:: Icecream Hands - The Good China

Icecream Hands

It is reasonable to suggest that Icecream Hands are experienced at being the next big thing. This statement is somewhat of a contradiction, but it rings true none the less. I recall some years ago picking up an Icecream hands EP and expecting success to follow. The release of their new album ‘The Good China’ brings with it a similar feeling; these guys are going to be big. There is so much to enjoy here, it seems laughable to suggest otherwise! The album is well crafted, sounds great and is balanced out with a generous mix of pure rock and powerful ballads. To pinpoint an exact styling or sound is difficult though because the band has a number of different approaches to their music. This diversity is what makes them so interesting and enjoyable. There are a number of tracks worth particular attention, namely ‘Come Along’ and ‘Anyway’. These two songs really bring home just how talented this band is, and for those of you who loved Crowded House, it feels as though Icecream Hands were channelling them when these tracks were created. There is a defining moment for the band in the last track ‘My Mother Was a Dancer’. A powerful tribute to family and the ease with which we tend to take them for granted. A noticeably slower approach has been taken here, but it really pays off, the end result sounding like a Brian Wilson creation complete with a male chorus of ‘ah-ooh’s’. This album is definitely the ‘good china’, the type you take out when company comes, but no so fancy that you’re afraid to use it every day.