This is Ivy League are Ryland Blackinton and Alex Suarez. You may know of them from the ridiculously popular pop-punk-dance fusion Cobra Starship (and you may know them from the ridiculously ridiculous Snakes on a Plane). However, you may not know that prior to joining Starship, Blackinton and Suarez played together as Ivy League, a folky duo not unlike softies Belle and Sebastian (with a vintage jazz edge). Ivy League released their first EP single, “London Bridges,” in 2006 to positive reviews (they later changed their name to This is Ivy League, after the 1960s English pop group The Ivy League decided to reunite). Interestingly, Blackinton and Suarez initially met while in high school in southern Florida, but fell out of touch for nearly a decade before reconnecting in New York City (BFFs!) and forming Ivy League.
This is Ivy League’s first full-length album is filled with deliciously crisp folk-pop sure to please fans of Simon and Garfunkel, Acid House Kings, The Field Mice and the aforementioned Belle and Sebastian. Tracks like “Love is Impossible” and “London Bridges” have an aged quality that recalls the sweet East Village folk scene by way of 1965 (“London Bridges” could be a lost That Girl musical montage: “Ann Marie in Europe!”). The album works best as a whole—a soundtrack for long-haired girls and their mawkish boyfriends, for sentimental hipsters and nostalgic Boomers; it’s music that befits quiet strolls at dusk and bicycle rides through the city (see video). Basically, This is Ivy League has crafted a solid pop album that manages to be carefree without sounding vacuous, a pleasant balance that more indie bands should take note of.
This is Ivy League is available now. You can purchase the CD by visiting www.twentysevenrecords.com. If you’re in the New York City area, the band will be performing at the Knitting Factory on April 14 (CD release). Nothing’s for free in NYC, so take advantage of this show. For more information: www.myspace.com/ivyleagueonline.
-Lara
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