the shade reflecting off the glass, of course, but this is not it. (Sunday, 21 March 2010)
A review of Fear Draws Misfortune from caleidoscope (translated from Dutch):
A collective that already seems an eternity to run it’s Cheer-Accident. The company from Chicago, founded by the early 80’s drummer, singer,trumpeter, composer and keyboardist Thymme Jones, also has manymusical style and composition changes. Besides Thymme is the core oftoday Libersher Jeff (guitar, bass, trumpet, vocals) and Alex Perkolup (bassguitar). For their latest Fear Draws Misfortune feat they have less than 15invited guest musicians, including cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm (The FlyingLuttenbachers), singer / violinist Carla Kihlstedt (Sleepytime GorillaMuseum) and saxophonist Doug Abram (tenor sax). The other musiciansbring voice, clarinet, trumpet, alto / baritone saxophone, trombone, tuba,violin and flute. The music is whimsical, many changes of styles. It is akaleidoscopic mix of avant-garde, jazz, rock, hardcore, post rock,progressive rock, experimental music and cabaret. The music is extremely detailed, but you are never overloaded. Therefore the compositions are well put together. The dynamics of a splash, and the band seems more alivethan ever. A combination of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Zappa, Cardiac, Don Caballero, This Heat, Uz and Brise-Glace Jsme Doma is somewhatclose to their powerful, unique sound.
For some ancient press…
For some ancient press…
…or some not-quite-as-ancient press…
…or some slightly-more-recent press…
…or even-more-recent press…
Fear Draws Misfortune voted 3rd best recording
of the year 2009 by The Organ magazine !
Introducing Lemon voted best album of the decade
byTime Out New York magazine!
Cheer-Accident featured in Signal To Noise magazine!
