Penance Soiree
The Icarus Line
2004
Album Summary
Penance Soiree is the second full-length album released by Los Angeles band The Icarus Line. It was one of 2004's most critically acclaimed releases, and its reputation has subsequently earned praise in various publications, including the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.Due to infighting with the band's U.S. division of their record label at the time, V2 Records, the album, which was recorded in early 2003, was not released until May 2, 2004. Disagreements and aggravations on the band's end stemmed from the label's general lack of interest and support, a nearly non-existent promotional campaign for the album, and the group's control over its artwork. The U.S. division of the record label did not invest in even one advertisement for the release, and also made the band pay for the production of their music videos out of their own pocket. The album was produced by Michael Musmanno, and then mixed by Alan Moulder. Moulder also contributed some last minute recording and engineering to the album, while mixing it in London with Aaron North and Joe Cardamone at Eden Studios in west London. The song "On the Lash" was also re-mixed for the album's inclusion by Ken Andrews, due to the band being unhappy with the original mix after returning home. The album was mastered by Howie Weinberg in New York City. This was the last album by The Icarus Line that featured guitarist Aaron North.
WikipediaNoise, 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.
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
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
4.5. Really blew me away. Wasn't expecting much but this album was great
this was actually dope, I liked the energy and the tone of vocals. reminded me of a more melodic dfa 1979
Vocals are reminiscent of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed with jangly guitars. Songs feel at once modern and from another time. 4/5 stars
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.
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!
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.
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.
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/)
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
Ick. I’d say forgettable but I remembered feeling pleased when the album ended.
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
4.5/5. Right up my mf alley. Bruh it’s got NiN AND Ink + Dagger members. Post hardcore rules
Never heard them before but really liked it. Will give this band further listens in the future.
This band reminded me of an amalgamation of a bunch if different bands. This album was very good, I really enjoyed it!
I like the vocals and more downtempo tracks a lot. A little bogged down by the noisy stuff.
Ik kende dit niet maar wat ik ervan mee heb gekregen op YouTube klonk toch wel erg tof! Irritant dat het niet op Spotify te vinden is want ik zou dit nog wel eens in goede kwaliteit willen horen.
Dit bleek dus echt een pareltje te zijn. Helaas niet op spotify, maar ik ga hier zeker meer van luisteren.
surprisingly good , punky and shouty. will listen to more of their stuff
In general, I’m not a fan of noise rock, but this wasn’t bad! Garage rock? Liked the vocals and catchy riffs. 4
This was pretty cool. Never heard of this band before and I'm really glad they were on this list. Not sure if they'd make my list of top 1001 albums, but was glad to be introduced to an interesting sound.
I had my doubts in the beginning but i ended up reallly enjoying this album!
Noise/garage rock the brings up tastes of Black Flag and Iggy. Hooky, noise and all around enjoyable.
Angst factor 11 and rising. This is ultimate screamo from a band that can play. A whole album becomes repetitive. Will still listen again, however.
I'd never heard of this band before, but was pleasantly surprised - in turns grungy, rock, metal, melodic, noisy... I could really see myself finding more and more to like about this album if I give it a few more listens.
Had never heard of this group but this was a great listen. May relisten to decide whether to add to the usual rotation.
I've always wondered how did punk evolved into post-punk. Now, I know. This 2000's garage rock bit topped with layers of noise seems to answer my questions. It's harsh and angsty, like punk, and wooshy, like post-punk. Too much noise and too loud, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
This isn’t bad at all… heard their name but never knowingly heard their music. Enjoyed it!
These are the albums that make this whole project worth it for me - had never heard of this band before, but love this absolutely thrashing, nasty, guitar-whirlwind of an LP. The runtime may be a bit long for how many melodic ideas it has to offer, but what it lacks in creativity this album more than makes up for in energy. While it has a solid blues-rock basis, there are a few left-turn zigzags into weird chords or rhythms that keep the listener on their toes and make this an exciting trainwreck-in-motion of a listen.
Another first. Good times. The sort of rock I used to love but don't listen to anymore.
Gave me White Stripes vibes. I actually enjoyed quite a bit considering it was so random and unknown. 4.5
This was something a bit more up my alley! I quite liked this mix of alternative and garage rock with some noise mixed in, though some of the noisier tracks were a bit difficult to listen to at parts. Favourite: Kiss Like Lizards
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.
i wish i’d heard this when it was released because it would’ve really rung my bell
This one caught me by surprise. Some very creative, slightly progressive, punk. I'll be revisiting it
I didn’t know anything about this band. I haven’t heard their name before. It was an interesting experience listening to this album. It is abrasive, energetic, passionate, with a compelling production and lots of ideas floating around. I think I need to go back a give it another listenings to better understand it. It seems to have more layers for me to discover, but I am no there yet.
I was prepared for some more underwhelming 2000s picks from Bob but this is pretty gnarly. Nice one :)
Ja kunde int lyssna hela albumet för de fanns typ ingenstans!! Så ja missa två sånger!! Men de som ja hörde va banger🥶
sounds a bit like a lot of bands i like and it works. heavy, noisy and messy, i bet these were good live.
I like noisy, but it's a bit too under-produced here. Real chunky riffs and jams tho.
Don't love the vocalist but they sure can rock out. Standout Tracks: Up Against the Wall Motherfuckers, Kiss Like Lizards, Seasick
was ok, good compared to the others and kinda fun or whatever but really noisy and annoying too
Oh man. This takes me back to the early days of the oughts and checking Buddyhead every day. Never thought this band was as good as they thought they were, but I appreciate the effort. I dig “Caviar.” The song. Never had the food, cause I ain’t Richie goddamn Rich.
Un rock assez dejante. Pas pour tout le monde ou pour une journee calme a hidden. Ahah mais pour un lundi matin de travail, ca feveil et c’est bien fait. 3.75
This was interesting album. Felt a little samey after a while. Also, I'm not sure I would classify it as post hardcore like Wikipedia does, but maybe.
Pretty decent I guess. Nothing too special but was very grungy, also vocal style kinda reminded me of Strokes for some reason.
Wasn't feeling the first half of this album but the second half really picked up and got crazy. Not a bad record.
I thought I wouldn't like this album when it first started to play. It reminded me too much of the typical angst of edgy rock bands. But it's a slow burn, and easy and calming to listen to. It's not the most inspirational stuff, but at the very least it does not make me cringe. I can probably listen to this to get to sleep.
Vulgar, both musically and lyrically speaking. Normally I’d be kinda into that, but I’m not feeling it today. Middle of the road for potential enjoyment
A fine bit of post punk/hard rock. Some tracks reminded me more of stuff like Siouxsie and the Banshees and others reminded me of Wolfmother. First few tracks were the best. The album kind of overstayed its welcome by the end.
Some pretty nice noise punk. I liked it, but didn’t love it; I feel like I’ve heard the same thing done better before and since.
Not a bad time--good metal, but just missing a specialness and polish that my favorite metal features.
Never heard of this band or album. It rocks hard enough but it actually failed to grab me -- I couldn't find its uniqueness. 3 stars anyway, for the rock.
This band sounds a little like The White Stripes, especially Up Against the Wall and Spit on it. However, the songs don't pop like the Stripes's songs do. Spike Island is a nice change from the heavy guitar, metal sound. I do like alternative rock, and I think they have a polished sound for sure. The lyrics are intense and the singer clearly has some issues he works out in these songs regarding his opinion of himself and falling in love. At times this album also reminds me of the 90s too with STP or Alice in Chains too, but I'm not won over.
I'd never heard this at the time. Smacks of early Soundgarden (when they were interesting and good). Maybe a little overlong, but - apart from the occasional spot of self (or, over) indulgence - highly entertaining.
Comme vous le savez tous je suis le bras droit désigné de Robert, tout puissant du générateur, et de par ce statut spécial, je suis en contact direct avec les différents artistes du générateur (ou leur dépouille physique, dans le cas d'artistes tels Leonard Cohen). Parmi tous ces artistes, j'entretiens une relation toute particulière avec le leader des The Icarus Line. Nous avons fait les 400 coups ensemble dans notre jeunesse, et je lui ai par conséquent demandé une faveur. En effet, connaissant parfaitement les goûts - hautement discutables - de mon camarade robtenaillère -, j'ai demandé au leader du groupe de composer un album regroupant absolument tous les codes musicaux que rob deteste. Ainsi, je pourrai lui faire passer une écoute pénible sans uq'il s'en rende compte. Je m'attends donc à ce que rob attribue un 1/5 à cet album, avec une review emplie de critiques.
The White Stripes are already on this list. Do we need their imitators, too? Best track: Spike Island
This album is not available by streaming as we speak in my country so i had to find it elsewhere online, and now that found it at last i have to say, it gave me a headache. This album is mostly a bunch of noise with stoner elements and dark lyrics. Probably the singers were on drugs. Although there are some good moments on some songs like "Spike Island" 'Getting bright at night", and maybe "Seasick" nothing else got me more interested so, If you are looking for something new maybe you wont find it here but, definitely it sounds genuine and some will like it better than me
I've never heard of them before. Not too bad post hardcore. This album was hard to find. *not on Spotify playlist*
Un rock molto rumoroso. Ah è proprio un genere, di quello che non capisci bene le parole e ti fa venire mal di testa. 'Caviar' non è male. Mi sono ricreduto, non è malvagio
Nice to get a different genre in there and it sounded proficient, but not really my thing.
Not come across these guys before. I enjoyed it. I would definitely listen again.