Iceage - New Brigade (What's your Rupture?) [2011]

The debut LP from Danish punk/indie rock band 'Iceage' is one that has hopefully set the stage for an excellent career ahead. This short (24 minute) LP is packed with 11 tracks (plus an intro), and is brimming with the kind of raw energy and sound that defined bands like Joy Division and The Jam. This, coupled with an infusion of modern indie technicalities and progressive composition technicalities is what made this such an exciting album for me when I heard it back in 2011 through until now where it still stands strong. 


After the intro the album plunges straight into the stomping 'White Rune', bringing the elements of a Joy Division-like sound with traditional punk roots. From here it heads in to the faster and more punk-like title track 'New Brigade', but even this track itself is not without nods towards modern Indie rock acts such as Little Comets or The National. Track length gets shorter and drops below the 2:00 mark with the next three tracks: 'Remember'; 'Rotting Heights'; and 'Total Drench'. The first of those three is a slower track and works well in making sure this album doesn't get too repetitive and boring - as music like this often can - and it does this very successfully. Atmosphere builds up with the two short tracks that follow, with discords and effective use of silence between guitar phrases, the drums especially come to the fore here as they do throughout much of the album. 


After the punk thrashings of 'Total Drench' the album heads back toward more full-length songs with 'Broken Bone'. Personally my favourite track from this album, this is where you can really hear all of this bands inspirations come together to form a perfect fusion of sounds, and it's this fusion, though so thickly inspired, is what actually makes this band so unique and stand-out from most bands in this area. The next track 'Collapse' is probably the albums only weak point for me, it seems to just repeat and just gets a bit boring very quickly, although maybe that's just how it stands in the light of the excellent previous track; and despite that, it does reach an excellent coda. Next track 'Eyes' heads straight back into an exciting raw energy and aggression, deep distorted guitars, discords and palm mutes really push this track forward with power, and if you're not grooving along by this point there's really something wrong with you. 


Now the final 5 minutes of the album, including the longest track here, at 3 minutes, begins with 'Count Me In' another one of the more fast tracks on the album. This track is very short at 1:16, but is great at keeping the interest up with awkward and disorientating technicalities, which drives the album into the longest track here, 'Never Return'. You can feel the atmosphere created throughout the album beginning to crack apart here for the final track, with just ever so slightly off beat drums and a slower pace and guitar part that sounds like its being played just ever so slightly lazily. It's not one of my favourite actual tracks per se, but it certainly adds to the album as a whole a great deal; and like most tracks on the album, reaches a great melodic resolve an breakdown, almost in an Autechre way? Final track 'You're Blessed' picks the pace up a bit and feels like a homely encore and wraps the whole LP up very nicely. 


All in all, I think there's much enjoyment to be gotten from this album, I've listened to it through many times and it's not ageing at all. An 8/10 from me, it encompasses anger, sadness, joy, all at the same time, just dependant on how you're feeling. A must-listen.