Icecream
Hands “Why’d You Have To Leave Me This Way”
Single on Rubber Records through
BMG
Marcus Goodwin, Charles Jenkins, Douglas Robertson and Derek Smiley are Icecream Hands: Melbourne’s finest alterna-pop meisters are back on Rubber through BMG with their new single, “Why’d You Have To Leave Me This Way” from the forthcoming album “Broken UFO.”
I was introduced to this song in acoustic mode on their last single “Rain Hail Shine” and it is as successful as a pop tune could hope to be: when I saw the title I immediately started humming the hook line. Retaining the services of Shane (Rebecca’s Empire, Steve Cummings, Paul Kelly) O’Mara and East Van Parks, this time the guys have the song in full-band mode and have backed it with a three-piece brass section, fully helping the happy Curtis Mayfield up-tempo feel of the song, despite the opposing impression of the title.
The B-sides to this one see Marcus and Douglas take up
writing duties in what could be described as Beatlesesque. Look At You Now has Marcus coming over all
70s John
Lennon while Sometimes
still has me scratching my head as to whether Douglas was trying to
capture the late-60s essences of Paul
or George.
My Lights Are Green rounds off the
effort, the third of three tracks you’re only ever going to get here, with Charles
in charge again on a Neil
Finn styled almost-ballad.
Gems all of them, as their press declares, this single is probably more of a teaser than fans will probably be able to stand, as the new album looms close. Until then, Why’d You Have To Leave…on Rubber through BMG earns Icecream Hands another «««««