Gary
Glauber
Reviews:
March,
2005

Eric Matthews
Six Kinds of Passion Looking For An Exit

(Empyrean Records)
Release Date: March 8, 2005

www.ericmatthewsmusic.com

After a protracted absence of over seven years, American original Eric Matthews finally returns to the musical scene in 2005 with a new mini-album of quality, lush orchestral pop that continues his unique musical legacy. The time away hasn't translated into Matthews' prolificacy - what you get here is quality, not quantity -- Six Kinds of Passion Looking For An Exit is a seven song collection that runs a little over 33 minutes. Still, from the opening word, it's a treat to hear that hushed, breathy voice back again, and with new material.

For those unfamiliar with Matthews, he made his debut in 1994 as half of the band Cardinal (along with Australian Richard Davies). They released one extraordinary eponymous album before splitting off into solo careers. Matthews went on to release two well-received collections on Sub Pop Records, 1995's It's Heavy In Here and 1997's The Lateness of the Hour.

This Oregon native has always been in love with symphonic pop from the time he played trumpet in elementary school, adoring those from John Williams to Burt Bacharah to the Bee Gees and the Beach Boys. His music is the result of orchestral theory made real, taking his instrumental and compositional skills and creating ornate baroque compositions that are perfectly controlled, even as the soft vocals often sing lyrics of sensitive and moody reflections.

The current offering remains true to form. The new music is a little more guitar-based and mellow, with fewer horns perhaps than in past efforts, but the songs remain delicate portraits of inner musings, lush, carefully constructed soundscapes that might underwhelm at first listen, yet subtly mesmerize over time. Matthews is a master of romantic arrangement, and his spare placement of instruments allows ample space for the whispery double-tracked vocals to breathe. There's always a sense of intelligent craft to his music, a sense that everything is just so for a reason.

The CD opens with "Worthy," a gentle yet grand and poetic love song that heralds acceptance ("going blind to my scars, seeing burns like best stars") as well as distance ("walk away, you can see who you are"). While Matthews handles almost all the instruments throughout the album, Gregg Williams adds drums and Wes Matthews contributes a guitar solo to this track.

"So Overblown" is a six-minute soft pop epic featuring breathy lead vocals, sweet harmonies, piano, a haunting fuzzy lead guitar line (smooth as Larry Carlton) and more. I'm not quite sure what it's about (an elicit affair, perhaps?), but it suggests one left behind for another: "do you hear this cry through my tearless eyes / haven't seen many cast behind / if I were better designed and I could erase my mind / I might still be left behind." This is exactly the type of well-crafted piece that is vintage Eric Matthews.

The album veers into personal confession territory with "Cardinal Is More" - a song of reconciliation sent out to former bandmate Richard Davies: "Cardinal was more than just a new band / two men on an island / if memories run short, the legend grows silent." Matthews pays tribute to Davies and his talents, even name-checking the Bee Gees as ones who would understand.

And speaking of Cardinal -- thankfully, the rights to that earlier Cardinal music are now owned by Matthews and Davies again. As such, word is that the album has been remastered and soon will be re-released in the summer of 2005, featuring 11 previously unheard bonus tracks and additional liner notes better explaining what went into the creation of that record.

"Underground Song" is a somber slow-paced song that opens with a verse that ascends and descends melodically, then goes into another verse that is a direct melodic rip-off of The Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure." Yet, this is mesmerizing and affecting, a song about isolation ("I'm safe underground / relief in no sound") from "waters that hate me".

The one relatively upbeat song in this batch is "Do You Really Want It?" - a song that sports an almost disco-backbeat behind a celebration of small shared events, a dialogue in a loving relationship. It sticks out as less weighty than the other tracks - shorter and more energetic - notable in that it captures Matthews in a rare optimistic mood.

The third epic track (at about six minutes) is another somber tale told, ironically entitled "You Will Be Happy." Upon a friend's grandfather's death, Matthews is drawn to reflect on what comprised this man's life from the time of his boyhood until "age has crept in and done him in / living long was his only sin / it's all been done / he did it himself and won." Again, this is well-done, and gains an almost hypnotic aspect upon repeated listens.

This CD ends with a glorious musing that seems (relative to the others) only a fragment of a song, but the two-minutes of "Black To Light Brown" are a vibrant celebration, featuring Matthews' bright trumpet lead-in, prominent bass lines and Gregg Williams and Tony Lash on drums. It sort of fades and drifts off, leaving the listener still hungry.

While there aren't any songs here that approach the past glory of "Fanfare," it's still very good to have the talented Eric Matthews back on disk, crafting painstakingly beautiful sounds that only he can manage to do so well. Six Kinds of Passion Looking for An Exit should whet the appetites of those who've long been awaiting new music - yet it won't quite quell their desire for wanting more. This strong, brief collection of lush yet spare confessional musings is a fine addition to the Matthews canon - here's hoping we won't have to wait so long for the next installment.

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Brendan Benson
The Alternative To Love

(V2 Records)

U.K. Release Date: March 14, 2005
U.S. Release Date: March 22, 2005

www.brendanbenson.com

The third time's the charm, and for Detroit native Brendan Benson, that's certainly the case with his third studio release, the affable and winsome The Alternative To Love. Only three years after his Lapalco got rave reviews, Benson's back (it was six years between releases last time) with more songs that sound far cheerier than they really are - there's an undercurrent of failed relationship and love gone awry that inform most of these songs.

The new album does a great job of spotlighting Benson's talents in the studio - aside from some drum/percussion help from Matt Aljian along with several guest background vocal cameos from others, this is all Brendan and he's a one-man band. Further, these songs are all his (the last release sported several collaborations with Jason Falkner). The production (courtesy of the expert Tchad Blake, who also mixed the album) is crisp and clean, with instruments well-separated and easy to distinguish. Overall, it's more of the same - that type of friendly guitar-driven pop that has won Benson critical accolades and a devoted fan following. Benson's pleasant voice is the focal point throughout - it's not overpowering, but it's endearing all the same, and, like the music itself, a very fun listen.

There's an amiable simplicity to Benson's songs that translates to likeability. He still has a strong case of what I termed on the last CD as "rhyme-it is" - an affliction that forces lyrical rhyming, often beyond the dictates of good sense. However, I think most fans are willing to give Brendan the benefit of the lyrical doubt - perhaps because he comes across as so sincere and able to write songs that win your heart.

The new CD opens with the upbeat guitars of "Spit It Out," which features strong bass guitar lines and wonderful chorus harmonies amid semi-nonsensical lyrics that challenge one to say what's on his or her mind, while challenging the listener with rhymes like "stop it, pop it, drop it" etc.

"Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" is another warm, generous winner of a song, sporting a melody that seems familiar from the first listen. Here Benson is dictating the sad end of a relationship that tried and failed: "And it really shouldn't be this hard / You know it really shouldn't be / And if we can only take it this far / Then I hate to say it, but it's obvious / I'm telling you girl, there's no future for us."

Benson's guitar work is complemented by his fine talents on the synth keyboard. This aspect is on good display with another strong song, "Feel Like Myself," a musical berating of a fair-weather friend by a hard luck case who has emerged from bad times proud and ready to feel like himself again.

My favorite track here is the title song, which starts out as a simple acoustic ballad and then bursts with a harmonic shift into something far funkier and infectious as anything. It's another rhyming examination of a relationship, pondering possible options to come: "Maybe this time it's too late / We could make a move or we could wait / Maybe she will understand / And not expect too much from one man / Well maybe she can / or maybe she can't." The uber-catchy coda refrain declares that he goes on "forever in search of the alternative to love."

Benson switches gears with "The Pledge," a retro-styled song (heavy on the treble wall of sound) with an opening that sounds like a distant cousin to Billy Joel's "Say Goodbye To Hollywood." The vocals are a bit recessed, and the surrounding music has bits that date back in sound to the 1950s and 1960s, sweeter, simpler eras that reflect the promised love and dedication of the lyrics.

Several songs on Lapalco were a reflection of bittersweet thoughts. The same flavor can be found on "Them And Me," a balladic dissection of a complex friendship. Benson's folk-style delivery is accented by minor guitar and organ riffs, and there are nice background vocals from Tiffany and Faith Gazic, as well as a fine guest harmonica from Chris Plum.

"Biggest Fan" starts out promisingly with piano and vocals but soon digresses into a song that, while still has its moments, sounds vaguely derivative of some of the other stronger tunes here.

The sweet and catchy ballad that is "Flesh and Bone" (a musical hybrid of "Macarthur Park" crossed with the earlier track "The Alternative To Love") is partly undone by such lyrics as: "little lamb that you are / you've wandered too far / and you can't find your car." If you can ignore the oft insipid lyrics, this is another great song.

Writing catchy songs that never seem very traditional seems to come naturally to Mr. Benson. In the past, he rarely fashioned a repeating chorus (listen to the verse without chorus structure of "What I'm Looking For" and you'll hear what I mean). However, this time around, while still not quite as traditional as others, he occasionally manages a chorus here and there. One can be found in the upbeat "Get It Together" - about yet another relationship hanging in the balance under the musical microscope.

Benson definitely has his friendship/relationship issues. "Gold Into Straw" finds him plotting the death of a spurious friend who has double-crossed him. Yet this vitriol is disguised inside a tune with pleasant harmonies - as such, it far less acid than it is. "What I'm Looking For" is a bit of discontented self-examination in song, and the CD closes with "Between Us," a not-terribly cheery song about restlessness, depression and general malaise about relationships and life (that was inspired by a woman's post break-up answering machine message).

While Benson has achieved some notoriety and success lately (relative to what he's been through before), he still aches from things like being abandoned by his father, and the recent death of the grandfather that raised him. As such, there's not a lot of happiness in his current introspective crop of pop songs (even his publishing company is called "Glad Sad Music").

Still, his music is way endearing, reflecting a deceptive simplicity that wins you over in short time. He's talented and without airs, and that genuine down-to-earth feel comes across in his music. And music is his life.

Benson is keeping busy these days. In addition to writing and recording his own songs, he's producing other bands (notably Blanche and The Greenhorns), and has completed another album's worth of songs in collaboration with fellow Motown homeboy Jack White (for possible release later this year). He also intends to play guitar backing up The Waxwings on their upcoming summer tour, and has another side band project (this one with Dean from the Waxwings) entitled "The Stiff Tissues."

Fans will be pleased with The Alternative To Love, and Benson's easy way with melody might deliver some of these new songs to greater exposure through commercial or soundtrack use. The third release continues along the musical road paved by One Mississippi and Lapalco, and the charms of the talented Brendan Benson make that ride a pleasant journey.

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Jeff Finlin
Epinonymous

(Bent Wheel Records)

U.K. Release Date: October 19, 2004
U.S. Release Date: February 3, 2005

www.jefffinlin.com

By Gary Glauber

When I spoke the praises of Jeff Finlin's Somewhere South of Wonder early last year, it had already been out for more than a year overseas. What that meant was Finlin already was at work on his fourth studio release - the incredible and idiosyncratic Epinonymous. The good news? -- this time around, those of us stateside don't have to wait as long to get what our friends across the pond already are enjoying.

Epinonymous is Finlin's finest effort to date - and while his music may remain something of an acquired taste, it's also perhaps his most accessible release as well. Finlin combines a distinctively gruff troubadour's voice, a well-read poet's sensitivity and emotional honesty into music that chronicles the lives and moods of America.

On this new collection, he covers a lot of ground and moods - from urban to rural settings, capturing poignant aural postcards that give a glimpse into the anonymous lives that inhabit a nation.

Produced by Lij and Jeff Finlin, the new CD has an engaging intimacy to it - these 11 melodic songs should appeal to a wide spectrum of unlikely fans: those of Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Tom Petty, Tom Waits, Gary Myrick, Dr. John, T-Bone Burnett, Greg Brown and Steve Earle, just to name a few.

As always, Finlin's emotive voice is the compelling focal point to each of these tracks - along with his poetic lyrical sense and ability to capture the magic of small moments from real life. Once again, he is joined by an impressive cadre of musical friends, including Pat Buchanan, Will Kimbrough, Kevin Hornback, Richard McLaurin and Dave Jacques.

A grizzled veteran of the music business, Finlin inexplicably still remains something of a hidden gem in America (his largest following currently is in the U.K). Yet his new CD serves up a healthy portion of solid Americana, a collection of astute observations in song that come from a place of alternating love and disgust at the current state of things.

The CD leads off with "Better Than This," a tuneful and musical bemoaning of a life so far gone and yet stuck in an eternal limbo: "broken wheels and roadhouse prayers / it's all or nothing and the cupboard's bare / oh, somewhere got to be better than this." This sounds like prime John Hiatt, frankly - and it works well.

McLaurin's clarinet adds a pleasant folksy element to "Nothing's Enough," wherein Finlin plays piano (among a host of instruments). This confession of memories of perfect love from one who is "too old to try, too tired to care" is a sweet, beautiful lament. With lyrics like this, it's a shame Finlin hasn't included them in the CD booklet: "dance with me across the empty air / my heart's as big as the moon / come with me where there's not a care / and it won't take long / before we sing our songs and there's nothing there."

"Postcard From Topeka" is another study in small-town lore, absolving one of fault and consequence, reducing things to the simplicity of a mere postcard. Finlin wraps catchy synthesizer lines around concise lyrics that reveal a world of personal history: "You ain't your money / it ain't my truth / or your southern auntie / making love to fruit / She ain't your savior or my funny valentine / hanging on the wall in the double wide / it's just a picture under skies so blue / a postcard from Topeka while we was passing through."

In "The Long Lonesome Death of the Traveling Man" we get another touching ballad of sweet memories from a man at the end of his line: "here I am standing right in the middle / with my head in the west and my mind somewhere east of belief / here I ride at the speed of the sound of the lonely / holding you / looking back holding me." Finlin's ability to capture the true essence of things in such ways elevates these songs to a level of intensity and emotion not easily found elsewhere.

"Bringin' My Love" has a wistful western feel, and Will Kimbrough's guitar wails nuanced accents throughout. This is a guilty man's confession and hope for love as he returns home, another marvelous moment adeptly captured Finlin's magic.

One of my favorites here is the infectiously upbeat "American Dream #109." In the space of a few perfect verses, Finlin manages so many keen observations with tongue firmly planted in cheek: "we live our lives for the future / fill our plates up to "biggie size" / we ain't leaving 'til we're heaving / drinking and dancing in our compromise / can't get it up when you're sixty / pop a pill and now you're twenty-three / in little houses by the freeway / we're living large in our American dream."

Another favorite is the wonderful "Forever Evergreen." This is Finlin at his storytelling best, capturing the Native American struggle to maintain a once proud heritage against enormous disadvantage. Geronimo is tired of living on the run - so he builds a great casino, but ultimately hears "surrender's songs whistling in the air." It's poignant and resplendent, full of grace and charm even as it gets across a sad and important message.

"Holes In My Hands" is another gem, a short précis of one's dreams of what could have been against a screaming neon background. Finlin moves the setting to New York with "Soho Rain," an achingly poetic love song: "diamonds in her eyes, her future my fate / I long for her tonight - the strength of change / tears she shed for me they puddle in my veins / leave me all alone in her Soho rain."

Woeful, contemplative reminisces about life and love seems Finlin's stock-in-trade. Yet each one seems genuine and distinctive - witness the tale sung in the haunting "Just Like Everyman."

The CD ends with "Hallelu," a voice of aged wisdom in a Chicago setting looking back upon the goings-on in our world and wondering "what's it all coming to." Related in a piano and voice style reminiscent of Tom Waits, Finlin's lyrical mastery is as good as it gets: "saw my witness in a misfit angel / found my place in an ache for more / made all my time down at the lazy river / with a church choir singing to a sawdust floor / found my freedom in a cross that lay burning / found my home in a homeless man / found my voice in a bell I heard a-ringing / ringing in waves out across this land."

This is the everyday writ large in deep emotions, sung in a style that conveys the world-weariness of time and age. Finlin's a master of the story in song - and his rough and tumble voice intensifies the poignancy of his terse lyrics. With repeated listens, these songs grow in stature - their bittersweet messages stay with you for a while. Epinonymous is Finlin's musical piece de resistance thus far - I urge you to discover for yourself the power of his songs.

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Jeffrey Foskett
Stars In The Sand

(The Pop Collective)

Release Date: November 16, 2004

www.popcollective.com

I'm always amazed at the seeming injustice when certain artists are virtually ignored in their home country, yet have a successful career overseas. Jeffrey Foskett is a perfect example of such a case. Since the start of a solo career in 1990, Foskett has released nine albums in Japan - yet Stars In The Sand is his first North American release on a distributed label (actually culling the best songs from his previously-released import recordings). Go figure.

In all likelihood, this is a marketing ploy to try and capitalize upon Foskett's recent high profile success as musical director and contributor to studio and live performances of Brian Wilson Presents Smile. But ultimately, the motivation doesn't matter - only the end result does - and thankfully, the spoils go to the North American listening audience. Finally, we hometown guys and gals get to hear a smattering of what we've been missing this past decade and a half from the multi-talented Foskett.

Jeffrey Foskett started out as a member of the power pop band The Pranks in the late 1970s (with Randell Kirsch and Bo Fox). They enjoyed a large following in California, but when Foskett left the band for an opportunity to tour with The Beach Boys. After many years performing with The Beach Boys, he began a solo career.

Most of the 14 tracks on this collection were produced with great polish by Gary Griffin along with Foskett - many of them featuring Foskett on all instruments and voices. There's no denying he's a talented musician - but his greatest instrument undeniably is his voice. Foskett is something of a vocal chameleon and he has great range (he's often introduced on tour as the "CEO of falsetto"). Rumor has it that he sometimes doubled vocals along with Brian Wilson on Smile, and that would make sense (after all, one's voice at 62 doesn't necessarily hit all the high notes one could manage thirty years earlier). In truth, Foskett has made a career out of sounding very Beach Boys-like - his biggest hits in Japan emulate that sound. But let's talk about this collection.

A songwriting collaboration with Chicago guitarist Robert Lamm opens Stars In The Sand. This all-Foskett rendition of "Living Alone"is actually a very finished demo that Foskett sent to Lamm, shiny mid-tempo pop that's easy on the ears.

While that opening track is good, it doesn't quite prepare you for the quantum leap awaiting you next. Close your eyes and let the strains of "Thru My Window" (co-written with Michael O'Rourke) wash over you. It's in the style of Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, an eerie similitude that will have you convinced you've discovered a lost song from decades ago. This was the song that started his solo career - and what a start that must have been.

Being a real sucker for infectious tunes, I'd have to say my favorite track here is "It's My Fault," a Foskett composition that dates back to his days with The Pranks. This is a great melodic three-minute pop gem, complete with harmonies and lead vocals smooth as butter, the kind that stays in your head long after you've stopped listening.

"Baby It's You" is another infectious winner, a collaboration with Doug Fieger of The Knack (who plays rhythm guitar and splits vocals with Foskett here). Foskett next does a great cover of the Bill Lloyd/David Surface song "Cool And Gone." This smooth, lush production features all vocals by Foskett.

When Foskett covers The Carpenters' hit song "Hurting Each Other" (actually first recorded by The Guess Who, and then by Ruby and the Romantics), he makes it his own by making it someone else's. What Foskett does is translate the song in the style of The Righteous Brothers (he actually approach Bill Medley to sing on it - but it never came to be). Foskett becomes both Bill and Bobby - and it's a most impressive result.

"Fish!" was Foskett's first top 10 hit in Japan (it shot up to #3) and was used in several commercials throughout the Pacific Rim. This cute song trades on Foskett's Beach-Boys type vocal abilities (along with some nice saxophone leads) - and obviously, the surf was up on the Asian charts.

Another song that will have you running to wax your board is "I Live For The Sun," a cover of the Richard Henn hit song from The Sunrays. Foskett's vocal harmonies are exquisitely done.

To best complete the trilogy of Beach Boys'-style, Foskett gets help from the genuine article. Covering a Brian Wilson/Tony Asher song called "Everything I Need," Foskett enlists the help of fellow Wilson band member and Wondermint Darian Sahanaja on keys, as well as Brian himself sharing vocals.

Another favorite of mine here is "The Word Go." This collaboration with Foskett's real life partner and talented musician Jeff Larson is one of his personal favorites as well. It's aural ear candy - the sweet, dulcet sounds of clean, catchy radio-ready pop - and it gets me every time.

Those still unconvinced of Foskett's vocal morphing powers should give a good listen to "The Mystery of Moonlight." This song, another fine collaboration with Robert Lamm, could easily be a Chicago song from long ago, featuring Foskett as Peter Cetera. This is mellow soft pop at its best, Chicago-style.

The next two songs take a welcome turn in the direction of Marshall Crenshaw. First, Foskett gives us a beautiful harmony-drenched version of Crenshaw's "You're My Favorite Waste of Time." It's a great cover of a phenomenal tune. He follows this up with a superb unreleased song by Crenshaw and Bill Lloyd, and actually gets both Crenshaw and Lloyd in on the action.

Once again, Foskett is the vocal chameleon as he shares the mic with Crenshaw, incredibly transforming himself into a second Marshall Crenshaw. Meanwhile, Crenshaw plays his 1965 Stratocaster to great effect in accompaniment.

The CD closes with an intriguing a capella/Beach Boy multiple harmony approach to the Neil Sedaka classic "Laughter In The Rain." While this isn't really the full song as such, it's a fun vocal exercise (and features some help from Valerie Carter).

Stars In The Sand is a marvelous collection of sweet music that really shows Foskett's fine vocal abilities to great advantage. Aditionally, Foskett provides informative liner notes about each track included here. Why Foskett isn't better known locally is one of those inscrutable mysteries. His talents are enormous - he possesses a great sense of melody and song arrangement - and a voice that's pure pop heaven. If you like The Beach Boys, you need to discover Jeffrey Foskett (as Brian Wilson already has). The great thing is this - at age 48, Foskett's finally got a "greatest hits" CD released on his side of the Pacific.

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Ivy
In The Clear

(Nettwerk America)

Release Date: March 1, 2005

www.thebandivy.com

The charms of the trio Ivy have always been manifold - from the perfect dreamy whisper pop voice of Parisian-born chanteuse Dominique Durand to the moody sophistication of the band's sonically brooding retro-pop reflections. There's an abundance of talent among its members - and there's always been a sense of refuge taken in this music for the three of them - that this is their safe haven removed from the real world.

It's been three years since Ivy's release of eclectic covers (Guestroom) and four years since Long Distance. Since then, the band members have been busy. Adam Schlessinger had a little release entitled Welcome Interstate Managers and has been touring with that other band of his (Fountains of Wayne). Andy Chase released a solo CD (as Brookville), and also has been involved in other bands' projects (most notably Trashcan Sinatra's great CD Weightlifting). Durand and Chase had a second child - and more recently took part in a trip-hop band project called Paco with Gary Maurer and Michael Hampton.

All this activity apparently hasn't affected their work as Ivy. In The Clear is the band's best release to date, continuing with their smooth sonic studio wizardry, creating what sounds like effortless atmospheric pop enhanced with perfectly placed ambient aspects. The band sought more of a live feel with this album, and while there is obvious energy, there's still studio polish galore. Plenty of ethereal synth, guitar, bass, and drums fuel this new collection, with multiple layers of subtle hooks and nuances that elevate these songs above similar sounds from other bands.

The CD leads off with "Nothing But The Sky," an alluring invitation in song, mesmerizing in its simplicity. Durand's voice blends into the surrounding wash of instruments - the overall effect is icy and engaging.

Perhaps the best song here (and certainly the catchiest) is "Thinking About You." Durand's accent seems less pronounced these days, yet her breathy voice retains a European-style distance. The song is about the conflict between never looking back in life and still thinking back in dreams. It features strings from noted Brazilian arranger Ze Luis (Bebel Gilberto, Caetano Veloso).

There's a distinctive dance beat that powers "Keep Moving" (along with great bass work from Schlessinger and a nifty trumpet solo mid-song). Lyrically, it's a song of some regrets, reflecting on the past beyond a relationship's end: "I'm living but I'm nowhere / wondering what to do / I know that I am someone / But I can't remember who / Words are never simple / And looking back in time / Has only shown me what I know / There's nothing left that's mine." She resolves to keep moving (which is all she can do).

Another impressive song is the infectiously rhythmic "Tess Don't Tell," which features a guitar cameo from former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha. This is the story of Tess, who is starting to doubt her decision to leave her man - the song urges her to keep her secret safe inside.

"Four In The Morning" is another hypnotically slow song - the kind that can put you into a reverie as you listen. Here Durand sings of an early hour realization in the middle of an unhappy relationship. The song perfectly captures that feeling of restless night.

Upbeat soft pop is the realm for "Corners Of Your Mind," an affable tune in the service of exploring a developing relationship: "and it only goes to show / There are worlds I'll never know / There are rooms I'll never find / in the corners of your mind."

Iha contributes to "Clear My Head," a sort of level musical denial against thinking and trusting (e.g., "I've got to clear my head of everything you ever did, of everything you ever said," and "I don't want to put my trust in anyone."). Like any Ivy song, the lyrics remain pleasantly couched within a certain sonic atmospheric wash.

"I've Got You Memorized" is the very definition of amiable synthesized European whisper-pop. This is yet another infectious track, containing subtle hooks and vocal nuances that transport you to some club overseas when you listen.

Durand's voice is recessed a bit in "Ocean City Girl," as she relates the tale of a proud woman saying goodbye to her rocky past. Her voice is a soft instrument that blends expertly into the mix, again lulling you into a most receptive state.

The CD closes with "Feel So Free," where former Girls Against Boys frontman Scott McLoud duets with Durand. This delicious ballad is another trip into self-exploration: "Ask me again, I'll take my chances / I don't know how to begin / You can't understand, I've got no answers / I can't explain where I've been." Like all of these songs, it's remarkably easy to listen to - soothing and yet distant - which is what Ivy manages to do so very well.

The sense of spaciousness in the majority of the songs here can be attributed to the mixing expertise of Steve Osborne (New Order, Starsailor, Elbow), though studio wizards Chase and Schlessinger did oversee the production (and mixed a few tracks as well).

These ten songs all seem connected, in spite of varied tempos and moods. Lyrically, there's a lot of self-exploration regarding the past and unhappy relationships (nothing profound or overly poetic, but adequate to its purpose nonetheless). Still, it's the kind of music that lulls you into a serene state - and the more you listen, the more you hear subtle nuances that become apparent.

In the past few years, Ivy's music has been placed in many films, television shows and TV commercials, giving them a far wider audience than otherwise. There's something very appealing about their sound - and with In The Clear, that trend should only continue - these are songs ripe for the picking.

If you're a fan of Dominique Durand's sweet yet detached voice, or just love the kind of soothing ambient pop that gently transports you to another mental space, then you'll love Ivy's *In The Clear.*

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