Although the turn-out at Pedals Plus Music for the Icarus Himself in-store was disappointing – I walked in about 20 minutes late to a crowd of roughly eight other individuals – the set, however, was wholly satisfying. Their backs against a wall of guitars, they played some of their older tunes, shedding the more extravagant electronic equipment they would later employ at The Mousetrap. At one point they even asked for percussive assistance on a song, offering maracas – some fellas obliged, and a connection was made. Its these sort of rare opportunities that should be more aggressively sought-out by Eau Claire’s strong musical culture.
The opening track on Career Culture, “Wake Up”:
Nick Whetro, Karl Christenson and Brad Kolberg, the Madison based musicians that complete Icarus Himself, released Career Culture via Science of Sound Records on October 11th. Their press-release pegs em’ pretty well:
“Icarus Himself’s sophomore full-length Career Culture is a sonic cinema in electro-psych-folk, drenched in the influences of artists like Kurt Vile, Deerhunter, The Who, and David Bowie.”
Later on in the night, Icarus Himself ventured over to the Mousetrap,sending heavy waves of crunchy guitars ringing out into the streets of downtown Eau Claire. They absolutely killed it. And being as they stew right here in Wisconsin, we can expect continued visits. After all, Karl and Brad do hold some Chipp-Val allegiances as members of the late Jimmy’s Comet, and UWEC alums. You can listen to more of Career Culture and buy the album (they even have some pretty slick limited-edition white vinyl, if that’s your fancy) at http://icarushimself.bandcamp.com/.
Handful of images from in-store @ Pedals Plus Music, Click to view
