Born
and raised in communist Bulgaria,Krassy Halatchev
(Icicle) grew up with a few tight friends who were true music maniacs. Being
one of them as well, he studied and analyzed every note of the repertoire of
his favourite bands (Pink Floyd, Genesis, The Police, The B-52’s, Depeche Mode,
The Cure, The Clash…). With a little help from his friends (and band mates)
he bought his first bass guitar – a Fender Music Master. It proved to be the
best investment he ever made, for it changed Krassy’s life.
Following years of ardent practicing and playing in garages and clubs, the skilled
musician fled from his native country and landed in Montreal one freezing-cold
winter day in 1990. His brother-like peers from the band The Clouds accompanied
him in this new and exiting adventure. At the time they were passionately devoted
to the 90’s psychedelic rock. After many subway and club gigs, considerable
magazine and newspaper coverage, and two full-length albums, the members of
the band decided to explore new horizons, this time separately.
In 1996 Krassy joined the band Chiwawa. Produced by Steve Whitfield (The Cure,
The Mission, The Trash Can Sinatras) and recorded at The Mission’s studio in
Bristol, Chiwawa’s first album The Sick World of Yona won the attention of the
media. Becoming a core member of the group, Krassy composed and sang a major
part of Chiwawa’s seven albums worth of material.
In 2014 Icicle released his first solo album, Resurgence.
Multifaceted and very seasoned, this 13-piece oeuvre represents a passage door
between the past and the future, a quintessence of lessons learned and dreams
that lay ahead.
His second album, Theorems (2015) cemented Icicle’s broad musical path where
rock, pop and funk elements stir a mixture of fresh, innovative and genre defiant
sound – Icicle’s specialty.
Full Album showof
June 5, 2023
with the
Album: Bareness Vol. 1
About the Album
Stripped down, semi-acoustic (unplugged) collection of songs
Full Album showof
March 1, 2023 with the
Album:Coalescence
Herd
Records Is Proud to Announce COALESCENCE
by Icicle
Krassy Halatchev (Icicle) has proven with his 11 studio albums to date that
he has a lot of colours in his musical palette.
COALESCENCE is the 12th studio record, and yet another milestone in Icicle’s
fascinating and unpredictable music journey.
The record unfolds as an intoxicating rainbow of auditory treats, making it
a winter smash for the spring season.
The first single, Think Fast and Slow Dance, is a contagious funky number
that grabs you from the get go. The lyrics reminisce and reflect while
riding the wave of a melodic and instantly memorable chorus. Backup vocals
are courtesy of the amazing Kat Howell.
The second single, Fall, is a pure contrast to the former. It is a heavy
guitar driven track with a hefty amount of vigour and intensity. The subject
matter is about overcoming life’s hard knocks –
“We were meant to understand
You gotta get beat to become a man”
The closing track, Reluctant Jesus, features lyrics by Joel Jenkins – a long
time pen-partner of Icicle’s. It is a simple, soft and calm piano-and-vocal
song that is sure to leave you pondering.
COALESCENCE is another kaleidoscopic palette of sonic shapes and moods,
conjuring mental rainbows while tempos, rhythms, melodies, even volume
levels shift to near collapse, before locking together into undeniable hooks
that defy their underlying complexity.
Fans can pre-order the album on BandCamp starting March 1, 2023.
For more info please visit Icicle’s website.
Full Album showof
April 15, 2022 Album: Axioms
Herd
Records Proudly Presents AXIOMS by Icicle
Krassy Halatchev (Icicle) has proven with his 9 studio albums to date that
he has a lot of colours in his musical palette.
Axioms is no exception with its 12 tracks of driven alt rock/pop that is
chock-full of imagination and good beats. The sound is as eclectic as it is
manic, but it is the quirkiness that unifies it all.
It’s the same kind of musical Krazy-Glue that bonds such acts as Foals, The
Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys, Beck, Spoon, Blur, Kasabian, Talking Heads… to
name a few.
Halatchev handles the vast majority of the vocals but occasionally, as in
previous records, would invite singers on lead and/or backups. This time it
is the Brit Kat Howell who takes charge of the fairy-tail-ish One Bad Boy
for Every Girl (track 4), duets in Stand Tall, and completes the choruses on
The Force Within (track 2).
Axioms goes in many directions throughout its 12 compositions but the manic,
head-spinning theme continues throughout. Snowman at My Door (track 2) is a
cool, hypnotic trip well backed by acoustic guitar and keys, with the latter
breaking into subtle shimmering stars at the choice moment. This is Not a
Love Song (second single/track 9) is another enjoyable sing-along tune based
around a P.I.L.-esque vocal hook and some hip-hop style well stitched
verses. Desert Tree (first single/track 11) is a beautiful heartfelt piece
about the colliding forces of science and ambition. It should well provide
some clues to the other strange places that Icicle will lead you to
throughout this record. Meanwhile, bluesy guitar grooves provide the
perfectly askew backdrop for White Horse, You Against You and Tone It Down a
Little.
Full Album showof
February 11, 2021
Album: Restiveness
Full Album showof
October 21, 2019
Album: Senescence
Senescence
(Icicle’s latest offering), in its essence, is about death, mortality and
the finality of things.
Indeed, it is an album which deals with difficult subjects. It questions,
and it consoles. It is full of zest, clarity and above all – peace and
resolve. It celebrates death rather than dread. In fact, it even brings a
festive feel to it.
The opening/intro track Killer sets the mood for a journey that is rich in
amplitudes and anticipation.
The second track Questions (Part 1) gets to the point rather adroitly with a
powerful and assertive tone. It is as if Krassy Halatchev (the main force
behind Icicle) is racing with the clock but, in reality, aren’t we all?
The first single Talk Talk Talk was dubbed as “the best break-up song ever”
by one of Icicle’s long-time loyal fans. It is a track that masterfully
captures the feeling of abandonment, betrayal, hurt and loss. It grips with
raw anger, despair and agony from the first note.
The second single Another Moment, featuring Laurie Gordon on lead vocals, is
in full contrast to the latter. It is a soft ballad-esque tune which focuses
on the importance of moments and details that matter the most. Time is
running out after all.
Senescence is a record in the most traditional sense. It is an album which
beckons you sit down and listen to in its entirety because, as Prince
reminded us, “Albums still matter.”
Full Album showofJanuary 17, 2019 Album: Provenance
(2019)
Provenance,
the latest album by Montreal-based Icicle, is set to release March 12, 2019.
The album will be available to download and stream through all major online
retailers. Fans can also purchase hard copy CDs through BandCamp.
In line with Icicle’s previous work, described as “genre-bending” (Darcia Helle,
Sound Waves Review) and “pushing his own sound to the forefront” (Richard Lyne,
The Appetizer), these 12 new tracks playfully point to highly eclectic influences,
all the while furthering Icicle’s ever-shifting, distinctive sound.
Krassy Halatchev, the composer, singer, bass player and driving force behind
Icicle, describes the album as life-affirming, built around themes of beginnings,
growth, evolution, and love: “It reveres the miracle of life, birth, and growth,
as well as strength, endurance, persistence, fight — all the necessary elements
for one’s survival. Of course, love is the backbone of it all. As David Bowie
says, ‘The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in
return.’”
Fans who’ve come to know what Jeremy Bregman from Medium.com called Icicle’s
“giant melting pot of different sounds, ranging from groovy, bouncy bass lines
to tracks with a new wave, 80’s feel” won’t be disappointed with the buoyant
Let It Snow or the defiant I Had Enough. The 11th track, Because You Asked,
features lyrics by Antonia Gueorguieva, based off a verbatim-style notation
of a conversation with Halatchev. The record also features vocals on select
tracks by Laurie Gordon and Kat Howell.
Halatchev has charmed Canadian and international audiences for over two decades,
following his defection from communist Bulgaria with the band The Clouds. From
1996 to 2012, he was a core member of the Montreal-based band Chiwawa. Since
going on his own in 2013 as Icicle, he has released six albums. - Provenance
now marks Icicle’s seventh solo LP..
#
Name
length
Rating
1
Trans-Siberian Express
04:44
4
2
Let It Snow
03:00
4
3
Better Pin Me Down
04:05
4
4
Set To Go
03:52
4
5
Carry It On
04:26
4
6
Gone For Good
03:24
4
7
Smile
03:37
4
8
What A Way To Start The Day
03:57
4
9
Gallop
03:07
4
10
Blue Is Power
04:05
4
11
Because You Asked
04:40
4
12
I Had Enough
06:18
4
Full Album showof
of January 20, 2018 Album: Silence
(2018)
#
Name
length
Rating
1
Best Not Talk
03:32
4
2
My Heart
05:02
4
3
Silent Screams
04:08
4
4
Winding Road
03:20
4
5
Life's A Stage
03:45
4
6
Move On (Earth)
03:51
4
7
The Two Of Us
04:34
4
8
JJ3
03:24
4
9
The Same Mistake
04:18
4
10
Move On (Water)
03:54
4
11
Hope
04:34
4
12
Faith
03:50
4
13
Love
06:36
4
Icicle’s newest record Silence is one of the finest
in his acclaimed catalogue, taking him down yet
another new sonic path, 5 albums into his career.
This is an act whose name has been built on the
endless evolution of its own aural dynamics,
innovative compositions, brilliant arrangements, and
in that respect, Silence does not disappoint.
It is a bold, upfront, driving album, relying on
grooves of pulsing keyboard twists, infectious
guitar hooks and the off-kilter, slinky rhythms to
carry the vocals of singer/bassist Krassy Halatchev.
These songs are some of the most sensual,
serendipitous, sparse recording to come from Icicle,
showcasing a new dimension in his songwriting and
marking Silence as that crucial next sonic step
forward for one of Montreal’s best artists.
Full Album showof
June 22, 2017
#
Name
length
Rating
1
Tuck The Puck
01:26
4
2
Madness Is My Home
03:50
4
3
Win, Win, Win
03:46
4
4
Don’t Twist My Mind
04:09
4
5
1962
03:40
4
6
You Never Know
03:37
4
7
War
04:07
4
8
Smoke & Ashes
04:24
4
9
Meet Me A third Of The Way
04:20
4
10
Runaway Train
03:13
4
11
Super Connected
03:07
4
12
Do You Wanna Trade
03:54
4
13
Hanging Ten
04:19
4
Full Album showof May 21, 2016
Name
length
1
The Cave
02:56
2
What Day Is Today?
04:22
3
Moonlight Dancer
03:27
4
She’s Kind Of Fly
05:20
5
Junkies Of The Rhythm
03:04
6
Boggles My Mind
04:51
7
Manic Panic
03:34
8
Paranoid Pigeon
03:51
9
This Better Be True
03:49
10
Nothing In You
04:28
11
The Edge On Which We Run
03:42
12
Fools Refuse To Learn
04:42
Full Album showofNovember
2, 2015
Song
length
Queue Me
03:42
The Angels Forgot How To Fly
06:04
Tattoo aCross Your Heart
03:49
Time Is Not On Your Side
04:12
I Am An Ant
04:10
Moonwalker
04:04
U-Turn
04:04
Ready To Steer
03:54
Chasing The Clouds
04:26
Coke, Popcorn And Bubblegum
03:56
On And On
03:46
Calma Calma
04:07
Full Album showofOctober
9, 2015
Song
length
Ice Storm
00:52
My Contribution To Society
05:05
My Complacency
04:27
My Sweet And Sour Room
04:25
Leave All The Wishing To You
03:56
The Light That Made Me Blind
04:07
Catch Me
03:55
Roll Up The Clouds
04:10
The Other Side Of Time
02:34
Ordinary Life
04:26
From What I Know
04:31
Grow So Large (I Touch The
Sky)
03:51
Morning Bells
04:16
Notes for the artist:
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send us an updated Bio using 'CONTACT' on Menu at the top of page.
Born
and raised in communist Bulgaria,
Krassy Halatchev
(Icicle) grew up with a few tight friends who were true music maniacs. Being
one of them as well, he studied and analyzed every note of the repertoire of
his favourite bands (Pink Floyd, Genesis, The Police, The B-52’s, Depeche Mode,
The Cure, The Clash…). With a little help from his friends (and band mates)
he bought his first bass guitar – a Fender Music Master. It proved to be the
best investment he ever made, for it changed Krassy’s life.
Herd
Records Is Proud to Announce COALESCENCE
by Icicle
Herd
Records Proudly Presents AXIOMS by Icicle
Senescence
(Icicle’s latest offering), in its essence, is about death, mortality and
the finality of things.
Provenance,
the latest album by Montreal-based Icicle, is set to release March 12, 2019.
The album will be available to download and stream through all major online
retailers. Fans can also purchase hard copy CDs through BandCamp. 
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