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Icebird has a lot of things going for them; unfortunately
production isn't one of them. Harkening back to early nineties
alternate garage rock a la' Sonic Youth and even Nirvana
circa Bleach, this three-piece creates an authentic grunge
feel that alternates between loud and soft with subtle rhythm
changes. A lot of what makes this album successful are the songs
themselves; they are focused and straight-forward providing memorable
lines and singable vocals, and break from their structure just
enough to remain interesting. Each song varies its own personal
intensity through the course of the track, making it hard to define
whether a song is strictly hard or soft. This is an interesting
effect that heightens the feel of the album and keeps you guessing
as the album progresses.
The major hindrance by far is the production. While it adds to
the garage air of the material it is not uniform and so sporadic
to the point of distracting from the record. The drums are muddled
and chaotic, on the edge of too much at some points and too little
at others. The guitar also shows this mentality which is all the
more apparent because the band is a trio. When power chords are
used the space is filled nicely, when single note lines are used
it almost becomes too hollow. The bass suffers the most from the
recording levels as each song constantly gyps the instrument of
its due presence. Ultimately, intensity and energy are just plain
lost due to the lackluster recording.
So why bother? Because the material is damn good and even if
it is a partial amount of the whole, there is still a good amount
of energy and vibe to be had. Also, there is hope that the band
might latch onto a good producer who can capture their true essence
and take them that next step towards greatness. Personally I will
continue to keep this in the rotation because it reminds me of
all of the crappy good albums I have listened to - so I get a
nostalgic fix just putting on the headphones and being carried
away to a different time and place.
-bishop
Track listing:
1) The Clap The Burn The End
2) Voids
3) The Starting Line
4) You're An Animal
5) My Second Guessing
6) Ohio
7) Birthday Party
8) The Real Pretend
9) Shark-toothed Boy
10) Hollywon't
11) ABABA BABABA
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