Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
After Casper & the Cookies retro rock the WUOG 90.5 FM Robot’s banquet upstairs at Tasty World on Thursday night, Jan. 12, the indie college crowd and its music moves downstairs where Marx and Engels meet Ben and Jerry in the form of The Ice Cream Socialists. This young indie-pop crew of formerly Atlanta-based local freshmen is eclectic and psychedelically kaleidoscopic, to a glorious fault. While lead vocalist and keyboard player Ben Austin has that Buddy Holly/ They Might Be Giants nerd-rock vocal thang going on, the ladies in the band balance him out with great harmonies while contributing bold and colorful accordion and violin. Snaps of sound from the band bear small hints of the Gorillaz and a large one of Pachelbel, and before I know it, I’m no longer a virgin in the indie-pop Canon in D Major stakes. Who says the first time ain’t the greatest? The Ice Cream Socialists also play up campy musical numbers with a raucous cabaret vibe, like a cherry vanilla Dresden Dolls blended with chocolate coated clusters of Flash to Bang Time, sugary Rocky Horror crumbles and a Venice Is Sinking swirl - the enthralling treat you can eat between meals that won’t leave a bad taste in your mouth. I predict big things on the local scene for this band of vibrant and talented performers.
- Flagpole Magazine
Discography
Album: Belles and Missiles, 2006
Selected tracks: Dirge, Zagnut's Revenge, Day of the Danny, Luv Dem Cannonballz, Fuzz is a Friend
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Like Athena from the head of Zeus, Ice Cream Socialists burst onto the Georgia music scene, seemingly fully formed. Playing their first gig ever in December 2005 at Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse, the band opened for Tegan and Sara (accordion player Talia Bromstad is a cousin of the Canadian duo). Despite being completely unknown, the band impressed the crowd with their melodic, rambunctious sound.
Ice Cream Socialists hail from Athens, GA, and follow in the same complex musical tradition for which the town is known. By early 2006, bolstered by a strong fan base and local critical acclaim, the band began working on their debut album with local recording legend Chris Bishop (Elf Power, Mendoza Line, Masters of the Hemisphere). The resulting album, Belles and Missiles, is as easy to dance to as it is hard to categorize.
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