Iceage: New Brigade

Iceage
New Brigade
Rating: Woof Daddy

In this age of excess and bloat, it is refreshing to find a band that gets to the point. Danish punk/post-punkers Iceage draw from Wire's precise minimalism and Joy Division's icy, cathartic despair. In a spare 25 minutes, New Brigade's 12 songs never overstay their welcome, quickly getting to the point, never containing a superfluous note. While they are really not bringing anything new to the table in terms of sound, what makes this band special is the energy they bring. It brings to mind The Strokes' Is This It? in terms of pure swagger and attitude. The band's live shows are apparently extremely aggressive affairs, the audience members referred to as "victims" and photos of the aftermath of gigs are usually posted to the band's website.

From the distortion of opener "Intro" beats a pulse of pure aggression, churning into the white hot, militaristic "White Rune," which is all scraping guitars and blind fury.



The songs rush forth at a blistering pace, barely getting into your brain before the next one comes. Most of the tracks hover around the 2 minute mark, with only one going over 3 minutes. The songs shuttle between outright punk ragers to more streamlined, minimalist guitar explorations.

"New Brigade"'s guitars scrape and threaten to overtake the pell-mell beat.

Iceage - New Brigade by What's Your Rupture?

"Rotting Heights"'s roaring guitars recall the fury of early Jesus and Mary Chain. "Broken Bones" lets snatches of melody peak through the angular mix.

Iceage - Broken Bone by What's Your Rupture?

"Collapse"'s air raid siren attack of guitars descends into pure distortion at the chorus.



"Count Me In" barely slows down in its brief 1:15 running time.



The album is not all one-note furious rage, there are moments of starker clarity, allowing the bands' sense of rhythm and pacing to shine through. Album standout "Never Return" is full of stark, angular guitar notes, featuring tight interconnected work between the drums and bass. "You're Blessed," is practically a power punk pop song with a deliciously catchy chorus.



"Remember" features kicking drum work and slashing guitar riffs, and allows for the music to drop down to focus on the vocals. "Total Drench," another highlight, storms along on a Hook-esque bass line, keeping barely on the rails. "Eyes"'s stop-start guitars and chugging drums keep razor sharp focus as the various elements snake around each other.



New Brigade is a stunning debut from Iceage, that blows the dust off this year's so far underwhelming slew of new releases. Time will only tell if Iceage will expand on their sound. But they are very young (all are between the ages of 18-19 (apparently they can't tour the US until the summer because they have to finish high school), so they have plenty of time to grow. So far, based on this record, they are flying out of the gate. I am excited to see what is up next for them.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.