Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong (2009, In the Red)

The decade has given us a lot of artists that have tried excruciatingly hard to make their musical catalog as open as possible, which has brought forth an audaciously hip music scene. Any arrangement of animal noises can be made into an LP and filed under “experimental,” which has sadly become just as generic as “alternative.” However, through the bloated mess of GarageBand electrosynth comes a resurgence in lo-fi that falls back on core aspects of punk rock, with bands comprised of young hotheads on stage who break guitar strings and sing-spit into their mics. It is this movement that created and continually praises Vivian Girls, a hodgepodge that's wedged somewhere between My Bloody Valentine and Wipers – their mission: to revive the stripped down proto-punk aesthetic in an era of lengthy post-rock and existentialist drone. Their sophomore effort, Everything Goes Wrong, takes the band's prime elements and doubles them, making it the better of the Girls' two releases.

Purists who are critical of Vivian Girls carry a template of statements regarding the trio's sound: “They can't play! It's all the same!” But these critics are missing the point: the simplicity of Vivian Girls is what makes them an excellent band. They belt out songs about general angst with a great amount of edge – an straightforward approach that proves enjoyable. This, in addition to the acclaim following their first album, caused Everything Goes Wrong to be well-anticipated; there aren't any music geeks in the country that can pass up this quirky, naked noisefest.

Compared to their 2008 debut, Wrong is longer in length and explores darker themes – a statement Cassie Ramone, Kickball Katie, and Frankie Rose have no trouble proving. The band immediately launches their listeners into their unpolished sound with “Walking Alone at Night,” an ironic number because of the dark title and bouncy feel . From there, we segue into the tracks “I Have No Fun” and “Can't Get Over You,” songs that give off a Ramones vibe because of their blunt lyricism. However, with the start of “Tension,” the energy ceases, and the band takes a sharp turn into a song that is, more or less, an eerie ode to their shoegaze influences. At almost three minutes, the eye of the storm doesn't last long: they're back to immersing their listeners in feedback by the next track. Most of the album continues in this fashion, with the two girls lending their lackadaisical vocals and guitars as accompaniment to Rose's drumming. However, the speed ceases for the final time with the conclusion, “Before I Start to Cry,”a sad piece with unworldly vocals and haunting guitars á la Jim Reid – a perfect finish to a near perfect work.

The one problem with this album, as with most lo-fi, is that it can get monotonous; there's an implication that the material will ultimately be better when it's performed live, because the energy would manifest itself in physical form – after all, listening to the Stooges' debut album doesn't compare to seeing Iggy Pop strut around maniacally on stage. But listening to the album by one's lonesome proves less gripping, and therefore less stimulating.

However, Wrong's fault is easy to oversee. It's become undeniably clear that Vivian Girls are this decade's quintessential noise rock act, and while the existence of another release is pending, we can still look to Wrong to deliver that unique Vivian Girls sound that teaches us to opt for the simple instead of the complicated.

(Writer's note: This will be appearing in the 9/23 issue of the Forum. Also, this is the last time I'll use the word "hodgepodge" for a while, no matter how much I like it because it sounds like the name of my favorite glue.)