Customer Reviews

Penance Soiree

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Penance Soiree is an amazing evolutionary step from the bands previous release:Mono. They really keep it loose and interesting, even ambient at times. The bass lines are fantastic, and the guitar riffs hardly fit to format adding a whole interesting sound behind the care free, but melodic, vocals. Definitely high replay value and definitely for fans of The Stooges.

jagged, loud, intoxicated, innovative, well mixed. good tracks
sounds like the L.A. sun beating down on a ghetto,and I'm walkin down the street, stoned

I'm shocked. I ignored this band's first record 2 years ago after hearing how average they were from friends and critics, but this record is something special. Icaruse Line have managed to make an abrasive and accessable masterpiece of modern rock music that never fails to disappoint. Mark my words, there will be few records to top this one in the coming months. I can't wait to see these guys live.

I like the Icarus Line a whole lot and have for years. I've seen them 3 times and have always left their shows feeling that i got my moneys worth, (although their songs are almost indistinguishable live due to high volume. the spectacle is what you're paying for, but that's rock and roll). So with that in mind, here's my opinion.

The band is respectably biting off a lot with a new and ambitious sound, which is a bit like newer Ink and Dagger though more aggressive/angular with huge wall of sound guitars. At a high volume, (which i reccomend you utilize for this album), the first few tracks are, simply stated, overwhelming. This is the beauty of the Icarus Line : at their best, you actually feel violated by listening. If you're into that sort of thing, it's an ugliness that makes you want to keep listening. That's the point for me and i think most Icarus fans would agree.

With that said, HALF of this album makes you think it's the best damn rock record of the year and it establishes what this band is capable of producing. I was very impressed with songs like Getting Bright At Night, Up Against the Wall, and Spit on It. These songs just flat out work and achieve a vibe that could be described as moving. These are songs that tap into your bottled up anger and for that reason, it's very empowering.

However, too many tracks off the album are flat and generic. This is not to say that the delivery is not intense, that is far from the truth. My personal opinion is that the entire album doesn't hold up to the standards which the opening tracks establish.

Mono is more consistant and more "fun" - but Penance Soiree is more "dangerous" and has standout tracks that rank among the Icarus Line's best.

Can't make a decision? Buy both starting with Mono and then Penance Soiree. Also look into Ink and Dagger's self titled album, which has grown on me immensely over the years.

I really think that people who don't like this album simply don't like rock music. With this record, the Icarus Line take influences ranging over the entire spectrum of rock 'n' roll and manage to push them forward into a sound that is breathtaking in its originality. Do you like The Stooges? Or My Bloody Valentine? What about The Jesus Lizard? Or Born Against, Funkadelic, Suicide, Spiritualized, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, Ink & Dagger? Do you like music at all?

The guitars of Aaron North and Alvin DeGuzman clash against each other like some demon cocktail of Fugazi and the MC5. The rhythm section of Don Devore (a legend in his own right) and Jeff Watson is unbeatable - they attack each song like bulldozers, each going into wild new structures dead on. And on top of all the mayhem, Joe Cardamone sings like a bastard child of Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger who grew up listening to the Dwarves.

This album is a landmark record. No one liked Funhouse when that album came out. Now it's looked at as one of the most revolutionary records ever released. In 30 years, everyone will be looking back at this album and wondering how the Icarus Line could produce such awe-inspiring material.

I bought this cd after only hearing one song. The entire cd will definitely keep you interested. I think the music is really original and would be enjoyed by almost anyone who likes hard or even progressive rock. I've been listening to it all day, it is addictive.

I saw these guys live when they came here with A Perfect Circle. These guys really suck, im sorry but its true. They try way to hard and I swear their guitarist had a thing for this guitar amp. I really would not sugest wasting your money on this cd.

This album is by far one of the most unintelligable albums ever...and I love it. The lyrics are completely smothered by slurring and screaming, but it's emotional. If you like noise, and even if you don't, I recommend this album for at least one listen. If you don't like it after that, listen to it again, and if you still don't like it, try one more time...if after that third (and for the adventurous ones, fourth) time, then keep it anyway. The Icarus Line, and their album Penance Soiree are among the best you could have in a collection.

so finally someone made the perfect soundtrack to a night of all night drug binges and dirty sex with a girl you barely know. the Icarus Line have made leaps and bounds since there last record. gone are the screaming hardcore noise explosions, instead you have one of the best if not the best hardrock records of the young decade. this record sounds like what it might be like if Black Flag, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Guns N' Roses, and The Birthday Party all got together, got in a bar fight and then the srurviving members got together and started jamming on Stooges and Spacemen 3 covers. spaced out, druggy, sleazy, noisey, dirty, mean, and totally out of control. if you are a fan of Primal Scream's later output or if you think Fun House by the Stooges is the greatest rock album ever made then this is the record for you. It would be hard for any other record to come out this year that would impress me this much. this is rock n' roll the way it's supposed to sound. do yourself a favor and buy this record.

30 years I listen to music (and although french, mostly anglo-american one), had often the feeling I would not be surprised again, excited again, and this kind of record comes out to remove this senile thought. Mixing so much influences (Jane's addiction, Stooges, Only Ones, Spacemen 3, Primal Scream, Led Zeppelin, Craw, Jesus Lizard) and being still innovative is quite impressive. Listen to this CD several times a day. A thing I rarely did in my life. Easily the best condidate for CD of the year.