Review Summary: E for effort but not much else.
Icon For Hire first came onto the scene in 2011 with their debut LP ‘Scripted.’ The idea of a female-fronted rock band at that time was hardly novel as it seemed to be the thing to do ever since Evanescence’s 2003 release ‘Fallen.’ However, lead singer Ariel and her smooth vocals combined with their creative lyrics and edgy rock sound made for something different than just the next Evanescence wannabe. As a result, Icon For Hire’s self-titled follow up carried heavy expectations. It needed to keep what was good from ‘Scripted’ while exploring new territory and proving Icon For Hire’s credibility. However, ‘Icon For Hire’ as an album only partially succeeds at this.
Prior to the release of ‘Icon For Hire’ Ariel stated to their fans that they would be incorporating more hip-hop and pop into this album than before. After just one listen-through of the album it’s evident that she was not lying. The majority of the songs have been doused with sugary sweet pop and hip-hop rhythms, beats and accompanying electronic touches. Songs like ‘Sugar & Spice,’ ‘Watch Me’ and ‘Think I’m Sick’ showcase this transition towards hip-hop and pop. While this succeeds in differentiating this album from ‘Scripted’ it ends up diluting their sound. Often times, ‘Icon For Hire’ ends up sounding like Ariel trying to be a solo pop star with her two partners in crime chiming in occasionally to remind you that this is still supposed to be a rock album. There are a lot of gimmicky electronic add-ons throughout and the whole album feels overproduced. However, Icon For Hire does strip it down on ballads like ‘Slow Down’ and ‘Fix Me.’ While these two songs show a more vulnerable side to Icon For Hire, they are mostly forgettable and don’t add much to the album as a whole.
In their defense, Icon For Hire hasn’t completely forgotten how to rock. Their harder hitting singles ‘Sorry About Your Parents’ and ‘Rock And Roll Thugs’ showcase some of the rock side that we’re more accustomed to hearing from these guys. These two singles are probably the strongest tracks on the album with the band successfully blending in some pop/hip-hop while flexing a little hard rock muscle.
Lyrically, Icon For Hire continues their tradition of attacking social norms and the complacency within our culture. ‘Sorry About Your Parents’ calls out the angsty teenager bent on blaming all their troubles on their parents rather than assuming any responsibility for their own actions. Parts of ‘Hope of Morning’ and ‘Cynics & Critics’ point out the victim mentality of many who would rather wallow in their problems than take action to improve their situation. Icon For Hire’s stance on personal responsibility is a welcome breath of fresh air amongst a culture of finger-pointing.
To back up their positions, they’ve also upped the attitude factor significantly. The whole record drips with a biting sarcasm that was present on the last album but has been bumped up a couple notches this time around. In the opening track, ‘Cynics & Critics’ Ariel shouts “What's the point in holding on when all of us don't want you to/It'd make us feel better, knowing you'd be stuck forever/Sick minds stick together, we can stay sick forever.” The rest of the album follows suit with much of the content possessing a vicious nature to it. Unfortunately, all this attitude adds up to giving the album a snarky sort of feel that is a little too much at times.
Many follow-up albums fail due to a lack of creativity and/or effort. In Icon For Hire’s case it’s almost exactly the opposite. Their self-titled sophomore project falls short largely because they tried too hard. In order to avoid going stale they swung the other way and threw out much of what worked for them in favor of shaking up the status quo. On a positive note, the variety does help to keep the album from slurring all together. Their effort to explore new territory instead of writing the B-side for ‘Scripted’ is commendable. And overall there are enough highlights on ‘Icon For Hire’ to make it worth picking up. For the most part it is an interesting album.
Nevertheless, being an interesting album doesn’t necessarily make it a great album. ‘Icon For Hire’ is a good album pulled down by overproduction and the band trying to create an identity around being different but trying too hard. Let’s hope their next record is a little more “scripted.”
