Icecream Hands The Good China by: Al Cottrill Mon:02-Jul-07 Label: Dust Devil Music Year: 2007 WB rating 75 out of 100

jFrom their original ignorance to the euphemism of their name, to the awkwardness of lines like “You missed a button/I saw a nipple” (‘Nipple’, Sweeter Than The Radio) there has always been a playful innocence to Icecream Hands. Their sound is not from another era, but it is not from today’s either. Unanchored in a chronological sense, it is a loving interpretation of a style of music not currently conducive to record-breaking sales. What it lacks in trendsetting, it makes up for in the two pillars of guitar-pop: melody and harmony, and when a band gets these two keys right, it is difficult not to enjoy. Thankfully, even after five years off, this is something Icecream Hands still knows how to do.

While it’s hardly original to reference The Beatles or Beach Boys, they are two bands that Icecream Hands are perfectly happy with whom to have comparisons drawn, and their fifth album, The Good China, opens with a line referencing the Wilsons: “Sail away with me/On the sloop ‘John B’”. It isn’t the last similarity on the album, although other bands of that era and later also get a go. While piano-based ‘Holding On’ could be a lost Beatles song, The Byrds (‘Come Along’) and Big Star (‘This Is What I Want’) are also obvious reference points. Calling on the greats of guitar pop isn’t a bad place to start for enjoyable music, and The Good China has more than its fair share.

Given the referential sound, it would have been easy for Icecream Hands to make an album that only looked backwards. Thankfully, their sound has progressed in some senses from Broken UFO, with songs like ‘Back Seat of a Stolen Car’ and ‘Say That You Want Me Some More’ surviving on a harder edge. Where you sometimes wished that Broken UFO would break out and jump a little, these songs give the album welcome energy.

Icecream Hands’ five-year hiatus has also led to some changes in their structure, with lead singer and songwriter Charles Jenkins, who was previously responsible for around 90% of the band’s material, reducing his input. Jenkins’ ceding of his songwriting responsibilities, and restraint of his solo work, has provoked an identifiable difference in style and structure between the songs of (Marcus) Goodwin and (Doug Lee) Robertson and his own. Jenkins’ songs have a greater lyrical focus, with the vocals often forefront and supported by reduced instrumentation, yet the strength of his lyrics stand up to the rigours of such focus. He evokes images and emotions with greater economy, and his songs have a tendency to tell stories rather than the simple second-person address of the others. ‘Launceston’ is a bittersweet description of lost love, and ‘My Mother Was A Dancer’ is a beautiful, minimal ballad that reminds of Darren Hanlon’s later work in its sound and phrasing (“Still he said ‘she’s got the best legs this side of Avoca’”). If anything, the songwriting of the remaining members is more in a classic Icecream Hands style, especially in terms of sound. While most focus on simple wordplay an, there is a greater focus on harmony and lush instrumentation, and songs like ‘Come Along’ and ‘Anyway’ are among Icecream Hands’ best work.

There is no doubt there is a place for this music in the Australian scene. Icecream Hands have not been referred to as ‘rock royalty’ for nothing, and their constant omission from radio is bewildering, especially given the critical praise and comparisons to the mega-selling Crowded House. This style of music has always had a place, it’s catchy, enjoyable, endearing, and every generation there are emulators and idolaters. While The Good China won’t ever break sales records or launch a thousand imitations, it is better than much out there. No doubt in 20 years time, Icecream Hands will be referenced by small bands looking for some underground indie-pop cred. It’s a shame more don’t realise it now.

Though not ‘innovative’ or experimental, or even technically perfect, The Good China again proves that most good music is just about melody, and the ability to write one is a gift. What it lacks in brash excitement, it makes up for with great tunes and gorgeous harmonies. It’s an album that you could listen to from start to end and never even glance at the skip button. Icecream Hands still make music from a time warp, music that has been passed on by the Beatles, the Byrds, Crowded House, and every other guitar-pop band since. As guitarist, Marcus Goodwin put it in our recent interview with him: “I don’t think every band has to break new ground, or reinvent the wheel. We’re very much a product of our influences; we do it because that’s what we love.” With The Good China, Icecream Hands again show that their love is at least matched by their abilities.