The band formed 18 years ago in 2006 and will drop their fourth album, “Eyeball,” on June 28, 2024, their first for Lunaria Records.
Having met in 1997, the core trio of Mansi, White and Johnston have transitioned through various phases and collaborations over the years, finally forming The Icebreakers in 2006.
Tom Mansi: Vocals, Double Bass Acoustic Guitar and Synth
Paul White: Electric, Acoustic and Lap-Steel Guitar, Keyboards and vocals
James Johnson: Drums, Percussion and vocals
Turning to the press release for the album first, it tells us that the band prides itself on delivering outstanding live performances and on their ability to recreate this in the studio. “Rock n roll on bones’ was The Icebreakers in their rawest form,’ explains Johnston. ‘With this new album, we tried to be more expansive in the sound and left things open to have more production thrown into it. I think it’s still travelling in the same direction, just in a much fancier and bigger vehicle.’
“Eyeball” pays homage to the band’s rock ’n’ roll and blues roots, while their alternative approach brings elements of country and even surf rock into the mix. They certainly take some chances with the classic blues genre, while sticking to some more familiar songwriting traditions. ‘We’ve strived to bring new aspects to this record by leaning on these traditions while skewing it for original effect,’ admits Mansi. ‘I have always enjoyed taking classic tropes and placing them off centre’.
Fronted by double bassist, vocalist and songwriter Tom Mansi, the band’s style follows in the footsteps of indie garage bands of the late 00’s. Often compared to those such as Jon Spencer’s Blues Explosion and Heavy Trash for their vintage sound and old-skool approach to recording. There’s an appealing rawness to their music, kept in check by the subtleties of their playing, giving the band a balanced sound as well as the ability to deliver a harder edge. White’s guitar can switch from smooth country licks to eye-watering solos—aamp cracked up to Eleven.
Now turning to my review:
The album runs for just under 38 minutes and has eight songs. The cover is rather unusual, it does grab the eye, so to speak.
“Pushback Blues” (T. Mansi) opens with the sound of the double bass, some funky-sounding blues and a Jagger dancing feel. You could have a bit of a boogie to this one if it was that certain song for you. I could see the crowd moving in the little blues bar when this one hit the live stage.
“Eyeball” (T.Mansi) slows things down. Mansi comments that ‘The addition of the Tottenham community choir was in fact a last-minute inspired overdub, and one which we all felt made the track’. The track is interesting, playing with the metaphor of life being a single eyeball. It was a bit slow and meandering for me until the last section with the choir, and then the song suddenly burst into joyous life.
“Maybe Baby” (T. Mansi) is an unusual blues with a solid drum sound that rivets the track together and keeps it grabbing attention. It’s an off-the-wall track that reminds me of the in-studio experimentation and fun of a bygone age, with a nod toward those Delta Blues men.
“The Shot” (T. Mansi): ‘Put on the black dress and wear your hair down’ this song tells me, as it’s time for fun. The track plays with a blues-style bass rhythm and a cool cat vibe.
“Should Be Easy” (T. Mansi) begins with a rather wonderful funky sound that took me into ‘Baby Elephant Walk’ by Mancini; it has that groove. This would be the opener to side ‘B’ on a vinyl, and it certainly shows the group having fun. Tom Mansi seems to stretch himself vocally on this one, it’s a complex track to deliver vocally, and there is a great guitar break mid-section that runs away with the moment.
“Things of You on the Moon” (T.Mansi., P. White, and J. Johnson) This is a drifting and whimsical song, dreamy. The mood is mellow on ‘Thinking Of You On The Moon’, featuring a fantastic vocal solo by Jude McIntyre. ‘Usually Tom writes the songs on acoustic guitar and then brings them to the rest of the band. We play around with them and come up with our parts and work on different arrangements’, says White. ‘The only one that wasn’t written like this was ‘Thinking of you on the moon’, which started as an instrumental track that James and I put together, which Tom then wrote on top of.’ It’s a sad song, ruminative.
“Got to Be Gone” (T. Mansi) brings out the acoustic guitar for this song relating to coping with loss and tragedy. It is a dark subject, but it remains vocally sensitive and uplifting.
“No Face Blues” (T. Mansi) has some really fun guitars to close the album in a more rocky style. It has a fun video to go with it that I have placed below.
This is a decent album and it has killer double bass, some drums with that jazz-blues feel and some great tempo. Give it a stream for some late-night listening pleasure.
Standout tracks: Pushback Blues” and “Got to Be Gone.”
You can stream the album from here
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Additional album information:
Tottenham Community Choir: additional vocals
Jude McIntyre, additional vocals
Lana Shelly, additional vocals
Chris Bland, organ and wurlitzer
Rory Carlilie and producer Stevan Krakovic, mixed and mastered.
By Stevie Ritson