Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Digging Ivy's scene, March 22, 2002
Long Distance is a gorgeous CD, combining the lightest electronica touches with nice musical arrangements and lyrics about relationships, crumbling and otherwise ("Disappointed," "Lucy Doesn't Love You," "While We're In Love"). Other highlights include "Undertow" and "Edge of the Ocean," two songs that will sweep you away. Lead singer Dominique Durand has a sweet, sleek voice, and the songs are all incredibly catchy yet textured. I highly suggest checking out Ivy; I fell in love with every song on the album--it's soothing, and much more than background music.Oh, and for those of you who saw "Shallow Hal," if you heard a few songs throughout the film that left you wondering "Who *was* that?": It was more than likely Ivy. The songs aren't on the "Shallow Hal" soundtrack, though, but they can be found on Long Distance.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The power of Ivy, July 11, 2001
I have been listening to tracks from this CD non stop, since I had gotten it from MP3s on Napster, and finally the US release date was today (July 10th 2001), so of course I went out and got it since good quality pop music is hard to find these days. I also saw the band twice today, one was a wonderful accoustic performance in Cambridge MA, and the other one was their brilliant and much loved concert in Somerville MA (my hands still hurt from clapping he he). What can I say, I love this album and I love this band. Some of my favorties are "While We'Re In Love", which has a nice hook, and is a song about a love relationship that is not meant to be, but of course it's sung so sweetly and melodically that you kinda forget it's a sad song, and you sing to the chorus. The next song I love from this album is "I Think Of You" that starts off with an electronic aetherial effect and of course the voice of Dominique Durand, singing "I think of you whenever I am alone whenever I get lonely, wherever you may go I know that you are only one dream away", what lovely lyrics, and of course the rest of the song is very nice, a bit upbeat in music, with visible drums and background vocals that are irresistible and make you want to sing along to the song. Next wonderful song iis "One More Last Kiss", a very mellow piece, with wonderful lyrics - "One more last kiss like two prisoners, one more last kiss to hold on to, one more last kiss just to remember you, before we fade away", very nice accoustic piece. Next dreamy piece that I like is "Edge Of The Ocean", which I think is one of the tracks that has the most potential for Ivy ever having a strong radio hit. It's a song that I think everyone loved at the concert tonight, and with an irresistible hook of "shala la la la" , and Dominique's beautiful accent is a sure hit. "Undertow" is moving in the same dreamy rhythmic territory with the guitars more apparent, the song points out how sometimes you can't fight destiny or the "undertow"... "Lucy Doesn't Love You" "Digging Your Scene" (a cover song)and "Blame It On Yourself" are three very upbeat, rock kinda songs, and finally "Lets Stay Inside" has a very bosa nova kind of feel to it, with nice accoustic guitars and a beautiful trumpet , with a carribean feel to it. Overall this album is mellower that their previous wonderful LP "Apartment Life" yet I think it seems stronger. The occasional electronic effects accentuate the album very nicely throughout, without taking away any of the pop or rock feel of the songs or any of the Summer feel or dreamyness they posess. I would definitely recommend this CD if you like bands such as Saint Etienne or The Cardigans. Lets hope they get the success they deserve SO much, from this release. Highly recommended on my list & of course all my friends know by now how much I love this band, and needless to say I have recomended them this CD already.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Pop, February 28, 2005
I first became acquainted with Ivy from the Farrelly Brothers, of all people. I was watching Shallow Hal, or rather, it was playing in the background as I was performing duties around the house and while the end credits rolled on, a syncopated synth wave started with a minor flourish, and then a wispy, thin voice sang the words, "I Think of You/whenever I'm alone/whenever I am weary". I thought this was a pleasant refreshing song and continued my activities; but halfway into the tune a bobbing retro 80's synthesizer punctuated the bridge. I stopped what I was doing and scanned the musical credits to find out who this was. I was hooked.
I very rarely buy CDs on one good song, but I took a chance and was not disappointed! Ivy is a three-member New York based band. Its lead singer, French-born Dominique Durand possesses a girlish, wispy voice, but it's no less seductive. Most of the great songs on "Long Distance" combine the fragile qualities of Durand's vocals with a ginsu sharp ear for great pop hooks. On "Blame it on Yourself" Durand chides herself for not taking a chance on love, but the great guitar work is so rich and addictive that it not only carries the song, but feels as if she had taken the chance and she's living the happy ending. "Worry About You" is a languid soundscape punctuated with Durand's melancholy beckon ("Bye Bye Baby don't be long/I worry about you when you're gone").
"Long Distance" is almost four years old and it's still refreshing, soulful and irrepressibly catchy. These are the kind of tunes that radio formats should be adopting today, but instead we're treated to treacly ballads riddled with so many cliches that they impart zero lyrical depth; or we get cold, hard club beats with singers more preoccupied with trying to impress us with their vocal acrobatics than expressing a scintilla of emotion. I'm writing this on the eve of their latest release "In the Clear", and while I have high expectations, I doubt Ivy will disappoint.
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