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[one_half last=”yes”]ICEAGE
Plowing Into The Field Of Love
Release-Date: 06.10.2014
Label: Matador Records
Tracklist:
01. On My Fingers
02. The Lord’s Favorite
03. How Many
04. Glassy Eyed, Dormant And Veiled
05. Stay
06. Let It Vanish
07. Abundant Living
08. Forever
09. Cimmerian Shade
10. Against The Moon
11. Simony
12. Plowing into the Field of Love
NBHAP Rating: 3,5/5
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Punk’s not dead…
Copenhagen’s internationally praised ambassadors of punk rock are back with their third album. And right from the moment On My Fingers opens the record one have to wonder? Is that a kinky piano melody? What for an epic build-up is that? Is that progressive punk? Well, partly. ICEAGE‘s Plowing Into The Field Of Love still spits the rough lo-fi spirit of their previous records, but also a bit more.
… it just evolved
Thank god, charismatic singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt still can’t… well… singer properly. His distinctive dark voice still remains the linchpin of the songs by ICEAGE. He spits his angry lyrics into the microphone with a mixture of frustration, arrogance and plenty of passion. How Many and Let It Vanish are fine examples of that vocal performance. ‘It’s evident that I’m god’s favourite one’ in the surprisingly catchy The Lord’s Favourite is just one moment of lyrical beauty in here.
Who the hell cares anyway?
ICEAGE use a mandolin on Abundant Living. Seriously, how punk rock is that? There’s even room for a sweet sort-of ballad like Stay in which Bender Rønnenfelt somehow even tries to seduce the listener. Other partly tender moments like Against The Moon are well-placed throughout the whole album. The Danes present themselves more diversified than ever while still basically doing their own thing. Anyone that shouts ‘Sellout!’ by now doesn’t understand the concept of punk rock at all. Screw them.
‘Plowing Into The Field Of Love’ extends ICEAGE’s dirty lo-fi rock into far more professional directions while adding new elements and still keeping the band’s originalities.
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