Customer Reviews

Wonderfully Nothing

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This hour-long collection of dreamy, moody, pop music continues in the vein of the second half of Ivy's classic Long Distance CD: sweet, melodic, airy. (Multi-instrumentalist and singer Andy Chase, composer or co-composer of all the songs here, is one of the three minds behind Ivy.) Brookville is pleasant and relaxing, the antidote to a hectic day. Of the thirteen tracks, eight are vocals and five instrumentals. I think the instrumentals are more suited to film soundtracks, but perhaps others will appreciate these loop-based constructions more than I did. The instrumentals stimulate daydreamy pictures in the cortex -- with the sense that there ought to be a movie to go with them.

I found myself thinking of odd associations, listening to this music. Andy Chase's voice -- Art Garfunkel without the breathiness. The beat and synthesizers of Beatiful View evoke Everything But the Girl, and the instrumental Home, with its horn ensemble and sweet trumpet lines somehow brings to mind the melancholy ending of a Charlie Brown TV special.

For the overall rating, if all-time classic records like Sgt. Pepper or The Wall or even Ivy's Long Distance rate five stars, then a fair rating here would be 3½ or 4 stars. (I upgraded this rating by a half-star after several more listens to this album.) The production is a bit less meticulous and the work a bit more experimental than a full band release from Ivy or Fountains of Wayne. But it is all listenable. Some songs are more likeable than others, I didn't think any one of the thirteen tracks was added just to fill up the space. This is a very classy album.

Tracks like Summer Parade, This is How It Ends (the final track, wink wink), and Shine are some of the most mature and well-crafted pop tunes released just lately. I didn't dig into the lyrics that much, but whatever Andy is singing about seems to sink down into your soul, imparting a sense of peaceful sadness that goes beyond any lyrical analysis.

If only every solo experiment of artists who normally work in a group context were this good, the music world would be a happier place.

As a huge fan of Ivy I bought this album without hesitation and was pleasantly surprised to find a mature musical style with quietly beautiful pop songs. At first I listened mainly to "Summer Parade" because I found it to have the most instantly appealing melody, but after more time with the album I began to appreciate the ambient sounds and the well crafted lyrics. Check out "Fleet", my favorite song on the album and one of the most sublime instrumental tracks I've ever heard. The instruments serve as different layers that constantly enhance each other or push the melody into different directions.

My favorite tracks on the album are "Summer Parade", "Sweet Sensation", "This Is How It Ends", and "Fleet".

Andy Chase proves beyond a doubt with this release that he is more than just one part of Ivy. "Wonderfully Nothing" is a bold, experimental album featuring a multitude of styles. The album's instrumental songs are all standouts and certainly don't need vocals to carry them, while the more straightforward pop songs such as "Summer Parade" and "This is How It Ends" showcase Chase's vocal talents. The album includes touches of pop, electronica and jazz, yet it all feels very cohesive, with these genres blending together nicely.

I am a diehard Ivy fan. My favorite band. And so I purchased Brookville and Paco as soon as I understood their origins. Neither disappointed. If Ivy, Brookville & Paco continue releasing cds I will be one happy pup.

In the age of formulaic pop-rock, it's great to hear albums where the artist can do his own thing without sounding pretentious or 'emo'. Brookville, a solo offspring of Ivy, finds himself in this very position; composing pieces with organs, acoustic chords, synth pads, saxophones, bleepy electronic beats and whathaveyou without drifting too off course. The biggest plus to this record is the warmth of most of the tunes, its very comforting in composure. The inevitable downside to projects like this though, is the barrage of similar tunes that seem to drag on for longer than they could. The highlights of the album are "Fleet", "Walking on Moonlight" (Brookville's hit, and probably the most solid piece found here), and "Beautiful View".

This record reminds me of the early to mid 90s, when you could still hear good pop music on the radio. I don't mean that in a nostalgic way, because Brookville's sound is very current, it just holds up to the standards of songwriting and pop sensibility that seem to have disappeared in recent years. Brookville combines infectious pop songs with smooth and intricate production and electronic elements. There are even touches of jazz here and there, but even with all its diversity it's still a really cohesive album. If you liked Ivy or Fountains of Wayne, you will like this. It also manages to keep it interesting through a few electronic instrumentals, although I prefer the tracks that feature Andy Chase's voice, because that's really a selling point. This album also has a range of awesome guests ranging from James Iha to folks from They Might Be Giants. This is just a great, great album, perfect for night driving. I don't think this is going to leave my stereo for a long, long time.

This album is musical valium; instant relaxation upon ingestion. Think soft beats, bossa jazz, etc--your typical downbeat effort, maybe with a bit of a leaning towards pop music, but really quite tightly put together. For an artist that doesn't get the recongition of some of it's stablemates (Zero 7, Thievery Corp, Air, etc), Brookville has crafted an album every bit as enjoyable to unwind to.

As a fan of Ivy, I had to try Andy Chase's break off CD. I listened to the 30 second clips from Amzaon and though it might be worth it. I was more than right. Three Tracks stand out, Home- a great Sunday morning piece, Summer Parade- a bit like John Mayer's sound and Justine- a clasic deep sound that is great just about any mood I'm in.
I recommend it for anyone who likes Ivy's smoother trcks like Baker and Edge of the Ocean.

I bought this album largely on the basis of my admiration for anything by Ivy and Fountains of Wayne. I wasn't disappointed.

Andy Chase has put together a great collection of songs with a wide range of influences. My favorite this week is "Beautiful View" (it was last week's favorite too), although there are plenty more to choose from. Andy's got a talent for crafting good music.

Anyway, it's all great listening an fans of Ivy will surely love it.

I'm sure a lot of you know Andy Chase from Ivy. Could there be a more stellar band? Well, I guess there is now because I really feel like Andy topped himself with this release. I haven't heard much from Ivy lately (even though they're reissuing their back catalog!) so I was wondering what Andy Chase was up to. This album is such a romantic sounding record, that I can't help but put it on over and over in the nighttime hours. It's sonically richer than most of the stuff Ivy ever did but when you're chief songwriter as distanct as Andy is then you'll tend to sometimes tread the same ground in certain ways. There are occasional tracks such as "Justine" and "Beautiful View" that really, really remind me of Ivy. When all is said and done, what you have hear is a near-perfect nugget of pop greatness. RECOMMENDED FOR ALL IVY AND FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE FANS!