Iceage: Plowing Into The Field Of Love ALBUM REVIEW

Iceage are a noise-punk band hailing from Denmark, and they've been making a lot of waves in independent music ever since their debut, New Brigade. While that album was good, I thought the follow-up You're Nothing was much better and was a sign that these four extremely young Danes were maturing. However, Plowing Into The Field Of Love is bound to go down as the moment Iceage went from being a good band to a truly great one.

PITFOL is a much more ambitious and lengthy album, clocking in at around 50 minutes, it runs nearly as long as the band's entire discography up until this point. And that ambition is fully realised, with tracks that feature a lot more harmony and are backed with some fantastic extra instrumentation. Plus, Iceage has gotten even better at creating tracks that emphasize their goth-rock influences, but still utilize their punk edge. One of my favorite tracks "Glassy Eyed, Dormant and Veiled" is a perfect example of how Iceage balances slow, mournful verses with truly explosive choruses that seethe with aggression and sound incredibly weary. 

But of course, I can't ignore this LPs more "upbeat" moments, with lead single "The Lord's Favorite" being a prime example. At first, I wasn't sure about this tracks rockabilly style, but after a couple more listens, and a thorough readthrough of the lyrics, I realized what the band was going for; a track that paints the bands usual Nihilism in the light of a night of drinking and partying, leading to a bitter, but somehow raucous little tune that is really a highlight for the entire year. Other tracks that fit this bill are "Abundant Living" and "Against The Moon".

I simply love how this band is able to write such dark and moody tracks, but still back them up with the ferocity of punk music. It makes for a listening experience that is worth revisiting and analyzing, but doesn't require you to sit down and fix your chin on your fist to enjoy properly. Instead, you can thrash about and have a great time. 

This is the kind of music I want kids of my generation listening to, the kind of music that delves into dark subject matter, but still has energy and aggression. Finally, I'm glad to see that Iceage are maturing even more, and with two LPs under their belt that I've had nothing but love for, I'm excited to see them become the legends that their posed to become. 

9.5/10