Ivy

Ivy are a trio out of New York City fronted by Parisian expatriate Dominique Durand. Specializing in deceivingly sunny jangling pop, they've managed to eke out a niche for themselves that combines Durand's chanteuse-styled vocals (recalling Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier, without the Marxist patter) and guitar work and intelligently sculpted pop that recalls Johnny Marr (without the multi-tracking). The band released an early 7" and EP (which featured a fine cover of Orange Juice's "I Guess I'm Just A Little Too Sensitive") before releasing their debut Realistic in 1995. Former Ultra Vivid Scene-ster Kurt Ralske was recruited to produce, and the record managed to balance ultralight vocals with crisp, clear guitar work underneath the sort of doe-eyed melancholy that comes from reading old love letters. Apartment Life (1997) managed to further this formula, this time with help from people like Lloyd Cole, James Iha, and Dean Wareham.