2008 Woodie Awards
Indie Rock Duo Get You Happy
Viva Voce's dark new album shines in the light.
John Roberts
Issue date: 9/13/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
When it comes to indie bands, only having two members (one male, the other female) usually means that you sound something like The White Stripes. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Viva Voce and their newest album "Get Yr Blood Sucked Out." The husband and wife duo of Kevin and Anita Robinson has the unique
ability to layer sound upon sound and create a wave of noise that washes over the listener.
In the opening track "Believer," the couple sings over hands clapping, harmonica, and a tambourine with lines like "All you people talking crazy," and "Famous friends are rich and lazy…"
Following "Believer" is "When Planets Collide," where Anita takes the lead in vocals. While the
backing music isn't as dense, the lyrics shine, and are reminiscent of Cocteau Twins, or even The Jesus and Mary Chain.
"From The Devil Himself" is a cautionary story about the music industry with those same happy
clapping hands from the opening track.
A standout lyric from that song is "We're gonna get some money for nothing, on every song you wrote." This song is also where the band found the name for the album.
The final track, "How To Nurse A Bruised Ego (Back To Health)," closes the album on a relatively light and peaceful note. With an acoustic guitar and piano taking the lead, the single lyric appears about a minute and a half from the end, and is simply, "Honestly, you say you can't be for me now, but I know you can"
repeated several times.
This disk is not "party music." There are no lyrics about "putting your hands in the air" or "shaking it on the dance floor." This CD is one of those that is best enjoyed with a pair of headphones on a Sunday morning. With every listen, it is possible to discover an instrument or rhythmic section that didn't seem to be there the last time.
The first half of the album is easy to fall in love with immediately, while the second half takes a more time.
If you enjoy music that is somewhat more challenging than 80% of what is on the radio right now, it would be hard to go wrong with Viva Voce's "Get Yr Blood Sucked Out."
ability to layer sound upon sound and create a wave of noise that washes over the listener.
In the opening track "Believer," the couple sings over hands clapping, harmonica, and a tambourine with lines like "All you people talking crazy," and "Famous friends are rich and lazy…"
Following "Believer" is "When Planets Collide," where Anita takes the lead in vocals. While the
backing music isn't as dense, the lyrics shine, and are reminiscent of Cocteau Twins, or even The Jesus and Mary Chain.
"From The Devil Himself" is a cautionary story about the music industry with those same happy
clapping hands from the opening track.
A standout lyric from that song is "We're gonna get some money for nothing, on every song you wrote." This song is also where the band found the name for the album.
The final track, "How To Nurse A Bruised Ego (Back To Health)," closes the album on a relatively light and peaceful note. With an acoustic guitar and piano taking the lead, the single lyric appears about a minute and a half from the end, and is simply, "Honestly, you say you can't be for me now, but I know you can"
repeated several times.
This disk is not "party music." There are no lyrics about "putting your hands in the air" or "shaking it on the dance floor." This CD is one of those that is best enjoyed with a pair of headphones on a Sunday morning. With every listen, it is possible to discover an instrument or rhythmic section that didn't seem to be there the last time.
The first half of the album is easy to fall in love with immediately, while the second half takes a more time.
If you enjoy music that is somewhat more challenging than 80% of what is on the radio right now, it would be hard to go wrong with Viva Voce's "Get Yr Blood Sucked Out."
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