Icarus Himself Played Brooklyn

By todd Wednesday December 8, 2010

Icarus Himself Played Brooklyn

Over the weekend I caught up with Icarus Himself for their two-night stand in Brooklyn. They are currently on a 10-date tour of Eastern states, and as of this publishing, there will still be time to catch them on the latter half of the tour. I spoke with the trio for a couple of minutes on Sunday night at Union Pool before they took the stage. Their new EP, Mexico, came out May 25 through Science of Sound. Of the EP, singer/guitarist Nick Whetro told me that “it’s not quite as gloomy” as their first album, Coffins. “It’s a little more upbeat. The lyrics are still about gloomy things but the music isn’t.”

He’s mostly spot on. George Bass of webzine Cokemachineglow once cheekily described Coffins as “lost Bowie demo tape overdubbed with acid confessions.” Mexico is more like “Wolf Parade dreamt through a cough-syrup prism.” Take out the grandeur, the catharsis, the this-heart’s-on-fire!, and it actually kind of distills down to what Icarus Himself do best here: dark slow jams to be taken with just a hint of lime. Take the single, “Digging Holes,” which Nick told me they knew was a winner even before they recorded it because people at shows kept asking about it. The organ loop bounces and the guitar pops, but the lyrics aren’t exactly uplifting. YouTube user Joenation has a quality video of the track being performed live this summer. Watch it here.

I also asked them a little about the Madison, Wisconsin music scene that they call home. I wanted to know what the most awesome thing about it. Shamelessly and unironically, they all agreed that their label, Science of Sound, is at the top of the list. Good looking out, guys.

Some Madison-ish bands they said to keep an eye out that we may not know for include Crane Your Swan Neck, Sleeping in the Aviary, and All Tiny Creatures. Spreading the love!

Remaining Icarus Himself tour dates:
Dec. 8th @ LAB, Asheville, TN 9:00pm
Dec. 9th @ Discoteca, Chattanooga, TN 9:00pm
Dec. 10th @ SkiHouse, Carbondale, IL 9:30pm
Dec. 11th @ Rachael’s Cafe, Bloomington, IN 9:00pm
Dec. 17th @ Mother Fool’s, Madison, WI 8:00pm ***Nick solo***

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    • http://www.missioncriticalnyc.com/2011/10/03/stream-the-new-icarus-himself-album-today-only/ Stream the New Icarus Himself Album Today Only « Mission Critical

      [...] in a small town and taking chances on small bands because the big ones don’t always come. I reconnected with them last December amidst a similarly small crowd at Union Pool. Subsequently their Mexico EP [...]