Customer Reviews

Freak on Ica

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Please don't believe any hardcore "indie" review on here that portrays this album as a some kind of sell-out. I am a die-hard GVSB fan, and have been for a long time, going all the way back to 80's vs. 90's and Tropic of Scorpio. This is, without a doubt in my mind, their best album yet, and they've only added to their hard-driving music with some additional electronica sounds here. They've taken their music to a much higher level with this album, in my humble opinion. I can't recommend this CD enough.

I bought this CD when I heard GVSB were opening for Garbage on the 1998 Version 2.0 tour, and I figured if Garbage was taking them on tour they'd have to be at least kind of good. Plus I wanted to hear some of their songs before I sat through their entire set, so that way if they were bad at least they'd be familiar.

Well, it actually IS good. Not exactly essential, but good, very well put together, and at least a litle bit innovative. Kind of like electronica-rock, or future-rock, with a lot of pulsing synthesizers and a lot of breathy, vocals, like the lead singer has been smoking way too many cigarettes. The best tracks, as you might expect, are the first 5 or so, and then things aren't quite as hot, although all the songs on here are solid. If I have any complaints it would have to be that all the songs kind of sound the same, and that the guy needs to stop singing in such a breathy, whispery voice all the time and just let loose a bit. It seems like he's maybe trying a bit too hard to be cool. Regardless, I'd definately recommend it, if nothing more than to hear their unique varient of rock. Its better than the latest Nickelback album, that's for sure.

Oh by the way, I thought they were absolutely terrible live, Park Avenue was the only song that they played halfway decently.

I don't own any other GVSB albums so I don't know if it's as good as their other cd's. I think that they have a cool & original sound. they're electronic with sounding techno-ish(which isn't bad). my favorite song is roxy though they all rock.
though all their songs are good I like the more melodic ones(roxy,psycho future,etc.)if your into original artists GVSB won't disapoint.

Freak*on*ica is a GREAT album..Probably one of the best of 1998 so far for me.The whole album is consistent, and sounds great.Nothing else sounds like this, no other band, and they (GVSB) have added a whole new dimension to their sound.They still kick, but now theres more electronic stuff ambient guitar and elctronic stuff in the background... The production is incredible....I highly recommend this album

freak on ica suceds house of gvsb the groove on this cd is awsome all the songs have danceable beats.from park avanue to cow boys orbit this is a solid well made cd from begging to end i strongly recomend it

Another great release by Girls Against Boys. A few of the tracks have a bit more of a danceable beat than past stuff, but within a classic and consistant GVSB framework. I highly recommend this one.

I've been a long time GVSB fan, since the early EPs. One thing about this album is that some long time hardcore Girls Against Boys fans don't like it as much as their other work. The reason for that is because it's a progression from their previous sound. Some people don't like it when original sounding bands broaden their horizons - and instead of truly listening to what GVSB did here and how truly awesome it is, they focus on the fact that this isn't exactly what they expected it would be - it adds a new dimension to their sound...It's almost like this album is in color, and their older albums are in black and white.

GVSB has always been known for an original, tense, sex drenched groove sound - and that is still very much in effect here - it's just that they integrated a small amount of electronic instruments into their sound, with hugely gratifying results. There are very few intense indie rock bands that have integrated scratching and electronic noise into their sound as successfully as GVSB did on Freak*on*ica....One other album I think of is Massive Attack's "Mezzanine," (one of my all time favorites which came out the same day as this album did incidentally) - now I know you;re thinking "but Massive Attack is a different genre" - well, yeah, kinda - but my point is that Massive Attack took their awesome Trip Hop sound and a dark, intense, rocking masterpiece by integrating guitars, heavy grooves and electronic noise.....What GVSB did here is similar, but from an opposite starting point - they took their awesome guitar rock and grooves and made a dark masterpiece by integrating scratching and other electronic groove noise.

Every single song on the album is spectacular - but highlights would be "One Firecracker," "Park Avenue," "Roxy," "Pleasurized," "Black Hole" - actually, the whole thing is great.....

I don't own any other GVSB albums so I don't know if it's as good as their other cd's. I think that they have a cool & original sound. they're electronic with sounding techno-ish(which isn't always bad). my favorite song is roxy though they all rock.
though all their songs are good I like the more melodic ones(roxy,psycho future,etc.)if your into electro-rock GVSB won't disapoint.

A fine effort when compared to today's current crop of artists, but fails to match the stellar achievement of 1996's House of GVSB. Freak on Ica ignores much of the sultry groove that made House of GVSB and the band's earlier work so successful.

There is an interesting story behind this. Not knowing anything about Girls Against Boys, I picked up this CD at a thrift store and I really wanted to like it, but I couldn't find any redeeming qualities. It sounded like some squeeky clean band signed to a major label. I am into electronica as well, so I thought that would be a plus, but for me, there wasn't anything new or exciting about this record. It wasn't catchy, yet it still seemed like it was trying to be alternative pop. Years later, forgetting about THIS CD, I picked up a couple CDs at a thrift store by Girls Against Boys from the early/mid 90s. I loved it! Then literally today I see THIS CD (Freak-On-Ica) at a thrift store again. I swore I had owned it once before and got rid of it, but this band has the same name as the band that had all that great music on those other CD. It couldn't be the same band, could it? I came home and did my research. IT WAS the same band. How could this have happened? Either way, if you took the old albums from Girls Against Boys and played it next to this album without knowing the band's name, you would have no clue it was the same band. Definitely a complete change of style with music/vocals/everything. I personally am not a fan of this change. If you like their other albums, you may NOT like this album. You have been warned.