[.ca] Apartment Life

So pop music can be mature, realistic, and complex?!:
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.

I live in an apartment too.:
My name is Jayson and I am 13. I like to hang out at my friend Brian's house and his sister is always listening to music. She was playing this CD and I liked it. The only thing I didn't like was that she was playing it too loud. We were trying to watch the movie "The Rock" with Nicolas Cage, but she didn't care! I mean, WHAT A CROCK! Anyway, I think Ivy is hot and I like reviewing albums, so I give it 5 stars.

Ivy are excellent:
This is the CD that brought Jayson B. and Michelle Allen together, so you know it is good. Long Distance was great too, but that didn't bring Jayson and Michelle together, so it's not as remarkable.

Hi Jayson B.:
Hey, this isn't really a review, it is a hello to Jayson Bedford. I think your reviews are hilarious and you are awesome. I rented THE ROCK with my friend Kyle and played IVY to it, just to see what you were talking about. Maybe it could be performance art? Anyway, I wanted to email you but I didn't know how to get your address. I don't know why I just think your reviews are cool and I like your sense of humor. Rock on.

Classic pop gem:
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!

• The Best Thing
• I've Got A Feeling
• This Is The Day
• Never Do That Again
• I Get The Message
• Baker
• You Don't Know Anything
• Ba Ba Ba
• Get Out Of The City
• These Are The Things About You
• Quick, Painless and Easy
• Back In Our Town