Taking a lo-fi approach to recording but never quite getting there, Icarus Himself makes music that's indie rock but with some identity issues. His album Career Culture is a mix and match affair that sounds like it was recorded on a shoestring budget with broken instruments in a guest bedroom somewhere. It really shouldn't be good but somehow Icarus Himself manages to salvage something endearing out of this rather under produced recording.
Career Culture is as mixed up as the cut and paste artwork on the cover and it almost seems as if Icarus Himself cut and pasted bits of ideas together to create the record. Teetering between full on depression and a complete Superchunk rock out jam, Icarus Himself flip flops more than either a political party. Obviously, I much prefer the frenetic moments on the record as the more mellow ones seem to get lost in Career Culture's lack of production.
Not overly complicated or produced, Career Culture is a record recorded by a band who simply plugged in played their songs and went home. No fancy overdubbing is here, no auto-tuning is present, heck...not tuning at all. Career Culture is a mess but it's a mess with a heart that wins you over with it's downtrodden do it yourself attitude. You won't find a more honest record than this one and that's probably why I enjoyed it so much; attitude overcoming obstacles.
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