Ivan's Dream Band

Rubenstein-Gillis, Ivan
Doggums Music
General | Feb 2003

Reviews

Gabe
Reviewed 2003-04-09
Good-natured, melodic acoustica (sorry, it's not rock and not really folk) with touches of country. Reminiscent in spots of Graeme Downes, the original came-to-NYC A folkie, Bobby Zimmerman, and even, gasp, Nick Drake. Mature, poetic but evocative lyrics.

1. Love-hate thing with/for NYC; nice organ touches at end; "bullshit"
2. Beautiful hook, lush guitars, cello, and female vocals
3. Keening vocals
4. Sparse, poignant, pretty; "fucking", "shit"
5. Upbeat tune with meaning-of-life-and-work questioning lyrics
6. Uh, self-help music? much better than that sounds; sharp codependent rebuttal at end makes the song stand out
7. The Drake-ian touch of cello, guitar, drums-out-back, forlorn voice and sensitive lyrics; derivative but from a good source
8. Dylan-esque, except for the line about wetting his pants
9. Peppy but otherwise unremarkable
10. Mediocre tune distinguished only by the melodica-ish organ solo
11. Starts unpromisingly but cranks up into near-rock
12. Aiming for observational and complex, just sounds smugly clever

Recent airplay

What Is Sad
Fine Tuning UtopiaApr 30, 2003
Who Brought You Down
In the LeavesApr 29, 2003
The Greatest Life Ever
Mr. Sparkle ChallengeApr 24, 2003
Temporary
Off the PathApr 23, 2003

Charting

2003-04-21 — 2003-06-23
Week EndingAirplays
May 4 2
Apr 27 2

Track listing

1. I'm in New York
2. The Greatest Life Ever
3. Roll on
4. Onion Skin
5. Temporary
6. Who Brought You Down
7. What Is Sad
8. Success
9. Patience
10. Strangers
11. Star Star
12. T**S