Brevity is the wit of soul, or so I've heard, and no album takes this idiom to heart more than New Brigade by Iceage. The relative lack of caricature or self-aggrandizing and the concise construction found on this record may in fact owe more to the band members young age than to any possible pre-packaged facade decided upon by the band. I think that in youth, sometimes, a certain wide-eyed optimism may still guide a band creatively, this ruling out any overt attempts to condition the band by managers, labels, or online tastemakers. New Brigade, beyond the obvious fact of its short length and unavoidable comparisons to punk and post-punk stalwarts, attempts to harness and creatively expand that youthful optimism in ways that do indeed remind us that regardless of age, these kids know their musical history. And as is the case with many other notably short albums, among them albums by bands such as Bikini Kill and The Locust, Iceage accomplish their musical ends through the destruction and appropriation of punk and rock traits that were fashioned decades before their own bands inception. From the metallic ringing drums in "White Rune" to the rising vocals and clanging guitars in "Broken Bone", Iceage demonstrate that their knowledge about their roots goes beyond simple mimicry and brazenly turns that knowledge in on itself. Iceage may be from Copenhagen, but their hearts lie squarely in New York City, circa 1974.
Tracklisting:
01. Intro
02. White Rune
03. New Brigade
04. Remember
05. Rotting Heights
06. Total Drench
07. Broke Bone (listen to the mp3 below)
08. Collapse
09. Eyes
10. Count Me In
11. Never Return
12. You’re Blessed
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