Named after a song left off of their fine 2018 album Beyondless, the new Iceage compilation is upon us on Friday. Shake The Feeling: Outtakes & Rarities 2015-2021, out on the Mexican Summer label, collects a bunch of rarities and B-sides from the Danish rockers. It's by necessity the sort of release that feels inconsistent in spots, but it's also one that serves up moments of real passion and energy.
"All The Junk on the Outskirts" kicks things off. With a title that could be any band's rarities collection title, the track has real swagger and mood. Fans of The Chameleons might find the hooks here familiar. Similarly, "Shake the Feeling" positively roars. This one is superb, the fire here contagious. Elsewhere, a Dylan cover ("I'll Keep It With Mine") sits next to the lugubrious "Balm of Gilead", a cod-Gun Club workout. This one's not effective, really, and Iceage seem to need a harder riff to really allow their brand of indie-rock to succeed. "I'm Ready to Make a Baby", has a lumbering hook that, to these ears, faintly recalls both Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Dramarama. "Lockdown Blues" isn't likely to please even the most devoted fan, though an acoustic run at "Shelter Song", from 2021's Seek Shelter, has a nice charm to it, shades of Primal Scream aping Mick and Keef anchoring this to a fairly traditional rock format.
Iceage are capable of making expansive and inspiring music. And perhaps it's unfair to judge a rarities compilation too harshly. Lots of this is on here because it didn't work and was left off a more consistent release, right? That said, fans, even casual ones, should find things to enjoy here, and the varied consistency of the selections here at least shines a light on the band's attempts to expand the very sound that brought them some success in the first place. That's admirable.
Shake The Feeling: Outtakes & Rarities 2015-2021 is out on Mexican Summer on Friday.
[Photo: Jonas Bang]