The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
Every Tuesday, the Sounding Board is a space for a short-ish review of a recent-ish release and conversations about new-to-you music. We’ll get things started with a write-up about a newer, likely under-heard album, and invite you to share your music musings in the comments.
It’s easy to miss, but Cheekface are on a pretty great run.
The Los Angeles trio, self-dubbed America’s local band,1 has put out three extremely enjoyable albums since 2022.2 It’s been album after album after album of bouncy slacker-rock tunes with catchy melodies and lyrics that range from slyly subversive to straight-up silly. The latest in that run, Middle Spoon, is their fifth LP, and probably the strongest overall. It’s bright, varied, well-sequenced and nearly guaranteed to elicit a smile.
Middle Spoon came out on Feb. 25. To date, exactly two critics have deigned to weigh in on its relative merits, according to Album of the Year, and many of its songs have yet to reach the six-figure streaming plateau on Spotify. How can a band consistently put out good music, show gradual growth and improvement, get noticed by the right kind of sites, and maintain such a low profile?3 It’s less mysterious than it seems.
Cheekface’s albums are self-released — and self-decorated with adorable artwork from bassist Amanda Tannen— so there’s no label apparatus or modest marketing budget to push their work on the increasingly Nastified music press. That’s extra unfortunate for Cheekface because they’re the sort of humor-heavy band that can be polarizing for general audiences but tends to be a hit with dweeby critics.4 Cheekface’s music basically dares the music-listening public to write them off. They’re often unapologetically goofy with songs built around basslines and punchlines. Lead singer Greg Katz also tends to deliver lyrics in a flat, wry way that can come off as another layer of pointed irony but probably has more to do with range.5
When songs are filled with jokes, it’s easy to infantilize artists or decline to seriously consider their work. It’s a problem that the likes of Frank Zappa, Devo, They Might Be Giants, of Montreal and Ween have had to contend with and overcome with varying levels of success.6
It’s a dynamic and lineage that Cheefkace acknowledge on Middle Spoon. “Flies,” is a zippy pop song that rides surging Sparks-ian synth and manages to stand out amongst the punchy, pleasant crowd. It includes a Chocolate and Cheese reference and acknowledges the strain of extended humor, “We are living the dream in a room full of flies/ And we look out of place in a space out of time/ There’s a buzz in our heads and the insects replied/ ‘We were doing a bit for our whole frickin’ life.‘” “Art House” is both a well-crafted power-pop song and and a protracted metaphor that draws parallels between a confounding relationship and penchant for enjoying oddball art. “You’re an independent movie/ And you’re a little hard to follow/ And I can only turn you on/ If I wanna get confused.”
Despite self-awareness coupled with an acknowledgement that not everything is for everyone and some art is willfully alienating, Cheekface show no real interest in tamping down their weirder, wilder impulses on the album. Middle Spoon includes both “Living Lo-Fi” and “Living Lo-Fi (Lo-Fi Version)” with the latter track being a shorter, uglier, gunked-up version of the album-opener. Sort of a “Honey Pie” vs. “Wild Honey Pie” situation, but with the songs ordered in a way that makes sense. “Military Gum,” features a guest rap verse from McKinley Dixon that feels beamed in from an entirely different, much more politically strident album. It’s a headscratcher in the context of the album, which features a sax solo from Jeff Rosenstock and multiple songs with harp, and the band’s broader body of work. The last feature on a Cheekface album was back on Too Much to Ask, and it was notable non-rapper Sidney Gish.7
The wildest part of the fiery departure from Cheekface’s slightly askew status quo is that it not only works, it works really well. The song has legitimate edge, and its tone is set by crackling static, a discordant multi-tracked “yah, yah, yah,” war cry, gigantic-sounding drum and low rumbling bass. Those elements provide a runway for the hard-rock guitar and synth whine that accompany Dixon’s blustery verse. Action Bronson’s “Only In America” is a pretty good comparison for the song’s overall vibe. I cannot think of a single other song by Cheekface that exhibits even passing resemblance to a young Randy Velarde track. I’m both tickled and surprised that one now exists.
Although maybe it shouldn’t be surprising. Hip-hop has been a defining force in pop music for about four decades now, Cheekface have proven to generally be game for pushing their usual sound in an unexpected direction and the band has always been tight and skillful. Quality musicianship is something else that Cheekface have in common with those earlier jocular artists. Dean Ween can absolutely shred, Zappa was as much a composer and arranger as he was a potty-mouthed art-rocker, Mark Motherbaugh simply is a composer, They Might Be Giants are genre-hopping pop savants, and Kevin Barnes’ mid-aughts output is what Brian Wilson would have done if he had access to Pro Tools. If the music isn’t solid, the jokes don’t land, and things fall on the wrong side of the novelty song divide. Whether the people who should be listening have heard, Cheekface have proven they can bring the laughs and the tunes to keep company with those cult heroes.
About the writer
Ben Hohenstatt
Ben Hohenstatt is an Alaska-based dog owner who moonlights as a music writer and photographer.
For more information, consult your local library or with parental permission visit his website.
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The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
Department of
Conversation
What did we watch?
Kids In The Hall, Season Two, Episode Nineteen
– The opening sketch about the impotent guy managed to be funnier by ending at the right time.
– “And don’t try and cheat me. Remember, I am the bookkeeper.”
– “Hey, I’m a temp! I can quit at lunch.”
– I think the thing that gets me about the office lady sketches is that they’re weirdly realistic for something written by a bunch of twenty-something dudes.
– This sketch about a guy who doesn’t speak English and doesn’t speak it extremely effectively was either ripped or, at least, very heavily influenced a similar gag in 8 Bit Theater. The same comic specifically ripped off a gag from Newsradio (the “Horse With no Name” gag). Family Guy more specifically rips it off.
– “Duh-rill, yes.”
– “Yeah, I got a problem. Got a girl pregnant.”
– This had the Doors sketch, which is the one and only KITH sketch I’d ever seen before starting the show.
Hacks, “1.69 Million” through “I Think She Will”
At an all-day work event, so I’ll just say that “Feeling Good” needle-drop in the S1 finale is perfect dread-fueled comedy. And I love that the timing of Deborah finding out about Ava’s interview isn’t random bad luck, the way it would be in a lot of comedies, but a specific and clearly motivated dramatic move by Marcus. Good stuff.
Also watched Showing Up to write it up for Streaming Shuffle, and that pairing gave me two Shield alums in one night: Andre Benjamin in the movie and Anna Maria Horsford in “1.69 Million.” Always appreciated!
Crime of Passion – Barbara Stanwyck leaves her job as a columnist in San Francisco for marriage to LA cop Sterling Hayden. Stifled by the overwhelming boredom of suburbia, she tries to fill the void in her life by scheming to get her unambitious hubby a promotion. Except when she doesn’t. Somewhere here is a proto-feminist protest against the dull and empty lives of housewives, but a B movie noir isn’t really the best place for such things since the story comes first. Stanwyck is solid if occasionally over the top, Hayden is as bland as ever, and Raymond Burr as Hayden’s boss and Stanwyck’s target for her schemes/lover is good. Directed with enough B-movie noir flair by Gerd Oswald.
Kojak, “Both Sides of the Law” – The third season ends with an art theft and the arrival of an European detective hired to help the owner of the art, only the detective – who taught Kojak some years ago at John Jay – is willing to work for anyone who pays, good guy or bad. This one is a fun if improbable game of cat and mouse, with Kojak trying to reconcile his memory of the great detective with the current reality. David Opatoshu plays the detective with a good level of flair, and Susan Sullivan is the gallery owner (and love interest for Kojak). The third season was, for the most part, solid and entertaining if a bit less noirish than the first two. It still suffers from the lack of on location shots in NYC but at least it gets better in hiding some of the LA-ness of many shooting locations.
Frasier, “High Crane Drifter” – Tired of the lack of common courtesy and civility, Frasier finally loses it and takes out his anger on a man who grabbed a table he and Niles were clearly waiting for. And Frasier being a public figure, he naturally has to deal with unwanted acclaim for doing something he is ashamed of. Some interesting bits with how not just Frasier but also Niles and Martin react to this incident, but when your main character often loses his cool and is not exactly courteous, your premise is iffy. Fun, though, to have Frasier in full Sideshow Bob mode, and the finale with some great physical comedy by David Hyde-Pierce almost saves the day.
Assassin’s Creed – This is where video games will lead you, kids. This is not a worst nor best case scenario for a movie based on a game with. It doubles down on the games’ po-faced amalgam of social studies and thick-headed mythology, wed by inexplicable technology. This also means it inherits the title’s thematic issue, where the entirety of human history boils down to an endless war between Templars who supposedly want peace but actually want mind control and a secret brotherhood of assassins who murder to protect free will (“everything is permitted” is the end of their motto). Setting up an unnuanced battle where the good guys grant themselves the mandate to murder with impunity has taken a leap of faith well before Michael Fassbender(‘s stunt double) takes a massive dive. Best just to go along for the ride, and when the movie commits to action and stunts it’s a lot of fun. But the fun gets interrupted constantly. The present-day sci-fi mumbo-jumbo which already takes up more than its fair share of the movie also interrupts the action scenes which keep cutting back to Fassbender in the Animus, a device whose function only barely makes sense and most definitely does not enhance a scene by repeatedly popping into it. Finish with an anti-climax that points to an unrealized and unpromising sequel and despite some moments of superior effort, this fails to break the videogame curse.
What did we listen to?
Songs For Drella, Lou Reed and John Cale
This feels like a throwback to Reed’s earlier work, which may be a side effect of his working with Cale and may be a side effect of this being a love letter to Andy Warhol. This is lovely pop that delves into jazzy feelings occasionally, and the concept of the album gives it some focus I don’t normally expect from Reed. I got to the last song and was deeply moved by his sincere expression of love for a guy who was famously a distant, ironic asshole.
Give My Regards To Broad Street, Paul McCartney
What the fuck? No.
Meddle, Pink Floyd
Not much to add from the last albums beyond that we’re getting dangerously close to Dark Side Of The Moon and even later; some fragments of melody, chord progressions, and even lyrics jump out as ones they’d revisit and develop further, with groundwork for “Comfortably Numb” being the major work I kept noticing.
Zach Lowe’s podcast is finally back! Though now it’s called The Zach Lowe Show, which isn’t as good as The Lowe Post, and he’s required to do it as both a podcast and a YouTube vid (which seems to be the opposite of a podcast), but I have missed this show.
Blank Check has reached Hook, and it’s a fun one since Griffin, having not seen it as a kid, is far more clear eyed about its flaws than David or guest LMM. Lots of really interesting background material, and LMM meshes well enough, though as is usually the case with famous guests there is not much he brings that’s out of the ordinary. But at least he’s a fan of the show, unlike, say, Kevin Smith.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wuk_KrHZNs
Year of the Month update!
This April, we’ll be looking at 1999, so you can write about any of these movies, albums, books, et al!
TBD: James Williams: 10 Things I Hate About You
TBD: Ruck Cohlchez – Summerteeth/The Soft Bulletin/Utopia Parkway
TBD: Lauren James – Storm of the Century
Apr. 8th: Bridgett Taylor: …One More Time
Apr. 11th: Gillian Rose Nelson: Balloon Farm
Apr. 15th: Ben Hohenstatt: The White Stripes
Apr. 16th: James Rodriguez: The Scooby Doo Project
Apr. 17th: Cameron Ward/Cori Domschot: The Mummy
Apr. 18th: Gillian Rose Nelson: The Hand Behind the Mouse
Apr. 24th: Cori Domschot: The Matrix
Apr. 25th: Gillian Rose Nelson: Disney on DVD
Apr. 28th: Tristan J. Nankervis: The Sixth Sense
Apr. 29th: Dave Shutton: American Pie/Class of 1999
And the open call for May starts now! Our year will be 1962, so you can write about any of these movies, albums, books, et al!
May 2nd: Gillian Rose Nelson: Moon Pilot
May 9th: Gillian Rose Nelson: Bon Voyage!
May 15th: John Bruni: L’Eclisse/Il Sorpasso
May 16th: Gillian Rose Nelson: Big Red
May 23rd: Gillian Rose Nelson: Almost Angels
May 30th: Gillian Rose Nelson: In Search of the Castaways
Dropping my Sixth Sense essay in favour of starting a week of Star Wars essays that day.