Which “Mat Saleh”, “Pharang” or “Kwai Loh” band do Citizens Of Ice Cream sound like? Sure one might say “yet another post rock band”, but the distinctive oriental flavor put in by keyboardist Phang’s driving melodies, surrounded by experimentative guitar soundscapes, COIC’s brand of emotive melodic rock is a merger between their vast international references with defining homegrown ideas. Representing not only the chinese scene in KL (which they have been major proponents of for the last decade, frequently headlining gigs like the Dong Tai Du series), but also the asian sound in the post rock cult.
Guitarist Tan experiments with different tunings, often calmly picking his guitar strings and combining euphonious chords while Hwang explores the limitless possibilities of tweaking and combining pedals and various hardwares. Be it delicate or brash, Hwang’s guitarscape strikes,soothes and also surprises. Aziz on horns adds another layer, or rather, the cherry on top of that Ice Cream sound.
Five years since their last release, “Leave It To The Ants”, COIC are prepping to occupy the studio come January ’12 and are hoping to meet their self imposed dateline of April. So till then, keep a close watch on their Facebook page for updates.
