Monday 6 October 2008

Vivian Girls




Vivian Girls - Vivian Girls LP Review


Vivian Girls’ self-titled debut is a nonchalant hum of feedback-laden, muffled guitars and clattering drumbeats, juxtaposed with hazy, poppy harmonies straight from the sixties girl-group songbook. Not to be confused with the Australian band of the same name that was about in 2000, these three girls from Brooklyn create the perfect balance of sound; enough fuzzy, ramshackle beats and crashing uproar to please lo-fi, shoegaze lovers, but pressed up against assertive, chanting vocals and jaunty tambourine shakes to ensure that the boppy pop sensibilities stay on the straight and narrow. Instantly enthralling on the first listen and with their own solid, unapologetic sound, this record never falls prey to repetitive melodies but is a relentless spin through young love, heartbreak and all that goes between. Whilst every song stands strong alone, my particular first-loves are the woeful Where Do You Run To, the thudding urgency of Tell The World and Going Insane, an unabashedly shameless tracking down of a teenage love interest (“Does he know, does he know, that he’s going to be mine?”). Vivian Girls are creating the kind of music that requires your immediate attention; go and look them up right now and I can guarantee that your day will get brighter almost straight away.

Seriously, go!