The String Cheese Incident have released their first studio album in nine years, and the result is simply delightful. Song In My Head is filled with pastoral melodies, composed with intricate musicianship that keeps the beat thumping and the groove churning from start to finish.
String Cheese Incident formed over twenty years ago, in Colorado, and have steadily built a large following in the jam band music scene. The support from their fanbase has not gone unappreciated by the band, who recently held a free concert in celebration of their new album. With elements of rock, latin jazz, folk, bluegrass, and jam, Song In My Head is a testament to the cohesive talent that the band’s fans have come to know and love.
The album opens with “Colorado Bluebird Sky,” a green-grass rolling-hills song dedicated to the lush landscapes of the band’s home state. With quick guitar licks and a punchy beat, this song provides an excellent way to kick off this increasingly-complex album. The song is straightforward enough, even featuring a washboard percussion track to augment the tune’s authentic ambiance.
The mood changes quickly, as upbeat bluegrass segues into the contemplative latin jazz-influenced tune, “Betray The Dark.” The song still maintains the album’s upbeat tempo, but has a more seductive mood about it. The lyrics depict the love of light over darkness, adding to the pastoral quality that typifies String Cheese Incident music.
It seems that organicism (yes, I made up a word) is a running theme through Song In My Head. The first two songs discuss landscapes and light, and the third is a pop-funk tune called “Let’s Go Outside.” The verse of the song has a dominant bassline that grooves its way to the chorus, which easily sounds like a 90’s pop song by an Everclear-esque band. Not to fear though, the song still has a great guitar solo, and quick-rhyming, thoroughly-enticing lyrics.
The influences on Song In My Head are diverse, but the optimism and organicism remains constant throughout. The title track is a great blues-rock number, check it out for yourself:
“Can’t Wait Another Day” is another latin influenced tune, a seductive groove with an uplifting, prog-rock-esque guitar/keyboard duet that really shows off the level of talent at which the String Cheese musicians play. They even pick things up a notch on the next tune, “So Far From Home,” with a super-fast drum beat that’s met with a gritty descending blues riff. The whole thing sounds like the music to an incredibly fun hoedown.
Perhaps the most intricate composition is the final song from the album, “Colliding.” Using woven melodies and harmonies that sound nearly-electronically influenced, the song builds to several exquisite peaks. The song has been in the band’s repertoire for a few years now, and with god reason. It’s nice to hear the studio version match the energy of the live performances, because this dreamy song is one for the books. Dig it:
Song In My Head by The String Cheese Incident is a fantastic album. Its optimism carries through organic subjects, complete with catchy melodies, sing-a-long-able lyrics, and thoroughly talented musicianship. It’s a real treat of a listen.