Vivian Girls

Vivian Girls are self-conscious of their prowess. Tracks are decidedly lo-fi, limited to just a fistful of chords, and court The Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime brevity. It all sheepishly cloaks the Brooklyn trio’s white-knuckle grasp of assorted stylistic elements: the acute pain and desire exuded by ’50s girl groups; DIY’s duct-taped brashness; the conflation of sugary ’80s pop (Shop Assistants, Talulah Gosh) with its razory antithesis (the Flatmates, the Charlottes). “No” artfully demonstrates their tactics. Taken at face value it’s an exercise in snare-drum smiting, wrist-spraining downstroke technique, and how to properly turn your larynx to hamburger (they get extensive mileage out the word “no”). But simplicity is just a veil: the barb-tipped guitars and emphatic vocals transform the song into a bullish statement of defiance. It’s girl delivering a swift kick to boy’s bubblegum. Further epic sentiments (love desired/love deserted) are catalogued in tracks like “Going Insane,” “Wild Eyes” and “Never See Me Again,” always beneath hazy harmonies and reverb that would make Martin Hannett rapturous. Vivian Girls play faster, breathe faster and love faster than most artists you know. And if Vivian Girls is any indication, they will blissfully burn out before that anticipated second album.