Adam Schlesinger Dominique Durand Andy Chase
Over the course of three full-length albums and a handful of singles and EPs, the members of the New York-based trio Ivy have established themselves as purveyors of smart, elegant, and bittersweet pop music. Fronted by native Parisian Dominique Durand, the group has always blended musical elements from many different times and places, and yet the diverse textures in Ivy’s music have been held together by an overriding emphasis on songwriting, melody and mood.
It is fitting, then, that Ivy’s new LP, Guestroom, contains ten of the group’s favorite "covers." Picking from several different eras, they reveal some of their sources of inspiration, and also display their ability to reinterpret many different types of songs in their own distinct way. Five of the ten songs on Guestroom were recorded during recent sessions in New York. The remaining five tracks were recorded at different times over the course of Ivy’s career, but have for the most part been difficult to find, having been released only on limited-edition singles, compilations, or soundtracks. On Guestroom, the band moves easily between decades and countries, jumping from 80’s classics like The Cure’s “Let’s Go To Bed” and the House Of Love’s “I Don’t Know Why I Love You” to Steely Dan’s “Only A Fool Would Say That” and then over to Serge Gainsbourg’s “L’Anamour”; from the Ronnettes’ early 60’s classic “Be My Baby” to Papas Fritas’ late 90’s gem “Say Goodbye.”
Ivy formed in 1994 when multi-instrumentalists Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger convinced Durand, who had never before sung in a group, to venture into a New York studio and record a four-song tape with them. One of the first songs they recorded, “Get Enough”, was released as a 7” single and was quickly named “Single Of The Week” in the UK’s Melody Maker. They followed that single with an EP, Lately, and then in 1995 released their debut full-length, Realistic, which – although raw compared to their later work -- hinted at the melodic sophistication and emphasis on production detail that would follow. During this period the group began touring, sharing stages with Oasis, Edwyn Collins, Lloyd Cole, St. Etienne, and many others.
On their second full-length album, 1997’s Apartment Life, Ivy hit its stride, introducing richer arrangements and a wider palette of sounds, while at the same time taking their songcraft to a new level. The album was named one of the year’s best by scores of critics, and the group’s fan base increased exponentially; they toured extensively in support of the new record over the next two years.
Long Distance, their third LP, was released in 2001, and won the group an even wider audience both at home and abroad. By this time, the band had also had found success on both the big and small screens (scoring the Farrelly Brothers’ Shallow Hal, as well as having their songs featured prominently in numerous films and television shows). Chase and Schlesinger had also begun to receive attention for their work outside the band: Chase produced the debut album by French pop group Tahiti 80, which was a hit in many countries and led to subsequent production work with several other groups; Schlesinger’s “other” band, Fountains Of Wayne, released two critically acclaimed records, and he also received an Oscar nomination for his title song to Tom Hanks’ film That Thing You Do!
The new record, Guestroom, demonstrates Ivy’s continued ability to combine elements from wildly different kinds of music, while all the time still sounding like themselves. For longtime fans of the band, it will be a treat to hear their unique interpretations of such a diverse array of songs; for those just discovering the band, the record should provide a inviting glimpse into Ivy’s rich musical landscape.
Source: http://www.thebandivy.com/#
