Whether or not you recognize either sadcore or dreampop as legitimate musical subgenres, both of these compound adjectives effectively describe the output of New York indie outfit Ida.
On Heart Like a River, the band's first release in four years and the first for the Polyvinyl label, the group continues to explore all the geography mapped out between acoustic guitars, simple piano melodies and a series of airy backing ensembles that complete the album's dreamy aesthetic.
The key for bands like Ida, whose music is purposefully restrained, relaxed and understated, is to avoid bringing everything so close to the point of complete placidity that continued listening requires an act of willpower. For about half of Heart Like a River, Ida succeeds in this endeavor.
The dynamics of the sound remain fairly consistent from song to song, the vocals usually remain little more than a whisper, guitars plucked with only the slightest of movements. The spare percussion on the album never rises to the forefront and only once picks the tempo up from its sleepwalk cadence.
Elizabeth Mitchell's soporific lead vocals mesh well with the instruments, sounding something like a folked-out Bilinda Butcher.
One of the major problems with the album is that the songs tend to outstay their welcome. With the majority of tracks exceeding five minutes, a song that sounds tranquil at the beginning can seem asleep on its feet by the end.
\599"" then becomes the natural stand-out track on the album, with the only upbeat drum line to be heard and the closest the band comes to actual catchiness. Daniel Littleton is so bold as to crank the distortion for a while.
The album's other stand-out, ""Forgive,"" does not succeed because of its distance from the other tracks; if anything it is even more of the same than the rest of the album, as both the longest and most languidly paced song offered. However, the guitar, strings and piano manage to do what much of the album does not in steadily building the tension before slowly dispersing it throughout the track as the album's last minutes wind down.
The lyrics on Heart Like a River don't demand much of an analysis. Somber love poetry that is neither particularly interesting nor totally uninspired takes up most of the space, leaving just as little of an impression as most of the music.
Just like the bed upon first waking, Heart Like a River appeals with promises of comfort and sanctuary but you can't spend all day with it.
