May 29th, 2009
Meh, New Vivian Girls…
I liked the Vivian Girls’ debut album well enough, but a few things have put me off the all-girl Brooklyn surf-punk/shoegaze trio since last year, some of which are not at all their fault and some of which totally are. First, there was the okay-not-great set they played last fall at the Danger Danger house (their fault), during which some asshole chick in the crowd took a needless swipe at my camera and almost broke it, pissing me off and unfortunately raining on my VivGirls parade (not their fault). Then, of course, there was the ridiculous amount of blog hype and chatter that was so hard to escape (not their fault). Then there was the interview I did with the three of them during which they came off fairly obnoxious and smug (their fault). And then there was the interview I did with a former founding member of the Vivian Girls, who told me some off-the-record petty, weak shit about her ex-bandmates (indirectly their fault).
So forgive me if I’m not overly thrilled with the announcement that their sophomore album, Everything Goes Wrong, will be released by In the Red on September 8th. I’m forever jaded and ruined when it comes to Vivian Girls, I’m pretty sure. You, however, may be ecstatic about this news, which is why I’m passing it along. I’m certain a summer Philly show is being planned as we speak at Vivian Girls HQ, so I’ll keep you posted on any ticket/venue info. Meanwhile, here’s the press release:
Vivian Girls have had an extremely eventful couple of years as a band, from appearing at major festivals, to playing the Bowery Ballroom about a million times, to having their own question on Jeopardy. The band spoke with Pitchfork’s Tom Breihan back in March while in the studio in LA working on their sophomore LP, Everything Goes Wrong, due Sept. 8 on In The Red – below is an excerpt to give you and idea of what to expect from album number two:
“Last time, the album was really rushed,” says guitarist Cassie Ramone. “We were just go, go, go, go. And now we’re taking our time with every step of the process, making sure we’re really happy with everything before we move on.”With this band, though “taking our time” means they’re taking six days to record the entire thing instead of the three days they used for their first album. Ramone says, “We recorded 15 songs, but if we put them all on the album, that’ll be an hour’s worth of music, so we’re going to have to cut some of them out. Our last album was like 22 minutes, so we figure if this album is longer than 44 minutes that’ll just be insane. It would be twice as long.”
“We’re aiming for around 35 minutes,” adds bassist Kickball Katy. So you’ll probably still be able to plow through the whole Vivian Girls album on your morning commute.
On the first album, the two longest, slowest songs, “Tell the World” and “Where Do You Run To”, were clear standouts. The band says they’ll focus more on that side of their sound on the second album. “The songs are longer,” says drummer Ali Koehler. “I think it’s moodier. I think we have basically the same influences as on our first album, but with more influences added.”
Katy elaborates: “We have a few songs that kind of sound like the Gun Club. We have, like, a Neil Young-inspired song.”
Ali: “We’re using No Doubt’s hi-hat.”
Cassie: “That’s not actually an influence. We actually are using No Doubt’s cymbals, though. That was an accident.”
But the band is still making sure to keep the raw, fun edge that animated the first album. They’re recording most of their songs in single takes, they’re producing it themselves, and they’re not bringing in any guests. “We haven’t turned into perfectionists,” says Ali.
