home > Music

Chicks That Mosh


Courtesy Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls will perform in Hal & Mal’s courtyard Saturday, Oct. 17.

by Ward Schaefer
October 14, 2009

One of the bigger waves of last year in indie rock was the return (for the umpteenth time) of a lo-fi, reverb-heavy sound indebted to British bands like Joy Division and the Jesus and Mary Chain. A whole crop of new bands, many of them from New York City, seemed to materialize at the same time, playing variations on the same theme: often-indecipherable lyrics, half mumbled, half sung, with walls of distorted guitar and a steady '80s-style drumbeat.

Vivian Girls, from Brooklyn, were perched right on the crest of that wave. In addition to that mumbly, lo-fi aesthetic, they share a home (Brooklyn) and a former drummer with Crystal Stilts, who performed in March at One to One Studios.

But where Crystal Stilts often comes off as druggy and detached, Vivian Girls make lo-fi that manages to sound fun and mischievous. They're an all-girl trio, and their songs have the adolescent brio of early punk—like a gaggle of teenagers playing hooky in the girls' bathroom.

The lyrics to "No," a track on their 2008 self-titled debut, consist exclusively of the song title, sung over and over. It's a classic punk move—80 seconds of pure nihilism—but cascades of backing vocals transform it into something affirming and pretty. Many Vivian Girls songs play with that dichotomy between punk and pop, lo-fi and girl group.

On their new album, "Everything Goes Wrong," the girls don't alter that formula so much as refine it. In songs like "Can't Get Over You," the combination of classic pop hooks and jangly, unhinged guitar sounds less like a forced hybrid or a faddish construct and more like smart, durable song writing.

Vivian Girls, with, ¡Los Buddies! and Cursed Branches Oct. 17, 10 p.m. Hal & Mal's Courtyard. $5

 
posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/14/09 at 01:25 PM. [printer version]    Share |

COMMENTS

You are not logged in. To post a comment, you must be a registered user and logged in. Click here to register or click here to log in.

Log in to JFP using Facebook

:: recentcomments

Feb 10, 2012 | 02:12 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: Thanks, Maddow, for the credit and the link love for this post: on.msnbc.com/yflZ4j
Feb 09, 2012 | 09:50 PM
Biz Roundup: Welcoming New Businesses to Town
redlion: Interesting story. I actually patronized one of Scott's stores during a recent six week stay in the DC area. Still have a re-useable shopping bag from there. Had ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 04:55 PM
[Outlaw] A More Perfect Union
thabian: Loved this column not only for the very important subject matter, but because it contained a truly entertaining voice. I wanted to read more!!!!
Feb 09, 2012 | 04:35 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: Let's not forget when Rep. Holland tried to ban abortion back in 2006. Many of us weren't laughing about that stunt. Here's a 2010 report on him and a ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 04:15 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
Jason Meeks: brief mention of it in video :) by Colbert (via Twitter trending) http://tpmmuckraker. talkingpointsmemo.com/201 2/02/mississippi_rep_want ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 04:01 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: Oh, and I love it when Mississippi punks the nation.
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:57 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: I'm surprised anyone took it seriously. We heard about it earlier the week, and it seemed obvious before it was Holland. But we all deal with him. I'll ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:40 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
Lori G: I thought it was genius when I saw it. Of course, I knew the Colbert joke. I think that is the problem. In this state, there just aren't enough people that ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:20 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
DonnaLadd: I can totally see Holland on Colbert, both pretending to be conservatives! Ha!
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:16 PM
Fight the Power
rlnave: Attorney General Jim Hood was worried for nothing. Even though he was at the Supreme Court making arguments in the ongoing pardon case this morning, I'm hearing that Jackson Democratic Rep. ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:16 PM
Holland's Gulf of America Bill Sweeping the Nation
Lori G: This is an old Colbert joke! I wish someone would send this to Colbert. I swear, I think he'd cover it.
Feb 09, 2012 | 03:02 PM
[Editor's Note] Aloha, Jackson
DonnaLadd: By the way, I looked up an image of the patch our captain friend gave us. Apparently, he is with the 25th Infantry Division; read more here.
Feb 09, 2012 | 01:23 PM
Biz Roundup: Welcoming New Businesses to Town
DonnaLadd: Case in point from the Christian Science Monitor: Whole Foods Killing off Small Natural Food Stores: After years of delivering organic produce to health-food ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 01:19 PM
Biz Roundup: Welcoming New Businesses to Town
DonnaLadd: This is a mixed blessing. They sell cool stuff, but they could shut McDade's and Rainbow down if we're not all careful about where we spend all our food money. ...
Feb 09, 2012 | 01:08 PM
[Outlaw] A More Perfect Union
DonnaLadd: Amazing column.

100 recent comments »

 

e-mail newsletter


Sign up for the JFP Daily Newsletter to receive breaking news, local events, music listings and more by e-mail.


click to advertise

jfp featured event

Jackson 2000 Friendship Ball

Mar 03, 2012 - Civil rights veteran Owen Brooks and Voice of Calvary Ministries president Phil Reed are honored for their racial reconciliation efforts and their contributions to Jackson. Look forward to hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar and music by These Days with Jewel Bass. Proceeds benefit Parents for Public Schools and Students With A Goal (S.W.A.G.). Wear casual attire. more

click to advertise

jfp best bets and recommended

» Friday, February 10

» Saturday, February 11

» Sunday, February 12

» Monday, February 13

» Tuesday, February 14

more best bets »

click to advertise


click to view "flip" version of this week's print issue

 

Guests online: 227
Logged-in members: 0
Anonymous members: 2
Elapsed time: 0.3680
The most number of visitors ever was 1661 at once on 02/10/2012

 

© Jackson Free Press, Inc. - portions of code by CC with EE. User agreement and privacy statement.
phone: 601-362-6121 (ext 11 sales, ext 16 editorial, ext 17 publisher)
fax: 601-510-9019 * P.O. Box 5067 * Jackson, MS * 39296