Citizens of Ice-Cream: Days of Bays

By Aizyl Azlee • 04 Sep 2012 in Review

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WE SCREAM FOR ICE-CREAM
The playfulness of Citizens of Ice-Cream (CoIC) comes off pretty clearly on their debut LP Days of Bays. Whether intentional or not, CoIC’s childlike (and we don’t mean childish) approach to writing their music gives the instrumental band their charm. There are no pretentious efforts or need for a goreng moment to prove their skills on their respective instruments.

As simple as their individualistic melodies are when isolated, when put together, you will hear that most of the complexities of Days of Bays come from the layering of those simplicities. Take the track ‘The Showdown’ for instance, as the layers add on, you lose yourself in a new ambience with each layer. It can even be felt on tracks like ‘Straits of Forgotten States’, where tension is built from the start but without a release.

Though it reaches one point where the song digresses into a short three note back and forth that again shows off the sense of naivety that CoIC coolly throws around the album. It also epitomises how CoIC is a band that shouldn’t just be judged for the things they put into a song, but also what they choose to leave out.

Like what’s expected of a post-rock band, Days of Bays is mostly gloomy, but ‘The Clowns are Laughing at the Rising Sunset’ breaks the string of downers with proof that they can do grandiose, and they can do it without going over the top.

LISTEN TO: ‘The Showdown’, ‘Monkey vs the Cat’, ‘The Clowns are Laughing at the Rising Sunset’
IF YOU LIKE THIS YOU’LL DIG: Furniture, Akta Angkasa
RATING: 3