As I sit here, writing this post, I’m trapped indoors. Outside it’s cold and snowy, the murk of winter looms large. And yet, I’m in a sunny mood thanks to Ivy. Over the weekend I was out grocery shopping when I heard a familiar melody cascading from the store’s P.A. system. I removed my hat (it was covering my ears) and stood still for a moment so I could better hear the faint music. The lyrics were familiar, but the voice was unknown to me. Steely Dan’s “Only A Fool Would Say That” was being sung by a French woman with a beautifully delicate voice.
Regular readers of Defending Axl Rose know that I’m something of a Steely Dan nut, so I went home and did a quick search to see who did this ethereal cover. And that’s how I discovered Ivy. A trio consisting of Dominique Durand, Andy Chase, and Andy Schlesinger, the band’s been around since 1997. Schlesinger is best known as the pop-mastermind behind the That Thing You Do! soundtrack and the singer-songwriter of Fountains of Wayne. Ivy’s impressive pedigree doesn’t stop there, however, it turns out Smashing Pumpkins bassist James Iha has a habit of appearing on at least one track per Ivy album.
Ivy’s music is gentle, heartfelt, and shimmers with a breezy summer quality that has warmed this cold boy’s heart. I highly, highly recommend their album APARTMENT LIFE and their impressive, very eclectic covers album GUESTROOM (which contains the Steely Dan track).
See? I’m not all doom and gloom.
Defending Axl Rose 