This Is Ivy League

I sure do love me a sugary delicate pop song and the self titled debut by Brooklyn's This Is Ivy League contains 11 tracks worth of such. Alex Suarez and Ryland Blackinton were high school pals who went off and did their own thing before bumping into each other again 7 years later. At that time, not only did they realize that they're both still playing music, but they now lived literally 10 minutes away from each other. Thus, in 2005, Ivy League was formed. At that time they released the very well received London Bridges EP, that for whatever reason completely eluded me. Thankfully, I get a second chance, as the slightly name tweaked band has just released this stunning collection of songs on Twenty Seven Records. For fans of Belle and Sebastian and Kings of Convenience, this CD is a more than a soothing complement. A truly remarkable slice of acoustic innocence, it borrows quite heavily from some of the saccharine stylings of the sixties, but presents it in more of an Eddie Haskell type of way, where you know that there is still something mischievous beneath the surface. If marketed right, songs like The Richest Kids, Love Is Impossible and Don't Waste Your Love On Me have the potential to be this year's Young Folks, and This Is Ivy League could be this year's Peter Bjorn and John. I cannot recommend this debut enough.


Download: London Bridges (EP Version) mp3

Myspace: This Is Ivy League
Video: London Bridges on youtube