Customer Reviews

This is the Ice Age

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The legendary masterpiece of the 80's New Wave genre is finally out on CD more than 20 years after its original vinyl release.
This record sprang from the ashes of Canada's top New Wave band, best known for the rousing single "Echo Beach". The original band had two Marthas, and one of them (Martha Ladly) had gone solo under the name "Martha". But the remnants of the original band distilled upon the lead singer Martha Johnson and lead song writer and guitarist Mark Gane. And from this turmoil came startling freedom.

New Wave music was about more than just reclaiming the dance floor for rock-n-roll, it was about breaking the bounds of style. Myriad influences, quirky instrumentation, dissonant tonalities, ironic humor--these were all part of the mix. This record is a classic of the genre. It opens with with the clatter of Toronto street noise which then weaves into the snaky trance of "Swimming". The single "Women Around the World at Work" comes next with a completely different mood. And on and on. The title track "This is the Ice Age", surely the perfect accompaniment for an existential bike ride, "an unfinished memory". "One Day in Paris" is heartbreaking, while "You Sold the Cottage" is a zany romp.

The standout centerpiece. "Boy without Filters", has Mark Gane singing lead, Martha providing vocal atmospherics, and is enough alone to recommend checking out this album. A brilliant, haunting piece of music.

I had this on vinyl, and finally bought it on CD. How did I live without it? Just great. Excellent production provided by Mr. Daniel Lanois; ambient textures pull you into the songs. Good stuff. Mark and Martha say this is the album that was closest to what they wanted it to be. It's also the album that saw Mark and Martha salvaging essentially a new band from the wreckage of Mrtha and the Muffins' earlier incarnation, which had imploded under the weight of their initial success. Just a little interesting note.

I was waiting for this release for 25 years. It still ranks as my most favorite album. The combination of catchy tunes and atmospherics retains its power after all these years.

Unfortunately, EMI decided that I was not a worthy customer: they added a copy control feature that basically renders my investment and customer experience worthless. I buy many releases of older works on CD, SACD, and DVD. I just got the message that EMI doesn't value me as a customer. Fine, you just have foregone a lot of revenue.

hopefully re-edited in 2005, this album is an experience.
Listen and enjoy.

as much as I like martha & the muffins, I have to admit this album only has a few good songs on it. "Swimming" is excellent and "Women around the world at work" is perhaps the other strong track. "One day in Paris" is a beautiful track as well. But three good tracks doesn't give the album quite enough to make it noteworthy. This album did mark progress in the right direction for the group with the next three albums being progressively better. The next album that came out was Dansparc, which is a three-star work. Then came their second best work "Mystery Walk" (four-star). Then their best album "the world is a ball" which is a solid five-star album. The first two martha & the muffins albums unfortunately are one star.