Ivy - Realistic [1994] [FLAC] [7L]

Produced by '90s orchestral-pop mainstay Kurt Ralske, formerly of Ultra Vivid Scene, the debut album from New York pop sophisticates Ivy combines the Gallic cool of French-born chanteuse Dominique Durand with the varied melodic smarts of Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger (the latter split his time between this trio and his own band, Fountains of Wayne). Mixing echoes of '60s French pop singers like Francoise Hardy with a light bossa nova influence and strong influences from mid-'80s U.K. guitar pop bands of the Prefab Sprout/Lloyd Cole/Smiths variety, REALISTIC is far more than the sum of its influences. Though Ivy's commercial profile was only raised by the group's 1998 soundtrack hit "This is the Day," REALISTIC is a varied and impressive soft pop debut.

01. Get Enough
02. No Guarantee
03. Decay
04. 15 Seconds
05. Everyday
06. Point of View
07. Don't Believe a Word
08. Beautiful
09. Shallow
10. In the Shadows
11. Dying Star
12. Over