a danish iceage

“I never saw anyone play like that before. It was like they were trying to break themselves into pieces with the music.”
- Henry Rollins on the first time he saw Black Flag (Get In The Van, 1995)

I’ll go ahead and cast the first stone. I’m not the most consistent music blogger in the world. In fact, I’m quite lazy. I find that Tumblr is more of an immediately rewarding way to spend my time compared to taking the time to write a blog post about a band. However, deep in my cold, blogger’s heart there remains a single fiber of intrigue that pulsates with purpose and vigor when I hear a new band that actually makes me straighten out my posture and wipe the crust from my eyes while dusting off and popping my 10 fingers which, to my surprise, are still in good working order. Bands like these remind me of the very purpose of this blog; to spread the word of good music to others who might have not already heard it. This is a rare experience, so when a band gets me out of my grey shell, you as the reader would be wise to take note.

The band in question is called iceage. They are a four-piece from Copenhagen, Denmark that play an incredible, abrasive form of punk the likes of which I haven’t heard from a new band in a long time. Just listen to the track I’ve posted below, “New Brigade”, and you will get a pretty solid idea of the band’s raw energy that does not let up for one second throughout their debut album of the same name.

I’ve been listening to Henry Rollins’ audiobook, Get In The Van, for the past few nights. For those of you who have not had the chance to hear it or read the actual text, it’s a chronicle of his years in Black Flag from start to finish. Somewhere in the second minute, he talks about the first time he ever saw the band as a fan. I feel that the same words he used can be applied to iceage. I hope I will be able to see them when they come to Austin next Saturday.

New Brigade is out now on Escho. Pick it up.

iceage – New Brigade

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