Optical Atlas » Ideal Free Distribution

High Water Marks and Ideal Free Distribution Join to Form The Open Letters

Jeff Kuykendall — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:07:48 +0000

Members of Lexington pop landmarks The High Water Marks and Ideal Free Distribution have joined forces to become The Open Letters. The lineup – Hilarie Sidney, Per Ole Bratset, Tony Miller, Samantha Herald Miller (both husband and wife teams) - began playing as a unit in late 2009. (Kenny Johnson joined shortly thereafter.) Tony Miller wrote Optical Atlas in December, “We’ve been practicing for a short time but already have 6 solid tunes…and I mean solid. Right now, even in their rough form the songs feel excitingly good. We’re going to whip out a recording of a couple and put one on our upcoming Color Wheel Records comp due out this spring. Sound-wise everything is very poppy with big guitars occasionally bordering on shoegaze.” You can hear for yourself with the sample track below. Personally, I love it. (There’s another track, with Per singing, posted on their MySpace page.)

Note that neither The High Water Marks nor IFD are defunct, though for now it’s the Open Letters effort that’s pushing forward in earnest. They’re playing live at Cosmic Charlie’s in Lexington with Fire Zuave on March 1st.

The Open Letters – Stupid But Strong

Video: IFD’s “William Buss”

Jeff Kuykendall — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:00:29 +0000

The Ideal Free Distribution have completed a video for “William Buss,” the single off last year’s superb Then We Were Older. Filmed by the IFD and edited by Pierre Chandeze:

Ideal Free Distribution – William Buss

Ideal Free Distribution on New Lexington Comp

Jeff Kuykendall — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:10:42 +0000

The Ideal Free Distribution have a new song, “Like Like,” on the Lexington multi-media compilation Pet Milk. The project worked like this: a writer would compose a poem or story, and this piece would inspire both a musician and visual artist. The IFD’s track is inspired by a poem by Ellie Herring.

Ideal Free Distribution – Like Like

You can experience all the works created at the Pet Milk webpage. And if you don’t have the great new IFD album Then We Were Older, order it now.

Ideal Free Distribution on the Beatles

Jeff Kuykendall — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:54:06 +0000

The psych blog Trip Inside This House has posted an interview with Ideal Free Distribution’s Tony Miller, who is offered a trip inside the “Wayback Machine.” Where does he decide to go? Maybe where I would…to Abbey Road, 1966, where the Beatles are recording their psychedelic masterpiece “Tomorrow Never Knows” for what might be their greatest album, Revolver. (I tend to split my vote between that and the White Album.) You can read the interview here.

As of this week, the IFD’s second album, Then We Were Older, is now available for sale from Color Wheel Records. You can order the album via the band’s MySpace, iTunes (haven’t verified that yet – but suposedly), or by emailing the label at colorwheelrecords@gmail.com. I highly recommend it.

New Ideal Free Distribution Album in October

Jeff Kuykendall — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:56:39 +0000

Lexington, Kentucky’s Ideal Free Distribution amassed a large backlog of material before releasing their first, self-titled album (ultimately released by Happy Happy Birthday to Me, and mixed with help from Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo), so it shouldn’t be a big surprise that there’s been a much shorter interval to reach their sophomore album, Then We Were Older. The title could refer to the fact that these songs reflect a band that’s come a significant way since writing the songs on their first album; this is an older, slightly different band. For one thing, Craig Morris has left to pursue Thee American Revolution, although he co-wrote the album’s “single,” “William Buss.” Tony Miller’s vocals still possess a rich, Zombies-esque flavor, and the band continues to mine 60’s psychedelic rock and garage for inspiration on the album’s thirteen tracks (even the cover winks at its retro inspirations), but the IFD also stretches past the three-minute pop song into longer tracks (some well over six minutes) that feel both tight and carefully structured. They’re a headphones band, and this is headphones music for bedroom daydreaming, Brian Wilson style.

Color Wheel Records is releasing Then We Were Older on CD and through iTunes on October 13. You can download “William Buss” below, or pre-order the album at the label’s MySpace (where you can also stream more tracks from the record).

Then We Were Older,
by Ideal Free Distribution
1. Cold Wind Blows
2. Something I Know
3. Carol Anne
4. Turn to Find You
5. Calm Herself
6. William Buss
7. Ride a Bike, Part I
8. Trip Inside
9. Strawberry Crush
10. Anne Maria
11. Ride a Bike, Part II
12. Can’t You See
13. Stars

Ideal Free Distribution Completes Record, Shares New Songs

Jeff Kuykendall — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:03:05 +0000

Ideal Free Distribution had been compiling the songs for their first, self-titled record for many years before it saw release (and critical acclaim) through Happy Happy Birthday to Me. So it should be no surprise that it hasn’t taken the Kentucky popsters very long to complete their sophomore album. While it doesn’t have a release date yet, you can hear three of the new tracks streaming at the band’s MySpace page: “William Buss,” “Stars,” and “Trip Inside.” All are fantastic.