Icicle Works - If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song

Artist:

Icicle Works

UPC:

5013929149021

Description:

The Ian Broudie-produced Defeat Your Enemy brought out the band`s varying influences in different ways, resulting in a varied record touching on everything from funk to folk. But as successful as earlier works? Yes and no. Unquestionably, the band`s knack for big, uplifting but not hollow performances was still in fine flower, as the smash single "Understanding Jane" showed. A quick, fierce rocker with an instantly catchy pop vibe and a brilliant chorus, it`s a `50s tearjerker filtered through the Ramones with fantastic results. Another winner is the opening cut, "Evangeline," with a lovely chorus consisting of overdubbed vocals from the band and guest singer Alison Limerick and a quick, Motown-touched rhythm supporting McNabb`s powerful singing. Then there`s "Up Here in the North of England," a slow, string-touched waltz winningly sung while bitterly ripping into the political state of the nation line for line. McNabb`s vocals throughout the album are deeper than before, but still with the same general sense of control and projection; if anything, he was doing a better David Bowie croon than Bowie himself could do at the time. However, elsewhere the elements are in place but the performance isn`t quite there. Part of this can be laid at Broudie`s feet as well as the various mixers on the record, who bring things to a too commercially ready punch and sheen. Consider the arena-level pound of Sharrock`s drums on "Hope Springs Eternal," where earlier his performances wouldn`t need such overamping to make their impact. It`s not just a technical question, though; McNabb`s guitar here aims for a classic rock style that the band doesn`t really need. Other songs like "When You Were Mine" bury a good song and performance with technically accomplished but cold results. In the end, Defeat Your Enemy half defeats itself, but not without some blazingly brilliant results on the way. ~ Ned Raggett

Album Information

Release Date:

04/11/2011

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Rock & Pop

Subgenre:

New Wave

Label:

Cherry Red

Catalog Number:

CDTRED 0490

Original Release Year:

1987

# of Discs:

3

SPARS Coding:

DDD

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

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