Vivian Girls – Vivian Girls Review
The Vivian Girls are in town with Fucked Up for a Halloween series at Sneaky Dee’s. Along with Fucked Up, The Vivian Girls scored huge recognition from critics, including an 8.5 from Pitchfork. While some reviews weren’t as positive, I thought I’d take the chance to cover them.
The Vivians are a 3 girl trio out of Brooklyn gaining notoriety for their punk and shoegaze elements. For me, it’s not all that much punk but mores to the creative shoegaze style that I’ve learned to like over the past few years.
The album is just 10 tracks and clocks in a short 22 minutes. Personally for me, 22 minutes is like an EP and even then, I’m used to seeing EPs that are just as long. The production is very lo-fi and is very raw in nature. It’s very difficult to actually judge them in my opinion because we are given only bits and pieces and a small glimpse in general of what (if anything) the Vivian Girls can pull off.
After checking out the Vivian Girls and analyzing it a few times, it’s clear to me that this album isn’t as good/fresh as Pitchfork is making it out to be. Granted, it’s purely based on opinion and it always seems like P4K is promoting bands the blogs or other magazines necessarily don’t like.
Before I sound too critical, I do actually like this album but it shouldn’t stop me from saying it’s overrated. The simple lo-fi nature of the album shows off Cassie Ramones strong skills as a lead vocalist. I think when you think of “punk” bands, it’s hard imagining a lead vocalist capable of singing in other genres, but with Cassie, I wouldn’t mind seeing her on a dream pop band.
Musically, it’s still more “creative” rather then actually having substance right now. Of the music, the basslines are probably the greatest thing. I’m not sure about the guitaring effects as nothing specifically stands out from the production, though at times they are excellent. Case in point the excellent I Believe In Nothing where guitaring takes center stage with an interlude between Cassie’s I Believe In Nothing.
I think the biggest criticism and most valid point I can make is that while it’s clear the Vivian Girls are good, songs lack a more concerted effort to be great. Lyrically, it’s more structured to be a hypnotic anthem rather then something meaningful. Songs that have its moments are only for a short amount of time, with 8 of the tracks under 3 minutes.. it’s hard to dissect something I’m incredibly satisfied with.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Probably worth checking out. They are a hot new band but they may not keep you in your seat once they get a hold of you.
Where Do You Run To by Vivian Girls
No by Vivian Girls
All the Time by Vivian Girls
Tags: album
I gotta say, I don’t get it. I haven’t heard the record, but the live performance was a let down. They seem at ease on stage and look like they belong there. But, when they were faced with having to borrow all their gear from Fucked Up Thursday night after being “denied” at the border, they didn’t make such a great impression. The guitarist couldn’t figure stuff out, the guitar and bass amps were too loud, and I absolutely could not hear any vocals. I don’t know whether they did a sound check, but everyone else sounded pretty great that night, so I don’t know what gives. The songs were short and they seemed to spend more time not playing than actually playing! Argh. They were a real letdown for me. I suppose it’s not all their fault, but in a night with 6 other awesome acts they stand out for kinda sucking, I think.