Recently another , a long-running music magazine, published a list of the 100 greatest punk albums, and their selection got me thinking about the precise boundaries of punk (which, admittedly, isn't very punk). For example, if a band's first album is punk, does that mean they'll remain punk forever?
I asked myself this question again while listening to Iceage's latest album, F or Love of Grace & the Hereafter . The band's debut album, recorded in their teens in 2011, was aggressively punk, so much so that it landed at number 59 on the aforementioned list of punk albums. But the band has matured since then (which is a good thing, considering their early controversies, such as using fascist symbols and selling knives at concerts), and now, on their sixth album, I'm not sure how to classify them. It's not that they've taken a sharp turn toward pop, electronica, or anything like that. It's just, well, they've become more fun.
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The Danish band's vibrant new sound is evident from the outset, opening the album with a shimmering glokiespiel. The title track, "Ember," is a bold mission statement: its energetic, angular verses give way to a surprisingly resonant, catchy chorus: "I love you in an eerie way." These words are dark, yet also filled with genuine passion, and Iceage largely manages to maintain this balance between the two moods throughout the album. For Love.
Iceage's music has always had the power to get you on your feet, but this time they're ready for the dancefloor, too. "Match Head Girl" is filled with doo-doo-doo chants and cowbells that evoke the end of the world, while the swaying rhythm and sparkling guitar of "Tender Blades" create an Arctic Monkeys-style hit. They're clearly ready to experiment: "Salve for Every Sore" is a frantic love song, sincere enough to include strings, and early single "Star" is their take on a true rock anthem. Drums and emotion build, reaching a supernova when frontman Elias B. Rønnenfelt sings, "You make me die like a star.".
It's not that the Danes have lost their edge. Their last two albums, "Lifetime" and "Holy Water," are as bloody and uncompromising as any song in the band's history… it's just that their darkness is accompanied by a beat that still has me tapping my foot as I write this sentence. There's also a refreshing sense of empathy for the people experiencing the pain described in their lyrics, particularly in "mother-of-pearl," the story of a sex worker who becomes pregnant.
All these new textures are united by the incredibly consistent, unbridled energy of Rønnenfelt's voice and the powerful guitar work of Johan S. White. Their charismatic, straightforward power is the punk heart at the core of each of these melodic, memorable songs. So, in the end, does this mean Iceage is still a punk band? I'd say I don't care. «"For Love of Grace & the Hereafter"» — is an electric album I'll return to again and again. It shows Iceage have evolved without aging, and convincingly proves that bands don't need genre labels.
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