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Ivy In The Clear music review
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Ivy In The Clear
Nettwerk Records
Ivy pose as the collective calm before a media storm that they’ll be
encompassed in after In The Clear (Nettwerk, 2005) is further
distributed.
Track listing:
01 Nothing But The Sky
02 Thinking About You
03 Keep Moving
04 Tess Don't Tell
05 Four In The Morning
06 Corners Of Your Mind
07 Clear My Head
08 I've Got You Memorized
09 Ocean City Girl
10 Feel So Free
The band revolves around New Yorkers Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger
and
Andy Chase, who join the gentle groupings with Starsailor, Zero7, Kate
Bush,
and Dido.
Durand’s quiet, breathy vocals are so unbelievably captivating.
Accompanied
by a soft piano that compliments her, she sings in Travis-style
"Nothing But
The Sky," a perfect opening piece for a promising album. At first
glance,
it’s almost comparable to the likes of David Gray, but that much more
composed.
"Thinking About You" stirs the soul with moving lyrics of reminiscing
of the
past, and someone close to the heart. Although a little poppy, it’s
upbeat
and pretty. A pleasant song about that someone special, be it a friend,
family or lover, "Thinking About You" is a song anyone can gleefully
relate
to.
In "Keep Moving," there is an instant flashback to "I Dream Of Jeannie"
with
the ‘ba ba bada’ bit, which is a nice touch. There’s also a disco-like
beat
in this track, and Durand seems to be the feminine response to Moby
(specifically similar to his album, Play).
Former Smashing Pumpkin guitarist James Iha joins Ivy on both "Tess
Don’t
Tell" and "Clear My Head," contributing a rugged, louder feel. He may
also
be responsible for those faint Cure-like riffs as well. Durand’s vocals
then
morph into Shirley Manson’s for a stanza or two, proving once more her
incredible range.
It’s hard to believe that a group sounding so unique and set high above
many
others isn’t new to the music scene, but Ivy has been together since
1994.
In his spare time, Schlesinger is also one-fourth of Fountains of
Wayne, who
coined 2003’s hit about everyone’s favourite woman, "Stacey’s Mom."
Such
diverse bands, but that shows how well he molds into place with Ivy,
conforming and creating such enticing riffs.
Songs range from upbeat, faster singing of Parisian-pop "Corners of
Your
Mind" to the spiritual grace of "Ocean City Girl." Close your eyes and
see
where they take you.
"Clear My Head" is a positive breakup aftermath melody where Durand
sings of
filtrating her former lover from her mind and heart to ease her pain.
An
honest track for anyone who wants to try and take the next step closer
to
closure.
The lyrics provided on In The Clear are so well written and relatable,
that
Ivy should become the general consensus for soft rock. Some of the best
lines are sung by her soothing voice in "Four In The Morning," the
turnpoint
track of the entire album: “Four in the morning, and I got that
feeling/Clock’s ticking and my heart’s not beating/Eyes open and I’m
staring
at the ceiling/Tell me that you’re leaving, give me something to
believe
in.”
Something to believe in is right, Durand. This band is precisely it.
