Iceage - New Brigade

Iceage - New Brigade (2011)

Genre: Post-Punk, Art Punk

While not exactly breaking new grounds, Iceage show some promise on their debut, mixing various genres to create a solid post-punk album. As a reminder, I do not intend for this to be a really in-depth and complex review. I'm just sharing my quick personal thoughts on the album. As for any album review I do, I try to be objective without letting any personal bias get too much in the way of the final grade. 

I understand that objectively speaking, a good punk record needs to have healthy doses of aggression, attitude and energy. This band definitely has all three, but I can't help but feel like the amount of praise this album received upon release was due to hard-rock deprived critics who were quenching for something a bit more hardcore among the soft rock flooding the market. Granted, I can somewhat sympathize, and at the end of the day, this is still a solid record.

Excluding the minimalist intro track, there are 11 hard hitting tracks here, all wrapped up in a cozy 23 minute package. Something to be noted is the impressive mix of genres that can be heard. While this is very much a post-punk album at heart, there's plenty of influences of no wave, noise rock and hardcore punk. Rotting Heights is a clear example of these genres molding together to create a raw, crunchy and dissonant sound that distinguishes this band's sound from a lot of other art punk groups. White Rune is another highlight, but conversely so for its more subdued pacing while still maintaining the same aesthetic.

The album's strengths are greater exemplified by it's short length, but while this band has established themselves well with this release, I can't help but feel like they still lacked a bit more. As it stands, this is a great album to listen to as a whole, very much short and sweet, but outside of a technical standpoint, there weren't many tracks that really hooked me. But to end on a positive note, the loud, muddled and abrasive production stand to this album's benefit for a short, but powerful listening experience.

B

Favorite Tracks: New Brigade, Total Drench, Count Me In, You're Blessed

Least Favorite Track: Collapse