Penance Soiree

Somehow manages to be both headache inducing and boring

Ick. I’d say forgettable but I remembered feeling pleased when the album ended.

why in the world is this on this list? totally dated. i'm sure NME claimed this band was Here to Save Rock and Roll at some point. spare me.

Noise, a lot of very similar noise. I liked maybe the one song but the album is very repetitive and discordant.

The album is just kind of a lot of noise. It sounds like any other garage rock / 2000's White Stripes copy. Unfortunately, this album doesn't bring anything new or interesting to the table. It's weird that anyone would put this on a list of quintessential albums.

You got good noise (Sonic Youth, Blonde Redhead, Unwound, Jesus Lizard, mclusky, Royal Trux, Swans etc etc) and you got bad noise made by copycat bands that have no sound on their own, like this band. It is just noise with a bit of garage rock, or the other way around.. it does not matter.

I did not expect to enjoy this as much, a seamless intersection of garage rock, alternative rock and post-hardcore with a garnish of noise.

Very noisy, but solid tunes in there somewhere too. Clear influence on royal blood and the white stripes, hints of the strokes, queens of the stone age, and plenty of grunge. Not one of the best 1001 albums, but an interesting one I would never otherwise have heard

Not good; this is what you'd hear on a network tv show when they need some "edgy" rock music, like in CSI when they go to a seedy club to question someone, or when a main character spins out

I reviewed music for Buddyhead just before they signed The Icarus Line. (None of my online write-ups survived over the past 20 years, I looked). Travis was an intense dude and poured everything he had into Buddyhead. He rejected substantial offers to maintain legitimacy and be able to write whatever the hell he wanted to. He carved out and occupied a special space in the LA / Hollywood music scene. I listened to this Penance Soiree back when it was new. On a fleeting superficial level, I thought there was something to like contained in the album. For example, the way that the first song starts (Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers) is great, the distortion and long pauses open to heavy bass-y basics against a subdued tempo and decent vocals. Spike Island retains a little bit of this but as the album progresses, it sounds kind of like a self-absorbed Soundgarden / Chris Cornell revival. I hated Soundgarden and the album was forgettable. Reading up on TIL, I found out that Mark Trombino, of Drive Live Jehu (and a bunch of other productions) was set to produce an album, but dropped out for some reason. DLJs Yank Crime still stands as one of my favorite albums of all time and I listened to it again with new ears. And today, some of makes me think of The Dirty Nil, who I really like. They've got great energy and power, but even still, there's just not enough that is interesting to continue listening. Great memories, meh music.

The band is so loud, yet they make no real noise. The singer is doing so much, yet saying so little. There are so many notes, yet no actual melodies. So much effort for such little payoff. Complete anonymity. Example #36 of “why *must* I hear this before I die?” 2/5

Post-hardcore elevator music. 6.6/10

Slightly embarrassing rock ... when it went "fuckk youuuuu" at the end of one song in that cringe american rock singing style I think I actually lolled quite a lot. I did not find this engaging, it all just passed me by really with little impact

Scary album cover. I felt like I was so dialed in to music (maybe just to emo!) back in 2004, when this album came out, but I've never heard of this band as far as I can remember. And I hope to never remember them, either.

The filthy bass sound had me right From the start. I listened on iphone speakers, so the tinny vocals and guitar fuzz got a bit old by the end. It was also quite repetitive by the end. A good album though and will definitely be listening again soon

A fun noisy racket but not much more. When you think this came out 35 years after The Stooges, you'd think more evolution would have occurred.

I WANTED to like this a lot. It's some really groovy bottled napalm. But it's just a little too edgy for me. Several times I thought a track was going to be a big highlight, but by the time it reached its full crescendo it just wasn't enjoyable any more. I actually suspect this is a problem exacerbated on the first-impression. If I knew where each song was going I think I wouldn't find it as annoying..... but Oh well! on to the next day!

Before today, I'd never heard of The Icarus Line. After listening to "Penance Soiree", that makes total sense. I can't recall ever hearing electric guitars sound so unpleasant. These guys may be skilled musicians, but their overindulgence on effects pedals is awful. It sounds like white noise. It's torturous. If you don't believe me, listen to "Spit On It". The one decent song on here is called "Getting Bright at Night". However, they decide to drag this track out for over 9 minutes. Fucking hell, lads, ever hear the phrase, "Don't outstay your welcome"? You can hear their musical influences throughout the album. There's hints of Soundgarden, The Jesus and Mary Chain, NIN, Violent Femmes, and Iggy Pop. So these lads clearly have great taste in music. The problem is, they don't have the creativity to produce that same level of magic. There's nothing catchy or interesting or enjoyable on this album. Give it a miss. 👎👎

Goddamn, I was completely blown away by this! At the beginning of my first listen, I had to get a bit into it, but when 'On The Lash' came on, it was like the combination of brutality and catchiness clicked with me. On 'Spike Island' Joe Cardamone's desperate but lazy vocals is easily compared to fellow rock-revivor Julian Casablancas. And what an insanely great sound on the bass and guitar! The brutality seeps through the record - on the vicious 'Kiss Like Lizards' or on 'Getting Bright at Night' where an intense cacophony explodes into energetic riffs. On top of that you have innovative changes in dynamics on the post-punky 'Big Sleep' as well as a jazz-inspired polyrhythmic sequence on 'White Devil'. The record truly keeps you on your toes. Industrial of course also makes a guest appearance on 'Meatmaker' (a 00's fad that I am not a fan of), and psychedelia is given a whirl as well on 'Sea Sick' (this I approve of). But then... For some inexplicable reason, they decided to end the album with 'Party the Baby Off'. What an insufferable, empty-headed tune sounding like it belongs on an Aerosmith album - and not one of the tolerable ones. So much fun. So disappointed. What a rollercoaster.

Vocals are reminiscent of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed with jangly guitars. Songs feel at once modern and from another time. 4/5 stars

this was actually dope, I liked the energy and the tone of vocals. reminded me of a more melodic dfa 1979

4.5. Really blew me away. Wasn't expecting much but this album was great

Really enjoyed it, didn't expect some of trumpet and piano riffs

Thrashy but good, very heavy and angry bass in each song

This has aged very well for the 2004 Hot Topic scene.

Penance Soiree Never heard of this or The Icarus Line before. Resisted looking them up, and wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the cover or band name. Maybe something Metal or some generic American Alt Rock? Up Against The Wall Motherfucker - kind Alt Rock riffing with a garage punkishness and a bit of RHCP or RATM bass groove. It does sound quite early 2000s-ish and its fine I suppose. Spit on it is less successful and is thankfully pretty brief. On the Lash, has a bit of BRMC to it, but not as good and without the more ominous feel of their songs. Annnnd….I can’t be bothered to go through the rest of it. It’s fine for what it is as some noisy garage rock, but it’s also quite tedious, with very little of interest to differentiate it from anyone else. There were many more better bands with better melodies and better ideas at that time, so why would you choose to listen to this? Listening twice through is enough. Not wretched, just boring. 2 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ Playlist submission: Up Against The Wall Motherfucker

This is adjacent to music I quite like - Hot Snakes and Bitch Magnet examples in mind - but remain ambivalent about as a concept. This kind of twisty, angular, declarative rock mostly eschews tunes while staying clear of pure timbre, freeform wanderings, so needs killer riffs and dynamics to work for me. My conception of the form is of records composed almost entirely of the instrumental, interstitial/linking bits of Led Zep records. Maybe some Black Sab intros and outros are in the mix too, or ZZ Top if you’re Shellac. Thé riffs and dynamics on this are just workmanlike, while the record is far too long and the singing starts sounding more yap-yap-yap than manifesto-making as it goes on: the creepiness of the final repeated lines feel like an inevitability. The songs containing Suicide-esque synth pulses pleased my ears, but are more like postures of allegiance than musical decisions.

Nr. 34/1001 Up Against The Wall Motherfucker 3/5 Spit On It 2/5 On The Lash 2/5 Caviar 2/5 Spike Island 2/5 Kiss Like Lizards 1/5 Getting Bright At Night 2/5 Big Sleep 2/5 White Devil 2/5 Meatmaker 1/5 Virgin Velcro 2/5 Sea Sick 2/5 Party The Baby Off 2/5 Average: 1,92 Plain, boring and repetitve

Listening to it is - quote - "That's the last thing I want to do" I seriously don't need to hear it before I die. There're tons of bands like this.

It just feels loud and brash for the sake of being loud and brash. It lacks spirit or soul, or an intelligent spark, behind the chaos. The internet tells me they are post-hardcore. Though it seems that genre is pretty broad. And filled with bands I like better. (And some I don't.) Naming themselves The Icarus Line feels like it wound up being ironic. Maybe they were worried about flying too close to the sun, but in truth they never really approached that line, stalling out on their journey to rock fame and the bright lights. (https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-icarus-line-must-die-shows-the-dark-purgatory-of-a-cult-rock-band-that-never-gave-up/)

Messy, sprawling, meandering. There's a good album in here somewhere but it's buried underneath a band that feels like it's not sure what it's trying to be.

Better than I expected but not as good as it could have been.

Felt really repetitive.

The best part was when it ended.

Feels like they had aspirations of Sonic Youth, The Jesus and the Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine without the compelling hooks or song arrangements. Just endless amounts of feedback noise masturbation with little to no differentiation between songs. Lyrics don't matter, as you can't possible discern what is said without reading them, so who cares? Perhaps one of the most pointless albums I have ever heard. Favorite "songs": none Definitely does not belong on this list. Just keeps proving my hunch that the Naughties were the worst decade of popular music ever.

An actually good album with couple great songs, like "Getting Bright at Night" and "Big Sleep". Interesting style, a bit watered down hardcore with a pleasant sounding vocalist. I like their sound, there are few really good riffs hidden on the tracks. Pretty good atmosphere of the record as well. Ah, why not, 5 stars, it's been a long time since I was so positively surprised.

Ihana albumi aijaijai vitutti kiiressä pyörällä junaan mutta plääni cois totas lekurille 1v kroonista limaa sieltä heh keuhk 1v...

So this is my 1001st album. Although there was never really a time that I seriously considered quitting this list it’s still somewhat mind blowing to actually be at the 1001st album. There’s still about 80 albums left so I’ll save all the reminiscing and reflecting and highlighting for the real end but even now I’m starting to get that bittersweet, college graduation feeling about something that’s been a part of my life for years coming to an end. As for the actual album, the more I listened to it, the more I enjoyed it. Thought it was going to be annoying nu metal at first but it turned out to be a really fun mish mash of rock subgenres. Rage against the machine and the whole grunge movement were the biggest influences but I also got early 00s alternative vibes. Big sleep, virgin Velcro, and party the baby off were all standouts but none of the tracks really stood above the rest; was more of a full album experience type thing.

5/5 - fun album

Hell yeah, this is sick! It sucks so bad about the label issues because I never heard of this (presumably due to that) and I love it. I would've 100% been a huge fan of this album when it dropped. Regardless, I'm glad to have found it now at least. Noisy garage rock is my jam.

When I saw this genre was "post-hardcore" I was pretty sure this wouldn't be for me. To my surprise I really love it! Edgy and cool in all the right ways, I didn't realize that I had room for a new post-hardcore band in my life. This is great rock and roll! The 1001 list disabuses me of yet another preconceived notion.

loved!

This is exactly why I’m doing this list. So happy to discover this kickass record.

First album in over 740 that I haven't been able to find any where. A pretty incredible feat all things considered. The fact that I've had immediate access to almost 750 albums spanning all the way back to the 1950s in my pocket is something we take way for granted. Undertaking a project like this even 15 years ago would have been a very different experience. For all it's short comings, Spotify is the one of the most important advancements in consumerism we've ever experienced

4.5/5. Right up my mf alley. Bruh it’s got NiN AND Ink + Dagger members. Post hardcore rules

Very cool noise rock. Worth a listen.

4/5. I think it was good? But overall I don't think I liked it. Hardcore garage rock that is catchy and well-written but don't think I like this as much as I thought I would. Nevermind, mid writing this review I listened to Getting Bright At Night and that was awesome. As the album went on, I kind of got the vibe it was going for and now I want to re-listen with that in mind. The main issue is that it can be a little jarring with so much noise but it does break it up sometimes with some softer openings or more riffs than just noise. Overall, once I got past the jarring energy, I was with it. Best Song: Big Sleep, Getting Bright At Night, Virgin Velcro

I've never heard about these dudes in my life (and judging from the Spotify numbers, never will again), which is wild, since they're right up my alley. Truly fun album to listen.

Goes hard. As someone who doesn't listen to a lot of rock, this was a great listen. Big crashing drums, big guitar lines that went in really unexpected directions, and love Joe Cardamone's voice.

Never heard of this band before, for some reason, so no expectations going in. I ended up liking it quite a bit. It's a bit like Jesus and Mary Chain meets Big Black with a little Pavement thrown in. Solid.

Good sound, It remembers me to the smashing pumpkins

this slapped. vive la mid 2000s

Never heard of these guys! But they're great. Absolutely great. From the jump they just EXPLODE with energy. The production and mixing on the record is stellar. The bass thunders and the drums punch without any of the weird hollow flatness that's started to pervade a lot of modern rock records. The only problem with this album is shared by Royal Blood and Mammoth WVH. Every song is a banger, but EVERY song is a banger, so a whole album of them one after another gets fairly tiring, even though each song individually is genuinely spectacular.

Caviar is probably my favorite song so far. Crusty garage mix infused with a grunge spirit and some proggy aspects. Really enjoying Getting Bright At Night -- will absolutely be going through this album again for a relisten. I have never heard of The Icarus Line before, and based on Spotify listens I am in the majority (most tracks sit somewhere in the low 10k). Sure the compositions here don't hold much mainstream radio appeal, but I am surprised their exposure is so low. I found this to be a highly enjoyable record. Definitely rough around the edges, but in that imperfectly perfect sort of way -- like an old stained and torn flannel. Understand that distorted as hell vocals and otherwise mixing might not be for everyone and some songs (such as Spit On It) might come across as audio assault, but I honestly enjoyed it -- very punk.

Nice little album

Enjoyed this. Will listen to more.

Listen, I liked this. But I recognize why this didn’t break out in 2004 and has to settle for critical praise. It’s not that different from most of the garage and dance rock we were getting in this era. I’m thinking Louis XIV, We Are Scientists or Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. This album is crying out for 1 or 2 radio singles. If it had at least 1 I would be giving this 5 stars. Alas, 4 is all you’re getting

Yep

Not bad. Some tracks rock hard. 🤘🏼

Very nice rock album.

AIka hyvä garagelevy! 4/5

McLusky vibes at it's best

Feel like we haven’t gotten other rock like this through 1001 yet. Reminded me of Jane’s addiction

This is a real deep cut from the 1001 Albums book, but I guess this random ass band still has people listening to their album more than the myriad of other garage punk bands from 2004. This was pretty cool though, I'm glad I heard it. Yeah it sounds like The Vines or White Stripes at times, but there's also a darker edge to it that's pretty cool (that one track Meatmaker literally sounds like a Suicide song). I'd come back to this. 3.5/5

solid album from start to finish. garage rock reminiscent of jack white. highlights: “up against the wall motherfuckers” “caviar” “kiss like lizards”

Post hardcore crossed with a bit of Queens of the Stone Age. Excellent vocals and band sounds amazing as a whole. Not heard of this band, but it rocks.

Really enjoyed this album. Everything was on point and really engaging and fun to listen to. Will most definitely listen again. The vocal performance was really emotional and kept me hooked in. The band were amazing and together it just worked so well. I can't wait to keep listening to this album, it isn't a genre I usually listen to but this might be the start of my journey into it.

Really good

Interesting find - not the most remarkable of records and gets a bit samey by the end but one I’d like to explore further

Good listen, interesting sound.

Pretty good! Grimy, grinding rock and roll shifting back and forth in intensity. Probably won't seek out more but I enjoyed it.

The first half of this album was alright, a solid 6/10. The second half however was in my opinion way better, 8/10. I like harder rock but this was definitely a great listen. Complete album : 7/10

Not bad.

Surprisingly small band to make this list. Seemed like some classic rock/metal with maybe some emo influences in tone and lyrics? Overall a fan!

Better than I expected. Reminds me of Filter put in a blender with Zeppelin

Tasty.

Franchement cool, j'ai bien aimé caviar et spike island il me semble !

Unexpectedly enjoyable. It's on the right side of noise for me. A good wall of sound with melody still coming through. Very good album.

This was a hard one to find. I resorted to a youtube playlist that a fan had created in the end. At the start I was excited to what appeared to be a post hardcore band in the same vein as At The Drive In. Its not though. There's flashes of brilliance in here, but the album meanders around a bit, seemingly trying to find a direction. I wouldn't call it exceptional, but there's enough to get me to go check out what else they have done. On subsequent listens it gets better and I find myself liking it quite a lot.

Well that was a nice surprise, never heard of them before. This is my kind of rock music, the kind that prefers being loud and aggressive and maybe a little sloppy, instead of sounding pristine and perfect. Love the singer's energy, fits it perfectly. Good entry. (Just looked and of course it has a 2.5 rating, you people suck)

Not really my thing but I can tell it’s good if it’s your thing

Beast

Just not my vibe. Great for someone that likes this genre.

4.5 stars. This album gets after it. A little muddled and overly distorted at times, but for the most part it's just really good rowdy post-hardcore. Starting with "Spike Island" it takes off, and the standout is "Getting Bright At Night".

Lots of aggressive noise on this album but the band excels at controlled chaos. Unlike a lot of noise rock or hardcore bands, where a certain amount of guitar feedback and sloppiness feels improvised, these guys sound like they’re very deliberate behind the boards. They deploy the screeches and feedback right where they want them. That feeling of being carefully put together is probably a result of the songwriting too. A lot of this music is dense and layered. I hear a Rolling Stones influence on a bunch of songs. Joe Cardamone’s vocals often sound like Mick Jagger. The band even sounds a little like Zeppelin on “Virgin Velcro.” It’s a potent combination: ‘fuck you’ hardcore noise + smart songwriting and musicianship + rockstar showmanship. Excellent album.

Really liked this, I assumed with the album cover and song names this would be very heavy metal, but it was actually pretty chill.

Thought this was really quite good! Rock on!

Another band I'd never heard of before that I enjoyed. This was a tiny bit too derivative in places, but overall I liked it very much. Definitely on my list to relisten now, as there were a few stand out parts here and there. Nothing too grating and no weak tracks that I noticed on one play through, although there were a few "this is too angst" moments maybe. Will get 4 stars for not being perfection, but good enough for another spin. Bonus points for Spotify playing The Fall "Green Eyed Loco Man" after the album completed, which I took as a good sign, helped me place when this album first came out, and did indeed have some similarities.

This album took me until about halfway through to really start to get it, and at that point I started it again and listened with fresh ears. I think this one is easy to miss, since it sounds generic at first, like a less poppy version of The Strokes. However, there's a lot more progression in these songs than in Strokes songs (also, these songs are not blatantly ripped off of very famous songs the way most of the Stokes big hits were). 4/5 This album definitely sounds like it was made in the mid 00s, but there's a lot more depth to the music than I initially perceived. Sort of a hidden gem in an incredibly bleak period for rock

Aaron North makes every note chaos in the best way here. As he always does. This album is sloppy and it is barely holding together. And that is the genius of it. Not many hooks or traditional riffs. Just wild punk rock played with the energy of the sun.

Noisy rock, but fun to listen to. I had not heard this one before, but I will make sure it gets on my rotation.

Enjoyed much more than expected for mid-2000s. This is more like a high 3-low 4 but still. Pretty cool.

8/10 really good stuff here very enjoyable

Kind of close to what I normally listen to, and I think I heard their name before, but first time checking them out. Another really solid record, gotta listen to it more.

Never heard of this band. I liked it!

Surprised Iv never come across this band or album before. This is right up my street. Straight into my rotation.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Caviar, Big sleep

Much better than I thought it would be, sounds like a classic rock band

Literally never heard of The Icarus Line outside of this project, which is a bit weird. Yeah, I dig it - very chaotic garagey post-hardcore. Enjoyed it enough for three listens, and would happily go back for more! Fave track - "Getting Bright at Night" is a banger - especially the last third. "Meatmaker" is slavish Suicide worship, and I'm on board for it!

When this album was selected for me, I never heard of this band before or this album. Any details in regard to their background was scarce and so I went into this with blindfolds on and was just ready to take what was given. That being said, this is actually a pretty good record, albeit on the more raucous side of the equation. The Icarus Line do the best that they can in these balls to the wall, relentless fifty-three minutes, one minute dishing out two minute appetizers like it was nothing and the next minute delivering a nine minute epic as though they knew how to trek Mt. Olympus. All in all, don't turn up your nose when given this album: you may never know what you'll like. Favorites: Up Against the Wall, Motherfuckers, On the Lash, Caviar, Spike Island, Getting Bright at Night, Virgin Velcro, Seasick, Party the Baby Off.