Cheer - Static Traps
[Benbecula]

Another installment of Benbecula’s coveted Minerals Series brings Glasgow-based musician and multimedia artist Cheer to our attention. Designed to “fast-track” fresh and exciting talent, the Minerals Series often offers a diverse range of music that rarely edges into the mundane.

Cheer mixes a beautifully crafted folk guitar tapestry with crackling field recordings, distant voices and little zips of sound, rarely deviating from this formula. Track titles such as “Sat Am” and “Hangover Jig” hint that this record is intended to be enjoyed during those quiet, contemplative moments that are few and far between these days. The latter is an obvious album highlight, with the rich resonating guitar finger-picking cascading with all the tranquility of a mystical waterfall, while Middle Eastern melodic flavours are layered atop.

Dreamy organ propels the jovial folk of “2 Stops”, while “Optimism in Buckets” intricately intertwines several acoustic guitar parts until every inch of space is filled. “The Fall Off” progresses in a similar manner, except for the clouds of ambient haze that threaten to overcome the whole composition.

As the dense, droning outro of “Song for Irony” ends its cycle it is apparent that Cheer’s music appears to take on new life the more you listen. The first couple of spins only offer a glimpse of his talent, while further investigation reveals that, what are initially perceived as simple songs, are in fact complex and cleverly designed.

A calming release that drips with melancholy and wonder from this evergreen Scots label. It conjures images of a solitary musician armed with just his guitar and thoughts, just as the afternoon sun begins to creep through the windows. A fine addition to Scotland’s ever-changing music scene and an artist well worth further investigation.

Static Traps Track Listing:

1. Sat Am
2. Hangover Jig
3. 2 Stops
4. Downy Birch
5. The Fall Off
6. No Storm
7. Afterthought
8. Every Forest Has Its Shadow
9. Optimism In Buckets
10. Song For Irony