Comments on: Iceage | smart and naive can be a dangerous combination too

By: Brett Lyman

Brett Lyman — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 07:27:23 +0000

i feel sympathy for these young dudes a little bit, but not enough to defend them. if you throw around really loaded symbols like that without any real purpose (and in spite of all the hand-wringing, the ‘purpose’ behind their music continues to elude me), you’re gonna get some shit from people. people like me, who appreciate the value of a complex statement made by someone trying to convey how ugly and rabid the world can be. i don’t see how the group are remotely ‘punk’, though… punk rock, maybe, but what on earth is that worth in 2013? nothing. punk rock is nothing. neither are all these boys that wanna be nothing. i’m glad they got their wish.

By: Louis

Louis — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 09:48:03 +0000

Hey Wallace – I think the line I was looking for in Scott’s piece was “It’s music for people who live in a world where the worst thing you can call someone is a pussy.”

Possibly I wasn’t clear in my intent when drawing attention to the Var stuff – (hopefully) it’s obvious that I’m not suggesting that for a man to kiss another man makes him “a pussy”, nor am I running you the “they’re gay, they can’t be Nazis!” line (FWIW I’m not sure Elias or Loke are ‘gay’ by any straightforward label).

I think the Var stuff is interesting because of the very stark way some of it embraces male vulnerability. Something very new romantic about it. I don’t think Elias, in Var or in Iceage, is preoccupied by “appearing strong” (often the opposite). Again, whether you view this as contrived or a ploy is your judgement, but I’m objecting to broad statements about the essence of the music which strike me as demonstrably wrong.

“I can only imagine those that those who live in luxury and fear the stink of being overcivilised would find pleasure in Iceage.”

Hmm – you should see my office room

By: Tom R

Tom R — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:34:52 +0000

VAR is what kept me somewhat skeptical of the allegations (not wholly – who knows what consistency bigots keep? Who knows what cynical tactics they might try?).

It doesn’t change the fact that I think this new record is creatively moribund. It doesn’t stir; it doesn’t rattle; it doesn’t cause reflection. If it’s inwards-looking, then it’s a ham-fisted depiction of a barren emotional landscape. I haven’t listened to the first one in about 18 months, despite liking it quite a lot for about a week.

By: Wallace Wylie

Wallace Wylie — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:23:07 +0000

I don’t think Scott’s piece said anything about them being afraid to appear a pussy. Even if it did, why would kissing a man refute that? You think kissing a man makes you a pussy? Why anyone would think Scott’s piece is lazy and not think the ragtag collection of symbols, images, and associations being cited by Iceage wasn’t is beyond me. I can only imagine those that those who live in luxury and fear the stink of being overcivilised would find pleasure in Iceage. It’s the musically conservative creation of the privileged striking sparks from images which they appear to understand on only the most basic level. I fear for the barrenness of the human who finds this exhilarating.