By: Rachael Gilkey

Rating: 8/11

Fans of post-punk legends Mission of Burma and Wire will not be disappointed with Brooklyn’s Imaginary Icons. Though sometimes straying close to imitator status, earnest writing and execution goes a long way to lift the band to the top. Songs like “Plans” and “Lucifer Rises” are marked by volatile guitars and relatively uncomplicated lyrics, with declamatory verses worth singing along. When they do stray slightly from their more apparent influences, the music remains tight and catchy. In “Off the Grid,” a rapid, head-bobbing bass line pulls the listener in dramatically before breaking off into a late 90s ska sound. The four piece, Benzoil Peroxide (vocals, guitar, synth), Sir Vaylance (guitar), Eddie Icon (drums), and Tom Dash (bass, backing vocals), also site the English band Desperate Bicycles as influences. Though musically they are less similar, the same refreshing DIY aesthetic is reflected in the Imaginary Icons general modus operandi, including a limited 500 copy, hand-numbered and hand-stamped run of an album in August 2008 from Daggerman Records.