Icebird “Magnitude” Alternative Malta album review
The tip of the Icebird
No matter how they sound, when you hear a group play and you feel passion and love for the music then you know the band’s great, and trust me Los Angeles’ Icebird have loads of passion for their art and it brims over with every song.
Although to classify this group as post-punk would be wrong I would definitely call this arty (but not farty) rock with tinges of Joy Division, Sonic Youth and Television scattered throughout. Completed by the sheer wall of noise the band creates you know you’ve got something good here. Jagged guitar lines, droning feedback and dominant basslines feature heavily in the album. One gets the feeling that the band is one big sparking ball of energy ready to torch the world, screaming (and yes the vocalist screams) its way through. But it has melody cranked up to eleven and the tunes have a way of drilling their way into your head. Plus its a forty minute rush that doesn’t flag once, so its got your attention from the first (and opener ‘The Clap The Burn The End’ makes a statement) to the last note.
If I have one complaint I would say its the production. If it was less muffled the band’s fury would come thru better, but it doesn’t stop you from enjoying this album. So yeah, cool by name and cool by nature. The Icebird cometh!