Lia Ices
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Beautiful & fierce, evocative, experimental altpop
Status:
Most recent release, Ices (2014)
See also:
Lia Ices's site
Comparisons:
Fiona Apple and Katerina Franck (Rainbirds)
Covers/own material:
Own, occasional co-writing
General comments:
Lia Ices has one of those powerful, husky slightly deeper slightly bluesy voices, reminiscent of Fiona Apple and like Apple her songs are piano based. Melodic and catchy, her songs are edgey while being entirely engaging and range from the powerfully anthemic to the fragile. I'm very taken with both current albums (2011) and am looking forward to watching what she does next. Georgeous and impressive music. (Neile)
Recommended first album:
Grown Unknown by a slight margin; all are good
Recordings:
- Necima (2008)
- Grown Unknown (2011)
- Ices (2014)
Necima
Release info:
2008—Rare Book Room Records—rbr 003
Availability:
Wide in U.S.
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lia Ices—piano vocals
Guest artists:
David Muller—drums, bass, tambora, organ
Eliot Kessel—guitars
Robbie Lee—gemshorn; accordion; backing vocals; guitar (6); bass clarinet
Andy Macleod—bass (2); percussion (1)
Brent Arnold—cello,string arrangement
Margaret White—violin
Produced by:
Nicolas Vernhes & Lia Ices
Comments:
A powerful and assured debut. Though her overall sound is a little reminiscent of Fiona Apple, it feels wholly her own. Beautiful, haunting, soulful, emotive and experimental. Her songwriting is mature and affecting, both unexpected and yet full of hooks that keep you listening. Highly ecto, and highly recommended. (Neile)
Grown Unknown
Release info:
2011—Jagjauwar
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lia Ices—vocals; piano; backing vocals; organ (1); celesta (3); string synths (7); mellotron (9)
Guest artists:
Eliot Kessel—guitars
Otto Hauser—drums and percussion (1, 3, 4, 5, 8); timpani (7)
matt Johnson—drums (2, 6, 9)
Gregory Chudzik—bass (1, 4, 5, 8)
Time Luntzel—bass (2, 6)
Robbie Lee—organ and melodica (1); Wurlitzer and portative organ (3): autoharp, Ducle Melos, bells (6); flute (9)
Sam Kulik—trombone (9)
Nicolas Vernhes—thunder slap (4); scream (7)
Justin Vernon—vocals (2)
Omar Ajluni—string arrangement and scores
Megan Gould—violin (2)
Karen Waltuch—viola (2)
Brent Arnold—cello (2)
Rachel Handman—violin (7)
Michelle Stewart—violin (7)
Siobhan Solberg—viola (7)
ing Kwan—cello (7)
Lou Pappas—bass (7)
Produced by:
Lia Ices and Nicolas Vernhes
Comments:
Such a fragile and powerful album. It's really a knock-out. I can't believe I'd never heard of her before—this grabs hold so strongly and won't let me go. It's fresh but familiar, experimental yet entirely catchy. She has a stunning voice and knows how to use it both in how she sings and the materials she writes for herself. Wow. I can't recommend this one enough. So gorgeous it hurts. (Neile)One of the best albums of the year. (stjarnell@yahoo.com, lasherboy@gmail.com, jonwesleyhuff@gmail.com)
Ices
Release info:
2014—Jagjaguwar—6 56605 22052 9
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Lia Ices
Guest artists:
Alberto Lopez—percussion (1, 6-8)
Matt Johnson—drums (4, 5, 9, 10)
Eli Walker—additional engineer (4, 5, 9, 10); bass (8, 9)
Sumner Jones—additional vocal engineer
Produced by:
Benny Sagittarius; additional production by Clams Casino (2-4, 8 10)
Comments:
Love the new Lia Ices, though perhaps a teensy bit less than her previous release, as its a more ambient-sounding album and not as full of hooks. I like hooks. (Neile)Haven't really been able to get into the Lia Ices that much. It's nice, but I don't get hooked. Maybe because her vocals seem buried really deep in the mix? Reminds me of some of Goldfrapp's folkier work like Seventh Tree, but fronted by a less distinct/distinguished presence. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)
I agree with Tim on the new Lia Ices. Her beautiful voice gets lost in a sea of generic electronics and vocal filters. I miss the raw intimacy of Grown Unknown. (lasherboy@gmail.com)
I've never gotten into Grown Unknown, but I find Ices captivating. The album is less focused on her voice and the lyrics than the overall sound, which is defined by really interesting rhythms and beats. The second half is a little mushier than the first, but not bad, and the first half is so excellent it hardly matters. (JoAnn Whetsell)
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