Amazing, but it will be five years ago in November that Jim and I went over to Skippy’s house to help with the sequencing of “The Family Twee” (a much-beleaguered project that the indiepop list really hasn’t recovered from, even now). In between announcing that he intended to move to New York City and attempting to sequence 50 lo-fi indiepop songs, he pulled out “Apartment Life” by Ivy and turned it up loud. He really wanted us to hear it.

And listen we did, even reverently. It had a cleanly produced sound and buzzy little lyrics. It even had a singer with a delicious French accent, like Laetitia from Stereolab, but more intelligible. Dominique had the perfect name and the perfect compact, shown below.

“Isn’t it the best thing you’ve ever heard?” Skippy said.

Somehow, it was. And still is, on a muggy hot July day about a million light years from there.