Monday, November 26, 2012

Hey Ice Machine - Hey Ice Machine

Boston's own Hey Ice Machine have released their long-awaited self titled debut album. The release is an eclectic and diverse collection of indie leaning tracks that reveal different facets of the band's personality and show off the band's distinct sound that is all their own.

We start things off with "I've Been Told" a melodic, densely layered track that gives off an old school, mid 70's rock vibe with elegant instrumentation and a sharply focused musical outlook that makes the band stand out prominently from the get-go. "Trees" takes it down a couple of notches with an toned down track that shows off the band's diversity and their ability to think outside of the box to create songs in varying degrees of tempos. My favorite track off the release is "Oh Please Don't" a refreshing, melodic jolt that does a terrific job of accurately portraying the band's sound with full bodied guitar riffs and sharp, driven vocals that is the highlight of an already well traveled album. "Make Me Feel Good" has an old-school country vibe to it that gives us a clear sense of the album's direction and what types of sounds we can expect to hear as the disc continues to roll along at a breezy pace.

The second half of the album begins with "Outlier", featuring a solid percussion rhythm that is more downtempo than the tracks heard on the first half, but still retains the same wavelengths that we heard as a whole. "Long Life To Live" is a warm, inviting track with comforting rhythms and a positive outlook that makes you appreciate the thoughtfulness of all the members while creating this track in the studio. We start to close things out with "When You Roam", an upbeat, melodic blast that is the perfect track for you to groove along to and show off the album's roaming and carefree spirit put on full display right here. "All Messed Up" closes out the album here with a quick moving minute and three quarters of melodic goodness that does a great job of highlighting all the sounds that we've come in contact with on our journey to the album's conclusion and accurately portrays the album's sound. It's great to see local area bands trying out different musical styles that fit them like gloves, and not stick to the current musical trends that are permeating the overall musical landscape of the country and give the average musical listener something new and inviting that will make them come back for more and stay true to their respective music scenes.

Overall, a well executed and well measured album from Hey Ice Machine, who have put themselves on the local music radar with a densely layered effort that gives the average musical listener a break from all the usual sounds that we're accustomed to on the radio and gives us a sense of all the sounds that are around us today.

                                                                                                                                 Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:
  1. I've Been Told
  2. Trees
  3. Look On Your Face
  4. Oh Please Don't
  5. Make Me Feel Good
  6. Throw 'Em Back & Forth
  7. Outlier
  8. Long Life To live
  9. When You Roam
  10. All Messed Up   

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