[rating=7.00]
The Iceage frontman, Elias Bender Rønnenfelt, has always brought forth a sense of bleakness to his work, so to see his previously envisioned solo project Marching Church in the same vein isn’t surprising. This solo affair evolved into a full-time band with a more traditional shade of post punk with their debut that was just released last year, The World Is Not Enough. This is hardly anything new for Rønnenfelt, but his own equally foreboding style with an added variation of jazz panache and space that was previously unheard with him at the helm. Where his other work was far more to the floor punk noise renderings, Marching Church is akin to their Iceage’s last outing Plowing Into The Field of Love. The emotion is distilled from Rønnenfelt’s cracking and exasperating vocal moods as opposed to the duality of his voice and the noise barrage that follows. Rønnenfelt’s narrative unfolds far more focused than his previous outings with Iceage, and this does capture some sort of emotional heft upon repeated listening.
So how much different is Tell It Like It Is to The World Is Not Enough? The answer is that’s quite stark due to its stirring performance from all those involved. Although similarly battered by Rønnenfelt directness, Tell It Like It Is is compelling through its consistent disparity instrumentally. It’s ambitious and not narrow in scope. Splashing rousing hurrah choruses and gashing post-punk minimalism that really was never sufficiently well-placed in The World Is Not Enough. It straddles this fine line of cliché eruption and surprisingly experimentalism so well upon “Inner City Pigeon” that it’s hard to fathom why he never quite flares up like in previous noise outings. It’s clear from the outset with opener “Let It Come Down” that its progressive personality takes hold within the background of the orchestral backing from members of the Stargaze Orchestra, and the Choir of Young Believers’ Sonja La Bianca.
Ironically the lack of tumbledown noise aspects is why Marching Church’s sophomore effort is far more unpredictable and more attuned for those who enjoyed Iceage’s latest, but it is far more compact despite its diverse involved showing from the group. Kristian Emdal’s bass is heavily driving the right spots and the waltz of randomness is beautifully depicted in “Lion’s Den” with its backing jazz component from Jakob Emil Lamdahl. Where the sentiment of attachment was generally with the vocals on World Is Not Enough, Rønnenfelt ties down with his yelps in despair, instead allowing Tell It Like It Is to become almost raucous jamming nature that it eventually evolves into.
This succinct 9-track record feels like it was made with hands of love with all concerned. Generally the desperation of Rønnenfelt’s projects are evident sometime both in its atmospheric or lyrical context, but it’s such a rarity to hear this upon one of his projects. It’s safe to say Marching Church has surpassed their debut easily, and created a somber and vivid tale without the burgeoning standard moments that we come to expect from them.
