The Chewers – Chuckle Change and Also

October 11, 2013 • Cimmerian Shade Recordings

Imagine, for a moment, if Captain Beefheart was still around and decided to get together with The Residents to produce an album, and you'd have a pretty good idea of what The Chewers sound like.

I haven't yet been able to think of a more apt description of Chuckle Change and Also's sound: a sort of bizarre and unconventional bluesy rock that seems to have a vague idea of what music should sound like, but throws most of the rules out of the window. It's dissonant and seems random at first, but it's definitely very carefully composed and rehearsed music that doesn't sound amateur or sloppy at all (well, usually). The layers of bouncy, twangy guitar and weird effects can feel a bit daunting at first but it all works together pretty well.

The lyrics are surprisingly interesting, too: bite-sized bits of narrative poetry that feels vaguely disconnected from the real world but are often still very memorable.

It's obviously not for just anyone, but anyone remotely into Beefheart or The Residents will appreciate The Chewers. As for me, I find it a little difficult to take in all at once with twenty-two tracks (as short as they are) and it's not something I can listen to very often. But I like it and it's definitely worth listening to a few times; you don't hear music quite like this every day.