Thriving Ivory [Wind-Up] (CD - 2008)

Audio Mixer: Chris Manning.

Propelled by the shimmering piano and arching songwriting of Clayton Stroope and the towering, impassioned singing of Scott Jason, Thriving Ivory earned a hefty reputation over the early 2000s. Opening single "Angels on the Moon," with its prog-rock-meets-emo-inspired majesty, and Jason's theatrical vocals splitting the difference between Thom Yorke's melancholia and Chris Robinson's grit, slowly became a radio and VH-1 hit, ginning up demand for a years-old indie release (an opportunity Wind-Up Records was pleased to snatch).

While half the songs on the band's spectacular, lush debut are over five years old (including "Angels"), there's a timelessness to the pomp-y pop. Tracks like "Runaway" and "Twilight" mix Todd Rundgren's hook-y artistry with the rock immediacy of Journey or Bon Jovi and just a touch of Ben Folds's mischievous twinkle. THRIVING IVORY betrays its many years in design as a wonderfully opulent and remarkably consistent record.

While all eyes were on Coldplay in 2008, Thriving Ivory made a slow ascent up Billboard's Heatseeker chart and, thanks to a late-year surge, climbed to the number one spot shortly after the new year. The quintet builds rock songs in much the same way, with compelling piano-based riffs slowing seizing your attention and eventually building to a cathartic climax punctuated by drums and ambience. Though distinctive in its own right, the band's sound is like a combination of the best parts of Our Lady Peace and Radiohead, or maybe the center point between Remy Zero and Frou Frou. Vocalist Clayton Stroope quivers his way through verses and seems to get caught up in every syllable. His raspy tenor is an acquired taste, but imagining the album without his voice is like Guns N' Roses sans Axl or R.E.M. minus Michael Stipe. The album's first single, "Angels on the Moon," climbed into the Top 30, and other ballads like "Hey Lady" and "Twilight" helped them gain a strong following on the road. This album has all the intangibles in place for greatness and leaves no emotion unstirred. ~ Jared Johnson minimize