SALAD DAYS

This is my most confusing Cheer-Accident album to date. Although on it, I can hear hints of what would later become "Introducing Lemon", this album consists mostly of music that is very hard for me to define. I suspect those in the know would classify this as a noise rock album, or perhaps even math rock; but such can only be a guess from me, who knows very little about either of these genres other than small doses here and there.

The meat of this album consists in the two longer tracks, the first Graphic Depression and the closer, Salad Days. The opener is a long, mostly instrumental track, that uses a lot of volume contrast. It is often lead by odd guitar tones but occasionally cuts out to let Thymme's falsetto ring through. He sings so quietly that I actually have to turn up my volume to make up what he's saying - a risky move when the guitars could return at any moment. The track meanders into a quiet ending with slow, rising high tones. Overall, this track ranges between interesting and confusing, and I often feel lost by the end of it.

The next three tracks are - well - something odd. It's almost as if the band broke apart the first track to create two of them; the second (and much shorter) Graphic Depression sounds like the vocals from the first made more audible and than chipmunk-ized and distorted. Odd indeed, but too short to do much more than baffle.

Post-Premature, the 4th track on the album, also borrows from the title track. This one is a pretty piano piece, yet the progression of notes is similar to the prior-mentioned rise of notes in the long Graphic Depression.

Insomnia is the only track that I haven't yet quite figured out the reference to the opener yet, and perhaps there isn't one. This one is a drum-based track with a bit of vocals.

This leads us all to the closing title track, a 20 minute suite that is ultimately about as wandering as the opener yet somehow feels much stronger. It is graced with a bit more horn playing, and although I really can't find words to describe the journey this one takes you on, I can only say that I find it oddly enjoyable pretty much from beginning to end. In an odd way, it's almost a hypnotic listen, and great for listening when you want to concentrate.

In the end, this is an album that leaves me baffled, one that I don't feel I've done justice describing, yet at the same time one that I can listen to back to back multiple times no problem. Very odd but not in a typically avant way.

Ba da ba dum dum dum ba dum da dum da dum

Incredible prog record from Chicago masters Cheer-Accident. By turns sweet and others HEAVY. Excellent use of dynamics throughout.

The title track is their masterpiece and Graphic Depression is not far behind it. The "proggiest" section of the title track features this drunken pirate lurching riff which goes into one of my favorite drum riffs, referenced in my review title. They add layer after layer, making the listener feel like they've moved on, before it keeps coming back out of nowhere.

Astonishingly good drumming throughout this thing. As a totality, there is a sense of incompleteness which I think is in fact exactly as it should be. A criminally underrated band.

I have no idea why this thing isn't rated higher on this site. In my opinion, it is the best Cheer-Accident release.