REVIEW: Bravo? Not quite, White Ivory
Good day gentlemen and ladies. This week’s sampling of underground music brings us to Layton, Utah. The group White Ivory hails from northern Utah. They are something that I would call piano-driven rock band. Their release “O! Bravo,” was released through their own blood, sweat and tears in September. To do my part to build the Utah music scene, I decided to take a look at their album last week.
After holding the classy CD jewel case made famous in the ‘90s, I knew that they were a band waiting to happen. The simple artwork of a elephant by a wavy river of piano keys and images of elephants and notes on the back with a link to their Facebook page truly compels one to listen to the music, or put it back down and go for a Casiokids CD. I decided to give this small-town band a chance.
After hearing a bit of the album from my Aggie Radio correspondent, I decided this diamond in the rough deserved a listen to. After downloading it to my computer, I started listening and simultaneously searching the group’s Facebook page. Looking through the photos, one is welcomed by the “O! Bravo” artwork and by scrolling through the profile pictures, a staged photo of the band. There I found the true face of the White Ivory, aka a troubled songwriter in a rolled up dress shirt with a sweater on top, a tough guy with a go easy attitude, a short guitarist with an “I-don’t-care” scruff and half smile, with a shirt from a WWII surplus store, and a bassist with aviators wearing a T-shirt.
Hopefully, one is not dissuaded by the appearance of the CD or band, as the songs are actually, surprisingly, amazingly well done. The album starts off with the piano and comes full circle with the piano — not a synthesizer, but a slightly electronic-sounding grand piano. As I said, the piano hits off the album like Babe Ruth, and the vocals come in to back it up. The bass and drums come in to support, the guitar then doodles over the slurry and the first track finishes, leaving the listener intrigued but dissatisfied.
The next track then is somewhat generic and by the end is forgotten, but by the third track “Frictional Fiction,” the album really hits its stride. The vocals have a haunting effect as they effortlessly float over the beautiful piano while the guitar hits some great atmospheric notes. It’s here the album takes a trip to the wild side as the distorted guitar and drums kick in and the piano follows. The rest of the song moves from moment to moment but it keeps the piano feel very well.
“Rock the Ballroom” is one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s a jazzy, bass-driven, snap-your-fingers jam that appears unexpectedly but enjoyably, as it then fades to a piano solo. After this intermission, the album goes through a few somewhat generic-feeling songs but then “Singing to No One” creeps onto the scene with some great guitar-and-bass-driven lines, with a surprising little to no piano in it. The song then slips into a head-banging heavy rock and then ends with a riff from its beginning.
The next song is probably the gold from the album. “Take Your Time” is a mix of jazz and the rock that is not fully exploited in earlier songs. The bubbly guitar and complementary bass and drums, the fun jazz piano riffs that appear suddenly, the enjoyable rock style dance seshes and the solos to the resounding chorus at the end each contribute to this, my favorite song on the album.
Then the last and title track “O! Bravo” is a blatant summation of the album, as the main singer Marc Nielson tells us that these songs are all for some girl that may be listening. The great piano still continues as the guitars play back up and drums keep it heavy. The recording style is really cool as the piano shifts from an older sounding recording to a modern sound.
Bottom line: If you want to hear a singer that sounds really similar to Ben Folds and a similar piano style to Folds, then pick up “O! Bravo,” or look them up on the F-book. If you would rather hear lyrics that aren’t solely about girls and actually have a bit of depth, then you could probably look up Ben Folds instead. The recording is great, the music is good at times, generic at others but over all a solid first attempt from a local band. I would give this album a solid B and a half minus. Keep going White Ivory, you have the potential.
– alexander.h.van_oene@aggiemail.usu.edu