Lia Ices: Ices

Ices
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Artist: Lia Ices
Genre: Alternative
Label: Jagjaguwar

A few years ago Lia Ices was viewed as a potential crossover female indie pop star. It isn't too outlandish to suggest that the California-resident peeked over the parapet (notably with her 2011 album Grown Unknowns), didn't really like what she saw, and then returned to the fringes to work on what she does brilliantly. Ices, her third album, continues to pitch her as a suitable case for mainstream success, but it does so with the following stipulation: accept me for what I am or not at all. Which is why – even though it's all over the place – the album works so well, with resounding echoes of Link Wray and Spiritualized, as well as blasts of Pakistani, dub, hip-hop, and Middle Eastern rhythms. liaices.com

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in popular culture