The Vivian Girls

If you find yourself asking who the Vivian Girls are, prepare to be answered on two fronts. In the literary/esoterica world, the Vivian Girls are heroines who lead a child slave rebellion in a 15,145-page fantasy written by janitor-turned-outsider-artist Henry Darger. In the music world, they're still heroines, a three-piece...

By Serene Dominic

April 9, 2009

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If you find yourself asking who the Vivian Girls are, prepare to be answered on two fronts. In the literary/esoterica world, the Vivian Girls are heroines who lead a child slave rebellion in a 15,145-page fantasy written by janitor-turned-outsider-artist Henry Darger. In the music world, they're still heroines, a three-piece all-girl indie rock band from Brooklyn who are perhaps the sharpest, funniest minimalists the East Coast has given us since the Ramones. Consider their song of disengagement titled "No," which features the word "no" repeated 51 times. Or the even more drastic, deck-clearing "I Believe in Nothing." Their debut album, which sold out its initial pressing in 10 days, is a 10-song, 21-minute blast of rock 'n' roll filtered through layers of mystique-compounding reverb. So much reverb, in fact, that greener rock critics are prone to throw The Jesus and Mary Chain at them, and they're just as prone to throw them right back. Lead singer and vocalist Cassie Ramone says, "Our point of reference is the Wall of Sound, great groups like the Ronettes and the Crystals; we wanted our voices to sound like them, not The Jesus and Mary Chain." Check out "Where Do You Run To" for the irrefutable proof that these Vivians know the way to pop nirvana.

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