The Outlet
Iji - a band you need to know. Just don't let Drew Danburry hear you say their name wrong.
Let's pretend you are bilingual and speak Spanish. In the small province where you grew up there exists an adjective for completely and totally the most awesome thing in the world. In some countries the ultimate would be called “el colmo” or something like that because “el ultimo” just seems too obvious, right? But in your small town or province, the word for the complete and totally most awesome thing in the world is “Iji.” And since you speak Spanish it seems pretty obvious to say it like “ee-hee” and not like “I-jigh'”or something else that sounds dumb; because “ee-hee” sounds good. Anything else sounds a bit silly and you don't want to be caught saying “Iji” as anything other than “ee-hee.” That's the first thing you need to know about Iji - how to say their name. If you don't say it right I will correct you. And I won't feel bad about doing it.
The second thing you need to know about Iji is that the pop music they make is better than yours (and mine). Leading and founding member Zach Burba created a pretty near perfect quirky island-feeling tropical pop music record with Easy Potion.
The songs are formed with pretty standard full band instruments, but interspersed with banjos, saxophones, bells, chimes and pretty much anything else that fits snugly to make each song feel just right. Not too much, not too little. Speaking of fitting in right, Brit May's occasionally encountered gentle voice has the most comforting feeling of tucking you into bed the way only a mother would know how to. With Zach's voice wavering not so much in an emotive way, but more in a natural shakiness that tends to leave the listener wanting to sing along with somewhat of a melancholy joy. Together it has the most amazing quality of creating a lot of youthful insecurity and vulnerability while maintaining a mature and stabilized joy and comfort.
I'm not going to compare this album to other albums. Because a) it bothers me when people do that and b) I just don't think they sound like anybody else - mostly because there are two types of bands. There are bands that make music that may have similarities to other things, but for the most part, are unique. Then there are bands that you can tell right off the bat who their favorite band is and they might as well write cover songs. Iji is a band that is making music their way. It may be a little more out there for some, and it may seem pretty normal to others, but they made an album that's very accessible and clearly innovative. I'm not comparing it to anything else, but if you know of any other “pretty near perfect quirky island-feeling tropical pop music records” that are “very accessible and clearly innovative” then you can compare the two yourself.
What I'm saying is that every once in a while you come across a record that you enjoy so much that you listen to it constantly. For weeks or months or whatever, for me personally, it's been years since I've been able to listen to a record all the way through. Especially on the first time listen. But this one is so good that I've been listening to it for the last week or two straight, and I don't switch it out of my CD player until I've listened to it about five times usually.
Last, let's talk about the production of the album. Flawless. That’s it.
Posted by Drew Danburry on Jan 21, 2008 @ 12:00 am