Apartment Life | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 6, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1997 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:30 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer |
| |||
Ivy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Apartment Life | ||||
|
Apartment Life is the second studio album by American band Ivy, released by Atlantic Records on October 6, 1997. After being dropped from Seed Records following the release of Realistic in 1995, the group signed to Atlantic due to connections that Adam Schlesinger had with the record label. In addition to band members Andy Chase and Schlesinger, the album was produced by Lloyd Cole and Peter Nashel. In contrast to their previous releases, such as Lately (1994) and Realistic, Apartment Life is a pop album with varying forms of production consisting of keyboards, brass, and string instruments. Some of the compositions featured on the record were compared to the works of My Bloody Valentine, Pixies, and the Smiths. To promote the album, Ivy embarked on a series of promotional tours across the United States.
Considered an improvement over 1995's Realistic, the album received praise from music critics. A columnist from Billboard would go on to rank Apartment Life as the seventh best album released in 1997. Commercially, its frequent playback from college radio programmers allowed it to enter the airplay charts compiled by CMJ New Music Monthly . "The Best Thing", "I've Got a Feeling", "This Is the Day", and "You Don't Know Anything" were released as the album's four singles. "This Is the Day" drew attention to the group after being featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 film There's Something About Mary . It would later be included on various compilation albums. Following their drop from Atlantic Records and transfer to 550 Music, a reissued version of the album was released in 1999. A special release in Japan headed by Epic Records also took place in the same year and features two previously unreleased bonus tracks.
In 1994, Andy Chase and Dominique Durand met through an advertisement to record music together. Following the completion of several songs, the pair invited Adam Schlesinger to join them and form Ivy. Together they wrote and produced "Get Enough" (1994), which was well received by the public, [2] [3] [4] and released their debut extended play in the same year, titled Lately . [5] [6] While signed to Seed Records, they recorded Realistic , which was distributed in the United States in 1995. [7] Shortly after its release, the label dropped Ivy, prompting Schlesinger to claim that "Seed was kind of the worst of both worlds because it didn't really have any credibility and it didn't really have any money". [8] Because of Schlesinger's involvement as a member of Fountains of Wayne, he had established a strong business relationship with Atlantic Records and would eventually sign with them, who provided funding for Ivy to record a second studio album. [8]
Apartment Life was released on October 6, 1997, by Atlantic Records. [1] While promoting Apartment Life across the United States, Ivy was dropped from Atlantic Records. [9] Following their departure from the label in 1998, Ivy signed to 550 Music who reissued the album in the United States with a new cover art and digitally remastered tracks. Simultaneously, both Schlesinger and Chase worked on opening up a new recording studio in New York City, Stratosphere Studios, in June 1999. [10] [11] During this time, a deluxe edition was distributed in Japan by Epic Records, featuring two previously unreleased tracks: "Sleeping Late" and "Sweet Mary". [12]
According to music critics, Apartment Life served as a musical departure and improvement from the material found on their previous efforts. CMJ New Music Monthly 's Kurt B. Reighley described the album as a collection as an improvement from the "invigorating pop" that appeared on Realistic. He also noted the wide variety of sounds present in the production, consisting of brass, keyboards, and string instruments. [13] Additionally, the album contains influence from dance-rock, jazz, and reggae music. [14]
The album opens with "The Best Thing", a pop song with a "chorus that is to swoon and croon for". [1] [15] It features "rippling atmospherics", a "punk-ish guitar", and similar qualities to the music of American band Pixies. [14] Another pop track, the production of "I've Got a Feeling" is accompanied by a horn section influenced by 1960s-style harmonies. Durand's vocals in the track are light and airy, and according to Billboard 's Larry Flick, they do not include any "unnecessary posturing or vocal noodling". [16] In addition to Chase and Schlesinger, Lloyd Cole and Peter Nashel received credits as co-writers on the track. [17] Noting the use of "60s-ish horns", Jack Rabid from AllMusic described the genre of "This Is the Day", the album's third track, as "la-la-la pop personified". [1] Reighley joked that the Smiths must have "overlooked" the song and its "punchy melody". [13] "Never Do That Again" and "I Get the Message" are the fourth and fifth tracks, respectively, and they both contain "emotional rubble" that adds to the album's "casual sophisticat[ion]". [18] "Baker", written solely by Chase and Schlesinger, features the use of a trumpet played by Chris Botti, drums by Stanley Demeski, and violin by Ralph Farris and Jacqui Carrasco. [17]
Describing single "You Don't Know Anything", Rabid noted that the use of guitars on the production make the song sound "mean". He later would refer to it as a modern version of a My Bloody Valentine song. [1] "Ba Ba Ba" and "Get Out of the City" are the album's eighth and ninth tracks, respectively, and both include drums played by Demeski. [17] "These Are the Things About You" contains "rhythmic activity" and makes use of several guitars in the instrumentation. [13] The album's 11th track, "Quick, Painless and Easy", features Durand singing with deeper vocals that display her French accent. [14] "Back in Our Town" was co-written by the guitarist of the Smashing Pumpkins, James Iha. [17] Described as "gently haunting" by AllMusic's Rabid, [1] it serves as the closer to Apartment Life, except on the Japanese edition where bonus tracks "Sleeping Late" and "Sweet Mary" follow. [12]
Prior to the scheduled release date of Apartment Life, Ivy scheduled a promotional radio tour in the United States to take place during September 1997. [19] During a separate tour where Ivy and the Space Monkeys co-headlined, Ivy received notice that they had been dropped from the roster of Atlantic Records' current artists. It was during this time that the group's management team struck a joint deal with Sony Music Entertainment and 550 Music which they went on to accept. [20]
The album's lead single, "The Best Thing", was released to modern rock and modern adult contemporary radio stations on September 12, 1997. [19] Physically, it was released as a CD single in the United States and as a promotional 7-inch single in Italy. [21] [22] During this time, Billboard announced that the filming and production of a music video for "The Best Thing" would be completed by the end of the same month. [19] However, an official video was never released for the single, despite another Billboard article describing preparations for filming in November of that same year. [23] [24] "I've Got a Feeling" served as the album's second single overall and was released on CD on October 7, 1997. [25] [26] A music video featuring the band members taking pictures in a futuristic photo booth was released simultaneously and included a cameo appearance from James Iha. [24]
"This Is the Day", the album's third single, was distributed to the public on October 19, 1998, following the band being dropped by Atlantic Records; the release was handled by 550 Music and included distribution to American radio stations and physical shipments of CD singles. [27] [28] [29] It was used in the 1998 American comedy film There's Something About Mary and was included on the film's soundtrack. [30] Reflecting on its usage in the film, Durand commented that it was unimaginable to see their songs in several scenes and that she "fe[lt] so grateful to have something like that in a movie". [31] For further promotion, it was featured on the Pepsi-issued album Pepsi Pop Culture (1998) and the 1999 compilation album Live a Little, Vol. 1. [32] [33] "You Don't Know Anything", the album's fourth and final single, was released on April 29, 1999, in European territories, with previously unreleased bonus tracks "Sleeping Late" and "Sweet Mary", also as a CD single. [34] [35]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The A.V. Club | Mixed [36] |
CMJ New Music Monthly | Favorable [13] |
Rolling Stone | [18] |
Trouser Press | Favorable [2] |
Reception towards Apartment Life was highly positive; AllMusic's Rabid awarded the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and called it an "exquisite work". He declared that Apartment Life is a "winsome, pleasant, accomplished, convivial pop LP" that showcases Durand's talent as the lead singer. Labeling "The Best Thing", "This Is the Day", and "You Don't Know Anything" as the album's true highlights, he claimed that "it's a wonder that Ivy isn't massive". [1] Vickie Gilmer and Ira Robbins, writers for Trouser Press , found Apartment Life to have more "confidence and skill" than Realistic and claimed that as a whole, the album is "just about perfect in its chosen realm". [2] CMJ New Music Monthly's Reighley felt that the album displayed Ivy's strengths as a band, such as Durand's vocals and the songwriting. He concluded: "Maintaining these central points of focus permits the additional color and activity of Apartment Life to fill out Ivy's dynamic to splendid and harmonious effect". [13] Robbins, a columnist for Rolling Stone , wrote a separate album review where he highlighted Durand's distinctive French accent and described it as perfect for "breezy pop music". Calling the songs "smartly modeled" and "top-shelf" in quality, she claimed that "Ivy put[s] the fizz in cocktail culture". [18] Stephen Thompson from The A.V. Club claimed that the entirety of Apartment Life fails to match the quality and strength of its opening track, "The Best Thing". However, he also stated that the entire album "never slips too far" behind due to the end product including "impeccably tasteful performances". [36]
In a column where several music critics commended their personal favorite albums, Craig Rosen from Billboard listed Apartment Life as the seventh best album released in 1997, tied with Green Day's Nimrod . [37] On CMJ New Music Monthly, a print magazine that ranks the most popular albums and songs as played by college radio programmers, the album was constantly ranked on their various radio airplay charts, including "Top Alternative Radio Airplay" and "Core Radio". [38] [39]
All songs written by Ivy, except "You Don't Know Anything" which features additional lyrics by Chris Collingwood, and "Back in Our Town" with additional lyrics by James Iha. [17]
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Best Thing" | 3:43 | |
2. | "I've Got a Feeling" |
| 3:04 |
3. | "This Is the Day" |
| 3:33 |
4. | "Never Do That Again" |
| 3:36 |
5. | "I Get the Message" |
| 3:14 |
6. | "Baker" |
| 4:03 |
7. | "You Don't Know Anything" |
| 3:44 |
8. | "Ba Ba Ba" |
| 3:22 |
9. | "Get Out of the City" |
| 3:09 |
10. | "These Are the Things About You" |
| 3:02 |
11. | "Quick, Painless and Easy" |
| 4:13 |
12. | "Back in Our Town" |
| 4:44 |
Total length: | 44:30 |
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
13. | "Sleeping Late" |
| 2:30 |
14. | "Sweet Mary" |
| 3:14 |
Total length: | 50:14 |
|
|
Credits and personnel adapted from the liner notes of Apartment Life. [17]
Ivy was an American indie pop band composed of Andy Chase, Adam Schlesinger, and Dominique Durand. They were active between 1994 and 2012.
In the Clear is the fifth studio album by American band Ivy. It was released on March 1, 2005 in the United States by Nettwerk. Considered the "follow-up" to Ivy's third studio album Long Distance (2000), it continues the intimate and refined approach of modern indie pop and indie rock music. Band members Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger produced the album, while musician Steve Osborne co-produced one of the album's tracks.
Long Distance is the third studio album by the American band Ivy. It was released on November 8, 2000, in Japan, while the US version was released on July 10, 2001, by Nettwerk. A departure from Ivy's previous studio albums Realistic (1995) and Apartment Life (1997), Long Distance was influenced by new wave, but maintained Ivy's signature blend of indie pop and indie rock music. Ivy collaborated with long-time producer Peter Nashel for two of the album's tracks, while the rest were written and produced entirely by members Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger.
All Hours is the sixth and final studio album by American band Ivy, released by Nettwerk on September 20, 2011. Following 2005's In the Clear, the members took a hiatus from music, allowing Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger to work on side projects and Dominique Durand and Chase to begin raising a family. After reuniting in 2008, they started work on a project exploring a new sound following concerns that their songs would become obsolete and unimaginative due to their break. All Hours features 11 songs written and produced by Chase and Schlesinger; they take influence from electropop, indie pop and synth-pop music. Unlike their previous albums, All Hours experiments more with electronic music and contains tracks reminiscent of the music from the 1980s.
"Edge of the Ocean" is a song by the American band Ivy for their third studio album, Long Distance (2000). Lead singer Dominique Durand wrote the song with band members Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, who both produced it. It was released as the album's lead single in the United States in June 2001, through Nettwerk. Various physical singles were distributed throughout the following year, in addition to an adult alternative airplay release in the US. The song is an electronic-inspired trip hop pop ballad with minimal and simplistic lyrics. Durand's vocals were described as childlike and compared to those of Karen Carpenter. American musician Michael Hampton, a member of Durand and Chase's other band Paco, contributes to the track's instrumentation.
"Lucy Doesn't Love You" is a song by American band Ivy for their third studio album, Long Distance (2000). Lead singer Dominique Durand wrote the song with band members Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, who both produced it. In 2000, it was chosen as the album's lead single in Japan and distributed via Chase's Unfiltered Records label. Musically, the song was described as a melodic, horn-led trip hop and synth-pop track. Its lyrics find a woman confronting a lovestruck man who desires a different woman, named Lucy, who is not in love with him. American musician Eric Matthews performs trumpet on "Lucy Doesn't Love You", alongside Paco member Michael Hampton, who contributes to the song's instrumentation.
"Disappointed" is a song by American indie rock band Ivy. It was released as the second single from their third studio album, Long Distance (2000). It was released exclusively in the United States on July 10, 2001 by Nettwerk. The release was simultaneous with the release of '"Edge of the Ocean". The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, while production was handled by the latter two and Peter Nashel.
"This Is the Day" is a song by American band Ivy, included on their second studio album, Apartment Life (1997). It was released as the record's third single in the United States on October 19, 1998 by 550 Music following its inclusion in the 1998 American comedy film There's Something About Mary. The group had just been dropped by Atlantic Records but eventually signed to 550 Music after they reissued the parent album. The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, with the latter two producing it. It is a pop and alternative pop song that features the use of horns and was compared to the works of the Smiths.
"I've Got a Feeling" is a song by American band Ivy, recorded for their second studio album, Apartment Life (1997). It was released as the record's second single in the United States and Australia on October 7, 1997 and 1998 by Atlantic Records, respectively. The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, with the latter two plus Lloyd Cole and Peter Nashel handling its production. It is a pop song accompanied by light vocals and a horn section, with Durand gently singing about falling in love, over several layers of guitars and relaxed harmonies.
"I Hate December" is a song by American band Ivy, released on January 12, 1996 by Scratchie Records. The track came from the band's first extended play, Lately (1994). It was written and produced by Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger, while Dominique Durand also contributed to the lyrics and Peter Nashel handled additional production. While the version that appeared on Lately was not released as a commercial single, a remix was created and distributed as a CD single instead.
Guestroom is the fourth studio album by the band Ivy. It was released on September 10, 2002 by Minty Fresh and Unfiltered Records. Unlike the group's previous albums, the album consisted entirely of cover songs, without any new material. Some of the songs featured on the album were previously released as B-sides to the band's singles.
"You Don't Know Anything" is a song by American indie rock band Ivy. It was released by Atlantic Records on April 29, 1999 as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Apartment Life (1997). The single was made available exclusively in Europe and featured the same two B-sides as previous single, "This Is the Day", which had been released by 550 Music in Austria. The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase while production was handled by the latter two and Peter Nashel.
"Get Enough" is the debut single by American band Ivy, released in 1994 by Seed Records. It was included as the opening track for their first studio album, Realistic (1995). It was composed by band members Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, and produced by the latter two and Kurt Ralske. The song was conceived while the band was creating material for their first extended play, Lately (1994), a project that Durand was initially reluctant to work on. Its production, along with the rest of Realistic, was inspired by French musicians and exhibits a folk rock and pop sound.
"Beautiful" is a song by American band Ivy from their debut studio album Realistic (1995). A remixed version of the song was issued as a promotional single and distributed as a CD single in 1995 by Seed Records. It features an acoustic version of the trio's single "Don't Believe a Word" as a bonus track.
"The Best Thing" is a song by American band Ivy on their second studio album, Apartment Life (1997). Released on September 12, 1997 by Atlantic Records, it was the band's major-label debut single and served as the parent album's lead single. The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, and was produced by the latter two. A pop song, "The Best Thing" is accompanied by several guitars and a keyboard.
Lately is the first extended play recorded by American band Ivy, released in May 1994 by Seed Records. Developed in the same year as the formation of the group, Lately is a French pop album with acoustic and general pop influences. Originally conceived by members Dominique Durand and Andy Chase, the pair recruited Adam Schlesinger for additional production and lyrics. Sessions took place in New York City and Paris, where they recorded four original tracks and a cover of Orange Juice's 1984 song "I Guess I'm Just a Little Too Sensitive".
"Distant Lights" is a song by American indie rock band Ivy. It was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album, All Hours (2011). It was issued in the United States on June 7, 2011 as a digital download by Nettwerk. The single was written and produced by Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase.
"Digging Your Scene" is a song recorded by English band the Blow Monkeys for their second studio album, Animal Magic (1986). The single was released in February 1986 as the second one from the parent record. It was written by lead singer Dr. Robert, while Howard, Peter Wilson, and Adam Moesley produced it. Musically a pop, soul, and jazz song, "Digging Your Scene" discusses the hatred and disgust that is associated with individuals who have HIV and AIDS. Several media professionals felt the song's subject matter would be the subject of criticism.
American band Ivy has released six studio albums, one extended play (EP), fifteen singles, one promotional single, and eight music videos. After signing to Seed Records, Ivy released their debut EP, Lately, in May 1994. Their debut studio album Realistic was released in February 1995 and produced the singles "Get Enough" and "Don't Believe a Word", along with "Beautiful", which was issued as a promotional single. In 1995, a music video for "I Hate December", a song from Lately, was filmed and released. The song was then distributed as a single in January 1996. Ivy eventually left Seed and signed to Atlantic Records to record their second album Apartment Life, released in October 1997. To promote the album, "The Best Thing", "I've Got a Feeling", "This Is the Day", and "You Don't Know Anything" were made available as singles. Their third album Long Distance was released in Japan in 2000, and the next year in the United States. Three singles were promoted, including "Edge of the Ocean" which peaked at number 160 on the UK Singles Chart, marking their only appearance on that chart.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite web}}
: Missing or empty |url=
(help){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)