Following a string of EP releases, Ice Level is the claustropobically elaborate full-length debut from Brooklyn-based indie cold funk collective Ava Luna. Taking inspiration from the late-'70s Ze Records hybridization of funk and No Wave, or the like minded freak-disco of 99 Records acts like ESG, the eight songs on Ice Level are all slick, slinky, and wiry numbers. The nervy RB compositions are fronted by brainchild/N.Y.C. producer Carlos Hernandez and augmented by stunning vocal arrangements from Felicia Douglass, Rebecca Kauffman, and Anna Sian. The album is an in-depth study in tension and release, sometimes on a micro level, aiming for the skeletal instrumentation and directness of something like Lizzy Mercier Descloux's disconnected grooves. Complex vocal harmonies bracket almost every verse beautifully à la Dirty Projectors, and the songs' lack of any type of hooks or pop sensibilities isn't a problem, as they get by on the power of the vocal interplay and liquid nature of the playing. Fred Thomas, Rovi
- Genre: R&B, Rock
- Subgenre: Hip-Hop/Urban, R&B/Soul
- Category Neo-Soul, Soul, Post-Disco, Alternative Pop/Rock
- Release Date: March 6, 2012
- Artist: Luna Ava
- Additional Artist: Becca Kauffman (Vocals), Anna Sian (Vocals), Carlos Hernandez (Vocals), Felicia Douglass (Vocals)