Thriving Ivory

A friend once asked if I listened to music for the melody or for the lyrics. I usually answer in favor of melody, but in the case of the Bay Area’s Thriving Ivory, I listen for both. Lead singer Clayton Stroope’s surprisingly high (but not painfully so) voice belts out both an excellent tune and some catchy lyrics: “She screams for more / more than just some blue-eyed metaphor / the trouble is, the trouble is / she’s always searching.” I’ve listened to Thriving Ivory’s 2006 self-titled indie release approximately 20,000 times (only a slight hyperbole), so I was a little disappointed when the band simply re-recorded the album and added just one song for this release. However, my favorites remain (mostly) intact, with standouts like “Overrated,” “Light Up Mississippi” and “Hey Lady.” With the single “Angels on the Moon” (a tribute to 9/11) recently appearing on VH1’s Top 20 countdown and the band drawing comparisons to a young U2 or Coldplay, Thriving Ivory is taking off into the realms of stardom. If you want to get on the bandwagon before everyone else you’d better hurry up—Thriving Ivory will be on lunchboxes before you know it … and I’ll be the first in line.