The appeal of the Vivian Girls has always been that they play like they are going for broke, with little regard for fashionable affectation. There is a purity to their sound that simply no one else has. That purity is evident throughout "Share The Joy," even as the Girls tighten and diversify their sound. While, the darkly-hued "I Heard You Say" is a more subdued version of the band's garage punk, what stands out as the song progresses is lead singer Cassie Ramone's emotional vocal work toward the end that soars above the band's trademark harmonies. It's to the bone stuff that joyfully betrays any restraint musically. Album highlight "Lake House" finds the band blasting their way through the track like a proper punk band, but the song's melodicism and the Girl's deft control of harmonies and instrumentation elevate the number far beyond yet another two minute garage song. Then there is the darker, but rollicking, "Trying To Pretend." As Ramone sings "I'm not the one trying to pretend," although her words may be directed to a lover, they could easily be taken as the band's raison d'être. Each song contains the raw strength of their earlier work, but is slightly more polished, toughened-up and taut as a result of natural progression, and not because of the over-reaching or re-invention that some bands succumb to at this stage in their career, often to disastrous effect.
Throughout, the Girls sound more relaxed and confident than ever as they turn in a collection of melodic and diverse tracks that mix in elements of 60s girl-group, the spooky garage rock of Dead Moon, and even a bit of humour as evident on the wink wink, nudge nudge of "Take It As It Comes." Epic closer "Light In Your Eyes," perfectly combines all of the elements the band cultivates throughout "Share The Joy." It's dark, punky, melodic, spacious and pretty much perfect. When it's over it's hard not to flip the record over and begin the journey again. And it is a journey, but one that you don't realize you've been on until you come to the end of the record. That is because there is a sort of buzzy transcendence that gradually builds from song to song that finally culminates on "Light In Your Eyes." Although every track stands completely on its own, once you step back from the individual pieces and view the album as a whole, you notice an undeniable arc to "Share The Joy," that makes it even greater than the sum of its parts.
"I Heard You Say"
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