Song of the Week: Iconic

This week the Facebook group voted for Iconic, and though I have a soft spot for String Vest (which came in at third place), I must admit it's nice to be writing about something a little faster-paced!

I first heard Iconic soon after I discovered The Skinner Brothers in July last year. Prawn Soup was the very first song I heard and it instantly had me hooked. I basically then spent the next few days voraciously consuming everything I could get my hands (ears?) on, starting as I almost always do, with albums. Soul Boy II was the second one I heard and it seriously impressed me - it may not have quite the variety of sound that the later albums have, but there's plenty of variety in pace and feel.

Iconic is listed toward the end of the album, and though there's some really tough competition amongst that track list, it definitely holds its own. As with so much of The Skinner Brothers' catalogue it's not just about the music, excellent as that is, it's also about the attitude and this song has plenty of it!

The whole album has quite a bit of youthful swagger about it, and this is no exception. I don't mean that in a negative way - from the perspective of middle age the confidence of youth is a rapidly dwindling memory and it's nice to have a reminder! I might, maybe, every now and then, while listening to these songs, dance around the house like I have that swagger. Luckily, nobody has ever caught these moments on camera because if that happened I'd have to change my identity and move abroad after having some radical plastic surgery.

Swagger aside, this is a really uplifting song. Sandwiched between Give It All to Me and the widely popular Stupid Much?, it makes quite an impact. It might not be as raucous as "Put Me Down as a Maybe" or "Culture Non-Stop", but the fast pace of the music, coupled with a chorus that's lyrically full of movement, pulls you along and lifts you up. It's actually very inspiring and has pushed me into doing a workout that I really, really didn't want to do on many occasions.

Chorus:
"I'm on the techtronic,
I'm on that supersonic,
Who got the soul food,
'Cos I need to get on it,
Step on it,
Subsonic,
Iconic"

I'm not exactly sure what any of that means, but it definitely sounds great! In fact this song is littered with cryptic lyrics. I might be doing Zac a disservice here, but it feels like a case of putting lyrics together that don't necessarily have a deep meaning but sound very good when connected. Again, that's not a negative thing at all, some songs are just like that, and I'm here for cleverly arranged lyrics just as much as I am for those with a deeper meaning.

"67 said it - people are strange"

This line however, is a stand out for three reasons.

Reason one is that it's a direct reference to The Doors, and if you don't think The Doors were cool then I hate to break it to you but there's something wrong with your brain.

Reason two is that it sounds just like something one of my very stoned friends from my teenage years might have said, right before passing out in a magical haze. Hmm... come to think of it, it's highly possible my misspent youth may have affected my brain, but as millions of other people also love The Doors I think I'll put that thought to one side.

The final reason is the obvious one - people really are strange. This is confirmed over and over again when you hear those really bizarre news stories that you couldn't possibly make up, from the comedic to the horrific. The truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

Whatever the intended meaning, the line works. It’s a bit cryptic, a bit trippy even, but it fits and that’s what Iconic does so well. Punctuated by the rhythm of the drums or guitar, the song barely slows down, it just powers through full of energy right up until the last note. It's not really designed to be a song that you stop to study, you're just meant to go with the flow and I'm definitely happy to roll with those punches!

Despite not really trying to be deep and emotional, Iconic is confident and fast and slightly chaotic in places, which all leads to a building of momentum that leaves you with the aforementioned uplifted feeling, like you can achieve anything. Such as writing an article that you were late starting because you've had a chaotic week and then got your knickers in a twist about leaving it until the night before the deadline. Not that I'd know anything about that, even if it is a classic ADHD thing to do. Just saying.

To cut a long story short: while Iconic may not quite have the punch of Put me Down as a Maybe, it still has plenty of powerful energy it's just of a different flavour.

Iconic is, well... iconic. It quickly worms its way into your heart and cements itself firmly into its deserving place in The Skinner Brothers canon. If you haven't heard it in a while, do yourself a favour and have a listen. I promise it will leave you in a better mood!

Iconic is part of the album Soul Boy II, which you can buy on vinyl here or grab a digital copy from Bandcamp here.