Vivian Girls - "Share The Joy"

The Vivian Girls return today with Share The Joy, their third album and first for new label Polyvinyl Records. In the two years since their sophomore album, the girls have been busy with various acclaimed side and solo projects, including All Saints Day, The Babies and La Sera; and that experience has translated into their best album yet.

“The Other Girls” opens the album with a hail of noisy guitars before slowing down into a quieter groove with the telling refrain of “I don’t wanna be like the other girls”, and the six and a half minute song also contains an extended guitar solo. The longing first single, “I Heard You Say” finds the band sharpening their harmonies while reducing the fuzz to let their sparkling pop sense shine through. The hip-shaking “Dance (If You Wanna)” picks up the pace and refuses to take no for an answer. Standout track “Sixteen Ways” is a dark and rumbling punk, rockabilly and girl-group hybrid with an infectious chorus. The nostalgic “Take It As It Comes” features talking verses, embodying the spirit of girl group's gone by and “Vanishing Of Time” is hazy and reverb-drenched, featuring another melodic guitar noodling session. The album closes the same way it started with another six minute song, this time though “Light In Your Eyes” begins with a quiet moment before crashing into a barrage of fuzzy distortion and a noisy jam session to end the album on a high note.

Share The Joy succeeds because it doesn’t rush by like their excellent debut but instead their pop sense is at the forefront and more care has been taken in the arrangements, showing a growth that was expected from their third album.

Download "I Heard You Say" here: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/dl.php?id=0867030606860756

For more info click here: http://www.freewebs.com/viviangirls/ and http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/