Published on Jul 28, 1998
Back in November, when I reviewed Chicago-based Icos’s debut
release
Incurable Contact, I predicted that they were destined for
greatness if the right powers only gave them a chance.
With their second release
At The Speed Of Life, Danny McGuinness and crew come that
much closer to making my prophesy for them a reality – but in a
sense, I wish they hadn’t tried to create their own
Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band this early in
their career.
Their first disc with bassist Gordon Patriarca, Icos shows how
much they need his style and technique in the band. (No slam meant
against former bassist Jon Adler.) Gone are the few remnants of
funk that could be found on
Incurable Contact, and in their place are songs with solid
development, both in rhythm and in riff. The title track lays out a
groove that will give you a solid kick in the ass. Lead guitarist
Scott Bond and drummer Kyle Woodring play a major role in creating
this, as do McGuinness and Patriarca. McGuinness’s vocals sound
more relaxed than they did on the first album; he seems to have
settled into his role as Icos’s front man comfortably.
The whole first half of
At The Speed Of Life could be seen as one album in and of
itself. From the all-out rock of “Machine” to the groove-based
“Down,” Icos shows in these six songs they learned their lessons on
Incurable Contact, and know what pitfalls to avoid. (I was
fortunate enough to be sent a rough mix of two of the songs; I
called Dave Trandell, who sent me the disc, and said, “Tell me that
‘Down’ is the leadoff single!” Well, Dave, I don’t know if I could
make up my mind as to which one it should be; these six songs are
all so good!)
The second half of
At The Speed Of Life is where many more chances are taken.
Some work, some don’t. Maybe it was the spirit of being in the
legendary Abbey Road Studios that inspired them, maybe Icos wanted
to knock down barriers between rock and pop that people had set up.
Whatever the case, this is the most challenging part of the album
to listen to, and is, all in all, rewarding.
The rich instrumentation, complete with orchestral strings on
“On The Way” adds a special texture that Icos itself could not have
created, and it does make the song special. However, following it
up with another slower number like “Backwards” doesn’t carry the
one-two punch like the band would have hoped. Likewise, “Rhythm
Song” is ambitious and should be commended for being so, but the
balloon just doesn’t get off the ground.
However, keeping in the slower, more powerful song vein like
“Cities” off
Incurable Contact, Icos uses slower, richer numbers to their
benefit on cuts like “Jealous Prayer” and “Enough Words”. While
they might be hard-pressed to find a home on the radio, fans of the
band should enjoy this musical growth that Icos has experienced in
less than one year.
The album’s closer, “I Am,” is akin to the Beatles working sitar
into their songs, only this time it’s Patriarca playing a
mandocello as the main instrumentation. It’s a definite experiment
that’s meant to be taken at face value, and is intriguing to listen
to.
Some people may see some of the richer instrumentation as
pompous; I prefer to look at it as serious musical growth for Icos.
It takes guts to move away from a standard formula that you know
works and try to better yourself as a musician and a songwriter. In
this case, it was a gamble worth taking.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Icos is a band that,
given the right breaks, will be a huge name in the field of rock
and roll. On
At The Speed Of Life, Icos demonstrates that the rock world
might not be big enough for them.