Vivian Girls

Nine times out of ten, Public Enemy’s advice to not believe the hype rings true. And then there’s Vivian Girls. You can sometimes measure the trendiness rank of a band by how much a CDR of their demo sells for on eBay ($63 in this case). The music of the Brooklyn (by way of NJ) trio isn’t especially new. They hit the scene in 2007 and found a vigilant following that quickly snapped up all 500 copies of their vinyl-only debut. Now available as a CD or a digital download, word has been traveling as quick as the 21:27, ten-song album. And I have to say, I love it.

While Cassie Ramone, Kickball Katy and Ali Koehler cite influences like The Wipers and Nirvana on their MySpace page, I hear echoes of late 80s Oxford band Tallulah Gosh and the C86 scene. What you’ve got here is a terrific mix of 60s girl groups, U.K. shoegaze, post punk, punk, reverb and irony. On that last note, since this isn’t a music blog, I want to point you toward their “uncensored interviews” in which the Girls briefly discuss what superpowers they’d like to have and how Vincent Gallo’s sperm is overrated. Their latest offering, the Surf’s Up Fun Pack, includes a T-shirt, 7-inch, button and postcard. Pick one up here.