IVY Guestroom (Minty Fresh) Rating: NNN Rating: NNN
Ivy’s era-spanning compilation of nifty cover tunes almost makes me forgive the band for scoring the appalling Shallow Hal. From Steely Dan’s Streets Of Your Town to Serge Gainsbourg’s L’Anamour, the New York trio reinvent classic pop as icy cool, crisp lounge tied together by Dominique Durand’s breathy, perfectly Parisienne coo. Maybe it’s just Durand’s accent, but Ivy come off as a less self-consciously artsy Stereolab, eschewing bloopy weirdness for an homage to quirky hooks. Sure, Guestroom seems a bit too geared toward hipster nostalgia at times, conjuring visions of the Wallpaper set’s knock-off Eames chairs and mojitos in too-cool Euro-pubs. But the cover of the Ronettes’ Be My Baby, a recasting of the chirpy bubble-gum track as an anthem of raw, desperate longing, totally makes the album.
