Vivian Girls - Share the Joy

Having somehow missed out on the initial hoopla that surrounded this pack of ladies, this is my first collision with the Vivian Girls and my formative impressions are rather good. The opening gambit 'The Other Girls' is chirpy guitar pop with interesting chord changes and dynamics, yet just once you've got them figured they go off into a madcap guitar solo and excellent choral coda. They have that spinny, spindly Sleater-Kinney thing going on with the whole shebang threatening at anytime to fall apart but held together seemingly with the thinnest of nylon. Whilst their playing is joyously rudimentary, the melodies are consistently fabulous recalling anything from Spector girl groups to The Shop Assistants to the late lamented Aislers Set. They have a wondrous way with a harmony too which elevates them above the glut of C86 influenced pop that clutters our 7" shelves. The great thing about this album is that it stays upbeat and doesn't fall into that meandering thing that ruins many such efforts. They stray into Warpaint territory at times and the ghosts of The Slits and The Raincoats are always in evidence but generally its a whole heap of scratchy joy.