Sometimes you hear music that takes you right back to your youth, it strikes a chord, reminds you of the good times and makes you feel warmly nostalgic. It’s music which is a reminder of the eclectic progression of guitar-laden music, that streams in and out of our subconscious and drips from our soul. It was obviously a time before the technological revolution, where music was more organic and the age of the “rock star” and “enigmatic artist” was very much part of the musical psyche. Looking back, growing up the 90s was an exciting time and was quite possibly the last decade that advocated youth culture, sub-cultures and created a sense of solidarity. As a decade, the alternative 90s scene was heavily intoxicated by the Madchester scene, hungover by its euphoric highs and awakened by the colossal impact of Grunge. It was a time of chilled out choice, that brought music from both sides of the Atlantic on centre stage, which gave a backstage pass, access all areas to alternative rock. Even before Britpop pogo-jumped onto the Dandy-Disco, music was making waves with the undercurrents of shoegaze and bouncing about through the effervescent bubbles of dream-pop. It was a fantastic time, for the quintessential indie-kid, where music was very much interweaved with culture, rebellion and delivered with an intermix of dead-pan cool and unhinged mayhem.
So, when you come across a band, which was born in the 92, died in 1995 and was reborn in 2020, you can’t help feeling like part of you is experiencing a Second Coming. Listening to Emperor of Ice-cream melts into the pleasure parlour of the 90s whilst leaping with a new-found vivacity, with a sprightly spring in their step. Originally from Cork, Ireland, Emperor of Ice-cream are comprised of John Hegarty (vocals), Graham Finn (guitar), Edward Butt (bass) & Colum Young (drums). They are a band whose album, “No Sound Ever Dies”, does what it says on the tin, and is testament to music that remains influential, fresh and timeless. An album, which is made up of old demos from the 90s, produced by fast Eddie Clarke (Motorhead-who wrote Ace of Spades) , that slipped through the nets of Sony Records, left in a vault, waiting to be made. So, what almost seems like a twist of fate, with a global pandemic, the band got talking again, reminiscing about the 90s and decided to finally release their debut album, proving that “No Sound Ever Dies”.
Having listened to the album, I can’t help thinking that this really is the perfect time to be released, reconnect and unearth lost treasures from a land of the Emperors, where talent ruled and worshipped the music-gods. It’s an album that feels written in the stars and ready to join forces with the current shoegazing renaissance. It’s an album which goes beyond the template of alternative rock and unravels a trajectory of tones, multi-faceted textures and pedal-induced emancipation. Listening to “No Sound Ever Dies” is highly recommended, it’s an album that is emblematic, authentic and reaffirms all we believe to be true and innovative about the 1990s.
Significantly, it’s the high calibre and versatility of the members of Emperor of Ice-cream that raises the bar on this album. In particular, it’s the versatility of Hegarty’s vocals that leads the band down a paragon of pathways, opens up so many doors, on a matrix of dimensions. On one level Hegarty is a master of elliptical shoegaze serenity, whose pure tones blend beautifully with the pastel palettes of the swirly whirly stellar strums and sugar-coated harmonies. On another level Hegarty’s voice can trip you up and fall languidly in a baggy heap of garage-rock and neo-psychedelic. Yet on another level, Hegarty’s voice can rise again with more gritty and resilient tones. He’s a real talent who, as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, ingenuously creates music that abstractly mirrors, connects and unifies through a melting pot of sounds. Likewise, through the majestic musicianship of Finn, Butt and Young, “No Sound Ever Dies” is an album that advocates a tribal mass of brotherhood as well as reaching out to a universal consciousness collective.
William – strums in the sidewalks of shoegaze delivering the baton of Brit-pop before Brit-pop was even established. It’s a mesmerising track, whose harmonious vocals head towards the melodic mountains of neo-folk and garage-rock. It’s a daydream believer that saunters, swaggers, preens and submerges in the paisley underground of white noise and spiked bliss.
It’s Alright to Show Yourself – reverbs and ripples in the riverbanks of noise rock, whilst rising from the sunbeams of shoegaze. It’s an infectious track, that emits a garage grandiose, that wind-sweeps you to deeper depths. Through the crunchy riffs and sprightly beats, “It’s Alright To Show Yourself” is your bona-fide guitar track that simultaneously uplifts and trembles in the lo-fi leftovers of yesteryear.
Everyone Looks So Fine – is etched with warm sentiments and cosy nostalgia. It’s got a feel-good factor that permeates positive energy and evokes a sense of unconditional hippy, trippy love. Through the delicate strums and gentle beats, “Everyone Looks So Fine” glistens through the golden hour, infused with stardust reflecting from the light. Through the serene vocals and fuzzy riffs, “Everyone Looks So Fines” rotates from its shoegaze solstice and rises in solidarity. It’s also a track whose child-like wonder is encapsulated in the chimerical interval of translucent tinkles and harmonic hues whilst heading towards a halcyon horizon.
Know Me – is your Happy Go Lucky hybrid of shoegaze and power-pop. It’s an infectious track, which captures the zeitgeist spirit of the early 1990s and makes you want to go back in time. Through the catchy chorus, “Know Me” instantly makes you want to have a sing along and dance in an unhinged declaration of freedom, youthful yearnings and jubilant celebrations. It’s a track that bridges the gap between the jangly pop of the 60s with the baggy breeze of Indie-rock. Listening to “Know Me” is like taking a trip back down memory lane, treading over Trad-rock , whilst bouncing on the guitar grooves of neo-psychedelia. Like the long-lost love child of Ride, The Charlatans and The Stone Roses, “Know Me” evokes a sense of familiarity, nestled in nostalgia, whilst resurrecting an affinity with the present.
Lambent Eyes (Extended Version) – reflects from the windows of its soul under delicate dimmed lights. It’s a track whose vocal delivery grips and peers through its lovelorn lens with an uber-understated cool. Through the flipping beats, loose strumming and wayward riffs, “Lambent Eyes” breezes into the recesses of Brit-pop, whilst soaking in melodic rock. It’s achingly beautiful, tinged with an eerie synth-infused fairground fuzz, that waltzes into absurdity and limbo lingers into thin air.
High Rise, Low Rise – effervescently emerges from its dreampop bubble, floating and taking an escapade to astral heights of goth-rock and dark-wave. It’s a sublime track whose iridescent riffs illuminate and collide with the dreamy vocals and ethereal harmonies. Along with the fleeting spectral synths, “High Rise Low Rise” is reminiscent of The Cure meets Cocteau Twins, whilst glistening under the moonlight.
Sunflower – rotates and collides in a stream of shoegaze surrender. It’s a mesmerising track whose hypnotic vocals transcend you into a trippy trance. It’s a diffusion of debauchery that crystallises a euphoric melodicism that filters and flows through the wondrous riffs and desolate discord. Through the fuzzy gauze and oscillating riffs, “Sunflower” drifts in and out of consciousness, whilst alternating between hallucinate realms.
Again and Again – prowls in the dark shores of shoegaze and rattles in the chambers of Industrial rock. It’s a nocturnal noise-maker, whose harmonious vocals trail like a spectral sideshow, aside the jangly stills, echoing the sheer magic of Gardener, Bell and Shields from a golden age. Through his translucent tones, Hegarty effortlessly glides and elongates like an ethereal entity drifting along an abandoned coast. It’s a sublime track, whose angular riffs zigzag through the jaunty fuzz and crashing ambience.
Stranded – is grandiose of alternative rock, that sits nicely in the wings of stadium showmanship. It’s a track that is testament to Hegarty’s versatile and powerful voice. Usually a master of melodic nuances and shoegaze sheen, Hegarty strips back the layers and reveals his stentorian vocals, sealed with an uncompromising earthy grit. Along with the cavalcade of strumming and autocannon of beats, “Stranded” propels majestically through the metallic mesh with all guns blazing.
Grow As You Are – is a sublime catharsis, a soul surrender that levitates on dream-pop cloud, floating in a mist of dark-wave ambience. It’s a melodic rock on stilts that climbs to the euphoric heights of ethereal rock. Through the bendy clangs and jangly riffs, “Grow As You Are” comatoses in its dreamy state whilst air-lifted by the spectral synths. Along with the intense vocals and rumbling bass, “Grow As You Are” is the real deal, the emotionally driven that swirls and soars in a stoneism state.
No Sound Ever Dies (debut album) 2nd pressing now available | Emperor of Ice Cream (bandcamp.com)
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheEmperorsCork
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theemperorscork
Bandcamp: https://emperoroficecream.bandcamp.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/ie/artist/emperor-of-ice-cream/1516876083
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/48CPlGE9KDkELpNRqoPQB0
“No Sound Ever Dies” ia available to purchase via bandcamp, and is available on most digital platforms, on Vinyl, CD and with limited editions on Cassette, (5 to be exact). Emperor of Icecream’s ‘EP Collection 93-94’ is available with limited editions on CD.
Thew double-sided single, “Weather Vane“, with B-side ‘High Rise Low Rise’ – released digitally on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and other platforms on 24th August 2021.
“Weather Vane” captures the ever-evolving soundscape of dream-pop, and emerging paradigm shift of shoegazing music. Like a long-lost lovechild of Simon & Garfunkel, “Weather Vane”, emits a psych-folk sensibility, that disperses its discord through the glimmering harmonies that wash away the blues. It’s a track whose jangly riffs and restless bass pulsate at high velocity, allowing the vocals to weep and seep at high altitude.
