Customer Reviews

Vivian Girls [Vinyl]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At times, while listening to the debut album by Vivian Girls, you can't help but think you're listening to some long-lost album by an obscure noise-pop band on Olympia's K Records label from 1991 or so. Their sound (feedback-laced jangly guitars, driving rhythms, and sing-songy girl group harmonies) bears more than a striking resemblance to bands like Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, and even some of the Riot Grrl bands. The clarification comes though, in the songwriting-many of the songs blend in together, with melodies getting lost in the mix. Taken individually, there are certainly many rockin' tunes (All the Time, Tell the World, and No are the standouts), but overall they start to blur. If I was 19 again-I'd probably be insane over discovering this band for myself.
If you enjoy the DIY sounds of K Records bands like Beat Happening and Heavenly, the noisy guitars of the Jesus and Mary Chain or Velocity Girl, or the harmonic sounds of The Raveonettes or The Ronettes-you will surely enjoy Vivian Girls. They have captured a glorious ramshackle sound of the past-now all they have to do is craft some more memorable songs. I'll certainly be listening to hear what they come up with in the future.

I lived through the K records heyday and the paisley underground and nothing from those scenes rocked my world like this. This is an excellent little album far more deserving than the lack of love shown here. Thankfully Pitchfork showed it the love it deserved, placing it in the top 10 albums of 2008.

Mixing elements of punk, surf, shoegaze these girls are at the head of the pack in the new noise pop movement. Along with Wavves they are one of the few bands giving indie rock the kick in the arse it needs. This album blasts away the staleness of all those synth pop bands going at the moment and rocks it oldskool. You cannot love indie rock or punk and not love this album, it is a near perfect debut proving that often times the best music comes in the most unassuming packages.

Can't wait for album number two.

When I heard The Vivian Girls, I couldn't believe they weren't from San Francisco. This band sounds like the missing link between Henry's Dress and The Aisler's Set, leaning a little more toward the latter in terms of the band's predilection for sixties-worshiping sonic tapestry weaving.

These songs are faster, shorter, and noisier than the Aisler's. But the songs stop just short of ever dissolving into the shapeless miasma of fuzz Henry's Dress was prone to do.

Imagine The Mamas and Papas on methamphetamines and you sort of get the picture.

This is a fantastic little album. At under 25 minutes, I found it was the perfect length. The only complaint I might find is that there are no stand-out tracks. The band has got their signature sound so thoroughly ingrained that every song sort of sounds the same. That isn't so important when it is, after all, such a joyful noise. But I can understand where it might put some people off.

The debut album from Brooklyn based band Vivian Girls is short, but sweet, ten tracks in just over 21 minutes. Their sound borrows from 60's girl groups, shoegaze, punk, bands like the Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Social Distortion, and with some seriously good musicianship and uncommonly confident vision for a new band, they manage to turn their obvious influences into music that's highly addictive and unpretentious fun. There's almost nothing else to say, except I think that you'll know from the first few moments of the album what you're in for, and whether or not you'll want to stick around for the rest. For my part, this is right down my alley, as it offers up the uncomplicated pleasures of pop and rock and roll, well played. Standout cuts: "All The Time," "Wild Eyes," "Where Do You Run To" and "Damaged."

Take some really horrible guitar tones, pedestrian singing and childish song writing and you've got a band that has toured the world and has over 2 million myspace views. I'm not opposed to simple home grown music but the joy of such finds is usually in unearthing some unfinished diamonds. Unless you are capable of polishing feces to a refulgent sheen - you're probably going to have a tough time appreciating this. However - if you're a hipster doofus that likes music for every reason except music - you'll have no problem finding a way to like this. I know this band isn't trying to rewrite gender roles for music or any such important thing - but when you compare a band like Throwing Muses who used their naivete to develop new ideas and push the borders to great results - it's almost sad to see such banal and insipid music getting such attention. They are kinda cute in that art-school girl way - and if that's all the motivation you need to buy a record - go for it. Otherwise - sit down with any group of kids off the street and you can make the same record in a few days.

One day I was watching New York Noise, a show that highlights bands in the area, and all of a sudden this freaky music video with 3 girls comes on and I was completely blown away. Wanting to listen to more NY bands, I eventually bought the album, and overtime it grew and grew until it become one of my favorites. This album showed me that Punk doesn't have to be abrasive/egotistical, but could also be weirdly soothing and melodic, despite the low fi sound. I owned a Ramones album before I bought this and initially thought it was repetitive crap. This album really changed the way I looked at punk and got me into the CBGB's scene (Blondie/Ramones/etc), It got me into 1960 girl bands (The Ronettes, Crystals, etc), got me into Surf rock (Beach Boys), made me love SHORT albums and short songs(this one's only 21 mins long. Before that I was a long album extremist), and even helped me accept and get into many great modern indie bands (Best Coast/La Sera/Coasting/Frankie Rose and the Outs/etc). Before that I practically refused to listen to anything past the 90's. This is one hell of an influential album on me.

I liked the second half of this album much better than the first. I have a weakness for "girl groups", and the Vivian Girls have a quirky quality that I can't quite define.

The title of this review was a quote from the Vivian Girls regarding their sound. The Vivian Girls are named after key characters in Henry Darger's illustrated fantasy epic novel, "In the Realms of the Unreal". I like this release a tad better than their newest effort - jangly lo fi songs that I have a crush on.

The Vivian Girls draw on the finest references from the Age d'Or of alternative music. We can almost see Kendra Smith's face staring down from a poster hung in their studio. However, what the group captures in style - from beautifully low-rent recordings to preciously furtive musicianship - it cannot fulfill substantively. Even for their brief durations (circa 2 minutes), the songs feel overlong and monotonous.

While the Vivian Girls' wall-of-sound is preferable to the pervasive bare-bones, flaccid rock of recent years, there is and have been plenty more groups infinitely more interesting, fun, energetic, etc (see Lush, Deerhunter, Opal, Maybe It's Reno, Jesus & Mary Chain). As long as the music of these other groups is available, and until that material has been thoroughly explored, there is not much draw for this act.

I bought this as a gift and have not heard how it was received. I was pleased with the shipping & delivery.