After spending the better part of two decades fronting restless Danish rockers Ice Age, it’s surprising how Elias Ronnenfeld refuses to confine himself to one sound on his solo debut. isn’t it. But somehow his band’s work has always been consistent, and that just didn’t work for “Heavy Glory.” It’s as if the record was put together from three parts. One is a series of demos (which may actually coincide with the record’s arrival at a time when the singer continued to play low-key fan-booked gigs throughout 2020). Second, there are a few songs that make Elias look like scarred troubadour Mick Jagger (pun, but it’s a look that suits him). And third, a pair of lavishly recorded and perfectly delivered cover versions: Spacemen 3’s “Walking with Jesus,” retitled “The Sound of Confusion,” and Townes Van Zandt’s “Walking with Jesus.” “No Place to Fall”). Unfortunately, these follow a series of tracks in which Elias reveals a little too much of someone else’s identity: the Lou Reed bassline of “No One Else,” the Nick Cave gothic of “Doomsday Childsplay,” and most The obvious “Another Round” vocals and music are both thanks to Primal Scream’s “Movin’ On Up.” Musically, Ice Age’s often impenetrable layers surrounded Elias’s vocals, mirroring their rise and fall, but here the center stage focus instead offers a rather whimsical flair. The lyrical content surrounding drug abuse may also be meant to echo past songwriters, but its frankness and hints of faded charm make it sound more like 2024: “When you’re dealt an easy card.” , I was fucking like a dealer’ (‘No One’); ‘X, K, and a cloud of cocaine rolling in’ (‘Like Lovers Do’). “Hit the bottle, wash it down/While there’s still time for another round” (“Another Round”). All of this makes “Stalker,” a track ostensibly based on an abandoned novel, sound simply disgusting.
Somewhere on “Worm Grew A Spine” (disappointed by its cheap, rudimentary backing), Elias (again?) appears as a hybrid of Mick Jagger and Julian Casablancas, with just a touch of folk. It’s probably a natural step forward. He’s been performing for 16 years, but the album as a whole may be too little, too late. But in these few songs, this version of Elias – the itinerant singer-songwriter, the lost soul, the eternally brooding man in the dark cloak, whoever he chooses to project – makes perfect sense. It’s fitting. The bluesy ’60s pop “Unarmed” is a perfect example, with nostalgic melancholy working alongside his dark lyricism, his acerbic vocals colliding with those of guest Joanne Robertson. , to strange effect on the folksy “River of Madelaine.” Meanwhile, the cover songs are not only in perfect pitch, but also sweetly recorded, with “Sound of Confusion” a warm, inviting take and “No Place to Fall” a soft, Evoking Americana, it’s stripped down to a level that’s ideal for Elias’ vocals. Works by Conor Oberst. In short, there’s probably a decent EP here, but as an album, Heavy Glory is a mixed bag and a disappointment.
