User:Carbrera/ITC

In the Clear is the fifth studio album by American band Ivy. It was released on March 1, 2005 in the United States by Nettwerk. Considered the "follow-up" to Ivy's third studio album Long Distance (2000), it continues the intimate and refined approach of modern indie pop and indie rock music. Band members Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger produced the album, while musician Steve Osborne co-produced one of the album's tracks.

Like its predecessor, In the Clear received favorable reviews after its release, with some critics appreciating the "dreamy" and "impressive" production on the tracks. However, some critics found the songs to be less memorable compared to the material on Long Distance.

Songs
In the Clear begins with "Nothing But the Sky", a "dreamy, piano-laden" track that contains use of keyboards and guitars over Durand's repetitious vocals. Single "Thinking About You" recaptures the "catchy" and "winsome mood" of Ivy's previous works, with a string arrangement from Brazilian musician Zé Louis. Third track "Keep Moving" has an "emotional" composition with a "tasteful trumpet solo"; the song also contains influence from a weaved disco and soft rock mix. "Tess Don't Tell"'s sound was compared to the surge of a "trans-oceanic jet", and contains a xylophone-laced, bouncy beat. Fifth track "Four in the Morning" is a "skin-tight" song, with Durand's "honeyed, warm vocals".

"Corners of Your Mind" is the album's sixth track, and has a "rush of rapidly-strummed guitars and pounding piano". The following song, "Clear My Head", continues the "spacier" sounds of In the Clear, and contains guitar playing from Ivy's longtime collaborator James Iha. "I've Got You Memorized" and "Ocean City Girl" both have "hypnotic" melodies, with the former being compared to The Cardigans' 1996 single "Lovefool", and while the latter reinforces the guitar-theme of the album. The trio's first collaboration, "Feel So Free", includes vocals from Girls Against Boys' singer Scott McCloud; the single includes the indie rock-vibe that Ivy is known for.

Critical reception
In the Clear received generally favorable reviews upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on sixteen reviews. MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic called it "most definitely an impressive culmination of Ivy's career to date;" Wilson also praised the "seductive" vocals on tracks "Four in the Morning", "Keep Moving", and "Tess Don't Tell". Noel Murray, writing for the The A.V. Club, appreciated that In the Clear "le[ft] listeners refreshed and surprisingly un-mussed". The standard edition closer "Feel So Free"

Track listing
All tracks written and produced by Ivy, except "Nothing But the Sky", which is also produced by Steve Osborne.

TV

 * "Ocean City Girl" was used in season 2, episode 8 of Veronica Mars.
 * "Feel So Free" was used in season 2, episode 1, of the ABC television hospital drama Grey's Anatomy.