Skip to main content

Iceage

 139

Iceage

How Iceage became The Lord's Favourite » Subbacultcha

Iceage

I first became aware of this Danish punk band with their sophomore release, 2013's You're Nothing. I've been following their path unfold since then. I'll be straight-up: this music is not for everyone; It's chaotic, sludgy, messy, yet, somehow, still beautiful. The beauty comes in the honesty which comes with being in a punk band. It's not for glamour, it's not for the image, it's not for fashion, it's not for popularity- it's for that singular punk attitude & that punk attitude alone- and if that doesn't make sense to you- then you will definitely hate this band. But alas, all punk bands must grow from their teenage angst and finally spread their wings and find their footing as they age. Frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt expressed this growth best when he told Pitchfork, "...ideally, Iceage should not only cover the emotions that come with a clenched fist, but everything that comes with living our lives."  Their ambitious third album, 2014's Plowing in the Field of Love, proved just that: Punk-rock can be more than just three-chords and a singer screaming about society's woes. I can't name many punk bands that have aged as gracefully or grown as artistically; going from thrashy chaos (see the band's 2011 debut album: New Brigade) to grand, apocalyptic rock music (see the band's fourth album: 2018's Beyondless). The band recently released a new single, 2021's "The Holding Hand," the first taste of anything off their fifth album set for release in May of this year. Again, this isn't music for everyone but if your inner pissed-off adolescent self is anywhere alive in your soul: you will dig this sound. This is a band that can summon a storm like no other... maybe Fucked Up. Now, I'll leave this post with a quote from the guitarist, Johan Surrballe Wieth which proves what this band is about: "We aren’t a DIY band – we don’t put out our own records, and don’t set up our own shows. Still, everything we make as a band, we want to do ourselves. We want to stay in control of every creative outlet." Check out this new and thorough interview the band did with Pitchfork. People can take PUNK for granted, but ICEAGE certainly doesn't. Look at their book and take a page...

It's...

Iceage 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Billie Holiday

27 Billie Holiday Billie Holiday The first jazz singer to really incorporate blues & move peoples hearts, Billie is immortal. I didn't get into her with her traditional music but rather the 2007 album Remixed and Reimagined . Even through the chops & screws- one thing was unmistakable- that voice- so beautiful, so unique, so pure... She said she tried to sing like a horn & it's evident. She is one of the most accomplish vocal performers of all time. A half-a-century later & her style is still mimicked. Billie is as American as apple pie. In 1935 she was singing at the Apollo Theater. She hopped around labels- Columbia to Decca to Verve- until finding her home. She would battle personal problems (drug use & the like). She would pass away on July 17, 1959. Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington... there's certain artist that are almost as important to American history as they are to the progression of popular music itself. Billie is one of...

Grouper

 131 Grouper  Grouper Reverb. Echo. Effects. Acoustic. Droney. These are some words you could use to explain Grouper's earlier work. Grouper is the solo project of Liz Harris. Her first album was self-titled & self-released. Grouper's second album was 2006's Way Their Crept . There was something special about that mid-ought's droney-underwater sounding indie. Grouper would go on to release five (!) more albums before I came on board as a fan: 2006's Wide , 2007's Cover The Windows & The Walls , 2008's widely acclaimed Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill & 2011's double-album (but separately released) AIA: Dream Loss & AIA: Alien Observer ... just to be followed up by 2012's double album: Violent Replacement Part I and Violent Replacement Part II . It wasn't until Grouper's more structured-releases that I became a full fledged fan. It was with 2013's The Man Who Died In His Boat that I finally jumped on board as a full-fled...

Drake

84 Drake Drake It’s not everyday that a rapper comes along & breaks arecord for most Top Ten singles by an artist or band, a record held by The Beatles for 54 years. Drake released his first mixtape in 2006 but he first bust onto the scene (not including his acting career on Degrassi High ) with 2009’s timeless-single “ Best I Ever Had ,” which, with the help of its sexist (but still sexy) video , peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, not bad for a song off a   mixtape: 2009’s So Far Gone . With the unexpected success of the mixtape, the debut album 2010’s Thank MeLater quickly arrived. I didn’t jump on the band wagon until his second album, 2011’s Take Care , which, I will still argue is his best. It probably helps that the title track was produced by one of my favorite DJ’s, ( Jamie xx ). 2013 gave us Nothing Was The Same ,   which proved Drake could really spit bars. His lasting power could no longer be questioned. 2015 gave us If You’re Reading This It’s T...