Ida Sign to Polyvinyl, Prep First LP in Three Years

Ida have not yet confirmed a tracklist for the record, but singer/guitarist Daniel Littleton told Pitchfork that upon its release the band will tour extensively, "splitting it up between full band and totally stripped down acoustic shows." He added that the reason Ida has done so little touring over the past few years is because he and Ida co-leader Elizabeth Mitchell had a child, and that, as such, the two have "concentrated more on recording, writing songs, and collaborating with our friends in different capacities." After years of road relief, it should be interesting to see how Ida has progressed with the new material-- especially as their aforementioned friends include talents such as Ted Leo and Karate frontman Geoff Farina.

Expanding on the merits of the new material, Littleton said: "This is a period of renewed creativity for Ida." On the upcoming album, the band worked with collaborators both familiar (Daniel's sister Cecilia and original bassist Rick Lassiter) and unfamiliar (Jean Cook, who has worked with Jon Langford, The Beauty Pill, and Threnody Ensemble's Dominique Davison). "It's been energizing to record with improvisers, trying to document the songs as they are being discovered, as opposed to getting too comfortable with arrangements, over rehearsing," said Littleton. "[We're] also collaborating with [His Name Is Alive's] Warn Defever for the first time from start to finish. Heart Like a River often exudes a 'live', loose feel."

Additionally, Littleton stated that he "recorded a significant amount of the record at home," which is not surprising considering the band has been without a label for the past couple of years. With the members of Ida once again focused on that band's work, the output from their side projects-- Littleton and Mitchell are still involved in their more electronic project Nanang Tatang, and Ida bassist Karla Schickele records under the moniker K-- should slow. But fans of Mitchell's two children's albums will be pleased to learn that she's illustrating a children's book as a companion to the married couple's collaboration with the violinist Ida Pearle.

.: Pitchfork Review: Ida: The Braille Night
.: Polyvinyl Recording Co.: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com