Customer Reviews

Apartment Life

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ivy isn't my usual taste in music, but I bought one of their albums based on the strength of "Worry About You" from Long Distance after hearing it on Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital (on a side note: hated that show at first, but after watching for a while I think it was turning into something unique and interesting, too bad it didn't get a chance). Ivy's music is, largely, chilled out adult contemporary, pretty poppy, and usually about relationships, exactly the kind of stuff I usually find to be way too cheesy and juvenile, but this New York trio is anything but that, and I've come to love them. They create such mellow, such cool sounds overlaid by Durand's breathy French accented vocals that are somehow powerful and very subtle and understated at the same time. Most importantly, at their best they tap into REAL emotions with a direct but languid ease that I have never really encountered before in pop. While listening to Ivy, it just feels like they're talking about my life without ever referring to anything specific, just bringing up emotions and vibes. Apartment Life is their best album, a transistory point between the more up-tempo, acoustic indie-rock of Realistic and the layered, ultra mellow, endlessly relaxing sounds of Long Distance. They cut lose a couple times with fast paced (but still chilled out) quiet-rockers like The Best Thing and You Don't Know Anything, then tap into the more synthetic poppish styles that rule Long Distance with the likes of Quick, Painless And Easy and Ba Ba Ba and with a very unusual frequency they manage to tap into an emotional vibe that is just perfect, without drawing attention to itself. Their best songs are sublime, in the truest snese of the word. On Apartment Life, the best example of this is the final song, Back In Our Town (their best song to date, in my opinion), an absolutely gorgeous and haunting ballad. It's not the type of song that makes you sit up and listen and go "Whoah, wow!," instead it's the kind of song that makes you sit back and just take it in, and when it's fading you realize what a unique experience is leaving you (not only the song, but in this case, since it is the last song, the entire album).

Check Ivy out. Like I said, they're not really my type of music. Normaly I go for Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and Mars Volta, but I love them anyway because at their best they make me feel sad, happy, at peace, comforted and lonely all at the same time, without ever forcing or seeming to try to make me feel anything at all. The first few times I listened to them I thought they were a little too sunny and light (and I still find a very small number of their songs to be, but those are by far the minority), but that's just the surface. Ivy is a mature, complex group that puts out mature, complex music that is easily accessible because it seems so simple. They have a depth that few do.

What saddens me about being a fan of this type of pop music is that I live in the US and I'll never be able to hear any of my favorite bands on the radio. In fact the only time I've heard Ivy outside of my place and my car was while I was waiting for my girlfriend who was shopping at some boutique, (this did make me question my choice of music, but only for a fleeting second). In Apartment life, the sweet sound of Dominique's voice flows seamlessly over the wonderfully created pop songs with an air of indifference. Ivy ranks up there with Saint Etienne, and Belle and Sebastian as my favorite pop groups, and this CD is a good one to get if you're at all interested in their wonderful sound. Maybe one day the relentless teen pop that comes streaming towards me from the tv and the radio will one day ebb in a moment of bliss as people realize that there are other facets of pop music out there. Until then, I'll just bide my time and listen to my Ivy at home and in the car; and when it's played as I patiently wait in the boutiques, I'll smile and tap my shoe.

I consider this album one of the quintessential pop albums featuring a female lead singer. "Apartment Life" has everything you could want in such an album: Great songwriting, featuring incredibly catchy melodies; concise arrangements; flawless production that manages not to feel overproduced or mechanical; and, to top it all off, the unique, beautiful vocal stylings of Dominique Durand.

Absolutely remarkable album - one of the first I have heard in a long, long time that I loved from the very first listen (was inspired to purchase it after catching a brief snatch of 'Thinking of you" at the end of Shallow Hal). Each and every piece is a classic, amazing that IVY haven't received more airplay over here (Ireland)

I am in love with Dominique Durand's voice. Her soothing, moody vocals blend with the guitars, drums, and occasional horn sections to create some of the greatest pop melodies I have ever heard. Each song is sublime and perfectly crafted, a testament to the great music skills and talents of Adam Schlesinger, Andy Chase, and Dominique Durand. The whole album exhibits a range of moods and styles, from the upbeat "This Is The Day" to the mellow "Ba Ba Ba". Any fan of pop music should purchase this album - along with Fountains of Wayne (of which Adam Schlesinger is also a member) Ivy is the epitome of pop perfection.

That's it, the title says it all. Apartment Life is a classic pop gem that should've made IVY a huge band. I'm kind of glad it didn't happen for them because I like to claim them as my own. Even though they deserve huge success. I love this CD, you will too. One day after about 4 listens it just clicked for me. I love it when that happens! Anway buy it if you like inspiring, sunny, pop music mixed with the occasional darker ballad. It's all bliss in the end!

Ivy is really an amazing band with a unique distintive sound. I highly recomend "Apartment Life" and "Long Distance". Those two cd's are highly worth it, most of Ivy's songs are great, it's hard to dislike any. They are a hidden gem, I'm suprised not a lot of people have heard of this group. As much as I love this CD, my favorite song from Ivy is Ocean City girl, but ironically, I didn't like the rest of the songs on that cd - In the Clear. Anyways, the best Cd's are apartment life and Long distance. And get all the songs, it's worth it.

If you like the band Texas or the music from the "Felicity" show, you'll love this album. Soulful voice, breezy lyrics. I am able to listen to the entire cd because all the songs are good. This group did not reach the mainstream audience, which is a surprise and a shame. Highly recommend this album.

This is a great light pop record. It will appeal to fans of Natalie Imbruglia's 1st 2 albums. It has the same style with a lighter, more flowing flair to a lot of the songs. The singer is really great. She sounds a little like the singer from Stereolab. This isn't a stretch since they're both French and they both bring an old/Frenchpop style of singing to the table in each of their respective bands. It still sounds fresh and different. A great driving-by-the-beach kind of record. Fun and catchy. Recommended

99 out of 100 people dont know who these people are, i'm glad i do. Get out of the city has the most casually catchy guitar riff i may have ever heard. There is a slight meloncholy that runs throughout the album, like a beauitful girl alone in her apartment looking out the window at the city below, thinking about life. I am taking a guess that's why they named it apartment life. To write 12 songs expressing 12 sides to a single topic, pretty cool.