Lo-Fi Females

In the blink of an eye, the debut self-titled album by Vivan girls is over. 10 songs with an average length of under 2 minutes will do that to you. There are plenty of EPs I know of which are longer. Yet this gets classified as an album, and I suppose it's more about what you do with that time you have. And whoa boy, do Vivian Girls know how to spend their time. If you're a fan of lo-fi rock n' roll with a punk ethos, there's plenty on this album to make you very happy. Fuzzy noise pop are three good words to describe this record. For those who've been listening to the great Times New Viking album "Rip It Off" from earlier this year, you may find delight here- especially if you wished those songs were done by a trio of females. Mainly though, the sonic influence rises from some bands in the late 80s/early 90s like Black Tambourine and Tiger Trap, and I like to think there's some great Guided By Voices tributes melted within as well.

What amuses me the most about "Vivian Girls" is probably how generally unprofessional and lazy the band sounds. Mind you, just because they sound that way doesn't mean they ARE that way. I'm of the strong belief that the occasional wrong note or off-key singing or rushed feeling you get while breezing through these songs is wholly intentional. It keeps things interesting for one, but it's also pretty indicative of how such lo-fi scuzzy bands are supposed to sound. Think of it like a live recording, because chances are these songs all translate to the stage exceptionally well. And who knows? They may have even recorded these songs live in the studio instead of going through the usual multi-track process. Whatever they did, it works towards creating freshly compelling listens each time you breeze through this record.

"Vivian Girls" is yet another album this year I can extend plenty of compliments to, mostly because these ladies earn that respect. Many might not like the noisy and (what sounds like) poorly recorded quality of the songs, nor might there be a whole lot of love in paying a full album price for something that's barely over 20 minutes in length ("that's like, $1 for every 2 minutes, man!"). Personally I think it's worth it. Lo-fi has made an interesting sort-of comeback this year, with some great records by No Age and Times New Viking and now Vivian Girls. It's gotten to the point where I'm not even sure which of those lo-fi albums is my favorite right now. Just know they're all good, and Vivian Girls stands tall amidst the boys.

Vivian Girls- Tell the World
Vivian Girls- Where Do You Run To

Buy "Vivian Girls" from Amazon

Labels: vivian girls