Ida, C or D?

I'll keep trying with it, anyway (although I feel almost bound to find it nauseating, somehow.)

that is all.

Daver and Douglas to thread!

Colin's on the money (though I'm partial to _Will You Find Me?_ as the classic, flaws & all). I prefer to not think of Ida as this super-sincere group of lovey-dovey sissies (as most critics portray them), and focus on their skills (readily apparent on _Ten Small Paces_, mixing up their originals and some incidental music w/ Eno & Bill Monroe & Neil Young, all slap-dash and loosey-goosey; probably the record with the lowest amount of preciousness). Seeing them live helps, too - most folks I know of that have seen Ida live would die for them.

Had my first exposures to Ida not been A) their live show and B) _Ten Small Paces_, I probably wouldn't be here defending them. Probably the BEST place to start would be their _Live at Carnegie Hall_ release (offered by Insound as part of their Tour Support series). However, the fluctuating fidelity might annoy more than the other Ida trademarks (and it's OOP). Since that's not an option, maybe _Ten Small Paces_ is what you need (though you can't go wrong w/ _I Know About You_, either).

Dave's right that they're often at their best live. They're always at least solid in live performance, and they were phenomenal the first time I saw them back in 1997 -- I didn't know a thing about them, and only caught their set because they were opening for Low, but was completely blown away (especially by "Little Things", "Requator" and "Shrug"). Beautiful, mesmerizing, articulate, intelligent, rich music. They rocked out a lot more, too, than they have at shows I've seen since, which have tended to be more low-key.

I quite like Will You Find Me but I find it drops off a bit somewhere around the midpoint. The first half is great, though. And I remember enjoying I Know About You quite a lot, but haven't heard it in years, which is pretty embarrassing.

While 10 Small Paces is a great place to start getting into Ida (it feels like an eclectic mix tape), my overall favorite might very well be their children's album, "You Are My Flower". It's a very fun, unforced album with a loose vibe, great singing, and great song interpretations.

(Low's third is one of my three favorite cds evah)

Musically speaking, they're not that far away from a less-melancholy Red House Painters, a faster Low, a less-cryptic Nick Drake, a less bitter Richard/Linda Thompson, etc... Basically, they're not that far away from other artists who ILM as a whole seems to dig. Although there is a slightly different aesthetic to their music which makes it less easily catagorizable -- there's an embracement of twee (or at least, my understanding of what twee is :-) ) in order to make something with more weight than most twee ever aims for.

I dunno, maybe they're just a band that grows on you.

Time Stereo is selling this album and You Are My Flower as a combo for $17. A STEAL.

Also, I can't stop playing Ida/HNIA's cover of "Ain't No Lie" - I literally put this song on repeat. And "Walk Away Renee." How's the cover of "Save Me A Place," done with Retsin?

(That's a joke, son.)

on second listen it's my third favourite (after will you find me and i know about you, respectively). it sounds lovely and feels like a grower but it's no departure.

Lovers Prayers is a return to form after the last two albums

heart like a river turned out to be a bore, but at least it was better than braille night

just reviving a thread to disagree with the sixteen year old post above (!) scored 3 Ida CDs at PREX yesterday, was so happy. i had only really listened to 'i know about you' years ago, but delighted to find that the rest of their discography is just as pleasant. 'late blues' is breathtaking. i also see they are reuniting for a tour next year! hoping to make the bowery ballroom for that...

https://idamusic.bandcamp.com/track/late-blues