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 The Ivory Tower Project: Red Hot 
[Guerrilla] 

Have you ever tuned in to late night cable TV to catch some of the 80s movie schlock?  These are movies of about the same caliber as that Nick Cage classic, Valley Girl, but theyre even more obscure.  They typically take place in the valley and typically have bad acting mixed with good T & A.  They're always entertaining to watch, thanks in part to the signature music, which consists of "me-against-the-world" lyrics punctuated by cheesy guitar riffs, electronic drums, and a heavy dose of keyboards.  Well, The Ivory Tower Projects Red Hota 4-track releasecould easily be their soundtrack.

This band from the metro New York area is offering a limited edition CD (has anyone told them about the proliferation of CD burning?) that touts itself in its press kit as having a "big" classic rock sound.  It's definitely 80s, but nevergiven the grand pantheon of musical inspiration from which to choosehave I seen such clich-ridden lyrics.  At times, this reviewer shamefully pays little attention to lyrics, but look at these gems:

             From their flagship track, My Name:

                         They're gonna know my name,
                         It's always been the same,
                         It's nothing fancy,
                         It's nothing plain.          

                        They're gonna know my name,
                        They're gonna feel my pain,
                        I'm sick and tired,
                        Of playin' their game.

            And from "Burning:"

Now Im burning with desire,
                        And the flames are getting higher
                        Quench my thirst put out the fire,
                        Im burning with desire.

Once an artist chooses to pen such exhausted lines as "burnin' with desire" and "flames are getting' higher," they've just committed creative hari kari with the sharpest knife available.  Listening to these songs again and again led me to consideram I wrong?  Are they really taking a "Spinal Tap" approach to their music?  Is this all done in parody?  That, I'm afraid, is the tragedy: ITP is dead serious about their delivery. 

There are bands today that can work the 80s genre successfully while being amusing and creative at the same time, but for The Ivory Tower Project, I believe their only niche would be to entertain at 80s parties where invitees are encouraged to wear parachute pants and strategically torn shirts.  However, judging from favorable reviews provided with the CD, it looks like I'm wrong.  There seems to be a radio station that recognized them on a "Best Bands of NY" compilation, and there are listeners out there who appreciate what they call ITP's "polished, highly skilled pop sound."  If this is all true, then my mouth is more agape than it was when I first listened to their release.  I'll admit the track "Gotcha" almost won my favor with its Depeche Mode-style sound, but then it crashed into a Herbie Hancock "Rockit" inspired melee that left me stunned.  I never saw it coming.

If you drive an IROC Z, can watch Journeys Separate Ways video with a straight face, and have recently listened to Loverboy not for amusement, but for pleasure, then Red Hot is yours for a mere $4.99.  And that's for a limited edition.

This album can be purchased at CD Street

LEFT OFF THE DIAL's Ivory Tower Project page

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