Band: Icarus The Owl
Album/Release Date: Self-Titled, released 07 February 7 2014
From: Portland, Oregon
Genre: Indie, Progressive, Experimental
For Fans Of: Protest The Hero, The Dear Hunter, This Town Needs Guns
Top Tracks: Dethroned, Ignore Check Engine Lights, Touchstone, Chronos The Destroyer
Icarus The Owl continues to develop their sound by blending instrumental virtuosity and creative composition to forge their latest work. The Portland, Oregon based quartet utilizes ferocious, yet melodic guitar tapping lines in tandem with a playful mastery of multiple time signatures. The drums provide both steady pulse and interesting rhythmic ideas that not only give grooving pulses to the music, but also add a level of technical musicality not often found in the indie style. Melodically, the vocals float above the music, much to the comparison of Rody Walker from Protest The Hero and Casey Crescenzo of The Dear Hunter. The bass and drum’s rhythmic tightness is evident throughout the record, allowing the multiple simultaneous melodic ideas to complement each other rather than compete for the listener’s attention in a chaotic fashion.
The opening track “Ignore Check Engine Lights” gives the listener great insight into what they can expect in the rest of the album without giving it away all at once. Within the following opening moments, the band showcases their ability to evoke peaceful and tranquil compositions, as well as high energy/in-your-face tunes, which is evident in the dichotomy between tracks two and three, “Black Fish” and “Dethroned”. As the record progresses, tracks such as “This Too Will Pass” and “Touchthrone” hone in on a more vocal focused exploration while the instrumentals of the band create a levity in their musical landscape. This isn’t to say that the album loses momentum as it powers forward, as tracks such as “Lily Trotter” and “The Pharmacist” continue to explore creative virtuosity from all of the band’s members.
This album delivers something fresh for any ears from track to track. Icarus The Owl’s latest release delivers a vast palette of musical colors that proves to captivate the listener’s ears and makes a mark on anyone’s to-own list for albums in 2015.
Rating: 4/5
—
Biography: Icarus the Owl is a Blue Swan Records band from Portland OR, they have put out three studio albums and are releasing their fourth, entitled, “Pilot Waves” this fall. They have an extensive touring history both nationally and internationally including tours with A Lot Like Birds, Hail The Sun, Stolas, and Artifex Pereo. They are known for their frequent time signature changes and tap-guitar lines in otherwise sing-along pop songs.
Follow Icarus The Owl:
Facebook / Bandcamp / Twitter / IG: @IcarusTheOwl / Youtube
