Viva K Issue #25

Viva K (Stinky)

By Elizabeth Barker
Published: September 1st, 2005 | 12:43pm

If Republica had ditched the Aeon Flux aesthetic, traded in their Pet Shop Boys singles for some used Ravi Shankar records, and dabbled in transcendental meditation, the Brits behind 1996's Ready to Go might have graced us with the kind of enlightenment-lite found on Viva K's self-titled debut.

Like Republica, this female-fronted L.A. four-piece tacks spiky guitars onto '80s synth-pop, but leaves out all the campy fun. In its place, Viva K interjects a little yoga-studio wisdom and sitar noodling that recalls Indian restaurant muzak much more readily than "Within You, Without You," despite a few moments of nirvana scattered throughout the disc's 45 minutes.

At first, singer Ween Callas fuzzed-out, steamy vocals verge on PJ Harvey's most high-drama hysteria, opener "Guru" shimmering with all the dark dreaminess of the sexiest songs off Is this Desire? But by the time Callas blurts out, "Do you love me? / It makes me scared!" on the first lines of the second track, you remember that Polly Harvey's got a thousand scarier ways to ask if you love her, and at least a few hundred lovelier ways to tell you she's scared.

Callas' lithe voice is most compelling when it's not blurred by distortion, especially on danceable numbers like "Does it Matter?" and "We Are Safe." As the best track on the 12-song Viva K, "We Are Safe" layers handclaps and dreamy sitar over an improbably catchy Krautrock hum. Instead of letting the record roll on with that hypnotic and beautiful sound, Viva K opts for generic guitar noise, flat drumbeats, and uninspired keyboards that crowd nearly every track like so much sonic clutter. Isn't that bad feng shui?

—