|
This is a Sony re-release of "Apartment
Life," with new artwork and four songs re-mixed/retooled
by Daniel Abraham (Amy Grant, Seal, Madonna) and John Holbrook
(Natalie Merchant) - which may be an explanation why I have such
a hard time trying to place lead singer Dominique Durand's voice
in perspective, since in some of the songs it is easy to mistake
her for Natalie Merchant.
"Apartment Life" is a refreshing
mix of mild pop, with some surprise instrumental arrangements
that place "Ivy" apart from the usual commercial pop
band. My first reaction to Durand's vocals was of a generic college
band, with absolutely no musical influences beyond what she picked
up from Top-40 radio and MTV. Five minutes later she proved me
wrong.
The combination of Dominique's sweet, and
sometimes bitter, voice, with Andy Chase's sharp guitar and keyboards,
plus bassist Adam Schlesinger (from "Fountains of Wayne")
lead to twelve songs with very distinctive flavors. Each track
helps to define a more concrete image of their musical identity.
This is not what a good friend of mine describes as the "touch
me, feel me, hate me" kind of music that is drowning the
music scene lately.
The first single, "This Is The Day,"
was featured in the motion picture "There's Something About
Mary." "The Best Thing" is by far the best track
on this CD, and it provides a nice taste of things to come later.
"I Get The Message" shows that "10,000 maniacs"
and "Natalie Merchant" are some of their strongest
influences. My other favorite of the bunch is "You Don't
Know Anything," where the music picks up a faster pace,
and Andy Chase's guitar work turns a bit more aggressive, which
makes this song another good candidate for some heavy airplay.
This album is an interesting piece of work,
and just might be worth checking it out!
|
