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Icecream Hands You Can Ride My Bike - The Best Of Rubber/Shock Melbourne's Icecream Hands haven't scored a top 40 hit in their 12 year recording career thus far, and it's fair to say they haven't been on the radar of most pop consumers in this country. But, the skill with which they cross the Beatles with Gram Parsons makes them a band well worth getting to know. Presented in chronological fashion, the 22 singles and band favourites culled from their four albums show the extent of the Hands' progression, from journeymen (the first two albums) to craftsmen (the seven tracks from 1999's 'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo') to masters of the radio friendly pop song (most of the six songs from 2002's 'Broken UFO', which sadly for them got buried by record company wranglings). There's also a companion disc of 21 B-sides, although for the most part its self-evident as to why they're B-sides and for that reason that disc is more for fans only. 'Sweetheart Of The Rodeo' is such a coherent body of work that I often wonder how this band can be so criminally unheard. Listening to these singles all thrown together the reason becomes clearer: their grasp of the craft is undeniable and often to be marvelled at, but is only occasionally really inspired. Having said that other, bigger, careers have thrived on less; and besides, often it's the quiet ones who are more interesting anyway, if only one took the time to listen to them. Here you get half of the Icecream Hands' last two (and best) albums, and given that I think their songs sound best in an album context, the generous selection from those records alone makes this compilation a great place to start getting acquainted.  |
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