Cheer-Accident - Fear Draws Misfortune (Cuneiform Records) Cheer-Accident are an experimental collective that are now in their 3rd decade. They are inextricably linked to the Chicago based scene that served as catalyst to the likes of post-rock, math-rock and post-punk. In their long career they have stylistically straddled a wide and varied plethora of musical forms. “Fear Draws Misfortune” is again unrestrained by a single genre but would appeal to chin stroking followers of avant-progressive-post-math-art jazz-rock! The omnipresent musical themes are its angular melodies, glorious repetitive instrumental and vocal phrases and its imaginative lyrics (illustrated in the opening line, “Trapped inside a little boy, the sun dies”). It could be seen as an updating of “Waka / Jawaka” and “Hot Rats” era Zappa, with wildly fluctuating, often abrasively juxtaposed fragments, but utilising darker, modern metallic guitar tones. There are moments of sheer groove (“Sun Dies”), sections when math-rock’s atypical time signatures come to the fore, as well as snippets of cool jazz. There are also times of both melancholy and awkwardness (“The Carnal, Garnish City” which is unnerving, with the lyrics sounding as though they are sung backwards and accompaniment half played backwards, half played forwards). By way of example of variation, the epic, “Your Weak Heart” convenes as soprano piano balladry, moves to smouldering trumpet, juxtaposed to up-tempo, duelling pianos before moving into unchartered, progressive territories. www.cuneiformrecords.com Willsk Next