London Bridges from This Is Ivy League (playing now). Hit the  button
to hear Love Is Impossible. |
For today’s column, 'ette recommends indie pop duo This Is Ivy League.
I'm not sure how 'ette finds her music because, quite frankly, This Is Ivy League is not exactly a household name. If you read the totality written about them on iTunes, Wikipedia and their MySpace page, about the most you can learn is that they are two childhood friends, Alex Suarez and Ryland Blackinton, who play guitar.
I can name numerous iList Paducah devotees who are more aggressive self-promoters than these low-key Brooklynites.Sometimes the "indie" label is applied a bit liberally. If a record company has a quirky name and unique music, it might be called indie, even though it is part of a major record label.
Not so with This Is Ivy League. Their 2008 self-titled album was recorded entirely in their Brooklyn apartments for true indie label, Twentyseven Records.
The easiest way to describe a new band is by way of comparison. Let’s give it a try.
What other New York pop duo harmonizes together beautifully with a light, acoustic sound and writes brilliant music? At the risk of writing the most hyperbolic review in the history of music, these guys really remind me of Simon & Garfunkel.
Have I lost all credibility with you? I wouldn't argue if I had. But consider that at the same point in their career, Simon and Garfunkel were a pop duo named Tom and Jerry.Of course, Simon and Garfunkel's debut album, Sounds of Silence, went No. 1. Should This Is Ivy League approach that level of success, it would be one of the most unlikely stories in the history of music.
I love the album, but nothing on it has the weight of I Am a Rock or The Sound of Silence. Instead, This Is Ivy League has clean, clever, straightforward pop, which is best exemplified on tracks London Bridges and Love Is Impossible.
My little 'ette, proving that generations do appreciate music a bit differently, prefers Visions of Tokyo and Modern World. However, she happily adds, "I love all the songs."So, maybe DJ Urbanette has turned me on to the next pop superstars. Probably not — but that’s not really the point, is it? This Is Ivy League is a little quirky and a lot of fun.
Nice job, 'ette.
