This
is a great album. It's certainly the best that Icecream
Hands have done, but it is easily one of the albums
of recent history. Where their last album, Sweeter
Than The Radio, confirmed Icecream Hands as
one of Australia's pre-eminent guitar pop bands,
Broken UFO sees an increased depth to the
songs and assuredness of execution that makes Icecream
Hands' relative obscurity all the more inexplicable.
It is criminal that they had to borrow money from
friends and family to finance this album.
The
title track opens Broken UFO, an acoustic
ode built around a seductive major scale, where
the shimmering guitar and the theremin combine perfectly.
Icecream Hands' apparent Midas touch when making
this album is evident. "Beautiful Fields" is a delight
with its George Martin-esque brass fanfare; "Coming
After You Again" an enjoyable pastiche of Badfinger
references and guest vocalists (in this case Rebecca
Barnard). I've even changed my mind about "Why'd
You Have To Leave Me This Way?", which would have
been perfect for their last album, but is so much
more accomplished than anything on it
The
depth evident on Broken UFO is what is most
impressive. There's depth of emotion - from the
delicate, yearning, "Rail Hail Shine" to the empathetic
character study of "Broken UFO" to the joy of "Happy
In The Sky". The epic "When The Show Is Over", with
its weeping guitar and fantastic vocal from Douglas
Lee Robertson, is the centrepiece of Broken UFO.
Icecream Hands fire most completely on this track,
soaring and cascading. Impressive depth is shown
within the band itself; Chuck Jenkins - usual lead
vocalist and chief songwriter - is matched by Robertson
and recent addition Marcus Goodwin. Their contributions
on Broken UFO, as good as they are, can only
get better.
With
their fourth album Broken UFO Icecream Hands
have performed exceptionally. They prove equally
comfortable with epic constructions such as "When
The Show Is Over" as with simpler songs such as
"Rain Hail Shine". With fourteen tracks on the album,
there are weak songs - the melisma-heavy "Waterproof"
sounds like an outtake from their last album, while
"Come Down Come Down" is one upbeat track too many.
Nevertheless, this is an excellent album, featuring
an accomplished performance from Icecream Hands
and outstanding songs.
Tracklisting:
1. Broken UFO
2. Coming After You Again
3. Beautiful Fields
4. Head Down
5. Stay In The Same Room
6. The Diplomat's Daughter
7. Why'd You Have To Leave Me This Way?
8. When The Show Is Over
9. Because You're Young
10. Come Down Come Down
11. Rain Hail Shine
12. Waterproof
13. Leaving All The Best
14. Happy In The Sky
Reviewed
by Michael Tran
