JUNE 10, 2008

Kidding about the Ivy League, but definitely young and smart

MUSIC: This Is Ivy League

Some of the best new music around these days — TV on the Radio, the National, MGMT, Yeasayer, Ex Models, Bishop Allen — seems to be coming out of Brooklyn. And now we can officially add This Is Ivy League to the list. The duo consists of twenty-somethings Alex Suarez and Ryland Blackinton (they are also in the band Cobra Starship), who met in 1997 in Florida but lost touch soon thereafter. They reunited only after realizing they lived a few blocks from each other (in Brooklyn) and formed This Is Ivy League — ironically named, since as far as we know, they didn’t go to Ivy League schools.

Their first, self-titled record was recently released, and it’s among our favorites of the year. What makes it stand out from the current glut of alt-indie records is the rare near-perfection of its intelligent psychedelic folk-pop; the mix of acoustic guitars, horns, and breathy vocals is a perfect aural cocktail for summer.

This Is Ivy League

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