Pages

NewReleaseTuesday.com - A Christian Music Community

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

I Don't Want Your Sugar and Spice



Now, we throw away the script. Two Summers ago we here at Night Beat were drawn in by the Siren Song of a Rock And Roll Mermaid. Ariel (Pronounced R-E-L), the Pink Haired Lead Vocalist of Decatur, Illinois based Icon For Hire. One of the Top Tier FFR Bands out there, Icon For Hire's major label Debut rocketed to fan favorite by copying Skillet, not a bad thing to do.

For their encore they threw away the script, gained some new fans, and lost some old ones. Since I have been a fan from the start count me among the "old" , but not among the lost.

Listening to Icon for Hire (self-titled) is an either love it or hate it matter. The haters say that IFH went pop to gain a bigger fan base. Actually they went rapcore. Yes, the subtitle could be Ariel Raps. And the rapcore that they chose to emulate was Earthsuit. Check out Kaleidoscope Superior and then this album. See if you catch the similarities. Hint: It's in the abrupt cold start of the rap segments, which echo Paul Meany.

Speaking of Meany, one could say Icon For Hire has taken a meaner streak. While they may have added some pop sensibilities, there is no Sugar and Spice.


"Sorry about your parents, they sound like mean people, your daddy sounds like a jerk" (from Sorry About Your Parents)
"Our culture does nothing for me. The American Dream mainstream just bores me." (from Pop Culture)
"You can bury my body in the backyard, when you're not looking I will dig myself up." (from Rock and Roll Thugs)
You get the idea. Far from being a depressed and angry album, like Evanescence it taps into darker emotions and still conveys hope and healing.


"I'll be the mess, you be the medicine. I'll play the mess, you play the medicine. Why don't you fix me. I can't help myself" (from Fix me)
The sound of Icon for Hire is totally unlike Amy and Evanescence, however. Still, Ariel's voice on the ballads is Heavenly. She should do more of them.

I'm hooked. I liked the debut, Scripted , but this time they pulled out all the stops. Perfect 5's come in many forms. This one is a simply addictive album that there is no immunity for. I'm not a critic or cynic. 5 Emeralds. I am Awaiting Your Reply.


No comments:

Post a Comment